The Bismarck Orthodox Community is a group of Eastern Orthodox Christians who are living in the Bismarck/Mandan area and its surroundings. Some were members of St. Peter the Aleut Orthodox Church in Minot, ND (Saint Peter Orthodox Minot (stpeterorthodoxminot.org)) under the Orthodox Church of America (OCA) jurisdiction. Others attended services of the Minot church from time to time.

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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, services in Bismarck were provided by a priest approximately once a month from the Minot parish. Since Minot has experienced recent periods without a priest, the visits were intermittent.  Most of the services took place at St. Mary’s Chapel at CHI St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, but for a time, were held at St. Georges Episcopal Church in Bismarck. During the pandemic, the Chapel has been closed, and no services took place since March 2020.  

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During the pandemic, the community members petitioned the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese to establish an Orthodox Mission in Bismarck. The Archdiocese graciously accepted their request. Khalid Oweis was ordained as Deacon Damian by His Grace Bishop Basil in April 2021, and he is on his way to being ordained as priest to serve all those who are seeking to drink from the fountain of the Orthodox faith in the Bismarck/Mandan region.