Rev. Leonard A. Eckroth

The Reverend Leonard A. Eckroth, 93, passed away at St. Vincent’s Care Center in Bismarck on June 18, 2026. 

A Mass of Christian burial will be 10 AM, Friday, June 26, 2026, at the Church of St. Joseph, Mandan, with the Most Reverend David D. Kagan, Bishop of Bismarck, as celebrant. The priests of the Bismarck Diocese will concelebrate. Visitation will be Thursday, June 25, from 5-7 PM with a rosary/vigil at 7 PM at the Church of St. Joseph. Burial will follow at Union Cemetery, Mandan.

Father Eckroth was born on October 7, 1932, in Mandan, ND to Louis and Hedwig (Grunenfelder) Eckroth. He was raised in Mandan and attended St. Joseph’s School through the 8th grade. He went on to graduate from high school at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN. Fr. Eckroth continued his seminary studies at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, MN, graduating in 1958. He was ordained by the Most Reverend Hilary B. Hacker on June 2, 1958, at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Bismarck.

In his first year of priesthood, he served as chaplain of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Dickinson; assistant of the Churches of Saint Anne, Bismarck; St. Michael, Sentinel Butte; and Home on the Range, Sentinel Butte. He then served as assistant of the Pro Cathedral of St. Mary, Bismarck, until October 1960. His next assignment was administrator of the Church of St. Michael, rural Linton. In August 1961 he became pastor of the Churches of St. John, New Leipzig; Sacred Heart, Bentley; and St. Mary, Miner. He then became pastor of the Church of St. Joseph, Bowbells, and St. John the Baptist, Portal. From July 1970 to June 1978, he served as pastor of the Churches of St. Thomas, Tioga, and St. James, Powers Lake. Fr. Eckroth’s next assignment was serving as pastor of the Churches of St. Martin, Huff, and Immaculate Conception, Fort Rice, serving there until July 1987. He was then appointed pastor of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, Strasburg, until July 1, 2009, and the Church of St. Aloysius, Hague, until July 1, 1989. He also served as pastor of the Church of St. Michael, rural Linton, from July 1993 to December 1998. He served as pastor of the Church of St. Mary, Hague, from July 1989 to July 2009.

Along with his parish duties, he was Defender of the Bond for the Tribunal Office for 28 years and Vice-Officialis for nine years. He also served as chaplain of the North Dakota State Industrial School, North Dakota State Penitentiary, Columbian Squires, and the cloistered Carmelites in Hague. Father Eckroth entered retirement on July 1, 2009, after serving the faithful of the Bismarck Diocese for 51 years. He lived at the Emmaus Place before moving to St. Vincent’s Care Center.

Father Eckroth is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Anthony & Joan Eckroth of Mission, TX, as well as many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Hedwig and Louis Eckroth, and twelve of his brothers and sisters.