Fr. Al Bitz is Rector of the Basilica of St. James in Jamestown and Pastor of the parishes of St. Margaret Mary of Buchanan, St. Mathias of Windsor and St. Michael of Pingree, three rural, catholic parishes in central North Dakota.
He pastored in cities of North Dakota, including 10 years at St. Mary's Cathedral in Fargo which is known for its ministry to the down-and-out as well as the street folks. The spirit of Cardinal Muench, former Bishop of Fargo and Papal Nuncio to Germany after World War II, and Fr. Robert Hovda, one of the foremost liturgical renewal pioneers, still inspires the life of the Fargo Diocese.
Since 1994, he is also greatly involved in "Support Ministry" to Bishop Joseph Werth, Novosibirsk, Siberia. In this endeavor he served on the National Committee that sponsored the "First International Conference to Assist the Catholic Church in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan" held in Colorado Springs and Denver, Colorado on June 9-11, 1995.