The Diocese of Austin ( la, Dioecesis Austiniensis) is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

comprising 25 counties of

Central Texas Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a ph ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The diocese includes 123 parishes and missions and six university Catholic student centers. The diocese stretches from

West, Texas West is a city in McLennan County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 2,531. It is named after Thomas West, the first postmaster of the city. The city is located in the north-central part of Texas, approximate ...

, (just north of

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

) in the north to

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

in the south to the Bryan - College Station area in the east to

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

in the west. Its largest metropolitan areas are

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, Bryan – College Station, the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood area and Waco. The diocese estimates over 625,000 Catholics live in the diocese. As of 2021, it has 216 priests (168 active, 48 retired), 240 permanent deacons (160 active, 80 retired), approximately 30 brothers and 84 sisters serving in the diocese. The Diocese of Austin is a

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of the metropolitan

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

History

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

established the diocese on November 15, 1947. It is

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

to the

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

announced on January 26, 2010, that he selected Joe S. Vazquez, previously auxiliary bishop and Vicar General/Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as bishop for the Diocese of Austin. On January 21, 2015,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed Rev. Daniel E. Garcia as the first auxiliary bishop in the history of the diocese. At the time of his appointment Fr. Garcia was serving as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.

Bishops

Bishops of Austin

Louis Joseph Reicher Louis Joseph Reicher (June 14, 1890 – February 23, 1984) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first bishop of the new Diocese of Austin in Texas from 1948 to 1971. Biography Early life Louis Reicher was born on ...

(1947-1971) #

Vincent Madeley Harris Vincent Madeley Harris (October 14, 1913 – March 31, 1988) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Beaumont in Texas from 1966 to 1971 and as bishop of the Diocese of Austin in Texas fro ...

(1971-1985; Coadjutor 1971) #

John E. McCarthy John Edward McCarthy (June 21, 1930 – August 18, 2018) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Austin in Texas from 1985 to 2001. Biography Early life John McCarthy was born on June 21, 1 ...

(1985-2001) #

Gregory Michael Aymond Gregory Michael Aymond (born November 12, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He became the fourteenth archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, Archdiocese of New Orleans in Louisiana on June 12, 2009. ...

(2001-2009; Coadjutor 2000-2001), appointed

Archbishop of New Orleans The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans ( la, Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, french: Archidiocèse de la Nouvelle-Orléans, es, Arquidiócesis de Nueva Orleans) is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church spanning Jeffers ...

Joe S. Vásquez Joe Steve Vásquez (born July 9, 1957) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Austin in Texas since 2010. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston i ...

(2010–present)

Former Auxiliary Bishop of Austin

* Daniel E. Garcia (2015–2019), appointed Bishop of Monterey

Other bishops who were priests of this diocese

Patrick Zurek Patrick James Zurek (born 17 August 1948) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He has served as Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo, Bishop of Amarillo since February 22, 2008. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Roman C ...

, appointed Bishop of Amarillo in 2008 *

William Mulvey William Michael Mulvey (born August 23, 1949) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi in Texas since 2010. Biography Early life and education William Mulvey was born on August ...

, appointed Bishop of Corpus Christi in 2010 * Michael J. Sis, appointed Bishop of San Angelo in 2013 * David A. Konderla, appointed Bishop of Tulsa in 2016 *

William Albert Wack William Albert Wack, C.S.C. (born June 28, 1967) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee in Florida since August 22, 2017. Early life William Wack was born June 28, ...

, CSC, appointed Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee in 2017

The diocesan coat of arms

The coat of arms of the diocese is based on an old coat of arms associated with early Austen or Austin families (in honor of

Stephen F. Austin Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...

), adapted to express appropriate religious symbolism.

Other facilities

The diocese operates the Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton, Texas.

Education

; High schools * Holy Trinity Catholic High School, Temple * St. Louis Reicher Catholic High School, Waco * St. Joseph Catholic High School, Bryan * St. Michael's Catholic Academy, Austin * San Juan Diego Catholic High School, Austin *

St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic high school located in northern Austin, Texas, United States. The school, a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin, opened in August 2009. It is administered by the diocese. History ...

, Austin * St. Mary's Catholic School, Taylor

Financial status

The Central Administrative Office of the Diocese had revenues of $37.0 million for the fiscal year ending June 2022.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin Official Site
{{authority control

Christian organizations established in 1947

1947 establishments in Texas Organizations based in Austin, Texas