The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Galvestoniensis–Houstoniensis'') 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 Jo ...

ecclesiastical jurisdiction or

archdiocese In 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 provinces were administratively associat ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It encompasses of ten counties in the southeastern area of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Ga ...

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle of ...

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 ...

, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Grimes, Montgomery, San Jacinto,

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People * Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) * Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California ...

and Waller. The chancery of the archdiocese is located in

Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10, Interstate 45, and Interstate 69. The ...

. The archdiocese's first

cathedral church A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

is St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in

, with a co-cathedral, the

Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is a place of worship located at 1111 St. Joseph Parkway in downtown Houston. The co-cathedral seats 1,820 people in its sanctuary. Together with the venerable St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica in Galveston, Sac ...

, located in

. The co-cathedral is used for all major archdiocesan liturgies.

History

The archdiocesan history began with the erection of the prefecture apostolic of Texas in 1839, thus making Galveston the "Mother Church of Texas". The prefecture was elevated to a vicariate apostolic on July 10, 1841. On May 4, 1847, the vicariate became the

Diocese In 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 provinces were administratively associ ...

of Galveston in the

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and St. Mary Cathedral Basilica was designated the cathedral. In 1926, the then-diocese was placed in the newly created Province of

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

. After the devastating

Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galv ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

began to expand after the

Port of Houston The Port of Houston is one of the world's largest ports and serves the metropolitan area of Houston, Texas. The port is a 50-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. ...

was completed. At the request of Wendelin J. Nold, fifth bishop of Galveston,

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...

authorised the construction of a co-cathedral of convenience in Houston, and on July 25, 1959, the name of the diocese was changed to the Diocese of Galveston–Houston. Sacred Heart, a parish church located in downtown Houston, was named the co-cathedral of the diocese. This change made Houston an

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

city, and permitted full episcopal ceremonies to be held in both Galveston and Houston. In 1979,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

recognized the importance the diocese's cathedral played in the development of Texas and the western United States and elevated the status of St. Mary Cathedral by naming it a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

. By the end of the 20th century, the diocese had become one of the largest in the United States with its episcopal see cities becoming internationally important. Recognizing this, in December 2004, Pope John Paul II created the new Ecclesiastical Province of Galveston–Houston and elevated the See of Galveston–Houston to a

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a t ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

Joseph Fiorenza Joseph Anthony Fiorenza (January 25, 1931 – September 19, 2022) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the seventh bishop and the first archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in Texas, serving from 1985 to 200 ...

, who had led the diocese for 20 years, became the first

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

of Galveston–Houston, and Bishop

Daniel DiNardo Daniel Nicholas DiNardo (born May 23, 1949) is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the second and current archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in Houston serving since 2006. He previously served as bishop of the D ...

became

Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coa ...

. The Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston oversees the following

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 jurisdiction ...

dioceses:

, Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Tyler and Victoria in Texas. Many landmark structures are contained within the archdiocese. Most prominent is St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...

of Texas, and one of the few buildings and the only church to survive the 1900 Galveston Storm. Other landmarks include the 1887 Bishop's Palace, the former 1912 Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, and Annunciation Church, one of the oldest churches in Texas. There were 646,000 people of the Roman Catholic faith in the Galveston–Houston diocese in 1990. By 2005 this increased to 1.3 million, with 40% being Hispanic or Latino, 30% being non-Hispanic white, 19% being black, 7% being Asian, and 4% to miscellaneous racial identities. Immigration fueled the growth of Catholicism in the Houston area. In November 2020, a Houston-area priest Father Manuel La Rosa-Lopez pleaded guilty to two counts of indecency involving sexual abuse of a boy and girl. The next month, a Montgomery Country judge sentenced Rosa-Lopez to 10 years in prison.

Bishops

Prefects of Texas

John Timon John Timon, C.M. (February 12, 1797 – April 16, 1867) was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the bishop of the new Diocese of Buffalo in Western New York and founder of the brothers of the Holy Infancy religious order. B ...

, C.M. (1840–1847)

Vicars Apostolic of Texas

Jean-Marie Odin Jean-Marie Odin, C.M., (February 25, 1800 – May 25, 1870) was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans from 1861 to 1870. Odin previously served as the first ...

, C.M. (1841–1847)

Bishops of Galveston

, C.M. (1847–1861), 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 ...

Claude Marie Dubuis Claude Marie Dubuis (March 10, 1817 – May 22, 1895) was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Galveston in Texas. from 1862 until his death in 1892. He founded the Sisters of Ch ...

(1862–1892) # Nicolaus Aloysius Gallagher (1892–1918) #

Christopher Edward Byrne Christopher Edward Byrne (April 21, 1867 – April 1, 1950) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Galveston in Texas from 1918 until his death. Biography Early life Christopher Byrne ...

(1918–1950) #

Wendelin Joseph Nold Wendelin Joseph Nold (January 18, 1900 – October 1, 1981) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in Texas from 1950 to 1975. Biography Early life Wendelin Nold wa ...

(1950–1959) ( Aloysius Joseph Meyer, C.M. was appointed apostolic administrator in 1881 but it did not take effect. Bishop Gallagher, already listed above, became administrator.)

Bishops of Galveston–Houston

(1959–1975) # John Louis Morkovsky (1975–1984) #

(1984–2004)

Archbishops of Galveston–Houston

(2004–2006) # Cardinal

(2006–present)

Coadjutor Bishops

* Pierre Dufal, C.S.C. (1878–1879), resigned (did not succeed to see) * John Louis Morkovsky (1963–1975) *

(2003–2006), elevated to Coadjutor Archbishop in 2004; future Cardinal

Auxiliary Bishops

* John E. McCarthy (1979–1985), appointed Bishop of Austin *

Enrique San Pedro Enrique San Pedro, S.J. (born Enrique San Pedro y Fonaguera) (March 9, 1926 - July 17, 1994) was a Cuban-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville in Texas from 1991 until his death i ...

(1986–1991), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Brownsville * Curtis J. Guillory, SVD (1988–2000), appointed Bishop of Beaumont * James Anthony Tamayo (1993–2000), appointed Bishop of Laredo * Vincent M. Rizzotto (2001–2006) * Joe S. Vásquez (2002–2010), appointed Bishop of Austin * George Sheltz (2012–2021) * Italo Dell’Oro (2021–present)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* John Claude Neraz, appointed Bishop of San Antonio in 1881 *

John Anthony Forest John Anthony Forest (December 25, 1838 – March 11, 1911) was a French-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of San Antonio from 1895 until his death in 1911. Biography John Forest was born in Saint-Martin-la-Sau ...

, appointed Bishop of San Antonio in 1895 * Louis Joseph Reicher, appointed Bishop of Austin in 1947 * Vincent Madeley Harris, appointed Bishop of Beaumont in 1966 and later Bishop of Austin *

John Joseph Cassata John Joseph Cassata (November 8, 1908 – September 8, 1989) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth in Texas from 1969 to 1980. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas-Fort Worth in 1968 and later Bishop of Fort Worth * Patrick Fernandez Flores, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio in 1970 and later Bishop of El Paso and

Archbishop of San Antonio The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States, and sui juris Latin Church in full communion with the pope of Rome. It encompasses in the U.S. state of Texas. The Roman Catholic Archdi ...

* Bernard James Ganter, appointed Bishop of Tulsa in 1972 *

Oscar Cantú Oscar Cantú (born December 5, 1966) is a Mexican-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of San Jose in California since 2018. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Las Cruces in New Mexico fr ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio in 2008, later Bishop of Las Cruces and Bishop of San Jose * Brendan John Cahill, appointed Bishop of Victoria in Texas in 2015

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston is composed of a blue fielded

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of ...

on which is displayed a scattering of silver and white roses and topped with a bishop's

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...

. The roses represent the Blessed Virgin Mary, in her title of the Mystical Rose, titular of the Cathedral-Basilica in the see city of Galveston. The red cross represents the Faith, with a square center containing a single silver star to represent Texas, the ''Lone Star State''.

Statistics

Approximately 1.7 million Catholics live within the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston (equaling 26% of the total population), making the archdiocese the largest in the state of Texas and the fifth largest in the

. The archdiocese's 146 parishes are served by approximately 435 priests (193 diocesan, 195 religious, and 47 other) and 411 permanent deacons.

Parishes and churches

Education

As of 2018, the Catholic school network of the archdiocese is the largest private school network in the State of Texas. As of that year the archdiocese had 59 schools, with about 19,500 students enrolled. In 2005 the school system had 17,000 students prior to

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

; the hurricane meant that an additional 1,700 attended Houston-area Catholic schools. From 2005 to 2012 total enrollment was consistently around 18,000. Several new schools were being established at the time. In 2012 it operated thirteen schools in the central areas of Houston; that year they had 2,000 students, with about 66% of the students being Catholic. The growth in Houston's Catholic school system contrasted with Catholic schooling systems in many other parts of the United States, which faced steep enrollment declines. Sarah "Sally" Wilson Landram served as the superintendent of schools beginning in 2004. She was scheduled to retire on June 30, 2007, but fell ill with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...

and died at age 72 on June 28, 2007.

Significant structures

File:Annunciation Church -- Downtown Houston.jpg, Annunciation Church in

File:Sacred Heart Church -- Galveston.jpg, Sacred Heart Church in

File:Old Sacred Heart CoCathedral, Front, Houston.jpg, Former Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral in downtown Houston File:Interior 1847 St Mary Cathedral Basilica, Galveston. mary.jpg, Interior of St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in downtown Galveston File:Colonel Walter Gresham House, 1402 Broadway, Galveston (Galveston County, Texas).jpg, 1886 Bishop's Palace in Galveston File:ChanceryHoustonTexas.JPG,

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

Chancery in Houston File:HoustonOLGChurch.JPG, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Second Ward, Houston File:OurMotherofMercyChurchHouston.JPG,

Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church is a Black Catholic church in Frenchtown, an area within the Fifth Ward of Houston. It was the second Black parish to be established in the city and the first established by Louisiana Creoles.Catholic Youth Or ...

, Fifth Ward, Houston File:Sacred Heart Church, Galveston, Texas.jpg, Sacred Heart Church, Galveston, TX File:Church of the guardian angel 2008.jpg, Guardian Angel Church, Wallis, TX

Province of Galveston–Houston

See List of Catholic Dioceses in the United States Other Dioceses in the Ecclesiastical Province:

Diocese Of Corpus Christi The Diocese of Corpus Christi ( la, Dioecesis Corporis Christi) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southern Texas. It was founded on March 23, 1912, having been the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville ...

Diocese of Austin

Diocese of Brownsville The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville ( la, Dioecesis Brownsvillensis, es, Diócesis de Brownsville) is a Latin Church suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, in Texas, USA. The ...

Diocese of Beaumont Diocese of Victoria Diocese of Tyler

References

External links

* ** - Previous official site domain
Schools officeSt. Mary Cathedral Basilica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Archdiocese Of Galveston-Houston 1847 establishments in Texas Galveston-Houston Religion in Galveston, Texas Religion in Houston Religious organizations established in 1847

Galveston-Houston