Joe Steve Vásquez (born July 9, 1957) is an

American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...

prelate who has served as Archbishop of Galveston–Houston since 2025. He previously served as Bishop of Austin from 2010 to 2025 and as

apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the Diocese of Tyler from 2023 to 2024. He was as

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston from 2001 to 2010.

Biography

Joe Vásquez, who is of

Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...

descent, was born on July 9, 1957, in Stamford,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, to Juan (b. 1933) and Elvira Vásquez (d. 2005). His grandparents were migrant workers from

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

in central Mexico. His father dropped out of school in the second grade to support his family and later served in the US military during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. He later made a living as a

mechanic A mechanic is a skilled tradesperson who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially engines. Formerly, the term meant any member of the handicraft trades, but by the early 20th century, it had come to mean one who works w ...

, while his wife worked as a seamstress. The oldest of six children, Joe Vásquez has three brothers, Robert, Samuel, and James; and two sisters, Cynthia and Consuelo. Vásquez attended public schools in Stamford and

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

. As a teenager he was active in his parish youth group, participating in summer mission trips to

Cuernavaca Cuernavaca (; , "near the woods" , Otomi language, Otomi: ) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state, state of Morelos in Mexico. Along with Chalcatzingo, it is likely one of the origins of the Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican civilizatio ...

where he became acquainted with the religious life of poor communities. From 1976 to 1980, he studied at St. Mary Seminary and the University of St. Thomas, both in Houston, obtaining his

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a two- to five-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically (but not exclusively) pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, de ...

degree. As a seminarian he spent his summers working alongside his brothers in the cotton fields near Abilene. He furthered his studies at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...

and

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

in Rome from 1980 to 1985, earning a licenciate in theology from the Gregorian.

Priesthood

Vásquez was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in San Angelo by Bishop

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 2006 ...

for the

Diocese of San Angelo 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 associated ...

on June 30, 1984. Vásquez' first assessment was

parochial vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

at St. Joseph Parish in

Odessa, Texas Odessa () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, Ector County with portions extending into Midland County, Texas, Midland County. Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

. From 1987 to 1997 he was

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of St. Joseph Parish in

Fort Stockton, Texas Fort Stockton is a city in and the county seat of Pecos County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, future Interstate 14, U.S. Highways U.S. Route 67 in Texas, 67, U.S. Route 285 in Texas, 285, and U.S. ...

. In 1997 he became pastor of St. Joseph Parish in

San Angelo, Texas San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin (North America), Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert ...

. During his time in San Angelo, Vásquez also served as the episcopal vicar for Hispanics and was a member of the presbyteral council and the finance board.

Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston-Houston

On November 30, 2001, Vásquez was appointed auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Cova by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. He received his

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

on January 23, 2002, from Fiorenza, with Archbishop

Patrick Flores Patricio Fernández Flores (July 26, 1929 – January 9, 2017) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served from 1979 to 2004 as archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio in Texas, bishop of the Diocese of El Paso in Texas f ...

and Bishop Michael Pfeifer serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

. Vásquez selected as his episcopal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

: ''"Sígueme."'' While auxiliary bishop, Vásquez served as vicar general/chancellor of the archdiocese, as well as episcopal vicar for Hispanics and liaison for youth.

Bishop of Austin

On January 26, 2010, Vásquez was appointed as bishop of

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

, filling the vacancy left by Bishop Gregory Aymond. Vásquez was installed there on March 8, 2010. In January 2019, as part of a coordinated program on the part of 15 Catholic dioceses in Texas, the Austin diocese released a list of 22 clerics who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors. Vásquez said it was compiled by independent investigators whom he did not identify and reviewed by an internal committee with a lay majority, which recommended publication. He expressed his apologies to victims for what they had suffered. He said: "The victims are the ones who hurt, and we want to make sure they were being heard." On November 11, 2023, Vásquez was appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

to also serve as

of the Diocese of Tyler after the pope dismissed Bishop Joseph Strickland. His role ended when Pope Francis appointed

Gregory Kelly Gregory or Greg Kelly may refer to: * Gregory Kelly (bishop) (born 1956), American Catholic bishop * Gregory Kelly (actor) (1892–1927), American stage actor * Greg Kelly (born 1968), American television journalist * Greg Kelly (Coronation Street), ...

to succeed Strickland on December 20, 2024.

Metropolitan Archbishop of Galveston-Houston

On January 20, 2025, Vásquez was appointed by

as Metropolitan Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, after the resignation of Daniel DiNardo, made the same day. He was installed on March 25, 2025. He has been a member of the board of directors of

Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the Bishops of the United States, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 110 ...

and of the

Catholic Legal Immigration Network Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., commonly referred to as CLINIC, is the US's largest network of non-profit immigration activist programs. In its 1986 pastoral statement "Together a New People", the United States Conference of Catholic ...

CLINIC).

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Official site

Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasquez, Joe S. 1957 births Living people People from Stamford, Texas American people of Mexican descent University of St. Thomas (Texas) alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Catholics from Texas 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre