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Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston Archidioecesis Galvestoniensis–Houstoniensis
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Counties of Galveston, Harris, Austin, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Grimes, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker and Waller
Ecclesiastical province	Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston
Metropolitan	Southeastern Texas
Coordinates	29°45′33″N 95°21′38″W / 29.75917°N 95.36056°W / 29.75917; -95.36056Coordinates: 29°45′33″N 95°21′38″W / 29.75917°N 95.36056°W / 29.75917; -95.36056
Statistics
Area	23,257 km2 (8,980 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2013) 6,249,904 1,181,398[1] (18.9%)
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	May 4, 1847[2]
Cathedral	St. Mary Cathedral Basilica (Galveston)[3]
Co-cathedral	Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Houston)
Patron saint	Mary, the Immaculate Conception
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Archbishop	Cardinal Daniel DiNardo
Auxiliary Bishops	George Sheltz
Emeritus Bishops	Joseph Fiorenza Vincent M. Rizzotto
Map
Website
archgh.org

St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, Galveston

Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, Houston

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston (Latin: Archidioecesis Galvestoniensis–Houstoniensis) encompasses 8,880 square miles (23,000 km²) of ten counties in the southeastern area of Texas: Galveston, Harris, Austin, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Grimes, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker and Waller.

The chancery of the archdiocese is located in Downtown Houston.^[4] The archdiocese's first cathedral church is St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in Galveston,^[3] with a co-cathedral, the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, located in Downtown Houston. 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 of Galveston in the Province of New Orleans and St. Mary Cathedral Basilica was designated the cathedral.^[3]

In 1926, the then-diocese was placed in the newly created Province of San Antonio.

After the devastating Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Houston began to expand after the Port of Houston was completed. At the request of Wendelin J. Nold, fifth bishop of Galveston, Pope John XXIII 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 city, and permitted full episcopal ceremonies to be held in both Galveston and Houston.^[5]

In 1979, Pope John Paul II 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.^[6]

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. Bishop Joseph Fiorenza, who had led the diocese for 20 years, became the first Archbishop of Galveston–Houston, and Bishop Daniel DiNardo became Coadjutor Archbishop.^[6]

The Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston oversees the following suffragan dioceses: Austin, 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 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.^[7]

Bishops

Prefects of Texas

1. 
   John Timon, C.M. (1840–1847)

Vicars Apostolic of Texas

1. 
   Jean-Marie Odin, C.M. (1841–1847)

Bishops of Galveston

1. 
   Jean-Marie Odin, C.M. (1847-1861), appointed Archbishop of New Orleans
   


2. 
   Claude Marie Dubuis (1862–1892)


3. 
   Nicolaus Aloysius Gallagher (1892–1918)


4. 
   Christopher Edward Byrne (1918–1950)


5. 
   Wendelin Joseph Nold (1950–1959)

Bishops of Galveston–Houston

1. 
   Wendelin Joseph Nold (1959–1975)


2. 
   John Louis Morkovsky (1975–1984)


3. 
   Joseph Fiorenza (1984–2004)

Archbishops of Galveston–Houston

1. 
   Joseph Fiorenza (2004–2006)


2. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (2006-present)

Coadjutor Bishops

• 
  Pierre Dufal, C.S.C. (1878-1879)


• 
  John Louis Morkovsky (1963-1975)


• 
  Daniel DiNardo (2003–2004), elevated to Coadjutor Archbishop in 2004

Auxiliary Bishops

• 
  John E. McCarthy (1979-1985), appointed Bishop of Austin
  


• 
  James Anthony Tamayo (1993-2000), appointed Bishop of Laredo
  


• 
  Vincent M. Rizzotto (2001–2006)


• 
  George Sheltz (2012–Present)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

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


• 
  John Anthony Forest, 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, 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
  


• 
  Bernard James Ganter, appointed Bishop of Tulsa in 1972


• 
  Oscar Cantu, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio in 2008 and later Bishop of Las Cruces
  


• 
  Brendan John Cahill, appointed Bishop of Victoria in Texas in 2015

Coat of arms

Coat of Arms as displayed on St. Mary Cathedral Basilica

The coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston is composed of a blue fielded shield on which is displayed a scattering of silver and white roses and topped with a bishop's mitre.

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.^[8]

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 United States. The archdiocese's 146 parishes are served by approximately 435 priests (193 diocesan, 195 religious, and 47 other) and 411 permanent deacons.^[2]

Schools

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.^[2]

See: List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston

Significant structures

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  Annunciation Church in Downtown Houston
  

  
  

  
  


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  Former Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral in downtown Houston
  

  
  

  
  


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  Interior of St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in downtown Galveston
  

  
  

  
  


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  1886 Bishop's Palace in Galveston
  

  
  

  
  


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  Downtown Chancery in Houston
  

  
  

  
  


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  Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Second Ward, Houston
  

  
  

  
  


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  Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church, Fifth Ward, Houston
  

  
  

  
  


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  Exterior view St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica Galveston, TX
  

  
  

  
  


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  Sacred Heart Church, Galveston, TX
  

  
  

  
  

Province of Galveston–Houston

Ecclesiastical Province of Galveston–Houston

See List of the Catholic bishops of the United States

See also

• Catholicism


• Christianity in Houston


• Galveston, Texas

References

Wikisource has the text of a 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article about The Diocese of Galveston.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

• 
  Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston Official Site
  
  • Archives of website


• Schools office


• St. Mary Cathedral Basilica