Catholic Diocese of El Paso


	History of the Diocese of El Paso ~~____________________________________________~~ By Andy Sparke Rio Grande Catholic/Editor While the Diocese of El Paso was established by Pope St. Pius X in 1914, the roots of Catholicism in the diocese reach back to the late 1600s. Franciscan missionaries founded the Mission of Corpus Christi del Isleta del Sur and the Mission de la Purisima Concepcion del Socorro in El Paso's Lower Valley in the 1680s. The Presidio Chapel of San Elzeario was established further down the Rio Grande in the 1770s. These remain as active Catholic parishes today. The coming of the railroad in 1881 brought a rapid increase in population, which was followed by the influx of Catholics from Mexico during the Revolution of 1910. Several parishes were founded in the city of El Paso during this time by the Jesuit Father Carlos Pinto who came to be known as "the apostle of El Paso." Among these are Sacred Heart, Immaculate Conception, St. Ignatius, Guardian Angel, and Holy Family parishes. Meanwhile, the rural areas of the region were served by priests riding from town to town on horseback or in early automobiles. After the establishment of the Diocese of El Paso covering nearly 65,000 square miles of West Texas and Southern New Mexico, Jesuit Father Anthony Schuler was consecrated as the first bishop of the new diocese. During Bishop Schuler's guidance of the diocese, St. Patrick Cathedral and other new parishes were erected in the diocese. Loretto Sister Lilian Owens, biographer of Father Pinto says that in raising funds for the cathedral's construction, the diocese offered to allow the first group to raise $10,000 for the project to name the new cathedral. A group of Irish Catholic women, according to the story, met the challenge and chose the name of St. Patrick. El Paso at the time was a major center of the mining industry in the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico, and, it is said, many of the miners were Irish. The persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico following the revolution challenged the resources of the new diocese, as Bishop Schuler sought to provide spiritual care for thousands of Catholics fleeing from Mexico, and to harbor many priests and religious who crossed back and forth across the international border to serve the faithful in Mexico, the most well known of these was Jesuit Father Miguel Augustin Pro. Bishop Schuler ordained Father Pedro de Jesus Maldonado Lucero, from Chihuahua City, in St. Patrick Cathedral. Father Maldonado Lucero was martyred in Chihuahua by government troops in 1939, and was raised to sainthood as one of the Mexican Martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000. A shrine to Father Maldonado Lucero was erected in St. Patrick Cathedral in 2005. In the 1930s, the Shrine of Cristo Rey was established on a mountain where the borders of New Mexico, Texas and New Mexico meet -- in the center of the Diocese of El Paso at that time. The massive statue of Christ the King which looks out over three states in two nations was created by sculptor Urbici Soler. When Bishop Sidney M. Metzger succeeded Bishop Schuler in 1942, one of his immediate challenges was to restore the financial stability of the El Paso Diocese while adding new parishes and ministries to serve the continually growing Catholic population. Bishop Metzger also established St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to encourage native sons of the diocese to enter the priesthood. His strong support for social justice and the rights of the working people to collective bargaining received greatest notice during the garment workers strike at Farah Manufacturing Co. Bishop Patricio Flores succeeded Bishop Metzger in 1978, but served little more than year as El Paso's bishop before being named Archbishop of San Antonio in 1979. Bishop Raymundo Peña was named to guide the El Paso diocese in 1980, and continued to emphasize the Church's concern for issues of social justice. Taking up the cause the undocumented immigrants who are exploited by many elements in the communities on both sides of the border, Bishop Peña called for a middle ground in the blockade against the undocumented during the mid-1990s. He also established Tepeyac Institute to prepare members of the laity for many ministries within the diocese. In 1982, the New Mexico portion of the Diocese of El Paso was separated to form the new Diocese of Las Cruces. Since 1996, the Diocese of El Paso has been under the guidance of Bishop Armando X. Ochoa who has put special emphasis on the encouragement of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and the strengthening of diocesan ministries. In 2004, Bishop Ochoa established a Committee on a Five-Year Plan for Vocations and a Committee on the Life and Ministry of Priests. He initiated the annual Diocesan Congresses which enable the faithful to enrich their knowledge of the faith and commitment to ministry. In 1999 the diocese began a cooperative program with the Archdiocese of Atlanta for preparing seminarians from that area for ministry to the growing Hispanic population in the Southern United States. In 2001 the diocese entered into a pact of solidarity with the dioceses of Choluteca, Honduras, and Brownsville, Texas, in response to the devastation caused in Central America by the 1998 Hurricane Mitch. Although it is now composed only of El Paso, Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Presidio, Reeves, Ward and Winkler counties in West Texas, the Diocese of El Paso has grown to more than 600,000 Catholics served by 64 parishes and missions. Thirteen Catholic schools in addition to the seminary -- with another school scheduled to open in 2006-- operate under the direction of the diocesan Office of Education. Many challenges continue to arise in the multicultural, bilingual diocese which has developed ministries and corporations to deal with them. Among these are Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, and offices for Peace and Justice, Marriage and Family Life, Prison and Hospital Ministry, Religious Education, Reverence for Life. A bi-lingual newspaper, the Rio Grande Catholic, is the third diocesan publication to serve the diocese in its 90 year history. top... Home \| About \| Directory \| Parishes \| Ministries \| Schools \| Calendars Site Map \| Contact

History of the Diocese of El Paso
~~____________________________________________~~

By Andy Sparke
Rio Grande Catholic/Editor

While the Diocese of El Paso was established by Pope St. Pius X in 1914, the roots of Catholicism in the diocese reach back to the late 1600s. Franciscan missionaries founded the Mission of Corpus Christi del Isleta del Sur and the Mission de la Purisima Concepcion del Socorro in El Paso's Lower Valley in the 1680s. The Presidio Chapel of San Elzeario was established further down the Rio Grande in the 1770s. These remain as active Catholic parishes today. The coming of the railroad in 1881 brought a rapid increase in population, which was followed by the influx of Catholics from Mexico during the Revolution of 1910.

Several parishes were founded in the city of El Paso during this time by the Jesuit Father Carlos Pinto who came to be known as "the apostle of El Paso." Among these are Sacred Heart, Immaculate Conception, St. Ignatius, Guardian Angel, and Holy Family parishes. Meanwhile, the rural areas of the region were served by priests riding from town to town on horseback or in early automobiles.

After the establishment of the Diocese of El Paso covering nearly 65,000 square miles of West Texas and Southern New Mexico, Jesuit Father Anthony Schuler was consecrated as the first bishop of the new diocese.

During Bishop Schuler's guidance of the diocese, St. Patrick Cathedral and other new parishes were erected in the diocese. Loretto Sister Lilian Owens, biographer of Father Pinto says that in raising funds for the cathedral's construction, the diocese offered to allow the first group to raise $10,000 for the project to name the new cathedral.
A group of Irish Catholic women, according to the story, met the challenge and chose the name of St. Patrick. El Paso at the time was a major center of the mining industry in the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico, and, it is said, many of the miners were Irish.

The persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico following the revolution challenged the resources of the new diocese, as Bishop Schuler sought to provide spiritual care for thousands of Catholics fleeing from Mexico, and to harbor many priests and religious who crossed back and forth across the international border to serve the faithful in Mexico, the most well known of these was Jesuit Father Miguel Augustin Pro. Bishop Schuler ordained Father Pedro de Jesus Maldonado Lucero, from Chihuahua City, in St. Patrick Cathedral. Father Maldonado Lucero was martyred in Chihuahua by government troops in 1939, and was raised to sainthood as one of the Mexican Martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000. A shrine to Father Maldonado Lucero was erected in St. Patrick Cathedral in 2005.

In the 1930s, the Shrine of Cristo Rey was established on a mountain where the borders of New Mexico, Texas and New Mexico meet -- in the center of the Diocese of El Paso at that time. The massive statue of Christ the King which looks out over three states in two nations was created by sculptor Urbici Soler.

When Bishop Sidney M. Metzger succeeded Bishop Schuler in 1942, one of his immediate challenges was to restore the financial stability of the El Paso Diocese while adding new parishes and ministries to serve the continually growing Catholic population. Bishop Metzger also established St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to encourage native sons of the diocese to enter the priesthood. His strong support for social justice and the rights of the working people to collective bargaining received greatest notice during the garment workers strike at Farah Manufacturing Co.

Bishop Patricio Flores succeeded Bishop Metzger in 1978, but served little more than year as El Paso's bishop before being named Archbishop of San Antonio in 1979.

Bishop Raymundo Peña was named to guide the El Paso diocese in 1980, and continued to emphasize the Church's concern for issues of social justice. Taking up the cause the undocumented immigrants who are exploited by many elements in the communities on both sides of the border, Bishop Peña called for a middle ground in the blockade against the undocumented during the mid-1990s. He also established Tepeyac Institute to prepare members of the laity for many ministries within the diocese. In 1982, the New Mexico portion of the Diocese of El Paso was separated to form the new Diocese of
Las Cruces.

Since 1996, the Diocese of El Paso has been under the guidance of Bishop Armando X. Ochoa who has put special emphasis on the encouragement of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and the strengthening of diocesan ministries. In 2004, Bishop Ochoa established a Committee on a Five-Year Plan for Vocations and a Committee on the Life and Ministry of Priests. He initiated the annual Diocesan Congresses which enable the faithful to enrich their knowledge of the faith and commitment to ministry.

In 1999 the diocese began a cooperative program with the Archdiocese of Atlanta for preparing seminarians from that area for ministry to the growing Hispanic population in the Southern United States. In 2001 the diocese entered into a pact of solidarity with the dioceses of Choluteca, Honduras, and Brownsville, Texas, in response to the devastation caused in Central America by the 1998 Hurricane Mitch. Although it is now composed only of El Paso, Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Presidio, Reeves, Ward and Winkler counties in West Texas, the Diocese of El Paso has grown to more than 600,000 Catholics served by 64 parishes and missions.

Thirteen Catholic schools in addition to the seminary -- with another school scheduled to open in 2006-- operate under the direction of the diocesan Office of Education.

Many challenges continue to arise in the multicultural, bilingual diocese which has developed ministries and corporations to deal with them. Among these are Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, and offices for Peace and Justice, Marriage and Family Life, Prison and Hospital Ministry, Religious Education, Reverence for Life. A bi-lingual newspaper, the Rio Grande Catholic, is the third diocesan publication to serve the diocese in its 90 year history.

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