AUSTIN - Prior to his appointment as Galveston-Houston’s newest archbishop, Archbishop Vásquez first spent 15 years in the Diocese of Austin.
Central Texas has seen exponential growth in population in recent years, with the Austin metro area being one of the fastest-growing areas in Texas.
Central Texas has seen exponential growth in population in recent years, with the Austin metro area being one of the fastest-growing areas in Texas.
At the end of his episcopacy in Austin, by 2025, there were 700,000 self-identified Catholics in the region, up from 250,000 in 2010. The population boom has been reflected in ever-growing parish communities and countless building projects to expand existing buildings or build new ones.
During his time in Central Texas, Archbishop Vásquez blessed the newly constructed sanctuaries, including eastern Austin parishes, St. Joseph in Manor, San Francisco Javier in Austin, Sacred Heat and Santa Barbara in Austin, along with the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia, St. Mary’s in College Station, and the chapel at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Temple.
With a continued focus on outreach to our youth and young adults, Bishop Vásquez led the growth of the university Catholic Centers at the University of Texas, Texas State University, Baylor University and St. Mary’s in College Station. He also was elected by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to chair the Committee on Migration. He served as consultant to the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism and served as lead bishop for Region X for the V National Encounter for Hispanic/Latino Ministry (V Encuentro).
As his time in Austin drew to a close, he celebrated a trio of Masses in thanksgiving for his ministry in the Austin Diocese. His final public ministry was to preside over the Rite of Election Liturgy, ushering in the final steps for many people as they continued their journey to join the Catholic Church in the Austin Diocese.
U.S. President Barack Obama greets Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, alongside Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and an unidentified firefighter at Baylor University in Waco April 25. They were present at a memorial for victims of a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas that killed at least 15 people and injured about 200 more April 17. (CNS photo/Jason Reed, Reuters) (April 26, 2013)
Bishop Joe S. Vasquez speaks during a press conference about his appointment as bishop of Austin, Texas, Jan. 26. The appointment was announced in Washington earlier in the day by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bishop Vasquez has been an auxiliary for Galveston-Houston since 2001. (CNS photo/Shelley Metcalf, Catholic Spirit) (Jan. 26, 2010) See VASQUEZ Jan. 26, 2010.
Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the U.S. bishops' migration committee, takes a group photo Sept. 20 with delegates from Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, prior to the start of the Fifth National Encuentro, or V Encuentro, in Grapevine, Texas. The Sept. 20-23 event is a gathering of more than 3,200 Hispanic Catholic leaders and about 125 bishops from across the country. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn) See V-ENCUENTRO-PROCESSION-OPENING Sept. 21, 2018.
Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, and Father Darrell Kostiha, pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Cyclone and Sts. Cyril and Methodius Mission in Marak, look through debris of the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia July 29, 2019, after the 124-year-old church was destroyed in a fire. Since 1883 the parish has served the Catholic community of southwestern Falls County, many of whom are descendents of immigrants from the northwest German region of Westphalia. (CNS photo/Jerry Larson, Waco Tribune Herald) See TEXAS-CHURCH-FIRE July 31, 2019.
Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, prays the Lord's Prayer as bishops from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas concelebrate Mass in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica during their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican Jan. 20, 2020. The bishops were making their "ad limina" visits to report on the status of their dioceses to the pope and Vatican officials. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) See ADLIMINA-TEN-STPETERS Jan. 20, 2020.
Matthew Jewell Priestly Ordination
Matthew Jewell Priestly Ordination
