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The Catholic Directory - Diocese of Corpus Christi 2018

General Information

Last updated April 25, 2018


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The first Pope of the Americas Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina was elected Su-preme Pontiff on March 13, 2013 and took the name of Francis. Before his elevation

he served as cardinal for the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires for 12 years. The 76-year-old Jesuit was a prominent figure throughout the South American continent, yet remained a simple pastor who is deeply loved by his flock in Buenos Aires, throughout which he has travelled extensively.

Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires on Dec. 17, 1936, the son of Italian immigrants. His father was an accountant employed by the railways and his mother was a committed wife dedicated to raising their five children.

On Dec. 13, 1969, Archbishop Ramón José Castellano ordained him a priest. He continued his training at the University of Alcalá de Henares, Spain, and on April 22, 1973 made his final profession with the Jesuits.

Until the beginning of the recent sede vacante, he was a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Pope Francis


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On January 18, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him bishop. He was ordained and installed as the eighth bishop of Corpus Christi on March 25, 2010. Bishop Mulvey

was born Aug. 23, 1949 in Houston, the second of six children, to Daniel H. Mulvey Jr. and Marjorie Jane Patterson Mulvey. He received his education at Catholic schools, including St. Theresa, St. Cecilia and St. Thomas High School in Houston. He graduated in 1967 from St. Edward’s Catholic High School in Austin and received a BBA from St. Edward’s University in 1971.

He attended seminary at the North American College in Rome from 1971-76. From 1971-74 he earned his bachelor’s degree of Sacred Theology from St. Thomas University (Angelicum) and from 1974-76, he earned his licentiate (master’s degree) in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian University.

Bishop Mulvey was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Austin by Pope Paul VI in 1975 in St. Peter’s Square. As a priest of the Diocese of Austin, Bishop Mulvey served in a number of parishes and in 2004 he was named chancellor of the Diocese of Austin where he served until 2007 when he was named vicar general. In 2009 he assumed the post of vice rector for St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston but three weeks later the College of Consultors for the Diocese of Austin elected him Administrator where he served until March 8, 2010.

Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey, STL, DD


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The episcopal heraldic achievement, or bishop’s coat of arms, is composed of a shield, which is

the central and most important part of the design, a scroll with a motto and the external ornamentation. The design is described (blazoned) as if the descrip-tion was being given by the bearer (from behind) with the shield being worn on the left arms. Thus, it must be remembered, where it applies, as the device is viewed from the front that the terms sinister and dexter are reversed.

By heraldic tradition, the arms of the bishop of a diocese, called an “Ordinary,” are joined (impaled) with the arms of his jurisdiction, in this case the Diocese of Corpus Christi in Texas, that are seen in the dexter impalement (left side) of the design.

These arms are composed of a red field on which are placed three golden ciboria. A ciborium is an ecclesiastical vessel used to hold the consecrated species of The Blessed Sacrament, the real and true presence of Jesus Christ. These consecrated hosts are the Body of Christ, in Latin, Corpus Christi, the name of the See City.

For his personal arms, His Excellency, Bishop Mulvey has adopted a design that reflects his heritage and his ministry as a priest of Jesus Christ.

These arms are composed of two sections. The upper portion which is gold and has displayed upon it a red escallop (Scallop shell) taken from the arms of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, who, in the name of The Church, has called His Excellency to the fullness of Christ’s Priesthood as a bishop. The shell is also a symbol of baptism and the journey of holiness to which all are called. The lower portion of the design has two blue lions that are taken from the Mulvey Family coat of arms. The blue wavy bar across the center of the design represents the Colorado River that runs through the Diocese of Austin. It is taken from the arms of the Diocese of Austin, the home diocese of Bishop Mulvey and the diocese he served for 35 years in many capacities, including diocesan administrator.

The three silver stars signify Bishop Mulvey’s mother’s heritage and symbolize the Most Holy Trinity.

For his motto, Bishop Mulvey has selected the phrase “SENTENTIA IN CHRISTO VOBIS.” This Latin phrase, derived from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (Phil. 2:5), expresses The Bishop’s deep belief, that in order to be a man of communion, he is to “put on the same attitude that we observe in Christ,” or as might be said, “have the same attitude as Christ.”

The achievement is completed by the external ornamentation which are a gold processional cross, that is placed in back of the shield and which extends above and

Bishop Mulvey’s Coat of Arms


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On Feb. 3, 2000, Pope John Paul II named Bishop Edmond Carmody Ordinary of Corpus Christi. He was installed the

seventh Bishop on March 17, 2000.Since becoming Bishop of Corpus Christi, Bishop Carmody

has been concerned with three major issues of the city - school dropout, diabetes and the homeless.

In October 2003, he was instrumental in building a day shelter for the homeless called Mother Teresa Day Shelter where the homeless go for showers and get clean clothes.

In December 2005 he established John Paul II High School. He worked with the Diabetes Association to help people

become aware and educated on the causes of the disease. Bishop Carmody is a supporter of The National Conference

for Community and Justice.

Bishop Emeritus Edmond Carmody, D.D.

Bishop Rene H. Gracida, the Fifth Bishop of Corpus Christi, came to the diocese from the Diocese of Tallahassee-Pensac-

ola. During his time in office, the diocese began a greater

involvement in the area of communications. He also extended the ministries of the diocese into areas that needed attention, continued to establish parishes and missions, especially in the colonias of Laredo.

He built a youth camp and developed retreat houses in Laredo and Corpus Christi. He further developed the Academy of Studies and expanded its reach throughout the diocese for continuing adult education and formation through the Pastoral Institute.

It was at the beginning of his administration that the final structure of the Kenedy Memorial Foundation was determined.

Bishop Emeritus Rene H. Gracida, DD

below the shield, and the pontifical hat, called a “gallero,” with its six tassels in three rows on either side of the shield, all in green. These are the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop, by instruction of The Holy See, of March 31, 1969.

Deacon Paul J. Sullivan, Diocese of Providence (RI-USA), March 2010


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Spanish Franciscan missionaries established the first church in what is today the Dio-cese of Corpus Christi. Nuestra Señora del Refugio, the last of the Franciscan missions

in Texas, was established in 1793 at the juncture of the San Antonio and Guadalupe Riv-ers to Christianize the Karankawa Indians at a place the Indians called “El Paraje del Refu-gio” (The Place of Refuge) which prompted Father José Francisco Mariano Garza to place the mission under the protection of the Virgin Mary. In January 1795, Franciscan Father Manuel J. de Silva accompanied by Spanish soldiers from La Bahía moved the mission to its current location in the town of Refugio and built a stone church. The Spanish priests

left the mission after Mexico gained its independence from Spain. Between 1820-30 Nuestra Señora del Refugio fell into total neglect. The church ornaments were removed to Mission Espí-ritu Santo near Goliad for safe-keeping.

New life returned to Refugio with the arrival of the first Irish immigrants. México invited Irish Catholic colonists to settle in Refugio to provide a buffer

against the influx of largely Protestant Anglo American colonists making their way to Texas. By 1829, John McMullen and James McGloin brought the first Irish Catholics to Refugio. Father Miguel Muro returned to Refugio and inventoried the remains of the mission property in preparation for its secularization. On February 1830, the mission was turned over to the Bishop of Linares who then appointed the first diocesan pastor of the parish. A small chapel was salvaged from the ruins of the old mission buildings and put to parish use.

These colonists established a second Irish settlement southwest of Refugio closer to the Nueces River and named it San Patricio de Hibernia. The settlers were joined five years later by a second group of Irish immigrants brought into the area by empresarios James Power and James Hewetson.

Under the spiritual leadership of Father Henry Doyle the colonists of San Patricio dedicated a second Catholic church near the Nueces River and named it St. Patrick after their patron saint. Dominican priest Father Thomas J. Malloy succeeded Father Doyle as pastor and soon the church became a center of town activity, with the Catholic faith serving as common ground for the small bicultural community with very different backgrounds. Early church records show that Irish and Mexicans served as Godparents and sacramental sponsors for each other’s children.

In 1839, a Yankee land speculator named Henry Kinney erected a trading post on

History of the Diocese of Corpus Christi

Artist’s depiction of the Nuestra Señora del Refugio.


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the Rincón del Oso land grant owned by Enrique Villarreal. The small village eventually took on the name of Corpus Christi. While Galveston Bishop Jean Marie Odin, C.M. sent priests to minister to the mostly Mexican Catholics in the community, it was not until 1853 that Father Bernard O’Reilly came to permanently settle in Corpus Christi. Father O’Reilly celebrated Mass and administered the sacraments but it took him four years to build a chapel which residents also named St. Patrick.

James W. Byrne, another Irish immigrant and a veteran of the Texas Revolution established the town of Lamar on the channel entrance to Copano Bay in what is today Aransas County and sold land to the Catholic Church in which to build a church. Byrne engaged a French architect to design the chapel, which was completed in 1858. Called Stella Maris (Star of the Sea) Chapel, it was built of shellcrete, a shell-aggregate masonry.

After the Civil War, Father Claude Jaillet built the first church in the hinterland at San Diego. Mexican ranchers began settling around

San Diego in the late 1700s and in 1866 built the first chapel. A native of France, Father Jaillet initially spoke only French but with the help of his Spanish-French dictionary, a borrowed missal and chalice and a borrowed horse and saddle he rode into his new home. His headquarters included his lodging, a chapel and a parlor all together in a 12-foot long by eight-foot wide hut with one door on each side and two one-foot square windows.

Father Jaillet became a central figure in the development of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. From his post in San Diego he evangelized the brush country west of Corpus Christi. Together with Father Pedro Bard, his assistant and eventual successor at St.

Francis de Paula, Father Jaillet established mission churches throughout what became Duval, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Jim Hogg Counties.

In 1874, Pope Pius IX established the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville and named Bishop Dominic Manucy its vicar apostolic. The new church division included all the settlements south of the Nueces River to the Rió Grande. After only a brief stay in Brownsville, Bishop Manucy moved to Corpus Christi. During his decade of service in Corpus Christi, Bishop Manucy built nine churches and three others were under construction when he was called to serve as the Bishop of Mobile, Alabama.

Pope Leo XIII named San Antonio Bishop Jean Claude Neraz as administrator of the Vicariate of Brownsville. Bishop Neraz appointed Father Jaillet as Vicar General and because the bishop was already too busy with his own diocese, Father Jaillet served as de facto administrator until 1890 when the pope named

Bishop Dominic Manucy

Msgr. Claude Jaillet was a central figure in early development of Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Bishop Peter Verdaguer


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Peter Verdaguer the second bishop of the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville. Bishop Verdaguer moved his residence from Corpus Christi to Laredo where he concentrated his efforts. Still, it was under his tenure that Spohn Hospital was established and that the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word came to Corpus Christi from San Antonio to open the hospital.

After Bishop Verdaguer’s death in 1911, Pope Pius X raised the vicariate to the Diocese of Corpus Christi in 1912 and the following year he named Paul Joseph Nussbaum a native of Philadelphia as its first bishop. During the two-year span between Bishop Verdaguer’s death and Bishop Nussbaum’s arrival, Father Jaillet again took charge of the faithful as administrator of the diocese.

Bishop Nussbaum instituted many devotional practices in the diocese but his tenure was beset with tragedy. Many destitute Mexican priests and women religious poured into the diocese fleeing the Mexican Revolution. World War I, a three-year drought that decimated the local economy and hurricanes in 1916 and 1919 compounded the bishop’s problems. Bishop Nussbaum’s problems were aggravated in 1918 when he was severely injured in a train accident. As if these events were not enough, Bishop

Nussbaum’s chancellor and the pastor of the cathedral died within 30 minutes of each other during the influenza epidemic of 1919. In 1920, Bishop Nussbaum resigned while on his Ad Limina Visit to Rome.

The following year Pope Benedict XV named Emmanuel Boleslaus Ledvina, a native of Evansville, Indiana, the second bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Before coming to Corpus Christi he served as director of the Catholic Church Extension Society. Through his work with the society he gained a basic background on the condition of the Catholic Church in South Texas. Bishop Ledvina served vigorously for 28 years until he resigned in 1949 due to illness. Under Bishop Ledvina the number of priests increased five fold to 160; he built more than 50 new

churches, 53 mission chapels, and 47 rectories. In 1940, Bishop Ledvina oversaw the construction of Corpus Christi Cathedral and in 1947–1948 he built a rectory and chancery office. Bishop Ledvina was well known for his work on behalf of Mexican American Catholics.

Mariano Simón Garriga succeeded Bishop Ledvina as the third bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. A native of Point Isabel, Bishop Garriga was the first Texas-born bishop of a Texas diocese. He had served as Bishop Ledvina’s coadjutor since 1936. During his administration Bishop Garriga encouraged Catholic education throughout the diocese and many parochial schools were

Bishop Paul Joseph Nussbaum

Bishop Emmanuel Boleslaus Ledvina

Bishop Thomas J. Drury


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established. Bishop Garriga died in office in 1965 and was succeeded by Thomas J. Drury, a native of Ireland, who served until 1983.

Shortly before Bishop Drury was named head of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, the Holy See removed the four southernmost counties to establish the Diocese of Brownsville and later in his tenure, Goliad County was ceded to the new Diocese of Victoria. Bishop Drury served during the difficult years following the Second Vatican Council. Among his accomplishments during his 18-year term were establishment of the Diocesan Pastoral Council composed of laity, religious and priests to advise him on

the needs of the diocese; expansion of the diocesan departments from two to 32; and creation of the Permanent Diaconate. He established a diocesan newspaper and authorized the beginning work toward acquiring a license for a diocesan radio station.

In 2000, three and one-half counties on the Rio Grande were lost to the new Diocese of Laredo. Following Bishop Drury in the See of Corpus Christi were Bishop René H. Gracida (1983), Bishop Roberto O. González, OFM (1997), Bishop Edmond Carmody (2000), and Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey (2010).

In 2012, the diocese celebrated a year-long Centennial Jubilee in observance of its 100 years as a diocese.

Bishop René H. Gracida, DD

Bishop Roberto O. González, OFM

Bishop Edmond Carmody

Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey, STL, DD

Bishop Mariano Simon Garriga


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Diocesan Mission Statement

We, the people of the church of Corpus Christi, recognize ourselves to be a pilgrim people, a community of believers in Jesus Christ who have been called through

baptism to continue the life and mission of Jesus on Earth. Though one family of God, we are of diverse ethnic, cultural and economic backgrounds. Our unity is rooted in com-mon faith in Jesus the Lord who guides us through His Vicar on Earth, the Most Holy Father. Led by our bishop, we see ourselves as ministers of the mysteries of God who are called to witness to what we are in Jesus - a redeemed, holy people - and to proclaim the Good News entrusted to us by Him.

We are a people who are called to celebrate our experience of Jesus and through this celebration to reach out to others and invite them to share in this same joy. As a faith community, we are called to live a way of life which is distinctly different from the way of the world. The roots of this way of life are found in the Gospel values as interpreted by the authentic teaching of the church. Gifted by the Spirit in so many ways, we seek to introduce the message and presence of Jesus into a world that frequently refuses His love and ignores His word. A high degree of mobility, rapid economic expansion and a great influx of people from many parts of the world characterize the area in which we live. While blessed with material wealth and natural resources, we also experience physical poverty, spiritual confusion, social alienation and powerlessness.

Although we are identifiable as the Catholic community, we participate with all people in the search for an authentic human life and a more just society. With those who also believe in Jesus and are rightly called Christian, we share in the work of building the kingdom inaugurated by the Savior. With those who believe in God but not in Jesus as the Lord, we labor in the world as stewards of God’s creation. With those who claim no faith in a divine being, we struggle for a more peaceful society and a more human existence. We view the present challenge as too critical to work in isolation in confronting the debilitating elements of society and we seek to be partners with all who strive to enhance the quality of life around us.

As a Catholic community in this area of Texas we gratefully acknowledge our rich religious heritage and the courageous witness of our fellow believers during the past several centuries. For nearly 100 years as a diocese, we have found stability in the leadership of our eight bishops and we stand on a firm foundation of the lived faith of countless men and women. Thus, we feel compelled to accept the challenge of our mission today and commit ourselves to a response that is caring, inviting and enabling. We must be caring because that is how the Father treats us. We must be inviting because that is how Jesus brings us into His life. We must be enabling because that is how the Spirit works in us.

As we reflect on our present challenges and commitments in the diocese, we express these beliefs:


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• that our parish communities must be strong and vibrant because it is here that the crucified and risen Jesus is experienced daily and proclaimed to the world;

• that we must renew our efforts to evangelize those of our faith, to call them to conversion as well as to reach out to those who are unchurched and alienated;

• that the family is the basic unit of the church and society and that we must foster the enrichment of family life;

• that we must minister to all people, particularly to the unborn, to youth, to young adults, to the elderly, to the poor and to those with special needs;

• that we must develop leadership at all levels of diocesan life and enable those presently working in the apostolate to do so effectively;

• that the whole community of the baptized is called to minister and that the variety of ministries in the church be promoted;

• that liturgy is the source and summit of the Christian life and that liturgy, properly celebrated, evokes effective daily witness to the presence of the Lord in our lives;

• that we must promote a learning environment within our parishes and educational institutions and programs which will enable people to internalize the Gospel at all levels of growth and development;

• that we must work tirelessly for peace and justice in our own church and in society as a whole because to do so is constitutive of preaching the Gospel;

• that we must support ministry among the Hispanic and African-American communities and encourage the full participation in diocesan life of all cultural, ethnic and economic groups;

• that as stewards of God’s creation we are called to be accountable to God and to one another in the administration of our programs, resources and services;

• that the Spirit operates within the total community and that we must be sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit in all segments of the diocesan family.

As people with a vision, we commit ourselves to assess the needs of our diocese and to study the trends of our society. We pledge ourselves to work with our bishop in identifying the priority needs of our diocese and in developing a pastoral plan to respond to those needs. We commend the accomplishments in the past, we support the good work that is presently being done and we invite all diocesan agencies and groups to work cooperatively in addressing the needs of all our people today.

We seek the blessings of the Father as we embark on this journey together and we invite others to envision with us a future that is ours to create with the Lord’s help. We believe that we already possess the talents and gifts necessary to make this vision a reality because Jesus has touched each of us with His love and has spoken gently to our hearts. His presence is constantly with us as we continue to grow as a diocesan family and become a servant community to our expanding world. We are confident that it is the Spirit who moves us to renew our efforts as a faithful people to meet the challenge of our age. We pray that we will be equal to the task and that our words of today will


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become our actions of tomorrow. The goals of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, as discerned by the Synod, are as follows:

Evangelization, Catechesis, Worship, Family Life, Vocations, Youth, Stewardship.


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Area Served by the Diocese of Corpus Christi

The Diocese of Corpus Christi serves the 12-county area commonly referred to as the Coastal Bend. The counties include Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, McMullen (part), Nueces, Refugio and San Patricio.

DIOCESE OF VICTORIA

ARCHDIOCESE OFSAN ANTONIO

DIOCESE OF LAREDO

DIOCESE OF BROWNSVILLE

GULF OF MEXICO

CORPUS CHRISTI


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Diocesan StatisticsCategory 2013 2014 2015

Catholic Population 397,500 398,706 408,611

Parishes 69 69 69

Missions 32 32 32

Priests

Of the Diocese of Corpus Christi 158 120 119

Of Other Dioceses 21 7 5

Of Religious Orders 26 25 27

Permanent Deacons 102 97 97

Consecrated Life

Religious Brothers 4 7 7

Women religious 160 153 153

Seminarians 18 12 12

Colleges 0 0 0

Schools

Diocesan High Schools 1 1 1

Diocesan & Parish Elementary 14 13 14

Private High Schools 1 1 1

Private Elementary 2 3 2

Hospitals 6 6 6

Health Care Clinics 6 6 9

Homes for the Aged 1 1 1

Social Services Centers 1 1 1


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Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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