20 December 2009

Overview: Province of SE Texas

This province, the newest in the USA, has seen a lot in its five years of existence (the anniversary is next week). The metropolitan is the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston with the following suffragans: Austin, Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Tyler, and Victoria; all in the state of Texas.

Daniel Nicholas Cardinal DiNardo (60), the youngest Cardinal in the USA, serves as the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston. He has been the ordinary since 2006.

The archdiocese also has an Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop José Stephen Vásquez (52). With his age and length of service, he is likely to be considered for other posts.

The Diocese of Austin is now vacant after its former ordinary, Archbishop Gregory Michael Aymond, was named Archbishop of New Orleans last summer. The diocese should receive its new bishop in the coming year. Perhaps this time it will be a priest of the diocese itself.

Bishop Curtis John Guillory, S.V.D. (66) is the leader of the Diocese of Beaumont. His age and time in post also suggests that he might be a candidate for other dioceses.

The Diocese of Brownsville will be installing its new bishop, Bishop Daniel Ernest Flores (48), in February.

Bishop Edmond Carmody is the ordinary of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. He celebrates his 76th birthday in January. He is likely to retire and have a replacement named in the coming year.

The Diocese of Tyler is led by Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J. (67). He will celebrate 25 years as a bishop in August. If he were to be moved to another diocese, it would likely be sooner than later.

Bishop David Eugene Fellhauer (70) is the head of the Diocese of Victoria in Texas. He will be celebrating his 20th anniversary as a bishop in May.

Overall the province has seen an amazing amount of changes in the last decade. Two more dioceses likely to receive new bishops in the coming year, but after that it may become more stable for a while. Although it does have at least two bishops that are likely to be considered for other posts.

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