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.
In 1926, the then-diocese was placed in the newly created Province of San Antonio.
After the devastating Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the city of Houston began to expand after the Port of Houston was completed. At the request of the Most Reverend Wendelin J. Nold, fifth bishop of Galveston, Pope John XXIII permitted 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 as well, and permitted full episcopal ceremonies to be held in both Galveston and Houston.
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.
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.
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston oversees the following suffragan dioceses: Austin, Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Tyler, and Victoria in Texas.
Within the archdiocese, many famous landmarks are contained. Most prominent is St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, the motherchurch of Texas, and one of the few buildings and 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.
Read more about this topic: Roman Catholic Archdiocese Of Galveston-Houston
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