El Paso, Diocese of
EL PASO, DIOCESE OF
Suffragan of the Metropolitan See of San Antonio, the Diocese of El Paso (Elpasensis) comprises the counties of El Paso, Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Presidio, Reeves, Ward, and Winkler, covering 33,817 square miles in West Texas. It was erected on March 3, 1914, and originally also included 30,617 square miles of southern New Mexico that was separated and designated as the Diocese of Los Cruces in 1982. Approximately 77 percent of the total population were of Hispanic origin. Total Catholic population is estimated to be about 76 percent of the total population.
Diocesan Development. Earliest settlements in this diocese date from 1682, with the Spanish land grant to Tigua Native Americans for the Ysleta Mission and to Piro Native Americans for the Socorro Mission. These two Missions were built following the Spanish government retreat to present day Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, from its northern New Mexico capital of Santa Fe at the time of the Pueblo Rebellion in the year 1680. With the coming of the railroads in the 1880's the population grew rapidly, necessitating the construction of many new churches under the supervision of Rev. Carlos Pinto, SJ, and other Italian Jesuits serving the El Paso area.
Guided by Bishops Anthony J. Schuler, SJ (1915–1942), Sidney M. Metzger (1942–1978), Patricio F. Flores (1978–1979), Raymundo J. Peña (1980–1995) and Armando X. Ochoa (appointed 1996), the Diocese of El Paso has sought to meet the challenges arising from its location on the United States–Mexico border.
The persecution of the Church in Mexico in the early 20th century caused the flight of thousands of Mexican Catholics to the United States. The attempt by Bishop Schuler to harbor numerous priests and religious (among whom was Blessed Miguel Augustin Pro, SJ) led to the near-bankruptcy of the diocese in the 1930s. From the 1940s through the 1970s, Bishop Metzger fought successfully for the rights of miners and garment industry workers. Bishop Peña continued Catholic leadership in social issues on the International Border by his concern for the plight of undocumented immigrants, eventually calling for a "middle ground" in the 1994 INS blockade against undocumented immigrants working at lowpaying jobs in El Paso.
Many challenges continue to surface in this multicultural, bilingual diocese. To meet these needs, the diocese has devised many strategies and programs, among which are the Tepeyac Institute for ministry training, and a professionally staffed Diocesan Refugee and Migrant Services Office. The El Paso Interreligious Sponsoring Organization (EPISO), with predominantly Catholic support, has launched many successful social, health, and educational initiatives. The Diocesan Office of Peace and Justice promotes Catholic Social teaching and conducts ongoing research into social and environmental issues affecting the border area.
Diocesan offices for Youth Ministry, Marriage and Family Life, Prison and Hospital Ministry, Religious Education, Reverence for Life, Catholic Counseling Services, and a bi-lingual diocesan newspaper (Rio Grande Catholic ) also contribute to the spiritual and moral wellbeing of the Church in west Texas. A full-time priest vocation director seeks to deal with the ever growing need for bilingual priests.
In 1999 the diocese began hosting a summer program in Hispanic ministry for seminarians from the Archdiocese of Atlanta. In 2000 this program was expanded to include the academic year. In 2001 the diocese entered a "pact of solidarity" with the dioceses of Choluteca (Honduras) and Brownsville (Texas) as a response to the devastation in Honduras by the 1998 hurricane Mitch. Also, in 2001 the Diocese of El Paso established the Catholic Foundation of El Paso to meet growing financial requirements.
Bibliography: c. e. castaÑeda, Our Catholic Heritage in Texas, 1519–1936, 7 v. (Austin 1936–58).
[g. carie]