DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Diocese of Austin. Now, some stories start with a single bold act, and this one's no different. In 1947, the Catholic leaders of three powerful dioceses — San Antonio, Galveston, and Dallas — sat down and did something you don't often see: they voted to give something up.
Each one surrendered counties from within their own ecclesiastical jurisdiction, carving out a new piece of the map to create the Diocese of Austin. That kind of institutional generosity doesn't happen without a vision, and the vision here was considerable. St.
Mary Church in Austin was raised to a Cathedral Church. And the man tapped to lead this brand-new diocese? Louis J.
Reicher — the Prothonotary Apostolic and Chancellor of the Diocese of Galveston — became the first Bishop of the Austin Diocese. Right from the start, this wasn't a small operation. The new diocese took in parishes, missions, stations, chapels, schools, hospitals, and St.
Edward's University all in one sweep. Now, Bishop Reicher was not a man inclined to sit still. Soon after his installation, he got to building.
Over his 23-year tenure, he would build or remodel about 260 buildings. Two hundred and sixty. That's not a construction program — that's a legacy in concrete and timber.
But it wasn't all brick and mortar. Reicher also helped organize the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, strongly endorsed the Cursillo movement, and established the Diocesan Committee on Human Rights. When his tenure ended, his successor, Bishop Vincent Harris, stepped in with his own set of priorities.
Over his 14-year tenure, Harris focused on attracting Mexican Americans to religious vocations and worked with social justice issues, and all the while, the diocese was ordaining record numbers. Then came the 1980s, and the focus shifted again — toward social ministry, missions, and the formation of the laity. The diocese reached beyond its own congregation, aiding non-Catholics through hospitals, healthcare and daycare centers, and other health facilities.
Its Catholic schools educated thousands of students. By 2008, the Diocese of Austin had grown to include 125 parishes spread across 25 counties in Central Texas. Started with a vote to surrender a little ground — and look what grew from it.
What the marker says
In 1947, the Catholic leaders of the San Antonio, Galveston and Dallas Dioceses voted to surrender counties within their Ecclesiastical jurisdiction to create the Diocese of Austin. This move led to the raising of St. Mary Church in Austin to a Cathedral Church and the selection of Louis J. Reicher, the Prothonotary Apostolic and Chancellor of the Diocese of Galveston, as the first Bishop of the Austin Diocese. The new diocese included parishes, missions, stations, chapels, schools, hospitals and St. Edward's University. Soon after his installation, Bishop Reicher began construction projects for the diocese. In all, he would build or remodel about 260 buildings. He also helped organize the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, strongly endorsed the Cursillo movement, and established the Diocesan Committee on Human Rights during his 23-year tenure. Reicher's successor, Bishop Vincent Harris, focused on attracting Mexican Americans to religious vocations and worked with social justice issues, all while the diocese ordained record numbers during his 14-year tenure.Since the 1980s, major focuses of the diocese have included social ministry, missions and formation laity. The diocese has aided non-Catholics as well through its hospitals, healthcare and daycare centers, and other health facilities. Catholic schools in the diocese have also educated thousands of students. By 2008, the Diocese of Austin included 125 parishes in 25 counties. Today, it continues to provide for the spiritual needs of area Catholics, as well as to the educational, health and social needs of residents throughout Central Texas. (2008)