WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Galveston-Houston, 52, to be bishop of Austin, Texas, succeeding Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond, who was named archbishop of New Orleans last June.
The appointment was announced in Washington Jan. 26 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Bishop Vasquez has been an auxiliary for Galveston-Houston since 2002. At the time of his episcopal ordination, he was the youngest bishop in the United States.
His installation has been set for March 8 at a site to be determined.
The eldest of six children, Joe S. Vasquez was born in Stamford, Texas, July 9, 1957. He attended the University of St. Thomas in Houston, where he earned a bachelor's degree in theology, and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a licentiate in sacred theology. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, in 1984.
After his ordination, Bishop Vasquez served from 1985-87 as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Odessa, Texas, and from 1987-97 as pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Fort Stockton, Texas. In 1997, he was named pastor of St. Joseph Parish, San Angelo, where he served until his appointment as a Galveston-Houston auxiliary.
In 2001, he was named auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston and ordained early the following year. He was the first priest of the Diocese of San Angelo to be named a bishop.
He chose as his episcopal motto "Sigueme," Spanish for "Follow me." He is one of 27 active Hispanic Catholic bishops in the U.S.
In 2005 he tended to the pastoral needs of Gulf Coast residents who fled to the Houston area after Hurricane Katrina.
Since 2006 Bishop Vasquez has been archdiocesan vicar general and chancellor. He also has served as episcopal vicar for Hispanics and archdiocesan liaison for youths during his years in Galveston-Houston.
"I give thanks to God for the gift of priesthood, which has brought me such joy for 25 years," Bishop Vasquez said in a Jan. 26 statement. "I trust in the Holy Spirit to enlighten me for this next step in my journey."
The Austin Diocese covers about 19,500 square miles. It has a total population of 2.6 million people; Catholics number about 459,000, or 18 percent of the population.
