Cardinal DiNardo has been serving the Archdiocese of Texas since 2006. In 2007, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI. As he turns 75 on May 23, 2024, he has submitted his resignation in accordance with canon law. Cardinal DiNardo previously held the position of president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop Vásquez, who is 67 years old, has been the Bishop of Austin since 2010 and served as the apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, from November 2023 to December 2024. The announcement of the resignation and the new appointment was made public in Washington on January 20 by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.
In his statement, Cardinal DiNardo expressed his satisfaction with Bishop Vásquez’s appointment as the next Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, thanking the Holy Father for choosing a leader known for his experience, prayerfulness, and humility. Bishop Vásquez expressed his gratitude to God for the trust placed in him and affirmed his dedication to serving the local church to the best of his abilities.
He is scheduled to be installed as the ninth archbishop of Galveston-Houston on March 25 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. Of Mexican American descent, Archbishop Vásquez is one of 26 active Hispanic Catholic bishops in the United States. His episcopal motto, “Sigueme,” which means “Follow me,” reflects the words of Jesus to Peter in the Gospel of St. John.
He was appointed the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Austin by Pope Benedict on January 26, 2010, overseeing a diocese that serves over 700,000 Catholics across 25 counties. Before his recent appointment in Austin, the newly appointed archbishop held the position of auxiliary bishop within the archdiocese he is now set to oversee. He was appointed as the auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston on November 30, 2001, by St. John Paul II and was ordained in the early months of the subsequent year. At the time of his episcopal ordination, he was recognized as the youngest bishop in the United States.
Joe Steve Vasquez, the oldest of six siblings, was born in Stamford, Texas, on July 9, 1957. He pursued his studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in theology, and later attended the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, obtaining a licentiate in sacred theology. He was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, in 1984. Following his ordination, Bishop Vasquez served as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Odessa, Texas, from 1985 to 1987, and then as pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Fort Stockton, Texas, from 1987 to 1997. In 1997, he became the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in San Angelo, where he served until his appointment as auxiliary bishop in Galveston-Houston. The Galveston-Houston Archdiocese covers over 8,880 square miles and caters to a Catholic population exceeding 2 million, within a total demographic of 7.1 million individuals.