2022: A Year in Review

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo leads a prayer during the funeral Mass of Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston on Sept. 29. The 91-year-old archbishop died on Sept. 19. (Photos by James Ramos and Sean O’Driscoll/Herald)

2022 was a year of tragedy, changes and milestones

HOUSTON — As 2022 began, many in the Archdiocese returned to their pre-pandemic lives — going back to church, their workplaces and their regular routines.

The Archdiocese was anticipating the start of the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese, the 100th anniversary of the founding of San José Clinic, and the 50th anniversary of the diocesan Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration and the first permanent diaconate class ordained in Galveston-Houston.

The focus of celebrations soon had to turn when war began as Russia invaded Ukraine. While still praying for the war-torn country, tragedy hit home when elementary school students from Uvalde, Texas became the latest victims of gun violence.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark legislation that made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States. This fall marked the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza, the long-time bishop of Galveston-Houston and a tireless social justice advocate throughout his priesthood, episcopacy and in retirement.

The intense year ended on a high note when the Houston Astros won their second World Series title.

Archdiocese loses beloved archbishop, social justice pioneer

Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza, the long-time bishop of Galveston-Houston and a tireless social justice advocate throughout his priesthood, episcopacy and in retirement, died Sept. 19. He was 91.

The Beaumont native served as bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston from 1985 to 2006 and was made Archbishop in 2004 when the diocese was elevated to the status of Archdiocese by then-pope, St. John Paul II.

“Archbishop Fiorenza was known to be a champion of civil rights and a tireless worker in overcoming the presence of racism in our community. He was also known as a great promoter of genuine renewal in the Church and in making the teachings of the Second Vatican Council known,” said Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston. Cardinal DiNardo succeeded Archbishop Fiorenza as Archbishop of Galveston-Houston in 2006.

Ever committed to serving the people of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Fiorenza was a steadfast advocate for social justice issues and a supporter of interfaith collaboration for positive social change across all social and economic borders.

As a young priest, he had marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma; in 2020, he spoke at a panel discussion regarding race relations hosted by Interfaith Ministries. He was joined by fellow Houston faith and civil rights leaders Rev. William Lawson, Pastor Emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, and the late Rabbi Emeritus Samuel Karff of Congregation Beth Israel — the “Three Amigos.”
Archbishop Fiorenza dedicated himself to building the new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, a sacred space in the heart of downtown Houston where all were welcome to worship. Through his commitment and support of the campaign, the Co-Cathedral opened its doors on April 2, 2008.

Throughout his tenure as shepherd of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Fiorenza also served the Church on a national level as the president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (1998-2001). In this responsibility, he served as the chief spokesman for 300 active Catholic bishops in the United States.

Archdiocese marks 175 years of history, faith

The then-diocese of Galveston was established May 4, 1847, when the official declaration came from the Vatican.

The first bishop in Texas, Bishop Jean Marie Odin, along with the Ursuline Sisters, made it their mission to form the area Catholics in their faith and to educate Catholic children. Together they built upon the foundation laid by Franciscan missionaries ministering in Texas since the 17th century.

Today, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, led by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, has more than 1.7 million faithful in 10 counties, served by its 146 parishes, seven missions, 57 Catholic schools and multiple ministries providing healthcare and other services for those in need.
On May 3, 175 years later, Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston City Council marked the anniversary with a proclamation. Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro accepted the honor on behalf of the Archdiocese at the City Hall Chamber.

Cardinal DiNardo celebrated a special Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Galveston on May 23 to signal an official opening of the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese. Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, also concelebrated the Mass.

He recalled how Bishop Claude Dubuis began ministries with just 12 priests during the creation of the diocese.

“I don’t think that anyone who lives in Texas in 1847 would have imagined what would happen to the Catholic Church,” Cardinal DiNardo said.

He lauded the “farsightedness” of Bishop Nicolas Gallagher, the third bishop of Galveston who brought many religious congregations to the diocese and opened parishes and schools for the region’s underserved and underrepresented communities during a time of tremendous growth and devastation from the 1900 hurricane that destroyed Galveston.

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo received a City of Galveston proclamation on May 26.

Galveston-Houston participates in Synod process

Last spring, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo shared a video message to the faithful encouraging participation in the local Synod process. More than 700 facilitators were trained to host listening sessions at parishes and other venues around Galveston-Houston.

“We want to learn about your experiences in your family, in your parish and in your community,” Cardinal DiNardo said in the video message. “We want to know more about what matters most to you, about your joys and about the difficulties you may be encountering. Finally, we want to share and reflect on the many ways the Holy Spirit has been present to us — guiding us and our Church.”

For the Synod on Synodality (2021-2023), Pope Francis invited the faithful and those in the peripheries to engage with the process.

In the video message, Cardinal DiNardo said a synod session is “an opportunity to reflect and recollect with others in small groups … to be renewed in your participation in the life of the Church.”

The Synod report was published in the Dec. 13 issue of the Texas Catholic Herald and online at www.archgh.org/synod. †

Astros’ World Series win brings championship trophy home again

The walk-off. That loss. The no-hitter. The heart. The catch. That other catch. And then that moonshot seen around the world.

Each moment helped the Houston Astros make it a habit of reaching the World Series, and in their fifth World Series appearance, the Astros topped the Philadelphia Phillies in a roller coaster ride of a Fall Classic.

Both Catholic and Astros faithful were right there alongside the hometown team the whole time, together with a group of iconic religious sisters, among many others who crowded the stands at Minute Maid Park or jumped from their couches at home.

Students at Incarnate Word Academy, a little more than a third- to first-base throw away from Minute Maid Park, embraced the Astros postseason fever during their annual “Chalk the Block” effort that surrounds their downtown Houston campus in chalk art that supports their MLB neighbor.

Further away from the ballpark, students at other schools like St. Jerome, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Rose of Lima also turned orange for the Astros. Young students donned their favorite Astros gear, sporting bright hats, shirts and even baseball gloves, in support of the World Series rally.