Joe S. Vásquez to be installed as Archbishop of Galveston-Houston at Co-Cathedral, March 25

The installation of Archbishop-Designate Joe S. Vásquez as the third Archbishop of Galveston-Houston will take place on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at 2 p.m. at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

Due to space constraints within the Co-Cathedral, the Installation Mass is a ticketed event. The Mass will be livestreamed on the Archdiocesan website (www.archgh.org/live).

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will preside at the March 25 installation. Numerous bishops and clergy are expected to attend and concelebrate the Mass, including Christophe Cardinal Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S.

On Jan. 20, Pope Francis accepted Cardinal DiNardo’s resignation and named Bishop Vásquez of Austin as his successor. In May of 2024, Cardinal DiNardo turned 75, the age at which canon law requires bishops to submit their resignation to the pope.

Following the announcement, Archbishop-Designate Vásquez expressed gratitude to God “for bestowing this responsibility on me, and I am humbled by this appointment. With God’s grace, I pledge to serve the needs of this local Church to the best of my ability.”

“I am delighted by the appointment of Bishop Vásquez as the next Archbishop of Galveston-Houston,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “I give gratitude to the Holy Father for naming an experienced, prayerful and humble Shepherd to lead this local Church.”

Archbishop-Designate Vásquez, 67, headed the Diocese of Austin since 2010. Additionally, he served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Tyler from November 2023 to the Feb. 24 installation of Tyler Bishop Gregory Kelly.

Archbishop-Designate Vásquez has been a priest for more than 40 years and was ordained a bishop in 2002 to serve as Auxiliary Bishop for our Archdiocese until 2010, when he was appointed as the fifth Bishop of Austin. He has led the Diocese of Austin for the last 15 years.

During his eight years in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop-Designate Vásquez fulfilled several roles in the operations of the Archdiocese, as Vicar General, Chancellor, Moderator of the Curia, Secretariat Director for Administration and Vicar for Hispanics.

Masses of Welcome/Thanksgiving for Archbishop-Designate Vásquez are being planned to occur at several parishes around the Archdiocese after Easter.