Diocese of Brownsville, USA 🇺🇸

Continent: North America

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Diocese Diocese

Name: Brownsville / Brovnsvillen(sis) (Latin)

Ecclesiastical Province: Galveston–Houston

Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops

Websites:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: Immaculate Conception (December 8)

Cathedral Dedication Anniversary: June 12

Liturgical Calendar (National) 📅

History

1874.08.28: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Brownsville / Brownsvillen(sis) (Latin) (from Diocese of Galveston)
1912.03.23: Suppressed (to establish Diocese of Corpus Christi)
1965.07.10: Restored as Diocese of Brownsville / Brovnsvillen(sis) (Latin) (from Diocese of Corpus Christi and became suffragan of San Antonio)
2004.12.29: Became suffragan of Galveston–Houston

Contact Info

Address: P.O. Box 2279, 1910 E. Elizabeth St., Brownsville, TX 78522-2279, USA

Phone: +1 (956) 542-2501

Present Prelates

Bishop (2009.12.09 – ...):

Bishop Daniel Ernest Flores (64)

Vice-President of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Ordinaries

Bishops of Brownsville (Roman Rite)

Bishop Daniel Ernest Flores (64)
(2009.12.09 – ...)

Bishop of Brownsville (USA)
Vice-President of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Verbum mittitur spirans amorem

Born:	1961.08.28 (Palacios, TX, USA)
Ordained Priest:	1988.01.30
Consecrated Bishop:	2006.11.29

Priest of Corpus Christi (USA) (1988.01.30 – 2006.10.28)

Titular Bishop of Cozyla (2006.10.28 – 2009.12.09)

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit (USA) (2006.10.28 – 2009.12.09)

Bishop of Brownsville (USA) (2009.12.09 – ...)

Vice-President of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2025.11.11 – ...)

Bishop Raymundo Joseph Peña
(1994.05.23 – 2009.12.09)

Haz todo con amor

Born:	1934.02.19 (Corpus Christi, TX, USA)
Ordained Priest:	1957.05.25
Consecrated Bishop:	1976.12.13
Died:	2021.09.24 (San Juan, TX, USA † 87)

Titular Bishop of Trisipa (1976.10.16 – 1980.04.29)

Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio (USA) (1976.10.16 – 1980.04.29)

Bishop of El Paso (USA) (1980.04.29 – 1994.05.23)

Bishop of Brownsville (USA) (1994.05.23 – 2009.12.09)

Bishop Enrique San Pedro, S.J.
(1991.11.30 – 1994.05.23)

Libentissime impendam et super impendar

Born:	1926.03.09 (La Habana, Cuba)
Ordained Priest:	1957.03.18
Consecrated Bishop:	1986.06.29
Died:	1994.07.17 (Miami, FL, USA † 68)

Titular Bishop of Siccesi (1986.04.01 – 1991.08.13)

Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston–Houston (USA) (1986.04.01 – 1991.08.13)

Coadjutor Bishop of Brownsville (USA) (1991.08.13 – 1991.11.30)

Bishop of Brownsville (USA) (1991.11.30 – 1994.05.23)

Bishop John Joseph Fitzpatrick
(1971.04.27 – 1991.11.30)

To me to live is Christ

Born:	1918.10.12 (Trenton, ON, Canada)
Ordained Priest:	1942.12.13
Consecrated Bishop:	1968.08.28
Died:	2006.07.15 (Brownsville, TX, USA † 87)

Titular Bishop of Cenæ (1968.06.24 – 1971.04.27)

Auxiliary Bishop of Miami (USA) (1968.06.24 – 1971.04.27)

Bishop of Brownsville (USA) (1971.04.27 – 1991.11.30)

Bishop Humberto Sousa Medeiros (later Cardinal)
(1966.04.14 – 1970.09.08)

Adveniat regnum tuum

Born:	1915.10.06 (Arrifes, São Miguel, Portugal)
Ordained Priest:	1946.06.15
Consecrated Bishop:	1966.06.09
Created Cardinal:	1973.03.05
Died:	1983.09.17 (Boston, MA, USA † 67)

Priest of Fall River (USA) (1946.06.15 – 1966.04.14)

Bishop of Brownsville (USA) (1966.04.14 – 1970.09.08)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Boston (USA) (1970.09.08 – 1983.09.17)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Susanna (1973.03.05 – 1983.09.17)

Bishop Adolph Marx
(1965.07.09 – 1965.11.01)

Plenitudo legis dilectio

Born:	1915.02.18 (Köln, Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1940.05.02
Consecrated Bishop:	1956.10.09
Died:	1965.11.01 (Köln, Germany † 50)

Titular Bishop of Citrus (1956.07.06 – 1965.07.09)

Auxiliary Bishop of Corpus Christi (USA) (1956.07.06 – 1965.07.09)

Bishop of Brownsville (USA) (1965.07.09 – 1965.11.01)

Vicars Apostolic of Brownsville (Roman Rite)

Bishop Peter Verdaguer y Prat
(1890.07.25 – 1911.10.26)

Born:	1835.12.10 (San Pedro de Torello, Spain)
Ordained Priest:	1862.12.12
Consecrated Bishop:	1890.11.09
Died:	1911.10.26 (Laredo, TX, USA † 75)

Titular Bishop of Aulon (1890.07.25 – 1911.10.26)

Vicar Apostolic of Brownsville (USA) (1890.07.25 – 1911.10.26)

Bishop Dominic Manucy
(1885.02.07 – 1885.12.04)

In hoc signo vinces

Born:	1823.12.20 (Saint Augustine, FL, USA)
Ordained Priest:	1850.08.15
Consecrated Bishop:	1874.12.08
Died:	1885.12.04 (Mobile, AL, USA † 61)

Priest of Mobile (USA) (1850.08.15 – 1874.09.07)

Titular Bishop of Dulma (1874.09.07 – 1884.01.18)

Vicar Apostolic of Brownsville (USA) (1874.09.07 – 1884.01.18)

Bishop of Mobile (USA) (1884.01.18 – 1884.09.27)

Vicar Apostolic of Brownsville (USA) (1885.02.07 – 1885.12.04)

Titular Bishop of Maronia (1885.02.10 – 1885.12.04)

Bishop Dominic Manucy
(1874.09.07 – 1884.01.18)

(see above)

Former Prelates

Coadjutor Bishop: Bishop Enrique San Pedro, S.J. (1991.08.13 – 1991.11.30)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Mario Alberto Avilés Campos, C.O. (56) (2017.12.04 – 2025.12.01)

Special Churches

Cathedral: Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Brownsville, Texas
Minor Basilica, National Shrine: Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle, San Juan, Texas
Jubilee Churches in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2016)
Jubilee Churches in the Holy Year 2025

Churches by City (114)

Nuevo Laredo (←), Laredo (↖), Corpus Christi (↗), Matamoros–Reynosa (↓)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 11,125 km²

Population: 1,181,287 Catholics (85.0% of 1,389,750 total)

Pastoral Centres: 72 parishes, 7 missions

Personnel: 108 priests (85 diocesan, 23 religious), 100 deacons, 93 religious (31 brothers, 62 sisters), 11 seminarians