About Diocese of Amarillo
The Diocese of Amarillo (Latin: Dioecesis Amarillensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church covering the northern 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle — approximately 25,800 square miles. Erected by Pope Pius XI on August 3, 1926, it is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio. Its mother church and current cathedral is St. Mary's Cathedral in Amarillo, and its patron is Saint Lawrence. Following the retirement of Bishop Patrick Zurek on February 13, 2026, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo was appointed Apostolic Administrator by Pope Leo XIV; the diocese is currently sede vacante.
- Cardinal / Apostolic Administrator
- Daniel DiNardo (Apostolic Administrator)
- Established
- 1926
- Cathedral
- St. Mary's Cathedral, Amarillo (1200 S. Washington St., Amarillo, TX 79102)
- Territory
- The 26 northernmost counties of the Texas Panhandle: Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, and Wheeler.
- Parishes
- Approximately 38 parishes (2012 figure)
- Province
- Archdiocese of San Antonio (Ecclesiastical Province of San Antonio)
About the Diocese of Amarillo
The Diocese of Amarillo serves the 26 northern counties of the Texas Panhandle — some 25,800 square miles — and is, by its own description, still a missionary diocese by U.S. standards. Its patron is Saint Lawrence, its cathedral is St. Mary's in Amarillo, and it has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of San Antonio since 1926. The diocese's website opens with a greeting from Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who in February 2026 was named Apostolic Administrator by Pope Leo XIV following the retirement of Bishop Patrick Zurek.
- 26 counties, ~25,800 sq mi
- Established August 3, 1926
- Patron: Saint Lawrence
- Suffragan of the Archdiocese of San Antonio
- Apostolic Administrator: Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (2026–)
Our History and Heritage
Catholic life on the High Plains goes back to 1541 and the Coronado expedition. Father Juan de Padilla celebrated Mass near Palo Duro Canyon and was martyred in Kansas in 1544 — the first Catholic martyr on U.S. soil. The territory has since passed through the hands of Guadalajara, Linares, New Orleans, Galveston, Dallas, and San Antonio before becoming its own diocese in 1926. Eight bishops and two daughter dioceses (San Angelo, 1961; Lubbock, 1983) later, the diocese marked its centennial in August 2026.
- 1541: First Mass near Palo Duro Canyon by Fr. Juan de Padilla, OFM
- 1875–1926: Missionary era served from New Mexico, Kansas, and Texas sees
- 1892: First Panhandle Catholic church, St. Mary's, Clarendon
- 1926: Diocese erected by Pius XI
- 1961 & 1983: Territory losses to San Angelo and Lubbock
- August 22, 2026: Centennial Mass at Cal Farley Coliseum
Bishop and Clergy
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, retired Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and former president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was named Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Amarillo on February 14, 2026. He will serve until the appointment and installation of a new residential bishop. Bishop Patrick J. Zurek, the diocese's eighth ordinary, retired on February 13, 2026 after 18 years. The diocese's chancery continues to direct the day-to-day life of the local Church through its vicar general, priests' senate, deacons, and religious.
- Apostolic Administrator: Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (Feb 2026–)
- Bishop Emeritus: Patrick J. Zurek (2008–2026)
- Bishop Emeritus: John W. Yanta (1997–2008)
Parishes and Missions
Parishes stretch across the 26 counties from Dalhart and Stratford in the northwest to Childress and Wellington in the southeast, with clusters in Amarillo, Canyon, Borger, Pampa, and Hereford. As of 2012 the diocese reported roughly 38 parishes serving a Catholic population of about 50,237. The cathedral parish, St. Mary's in Amarillo, runs the oldest continuously functioning Catholic school in the diocese.
- Cathedral: St. Mary's, Amarillo
- Deaneries across the Panhandle
- Hispanic, Anglo, and Vietnamese Catholic communities
St. Mary's Cathedral, Amarillo
The current St. Mary's Cathedral is the third building to bear the name. The cathedral was dedicated September 11, 2010 and proclaimed the third cathedral of the diocese on March 25, 2011, replacing St. Laurence Cathedral (1975–2011) after the previous St. Mary's Church was destroyed by fire on February 26, 2007. The modern brick cathedral houses a $900,000 organ of 1,200 pipes and trumpets, a 150-gallon copper baptismal font, and three altar stones in the main altar salvaged from Sacred Heart Cathedral — containing relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John Vianney, and St. Pius X.
- Address: 1200 S. Washington St., Amarillo, TX 79102
- Rector: Fr. Anthony C. Neusch
- Sunday Masses: Sat 7:00 AM & 5:30 PM; Sun 8:00, 9:30, 12:00 (English)
- Daily Mass: Mon–Fri 7:00 AM; Tue & Thu also 5:30 PM
- Relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John Vianney, and St. Pius X sealed in the main altar
Mass, Confession, and Adoration
St. Mary's Cathedral publishes a clear weekly schedule in English, livestreams liturgies, and offers 24/7 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in its Adoration and Daily Use Chapel — whose Garden of Gethsemane stained glass and altar came from Sacred Heart Cathedral. Confessions are heard before scheduled Masses and by appointment.
- Weekend Mass: Sat 7:00 AM & 5:30 PM; Sun 8:00, 9:30, 12:00
- Weekday Mass: Mon–Fri 7:00 AM (Tue & Thu also 5:30 PM)
- 24/7 Eucharistic Adoration in the Adoration Chapel
- Live-streamed Masses via the cathedral website
Catholic Schools
Catholic education in the Panhandle dates to 1899, when the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word opened St. Mary's Academy at Clarendon; the school moved to Amarillo in 1913. Bishop Rudolph Gerken founded St. George's College (later Price Memorial College, then Alamo Catholic High School) in 1928; it was renamed Holy Cross Catholic Academy and rededicated on October 11, 2000 as part of Bishop Yanta's school renewal. The diocese today operates one high school, four elementary schools, and a Montessori preschool.
- Holy Cross Catholic Academy (Amarillo) — high school
- St. Joseph's Catholic School (Amarillo)
- St. Mary's Cathedral School — Catholic Montessori preschool & elementary (Amarillo)
- St. Anthony's (Hereford)
- St. Anthony of Padua (Dalhart)
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
The diocesan Office of Youth Ministry follows the U.S. Bishops' framework Renewing the Vision (1997) and supports parish-based Life Teen, EDGE, and Totus Tuus summer programs, plus retreats at the St. Francis House of Prayer on the grounds of St. Theresa Church, Panhandle. Adult faith formation, Catechumenate (RCIA) structured on The Forum, Charismatic Renewal, RENEW, Cursillo, Stephen Ministry, and Lay Ecclesial Movements are active across the diocese, especially at St. Mary's Cathedral.
- Diocesan Youth Director: Oscar Guzman
- Totus Tuus summer weeks (3 in summer 2026)
- Centennial Mini Rallies by deanery
- St. Francis House of Prayer, Panhandle
Outreach and Catholic Charities
Diocesan Catholic Charities has been in continuous operation since Bishop Gerken opened it in 1932. Parish-based St. Vincent de Paul conferences — the oldest Knights of Columbus council in the diocese (Council 1450) sits at St. Mary's Cathedral — together with a refugee resettlement program begun under Bishop De Falco and parish outreach to the inner-city poor anchor the diocese's social mission. The Council of Catholic Women is organized at the diocesan level.
- Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Amarillo (since 1932)
- St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Mary's Cathedral
- Knights of Columbus Council 1450
- Diocesan Council of Catholic Women
- Refugee resettlement program
Retreat Centers and Senior Care
Bishop Matthiesen built the Bishop De Falco Retreat Center and the diocesan Museum-Archives Building. The St. Joseph's Home for retired priests in Panhandle was constructed under Bishop De Falco; St. Ann's Nursing Home in Panhandle dates from Bishop Morkovsky's tenure. Contemplative Franciscan nuns run the Sancta Maria Convent at the St. Francis House of Prayer in Panhandle.
- Bishop De Falco Retreat Center
- St. Joseph's Home for retired priests, Panhandle
- St. Ann's Nursing Home, Panhandle
- Sancta Maria Convent / St. Francis House of Prayer
- Diocesan Museum-Archives
Diocesan Communications and Centennial
The diocese publishes the West Texas Catholic as its newspaper of record, succeeding the Texas Panhandle Register founded by Bishop Lucey in 1936. News, livestreams, schedules, and a Diocesan Centennial page are maintained on the official website. The diocese is currently celebrating its centennial year in 2026.
- Official newspaper: West Texas Catholic
- Predecessor: Texas Panhandle Register (1936)
- Diocesan Centennial Year: 2026
- Centennial Mass: August 22, 2026 — Cal Farley Coliseum, Amarillo Civic Center
