About Diocese of Lubbock
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lubbock (Latin: Dioecesis Lubbokensis) is a Latin Rite diocese serving West Texas, erected on June 17, 1983 by Pope John Paul II. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio and encompasses 25 counties on the Llano Estacado (Staked Plains) and Rolling Plains, with more than 136,000 Catholics worshipping in 60 parish churches. Its mother church is Christ the King Cathedral in Lubbock, and it is currently led by its third bishop, Most Rev. Robert M. Coerver. The diocese is notable for its heavily Hispanic Catholic population, its mission-style geography of widely separated parishes, and its ministries across the cotton-and-oil country of the South Plains.
- Bishop
- Robert M. Coerver
- Established
- 1983
- Cathedral
- Christ the King Cathedral, 4011 54th Street, Lubbock, TX 79413
- Territory
- Twenty-five counties on the Llano Estacado and Rolling Plains of West Texas: Bailey, Borden, Cochran, Cottle, Crosby, Dawson, Dickens, Fisher, Floyd, Gaines, Garza, Hale, Haskell, Hockley, Jones, Kent, King, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley, Scurry, Stonewall, Terry, and Yoakum — roughly 23,380 square miles.
- Parishes
- 60 parish churches
- Province
- Archdiocese of San Antonio (Ecclesiastical Province of San Antonio)
About the Diocese of Lubbock
The Diocese of Lubbock is the Roman Catholic diocese serving the West Texas Llano Estacado and Rolling Plains. Erected by Pope John Paul II on June 17, 1983, it covers twenty-five counties and more than 23,000 square miles — territory the diocese itself calls a 'mission' geography because of the long distances between parishes. Today more than 136,000 Catholics worship in 60 parish churches, served by the diocesan bishop, a vicar general, a chancellor, and offices for faith formation, schools, Catholic Charities, youth ministry, and other pastoral services headquartered at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Lubbock.
- Established: June 17, 1983
- Ecclesiastical Province: San Antonio
- Rite: Roman (Latin)
- Cathedral: Christ the King Cathedral, Lubbock
- Bishop: Most Rev. Robert M. Coerver (since 2016)
- Vicar General: David Cruz
Our Bishop — Robert M. Coerver, S.T.L., M.S.
Bishop Robert Coerver was appointed by Pope Francis as the third Bishop of Lubbock on September 27, 2016, and was ordained and installed at Christ the King Cathedral on November 21, 2016. A native of Dallas born June 6, 1954, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dallas on June 27, 1980, and has served as assistant pastor in Dallas and Plano, longtime Director of Spiritual Formation at Holy Trinity Seminary on the campus of the University of Dallas, and pastor of Our Lady of the Lake in Rockwall and St. Rita Parish in Dallas. In December 2004 Pope John Paul II named him a Prelate of Honor with the title Monsignor. He holds a Licentiate in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and a Master's in Counseling and Guidance from Texas A&M University–Commerce.
- Birthdate: June 6, 1954
- Ordained a priest: June 27, 1980
- Appointed Bishop of Lubbock: September 27, 2016
- Ordained and installed: November 21, 2016
- Email: [email protected]
- Executive Assistant: Judy Rodriguez (ext. 203)
- Assistant to the Bishop: Jonathan Sustaita (ext. 227)
Our Parishes
Sixty parish churches serve the diocese across the twenty-five counties of the Llano Estacado and Rolling Plains. The diocesan website hosts a full parish locator sortable alphabetically by city and by parish name; Christ the King Cathedral in Lubbock is the mother church. Other significant parishes include St. Joseph in Slaton (home of the diocese's second Catholic school), parishes in Plainview, Brownfield, Levelland, Sweetwater, Snyder, Abilene-adjacent towns like Haskell and Anson, and many smaller mission communities — a structure reflective of the diocese's rural and small-town character.
- Parish count: 60
- Parish locator at catholiclubbock.org/Parishes.html
- Deaneries: organized by region across the 25 counties
- Notable parish: Christ the King Cathedral, Lubbock
- Recent new parish: Saint Clare Church in west Lubbock
Christ the King Cathedral
Christ the King Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Lubbock, located at 4011 54th Street (at Orlando) in Lubbock. It was first constructed as a school in 1958, became a parish on January 1, 1961 with the completion of the church, and was designated the cathedral of the newly erected diocese on June 17, 1983. When built it stood surrounded by cotton fields; today it sits in the heart of Lubbock. Its school — Christ the King Cathedral School — grew from grades 1–3 to a full pre-K through 12th grade academy accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference of Accreditation Commission (TCCAC). The adjacent Early Childhood Development Center, opened in October 2008, uses a Montessori curriculum and received NAEYC accreditation in November 2012.
- Sunday Mass: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 4:30 PM (English)
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:30 PM (English)
- Weekday Mass: Monday–Friday 6:55 AM; Saturday 8:15 AM
- Confession: by appointment and before scheduled Masses
- Address: 4011 54th Street, Lubbock, TX 79413
- Phone: 806-792-6168
Catholic Schools
The Diocese of Lubbock operates two accredited Catholic schools and one early childhood center under the direction of Superintendent Christine Wanjura. Christ the King Cathedral School in Lubbock serves pre-K through 12th grade on the cathedral campus; St. Joseph School in Slaton serves the farming community south of Lubbock. Both are accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference of Accreditation Commission (TCCAC), a TEA-endorsed accreditation body. The Christ the King Cathedral Early Childhood Development Center, opened in October 2008, employs Montessori methods and earned NAEYC accreditation in November 2012. The diocese also awards annual tuition scholarships of $10,000 funded through the Bishop's Annual Appeal.
- Christ the King Cathedral School (Lubbock, PreK–12)
- St. Joseph School (Slaton)
- Christ the King Cathedral Early Childhood Development Center (Montessori, NAEYC accredited 2012)
- Superintendent: Christine Wanjura
- Accreditor: Texas Catholic Conference of Accreditation Commission (TCCAC)
Faith Formation
The diocesan Office of Faith Formation, led by Division Director Sister Peggy Szeljack, supports parish catechetical leaders (PCLs/DREs) across the diocese with training, formation, and resources for children, adolescents, and adults. Its mission is to proclaim the Gospel in every human situation, attentive to the signs of the times, while cherishing the diocese's religious, cultural, geographic, and generational diversity — particularly its large Hispanic Catholic population. The office provides basic, advanced, and ongoing formation, multigenerational evangelization programs, sacramental preparation resources, and Safe Environment online training.
- Division Director: Sister Peggy Szeljack
- Phone: 806-792-3943 ext. 230
- Email: [email protected]
- Annual catechetical leader formation events
- Safe Environment / Virtus online training for clergy, staff, and volunteers
- Young Adult Ministry contact: Jonathan Sustaita (ext. 227)
Catholic Charities Diocese of Lubbock
Catholic Charities Diocese of Lubbock (formerly Catholic Family Services) is the social-services arm of the diocese, headquartered in Lubbock with satellite offices in Brownfield, Muleshoe, and Plainview. Its mission is 'Providing Help, Creating Hope, Serving All People,' with bilingual case management and counseling. Major programs include the Kinship Navigator Program (serving grandparents and relatives raising non-biological children in seven counties with 426 families and 828 youth enrolled), the Family and Youth Success (FAYS) counseling program (serving 30 counties), emergency assistance for Lubbock County residents, immigration legal services, and a thrift store. In 1991 Catholic Family Services helped over 28,000 people; today the agency reports an annual budget of roughly $15.7 million.
- Kinship Navigator Program (Bailey, Crosby, Hale, Hockley, Lubbock, Lynn, Terry counties)
- Family and Youth Success (FAYS) — 30 counties
- Emergency Assistance (Lubbock County)
- Immigration legal services
- Counseling and case management (bilingual)
- Thrift store
- Satellite offices in Brownfield, Muleshoe, and Plainview
- Website: cclubbock.org
Marriage and Family Life
Marriage preparation and family-life ministry are central to the diocese's outreach, with the bishop regularly releasing pastoral letters on the vocation of marriage and hosting annual YA (young adult) Marriage Retreats. Parishes accompany engaged couples through both remote and in-person preparation programs and sponsor marriage enrichment events throughout the year. The Rite of Election, typically celebrated at the cathedral each Lent, formally welcomes catechumens and candidates into the Church at the diocesan level.
- YA Marriage Retreat
- Engaged Encounter-style preparation
- Annual Rite of Election at Christ the King Cathedral
- Diocesan pastoral letters on marriage and family
Office of the Bishop & Diocesan Staff
The Catholic Pastoral Center at 4620 4th Street, Lubbock, TX 79416 houses the diocesan offices (open Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.). The Pastoral Directory is published annually in downloadable sections (A–L) covering the bishop's background, offices and staff, deaneries and deans, parishes and pastors, priests, deacons, seminarians, women religious, ministry councils, boards and committees, lay organizations, and Catholic institutions. Sections are updated multiple times per year.
- Bishop's Office: (806) 792-3943 ext. 203 (Judy Rodriguez)
- Vicar General: Father David Cruz
- Chancellor and diocesan offices
- Pastoral Directory Sections A–L
- Mailing: 4620 4th Street, Lubbock, TX 79416
Diocesan Coat of Arms
The diocesan coat of arms was designed by heraldist Paul J. Sullivan in 1983 when the diocese was erected. Its symbols encode the geography and spirituality of West Texas: a silver cross and gold crown on a red shield for Christ the King (titular of the cathedral); a black base for the Caprock Escarpment and the petroleum reserves beneath the South Plains; and a silver sprig of cotton for the region's primary agricultural crop. A gold bishop's miter surmounts the shield, signifying diocesan authority.
- Heraldist: Paul J. Sullivan
- Adopted: 1983
- Silver cross + gold crown = Christ the King
- Black base = Caprock Escarpment and oil
- Silver cotton sprig = regional agriculture
- Gold miter = diocesan (episcopal) authority
Safeguarding and Transparency
The Diocese of Lubbock maintains a Safe Environment program administered through the Office of Faith Formation, providing Virtus-compliant online training for priests, deacons, employees, and volunteers who work with minors and vulnerable adults. The diocese has published public lists of credibly accused clergy: first in January 2004 under Bishop Plácido Rodríguez (five priests and one deacon) and a revised list in January 2019 under Bishop Coerver. A 2021 Texas Supreme Court decision (in a suit brought by a priest named on the 2019 list) affirmed the First Amendment rights of churches to manage their own internal affairs.
- Safe Environment / Virtus training
- January 2004 list published (5 priests, 1 deacon)
- January 2019 revised list published
- 2021 Texas Supreme Court ruling (Guerrero v. Diocese of Lubbock)
