About Diocese of San Angelo
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo (Latin: Dioecesis Angeliana) is a Latin Church diocese serving West and Central Texas, a suffragan see of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio. Erected on October 16, 1961 by Pope John XXIII, it grew out of a southern portion of the vast Diocese of Amarillo and today covers roughly 37,400 square miles across 29 counties with about 82,000 Catholics in 47 parishes and 24 missions organized into three deaneries (San Angelo, Abilene, and Midland–Odessa). The mother church of the diocese is the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart in downtown San Angelo, whose parish roots reach back to 1884 and to earlier Spanish-mission Catholicism on the Concho River. The diocese is led by its sixth bishop, the Most Reverend Michael J. Sis.
- Bishop
- Michael J. Sis
- Established
- 1961
- Cathedral
- Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart, San Angelo, Texas
- Territory
- Twenty-nine counties in West and Central Texas — including Tom Green (San Angelo), Ector (Odessa), Midland, Taylor (Abilene), Howard (Big Spring), Brown (Brownwood), Pecos (Fort Stockton), Kimble (Junction), Sutton, Crockett, Schleicher, Concho, Menard, Irion, Reagan, Upton, Crane, Glasscock, Sterling, Coke, Nolan, Mitchell, Martin, Andrews, Runnels, Callahan, McCulloch, and Coleman — covering roughly 37,433 square miles.
- Parishes
- 47 parishes and 24 missions (across three deaneries: San Angelo, Abilene, Midland–Odessa)
- Province
- Archdiocese of San Antonio (Ecclesiastical Province of San Antonio)
History of the Diocese of San Angelo
When Pope John XXIII erected the Diocese of San Angelo on October 16, 1961, he answered a long-standing pastoral problem: the Diocese of Amarillo was simply too vast, stretching some 450 miles from the Panhandle down to Junction. Thirty-four counties were carved out — twenty-four from Amarillo, three from Austin, three from Dallas–Fort Worth, and two from El Paso — to form the new See, with Thomas J. Drury consecrated as first bishop on January 24, 1962. The diocese subsequently lost five counties to Lubbock in 1983, but has grown in parishes, missions, schools, and permanent diaconate ever since.
- Erected October 16, 1961 by Pope John XXIII
- Carved from Amarillo, Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth, and El Paso
- Opened January 24, 1962 with the consecration of Bishop Thomas J. Drury
- Territory reduced in 1983 with the erection of the Diocese of Lubbock
- Six bishops have served the diocese since 1961
Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart
The mother church of the Diocese of San Angelo is the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart, located in downtown San Angelo. Sacred Heart Parish was founded in 1884 by Father Mathurin J. Pairier, whose predecessors had begun ministering in the Concho Valley after the founding of Fort Concho in 1867. Originally called Immaculate Conception and built with a diverse Mexican, English, Irish, and German Catholic community, the parish took the name 'Sacred Heart' after a new church building was completed in 1906 under Father Joseph Hoban. In 1961, Pope John XXIII named Sacred Heart the cathedral parish, and it remains the seat of the bishop and the spiritual heart of West Texas Catholicism.
- Parish founded 1884 by Father Mathurin J. Pairier
- Originally named Immaculate Conception
- Renamed Sacred Heart after 1906 construction under Father Joseph Hoban
- Designated cathedral of the new Diocese of San Angelo in 1961
- Texas Historical Commission marker at entrance
Bishop Michael J. Sis — Sixth Bishop of San Angelo
The Most Reverend Michael J. Sis was appointed by Pope Francis on December 12, 2013, and consecrated and installed at the Junell Center on the campus of Angelo State University on January 27, 2014. A moral theologian educated at the University of Notre Dame, the Pontifical Gregorian University, and the Alphonsian Academy at the Pontifical Lateran University, Bishop Sis was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Austin on July 19, 1986. He served the Texas A&M Catholic community for 16 years and was vicar general and moderator of the curia of Austin before his call to San Angelo.
- Born January 9, 1960 in Mt. Holly, New Jersey; raised in Bryan, Texas
- Educated at Notre Dame, Gregorian University, and the Alphonsian Academy
- Ordained priest July 19, 1986 for the Diocese of Austin
- Pastored St. Mary's Catholic Center at Texas A&M for 16 years
- Appointed by Pope Francis on December 12, 2013; installed January 27, 2014
- Episcopal motto: 'Dei sumus adiutores' — We are God's co-workers
Past Bishops of San Angelo
Six ordinaries have shepherded the Diocese of San Angelo since 1961. Among the most notable, Bishop Leven stabilized the diocese's finances and launched the permanent diaconate; Bishop Fiorenza launched a $1.6 million campaign that built Christ the King Retreat Center before going on to lead the Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston; and Bishop Pfeifer, O.M.I., the longest-serving ordinary, marked 28½ years before retiring in 2013.
- Thomas J. Drury (1961–1965)
- Thomas A. Tschoepe (1966–1969)
- Stephen A. Leven (1969–1979)
- Joseph A. Fiorenza (1979–1984)
- Michael D. Pfeifer, O.M.I. (1985–2013)
- Michael J. Sis (2014–present)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis coordinates lifelong faith formation across the parishes and three deaneries of the diocese, working with parish catechetical leaders, youth ministry leaders, parents, and Catholic schools to accompany families in missionary discipleship. Programming is offered in collaboration with national partners including the National Community of Catechetical Leaders, La Red, the Federation for Catechesis with Hispanics, the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, and the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.
- Office of Evangelization and Catechesis (Director Alison Pope)
- Coordinator of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry (Angela Garcia)
- Coordinator of Formation (Kelly Tyler)
- Handbook for Catechetical and Youth Ministry Leaders
- Region 10 Youth Ministry collaboration
Catholic Schools
Catholic education has deep roots in San Angelo: the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word opened the first Catholic school in the city at Sacred Heart Parish in 1888. The diocese once supported as many as twelve parochial schools in 1963, though financial pressures reduced that number to three by 1992. Today the flagship institution is St. Ann's School in Midland, which serves students in 3K through 8th grade under principal Tracy Owen.
- First Catholic school opened by Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in 1888
- Twelve Catholic schools in 1963; three by 1992
- St. Ann's School, Midland (3K–8) — 2000 West Texas Avenue, Midland, TX 79701 — Phone 432-684-4563
Christ the King Retreat Center
Built in 1983 with funds raised in a $1.6 million diocesan capital campaign under Bishop Fiorenza, Christ the King Retreat Center sits along the Concho River in San Angelo at 802 Ford Street. It accommodates more than 100 retreatants and includes the Camunez-Tucker Chapel, meeting rooms, a cafeteria, and offices. The center hosts diocesan retreats, ACTS retreats, deacon formation, Engaged Encounter weekends, prayer groups such as the Heart of Mercy Prayer Group, and ecumenical gatherings, and is listed among Jubilee Churches for the Holy Year 2025.
- Address: 802 Ford Street, San Angelo, TX 76905
- Phone: (325) 651-5352
- Camunez-Tucker Chapel
- Hosts Deacons, ACTS, Engaged Encounter, diocesan staff retreats
- Holy Year 2025 Jubilee Church
Permanent Diaconate
Bishop Stephen A. Leven established the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of San Angelo in the late 1970s. Under the direction of their pastors, the deacons preach, baptize, officiate at weddings and funerals, and serve in parish and diocesan ministries. The program has ordained more than sixty men in total, and continues to form new cohorts, such as the ongoing Deacon Formation class.
- Established under Bishop Stephen Leven in the late 1970s
- Over sixty permanent deacons ordained since founding
- 45 active permanent deacons reported by 1992
- Ongoing Deacon Formation classes hosted at Christ the King Retreat Center
Catholic Charitable Foundation of San Angelo
Established in 2010 under Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer, the Catholic Charitable Foundation for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo is a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit that exists to support the charitable, religious, and educational mission of the diocese through endowments, grants, planned giving, and socially responsible investments aligned with Catholic teaching. The Foundation works closely with the Presbyteral Council and Diocesan Finance Council.
- Founded in 2010 under Bishop Pfeifer
- Endowments, grants, and planned-giving programs
- Socially responsible Catholic investing
- Memorial gifts and bequests
- Contact: [email protected] — (325) 651-3711
Outreach & Communications
The diocese's principal public voice has long been its diocesan newspaper — begun as the Texas Concho Register and renamed the West Texas Angelus in 1980, published biweekly with local, national, and international Catholic news (circulation approximately 18,000 in 1990). The Office of Evangelization and Catechesis also keeps the diocese active on social media via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
- West Texas Angelus (formerly Texas Concho Register) — diocesan newspaper since the early 1960s, renamed 1980
- Office of Evangelization and Catechesis Facebook, Instagram, YouTube channels
- Cursillo Movement active in the diocese
Pastoral Center & Administrative Offices
Constructed in the mid-1980s next to Christ the King Retreat Center along the Concho, the diocesan Pastoral Center at 804 Ford Street houses the bishop's office, the diocesan curia, the matrimonial tribunal, and the Office of Religious Education. The mailing address for all official diocesan correspondence is P.O. Box 1829, San Angelo, TX 76902.
- Pastoral Center — 804 Ford Street, San Angelo, TX 76902
- Mail: P.O. Box 1829, San Angelo, TX 76902
- Phone: (325) 651-7500
- Fax: (325) 651-6688
Suffragan Diocese of the Province of San Antonio
As a suffragan see of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio, the Diocese of San Angelo belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of San Antonio and is one of fourteen Catholic dioceses in the state of Texas. It is grouped in USCCB Region X (Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas) and canonically reports to the Dicastery for Bishops.
- Province: San Antonio
- USCCB Region X (AR, OK, TX)
- Depends on the Dicastery for Bishops
- One of fourteen Catholic dioceses in Texas
Pre-Diocesan Catholic Heritage of West Texas
Long before the 1961 erection, the Catholic faith had already taken root in this stretch of West Texas. Spanish explorers and friars brought the Gospel to Native Americans in the 1500s; the first sacraments were recorded at a Mass at the confluence of the Concho Rivers in 1629; the short-lived San Clemente Mission was founded in 1632; and Santa Cruz de San Sabá Mission was established in 1757. Modern Catholic life in San Angelo dates to the founding of Fort Concho in 1867 and the ministry of French priest Father Mathurin J. Pairier starting in 1874.
- First recorded Mass at the Concho River confluence in 1629
- San Clemente Mission (1632); Santa Cruz de San Sabá Mission (1757)
- Fort Concho founded 1867
- Father Pairier begins pastoral visits 1874
- 'The Catholic Block' donated by Bart J. DeWitt on September 22, 1874
