Diocese of Lubbock to Mark 40 Years

BY CHRISTY MARTINEZ-GARCIA FOR LATINO LUBBOCK MAGAZINE

The Diocese of Lubbock is embarking on its 40th anniversary. The Diocese of Lubbock -- is a church of more than 136,000 Catholics who gather in 61 parish churches. It encompasses 25 counties on the Llano Estacado and Rolling Plains of West Texas includes Bailey, Borden, Cochran, Cottle, Crosby, Dawson, Dickins, Fisher, Floyd, Gaines, Garza, Hale, Haskell, Hockley, Jones, Kent, King, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley, Scurry, Stonewall, Terry, and Yoakum.

The Diocese of Lubbock received its papal letters, officially creating the largest institution of Catholicism in the city's history on June 17, 1983, when. Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of Lubbock in on June 25, 1983, taking its territory from the Diocese of Amarillo and San Angelo.

The pope also named Michael Sheehan of the Diocese of DallasFort Worth as the first bishop of the new diocese. More than 5,000 Catholics gathered at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center to see Monsignor Michael Sheehan ordained as the first bishop in Lubbock.

In 1993, Sheehan was elevated to be archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Auxiliary Bishop Plácido Rodríguez of the Archdiocese of Chicago was appointed as the second bishop of Lubbock by John Paul II in 1994.

Rodriguez was ordained as a priest in 1968 and a bishop in 1983. He lived in Chicago as a teenager and young adult but was originally from the picturesque town of Celaya in Guanajuato, Mexico. His family immigrated to the U.S. to avoid religious persecution.

Rodríguez was considered the leader of the Lubbock area's diocese, which consisted of the 25 counties, 62 churches and about 136,894 Catholic faithful at that time. He also led 55 priests and

During the 30-year anniversary of the Diocese, Rodríguez said that the church had not shrunk but rather the church had more than doubled in size since the diocese was established.

He was quoted as saying, "Not only growth of numbers, but growth in number of priests, growth in number of deacons and other ministers. You can see, all in all, that this was God's will for us in West Texas."

According to Rodríguez, the number of Catholics in the area overseen by the diocese at that time had more than doubled, increasing from around 30,000 practitioners to around 70,000.

"The first bishop, Archbishop Michael Sheehan, he was here for 10 years," said Rodríguez. "His task was to establish and to build a foundation, to build this building for the Catholic Center. It had no offices, nothing. The cathedral was not set as a cathedral - it was a regular parish and it slowly built up as a cathedral.

And, after 21 years in Lubbock, Most Rev. Plácido Rodríguez, CMF retired in 2015.

Bishop Robert Coerver was appointed as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Lubbock, Texas on September 27, 2016. Bishop Coerver was ordained a bishop and installed as Bishop of Lubbock on November 21, 2016, at Christ the King Cathedral in Lubbock. Coerver, a native of Dallas, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dallas on June 27, 1980.

Bishop Coerver leads 63 priests, 73 active deacons, and 20 women in religious vocation and continue to grow.

On Saturday, June 17, 2023, parishioners are invited to join Bishop Coerver, to celebrate Mass at Christ the King Cathedral marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Lubbock.

Church Bulletins

FIRST SATURDAY DEVOTIONS North Lubbock

Neighboring Parishes - Our Lady of Grace Church, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Saint Patrick Church, and Saint Elizabeth University Church - will join to host First Saturday Rosary, Mass, Confessions, reflections, food & fellowship. It will be held Sat June 2, from 8 am to 10:30 am, at Saint Elizabeth Church, Lubbock, 2316 Broadway St.

JAMAICA CENTRAL 2023

Saint Patrick Church LBK - June 4, 12 to 7 p.m.

Saint Philip Benizi Church Idalou - June 10, 12 to 8 pm.

Saint Peter Church Olton - June 10, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saint Pius X Church O’Donnell - June 11 Saint Mary Magdalen Church Floydada -June 24, 12 -10 p.m.

Our Lady Of Grace Church Lubbock - June 25 San Ramon Church Woodrow - June 25, 12 - 7 p.m.

RETIREMENT PARTY IN HONOR OF FATHER JIM MCCARTNEY Join in celebration – on Saturday, June 24, at 6:45 p.m. — and in thanksgiving for the priest-hood of Father Jim McCartney as he prepares for retirement. Join parishioners of Saint John Neumann Church in Lubbock in the parish gym for a potluck dinner— bring a side or dessert to share.

ONLINE SAFE ENVIRONMENT

TRAINING Parish volunteers & staff remember you can take your safe environment training through the diocese’s website at www.CatholicLubbock.org/SafeEnvironment.html

LAS ESTACIONES Presented by Our Lady of Grace Church for persons 60 years and older, meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month, 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Join for prayer, fun and fellowship.

BIBLE STUDY AT OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CHURCH Father Piña’s Bible Study in English will be held on Wednesdays, at 7 pm. at 1120 52nd St. El Estudio Bíblico en Español con Emilio Abeyta estará los Miércoles, a las 7pm.

YOUTH BIBLE STUDY at Our Lady of Grace, every Wednesday and Friday, 5:30 pm - 7 pm, at Buxkemper Hall, 3111 Erskine St.

DIVINE MERCY Chaplet online at https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/ devotions/novena

PRAY THE ROSARY ONLINE at https://www.cathedralofmary.org/faithformation/resources/pray-the-rosary-online

UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES online at https://catholicboard. com/

THE BIBLE ONLINE www.catholic. org/bible/

EWTN NEWS https://www.ewtnnews. com/