Cardinal DiNardo concelebrates 150th anniversary Mass for Brownsville
October 3, 2024
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo concelebrates a Mass presided over by Brownsville Bishop Daniel Flores at a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine in San Juan in the Diocese of Brownsville on Sept. 18 marking the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville.
BROWNSVILLE — In a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo concelebrated a special Mass of Thanksgiving at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine in San Juan in the Diocese of Brownsville on Sept. 18. Bishop Daniel Flores, ordinary of the Diocese of Brownsville, presided over the Mass.
The anniversary Mass opened the Diocese of Brownsville’s yearlong celebration of the sesquicentennial anniversary.
Brownsville Auxiliary Bishop Mario Avilés, who also concelebrated the Mass and is leading the anniversary celebrations and observances that coincide with the Jubilee 2025 and the National Eucharistic Revival Year of Mission, said the anniversary invites the faithful to reflect on the historical events that shaped the Church here in the Rio Grande Valley. Other concelebrating bishops included Bishop Michael J. Boulette and Bishop Gary W. Janak of San Antonio, Laredo's Bishop James A. Tamayo, and Bishop Eugenio Andrés Lira Rugarcía of the Diocese of Matamoros, Mexico.
After the Mexican-American War, the new territory in the state of Texas became the Diocese of Galveston. On Sept. 18, 1874, the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville was extracted from the then-Diocese of Galveston with Bishop Jean Marie Odin, C.M., as the Titular Bishop. Bishop Odin had nine priests at the time to serve a population of 20,000. The newly-organized ecclesiastical area encompassed what is now the Dioceses of Brownsville, Corpus Christi and Laredo.
Pope Pius IX issued the Bull, Ad Futuram Rei Memoriam, on Sept. 18, 1874, establishing the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville, with the Immaculate Conception Church in that city designated as the cathedral.
This new ecclesiastical area, the third in Texas, had its own bishop, Bishop Dominic Manucy, who was called a Vicar Apostolic. Thirty-eight years later, in 1912, the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville was converted into the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Fifty-three years later, Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Brownsville in 1965.
Canon Law defines an apostolic vicariate as “a certain portion of the people of God which has not yet been established as a diocese due to special circumstances and which, to be shepherded, is entrusted to an apostolic vicar or apostolic prefect who governs it in the name of the Supreme Pontiff.” (Can 371) This new territory did not have structure and needed priests, community and order. The aid received was from the Jesuits, the Oblates of Immaculate Mary, and various religious organizations.
The stories told by the early priests and religious sisters and brothers speak of the harsh challenges and realities of making the Church present and tending to the spiritual needs of the people.
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate priests and the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament worked tirelessly to build churches, schools and hospitals in the community, they struggled with war, bandits, storms, illnesses — some died of yellow fever. Yet they persevered and left a legacy that serves as a foundation for what exists today.
With the observance of the 150th Anniversary of the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville, the diocese launches a yearlong celebration which will culminate with a Mass observing the 60th Anniversary of the Diocese of Brownsville in 2025.
-- Brenda Nettles Riojas contributed to this story with photos by Paul Binz/The Valley Catholic