Facts About the Diocese

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, Texas currently operates 107 parishes and missions for the 799,225 Catholics who live in the Rio Grande Valley. The total area population of 940,265 is also served through a shrine and retreat center, twelve parochial schools, five centers for social services, three homes for the aged, and religious education programs at all parishes and missions. This Diocese has one of the largest Catholic populations in the United States and the least amount of resources of any Diocese to address that population. With 92 diocesan and religious priests engaged in active ministry, the priest to people ratio is roughly 1:10,220. The national average is one priest per 1,200 Catholics.

Characteristics of the groups to be served
Half of the people living in the region are below 25 years of age. Hispanics account for 85% of the population, and 85% of all residents are Roman Catholic. The priestly vocation shortage affecting the Church nationwide has placed a heavy strain on the Brownsville Diocese. In some areas, the population of this border diocese is increasing by as much as 100% this decade. According to the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Census Bureau, almost half of all residents live at or below the poverty level. An equal amount of youth drop out of school before graduation every year. Not surprisingly, many parishes are unable to meet their operational costs through stewardship. It is evident that the Church plays an important role in the daily life of this predominantly Hispanic and Catholic region. Even so, the cost of educating future priests is extremely difficult to meet. Funding from the Committee on the Home Missions will enable the Diocese of Brownsville to effectively foster, recruit and educate men for priestly service in this rapidly growing area of the country and provide leadership training for lay evangelists.

Demographic/geographic factors
The Diocese of Brownsville, located in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, encompasses 4,226 square miles. In terms of population size and its relationship to economic development, the region is among the poorest in the United States. According to data provided by the Texas Employment Commission and the United States Census Bureau, unemployment rates for the Rio Grande Valley remain in the teens, with some areas in Starr and Willacy Counties having rates well into the twenty percentile range.

The Brownsville Diocese is unlike any other diocese of the United States. Although the majority of the population living within its boundaries is Catholic, the Diocese is severely limited in its resources and cannot always minister effectively to the needs of the people. Indeed, the poverty which is prevalent here hampers effective evangelization efforts. Much of the area is agricultural and rural. There are over 200 residential settlements known as "colonias" throughout the Valley. These colonias resemble third world shanty towns with their lack of running water, sewage systems, electricity and paved roads. The extreme poverty of the area has given rise to other social problems that the Church must attempt to address. Many of our Valley youth have turned to a life of drug abuse and crime. There is a higher incidence of disease and birth defects in this region due to the sometimes unaffordable or nonexistent health care and pollution of the environment. There are no Catholic institutions of higher education in the Rio Grande Valley.

To further complicate matters, there is a critical shortage of priests and religious at the service of the Diocese. Given the present age of currently active priests and the population growth rate, there will be one priest per 12,000 people by the year 2005. To counter this precarious situation, the Diocese of Brownsville has undertaken an aggressive campaign to increase the number of seminarians and religious vocations who will minister to the people. Casa San José del Valle was established by Bishop Raymundo J. Peña in 1997 to meet the growing need for a regional House of Studies in the Brownsville Diocese and has already outgrown its initial site of operations. Clergy and religious provide desperately needed services over and above their spiritual duties. Programs such as GED classes, medical services, food and clothing distribution, at risk youth programs, counseling and day care are common examples of services provided by priests and religious. With the well being of so many people at stake, the need to foster more vocations to the priesthood and religious life is apparent.

The formation of lay leaders in the evangelizing mission of the Church is also a priority for the Brownsville Diocese. While the number of Catholics continues to arise, the growing popularity of fundamentalist sects is a force to be reckoned with. The provision of programs in Bible study, continuing catechetical formation of adults, and aggressive campaigns of outreach to the young adults at university campuses are some methods that the Office of Evangelization employs to make this Jubilee Year a year of grace and preparation for the ministry of the Diocese in years to come.

Strength of the local Church
The presence of the Roman Catholic Church in this region predates the founding of our nation by more than 200 years. The Catholic faith was first brought to the inhabitants of this area by Spanish missionaries in the mid sixteenth century. After Indian uprisings, revolutions, war with Mexico and the American Civil War, the Church was able to concentrate its evangelization efforts and succeeded in establishing churches and missions in towns and ranches throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The local Church was served by missionary priests and religious from France and Spain and eventually became a part of the Diocese of Corpus Christi when this Diocese was established in 1874. The Diocese of Brownsville was established on July 10, 1965, when the counties of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy were separated from the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Due in part to the dedicated service of priests, religious and laity, the Brownsville Diocese has grown in 30 years from 86 parishes and missions to 107 parishes and missions. There are 92 active priests, 150 religious Brothers and Sisters and 69 deacons ministering to the spiritual, social and temporal needs of Valley residents, both Catholic and non-Catholic. The Most Reverend Raymundo J. Peña, installed as the fifth Bishop of Brownsville on August 6, 1995, leads the Diocese in the way of the New Evangelization promulgated by the Holy Father, John Paul II.

Characteristics of the surrounding culture
Hispanic Catholics tend to favor large families, especially recent immigrants or second and even third generation residents. This characteristic is rapidly changing, especially given the influence of public schools and the prevalent sexual education of the young. In Mexico and other Spanish speaking countries, vocations to the priesthood and religious life abound. It is not uncommon for a family to generously give one or more of its members into God’s service. By contrast, many Hispanic families that emigrate to the United States depend on even the younger members for economic support, and find in the agriculture business willing takers of child labor. The cultural need to maintain strong family ties coupled with the practical need to survive and assimilate quickly into the mainstream combine to place a lower emphasis on a calling to serve in the Church.

A life of priestly service to the people of this region is perceived by many young men of the Diocese as a fulfilling challenge, but not a viable option because of the high cost of a college and seminary education. This has placed the Church in a paradox. The urgent need for more priests compels the Diocese to accept all qualified candidates, yet this means taking on the financial obligation of educating these men for the average eight years of training. The Diocese of Brownsville has no regional seminary. Based on their specific needs, candidates are sent to other dioceses throughout the country and, in certain instances, abroad. The severe economic condition of this border region restricts the amount of stewardship that parishioners contribute to their local parish. Diocesan programs such as seminarian development are affected even more. The Catholic faithful rely on the parish priest for the sacraments, spiritual direction and moral guidance. Yet these same people are experiencing severe financial hardship and must first shelter, feed and clothe their families before contributing to the education of future priests, despite the long term consequences.

The charismatic movement, the traditional apostolic movements such as Legion of Mary, Guadalupanas and Cursillo movements are very active in the Diocese of Brownsville. Yet there is a hunger for a deeper knowledge of Biblical truths and doctrinal beliefs central to our Catholic faith. In recognition of this fact, Bishop Raymundo J. Peña established the Vicar Episcopal’s Office for Evangelization. This department supervises the active evangelization efforts of the parishes and ministries of the Diocese and at the present time seeks to continue the implementation of the KEKAKO model of ministry begun in Mexico and replicated in many parts of the world.

, Development Office Director
1910 University Blvd. • Brownsville, TX 78520 • Phone 956-550-1548 • Fax 956-542-6751

last updated 09-Apr-2008 9:58 sitemap