“On March 8th at 7 p.m. and March 9th at 12:00 PM, CatholicTV will air the installation Mass of Bishop Joe Vásquez as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Austin, Texas. The Mass will be celebrated at Saint William Church in Round Rock, Texas. Bishop Vásquez will be the fifth bishop of Austin and the first Mexican-American to lead the diocese, which is home to approximately 500,000 Catholics. Bishop Vásquez succeeds Bishop Gregory Aymond who was appointed Archbishop of New Orleans by Pope Benedict XVI last year. The installation Mass will be rebroadcast the following day at noon.

Bishop Vásquez, 52, was ordained as a bishop in January 2002 and has served as Galveston-Houston’s auxiliary bishop since then. Since 2006, Bishop Vásquez has been the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s Vicar General/Chancellor, overseeing the administrative operations of the largest diocese in Texas and the 11th largest diocese in the U.S. He has also served as Episcopal Vicar for Hispanics and he has been the Archdiocesan Liaison for Youth during his years in Galveston-Houston.

Bishop Vásquez studied theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston from 1976 to 1980. He attended the Gregorian University, North American College, in Rome from 1980 to 1985. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo on June 30, 1984 by Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza.

CatholicTV is a 24/7 television network that broadcasts local and national religious programming and live events for the Catholic church in America. Heeding Pope Benedict XVI’s call to greater utilize the power of television and new media to reach Christians, the network features CatholicTV, their Catholic web site, mobile apps and widget. Celebrate online mass; pray The Rosary; enjoy programs on prayer, the saints, the bible, Jesus, who is God and the Catholic church on America’s Catholic Television Network.”

-CatholicTV