In 1847 Pope Gregory XVI created the Diocese of Galveston, the first (and for many decades ONLY) diocese in Texas. Whhen the Diocese was created, its mission was to serve 12,000 Texas Catholics in 5 parishes scattered across the state. See: (
visit link)
In 1869, the Bishop of Galveston established the first Catholic parish in Dallas, Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
As the Catholic population of Texas grew, it was increasingly clear that the vast distances circuit-riding pastors had to ride made it impossible for them to adequately serve the faithful. In 1874 Texas was divided into 2 dioceses: The Diocese of Galveston (Eastern half) and the Diocese of San Antonio (western half).
As Texas cities grew larger after the Civil War, and more prosperous, more parishes formed and a Vicarate Apostolic was established in Brownsville out of the Diocese of San Antonio. See: (
visit link)
The boom in the growth of Texas and her Catholic population did not let up. By the late 1880s it was clear that more church jurisdictions needed to be created to keep up with the the pastoral needs of the faithful.
In 1890, Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston formally designated the Diocese of Dallas. The Dallas diocese covered a vast territory in east and far West Texas: (
visit link)
"The new diocese embraced 108,000 square miles and spread from Texarkana to the Panhandle. In 1892 El Paso, Culbertson and Hudspeth counties were added bring the square miles [encompassed] to 120,000."
Bishop Thomas Brennan was appointed first Bishop of Dallas. He immediately set about building this cathedral, the successor church to Sacred Heart Church on Dallas. Sacred Heart Cathedral in downtown Dallas was opened in 1898, 8 years after the diocese was formed.
The Dallas diocese continued to grow over the decades, and the laity were becoming increasingly active in supporting the Church's many charitable endeavors, such as hospitals, orphanages, and schools.
In the 1950s, Bishop Thomas Gorman reached out to Rome to recognize those members of the Catholic laity and leaders of other religious faiths that had supported the growth of the Dallas Diocese with papal knighthoods and other papal honors. He also encouraged and invited the Sovereign Military of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (the Knights and Ladies of Malta), and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre to establish chapters and be active in the Dallas Diocese. Source: (
visit link)
These two religious (non-pontifical) orders of knighthood have been active in the Diocese of Dallas, and, after it was created from the Diocese of Dallas in 1969, the Diocese of Fort Worth, ever since. Many important community leaders, philanthropists, and laity have been invested into these orders from both Dioceses.
In 1977 Sacred Heart Cathedral was rededicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, after the nearby Our Lady of Guadalupe parish was closed and merged into the Sacred Heart Cathedral parish.
Now known as the Santuario de Cathedral Santuario de la Virgen de Guadalupe/Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the name of the Cathedral and its offerings in Spanish reflects and serves the Catholic population of Dallas, both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking.