Roman Catholic Diocese of Laredo

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Diocese of Laredo

Dioecesis Laredanus

Diócesis de Laredo
San Agustin Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryTexas Texas counties of Dimmit, Jim Hogg, La Salle, Maverick, Webb, Zapata, and Zavala
Ecclesiastical provinceSan Antonio
Statistics
Area10,614 sq mi (27,490 km2)[1]
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2023)
  • Decrease 360,998
  • Decrease 328,508 (Steady 91%)
Parishes32 (2023)[1]
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJuly 3, 2000
CathedralCathedral of San Agustin
Patron saintSaint Augustine of Hippo[2]
Secular priests
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
BishopJohn Jairo Gomez
Metropolitan ArchbishopGustavo Garcia-Siller
Vicar GeneralAnthony Mendoza
Bishops emeritusJames Anthony Tamayo
Map
Website
www.dioceseoflaredo.org Edit this at Wikidata

The Diocese of Laredo (Latin: Dioecesis Laredanus, Spanish: Diócesis de Laredo) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in South Texas in the United States. Founded in 2000, it is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio. The San Agustin Cathedral in Laredo is the mother church of the diocese. John Jairo Gomez is the bishop.

Statistics

The diocese covers an area of 10,905 sq. mi with 32 parishes and 17 missions. It includes Dimmit, Jim Hogg, La Salle, Maverick, Webb, Zapata, and Zavala counties of Texas. [1]

As of 2023, the diocese had 328,508 members with 41 diocesan priests, 16 religious priests and 44 permanent deacons.[3]

History

Name Changes

The Laredo area has been divided under several different Catholic jurisdictions since 1777. The Diocese of Linares o Nueva León was under Spanish, then Mexican control. All of the succeeding vicariates and dioceses were American.

1700 to 1900

During the 18th century, the Laredo area was part of a province of New Spain, a colony of the Spanish Empire. Five years after the founding of San Agustin de Laredo in 1755, its residents petitioned the Diocese of Guadalajara to provide them with a mission.[3]

In 1759, Bishop Francisco de San Buena Ventura of Guadalajara visited the town. The next year, he sent a resident priest to Laredo to construct a small mission chapel. In 1778, a stone church was erected to accommodate over two hundred families. In 1789, San Agustin parish was established in Laredo by the diocese.[3]

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish was erected in 1898 in Encinal. The first English-speaking parish in Laredo, St. Peter, was established in 1897.[3]

1900 to present

Bishop Tamayo (2025)

During the Mexican Revolution between 1910 and 1920, many Mexican Catholics fled their country to avoid persecution. At one point, 14 Mexican archbishops and bishops were taking refuge in Laredo.[3] Franciscan priests from Mexico established Scotus College in Hebbronville in 1926.[7] The Laredo Pastoral Center was established in 1984 and the Western Vicariate in 1990.[8]

On July 3, 2000, the Diocese of Laredo was created by Pope John Paul II, with territory taken from the Diocese of Corpus Christi and the Archdiocese of San Antonio. The pope named Auxiliary Bishop James Tamayo of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston as the first bishop. [1]

In March 2016, Tamayo halted the construction of a Catholic student center at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) in Laredo. The Brothers of St. John, key sponsors of the $4 million-plus project, had held a groundbreaking ceremony in November 2013. Tamayo did not attend the groundbreaking.[9]

On May 1, 2026, Pope Leo XIV accepted Tamayo's resignation (which he had submitted on his 75th birthday as all bishops are required to do per Canon law) and named Diocese of Tyler priest John Jairo Gomez as the second and new Bishop of Laredo; Gomez is set to be installed on June 30.

Sex abuse

Cyriacus Udegbulem, a priest in bad standing, had worked in Laredo Diocese as a hospital chaplain. On being informed of his background, the Diocese of Laredo dismissed Udegbulem as chaplain in 2001.[10] The alleged victim in New York then decided to press charges against him. After being extradited to New York, Udegbulem went on trial in 2003. The trial ended in June 2003 with a hung jury.[11]

In February 2019, Bishop Tamayo announced that there had been no accusations from the Laredo area against diocesan priests since the founding of the diocese in 2000.[12]

Bishops

  1. James Anthony Tamayo (2000–2026)
  2. John Jairo Gomez (2026-present)

Parishes

Parishes of the Diocese of Laredo that came from the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Schools

High school

As of 2025, there is one high school in the diocese.

Saint Augustine High School – Laredo, diocesan (1927)[13]

Elementary and middle schools

As of 2025, there are four elementary and middle schools in the diocese:

Media

References

  1. "Diocese of Laredo". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. February 24, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  2. "Anniversary Prayer". August 10, 2020.
  3. "History and Statistics". Diocese of Laredo. August 13, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  4. "Archdiocese of Monterrey". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. April 11, 2026. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  5. "Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. February 15, 2026. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  6. "Diocese of Corpus Christi". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. December 2, 2025. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  7. "Scotus College and Garza House". Texas Time Travel. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  8. "Diocese of Laredo History & Statistics". Diocese of Laredo. August 13, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  9. Philip Balli; Judith Rayo; Gabriel A. Trevino (March 20, 2016). "Bishop Tamayo halts construction of Catholic Student Center". Laredo Morning Times. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  10. Newman, Andy (June 22, 2002). "Priest Charged In Rape in 2000 In the Rectory". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  11. "Priest's Rape Trial Ends With Hung Jury". AP NEWS. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  12. "Diocese of Laredo releases findings in sex abuse investigation". Laredo Morning Times. February 1, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  13. "Catholic Schools – Diocese of Laredo". Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  14. "La Fe Magazine – Diocese of Laredo". Retrieved March 12, 2025.

27°31′28″N 99°29′26″W / 27.52444°N 99.49056°W / 27.52444; -99.49056