Diocese of Beaumont
Diocese of Beaumont Dioecesis Bellomontensis | |
|---|---|
St. Anthony Cathedral-Basilica | |
Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | The counties of Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, and Tyler in southeast Texas |
| Ecclesiastical province | Galveston-Houston |
| Headquarters | 710 Archie Street, Beaumont, Texas 77701 |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 7,878 sq mi (20,400 km2) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 44 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | September 29, 1966 (59 years ago) |
| Cathedral | Saint Anthony Cathedral Basilica |
| Patron saint | St. Anthony of Padua |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | David Toups |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Joe S. Vásquez |
| Vicar General | Very Rev. Shane Baxter[1] |
| Judicial Vicar | Very Rev. Kevin Badeaux[2] |
| Bishops emeritus | Curtis Guillory |
| Map | |
| Website | |
| dioceseofbmt.org | |
The Diocese of Beaumont (Latin: Dioecesis Bellomontensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church covering nine counties in the state of Texas in the United States. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica serves as the cathedral church.
History
1690 to 1900
The first Catholic mission in Texas, then part of the Spanish Empire, was San Francisco de los Tejas. It was founded by Franciscan Father Damián Massanet in 1690 in the Weches area. The priests left the mission after three years, then established a second mission, Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas. near present-day Alto in 1716.[3]
In 1839, after the 1836 founding of the Texas Republic, Pope Gregory XVI erected the prefecture apostolic of Texas, covering its present-day area. The prefecture was elevated to a vicariate apostolic in 1846, the year that Texas became an American state. On May 4, 1847, the vicariate became the Diocese of Galveston.[4] The Beaumont area would remain part of several Texas dioceses for the next 119 years.
1900 to 2000
In 1928, St. Mary's Hospital was established in Port Arthur by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.[5]The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in 1962 opened St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont.[5] Today it is Christus Southeast Texas - St. Elizabeth Hospital.
On September 29, 1966, Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Beaumont and appointed Vincent Harris of the Diocese of Galveston as its first bishop.[6] During the 1960s, Harris put pressure on segregated Knights of Columbus councils in the diocese that refused to admit African-Americans.[7] In 1971, Harris was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Austin.[8]
Pope Paul VI in 1971 named Bishop Warren Boudreaux of the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana to replace Harris.[9] In 1974, Boudreaux began an outreach effort to people who made their living harvesting seafood and working on ships.[10] After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the diocese received national recognition for its resettlement of refugees from what was then South Vietnam. Boudreaux was named bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in 1977.[9]
Bishop Bernard J. Ganter of the Diocese of Tulsa was the third bishop of Beaumont, appointed by Pope Paul VI in 1977.[11] As bishop, Ganter established five new parishes, including the first Vietnamese-language parish in the United States.[12] He initiated the permanent diaconate and ordained 36 men between 1979 and 1992.[13] Ganter died in 1993.[11]
In 1994, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Anthony Galante of the Archdiocese of San Antonio became the next bishop of Beaumont, appointed by Pope John Paul II. Five years later, Galante was made coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Dallas.
2000 to present
Auxiliary Bishop Curtis J. Guillory of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston was named by Pope John Paul II to replace Galante in 2000.[14] Guillory created the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Beaumont and started a capital campaign for it.[15][16] He retired as bishop of Beaumont in 2020.[14]
David Toups from the Diocese of St. Petersburg was named bishop of Beaumont by Pope Francis in 2020.
Sex abuse
David Arceneaux of Nederland, Texas, sued the Diocese of Beaumont in 2010, claiming that he had been sexually abused by two diocesan priests, August Pucar and Roger Thibodeaux, when he was a minor.[17] Pucar was removed from ministerial duties in 2006 and ordered to a life of penance and prayer in 2007.[18] Thibodeaux resigned from ministry in 2002.[18]
In 2019, the diocese issued a list of 13 clergy, living and deceased, with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors.[19]
Bishops
- Vincent Madeley Harris (1966–1971), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Austin
- Warren Louis Boudreaux (1971–1977), appointed Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux
- Bernard J. Ganter (1977–1993)
- Joseph Anthony Galante (1994–2000), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Dallas and later Bishop of Camden
- Curtis J. Guillory, SVD (2000–2020)
- David Toups (2020–present)
Education
As of 2026, the Diocese of Beaumont has five schools. Its one high school, Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, is located in Beaumont.[20][21]
References
- ^ "Diocese of Beaumont - Vicar General". Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
- ^ "Tribunal".
- ^ Texas Almanac-Diocese of Tyler
- ^ "History". Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
- ^ a b "Overview of Catholic Health Facilities in Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ "Diocese of Beaumont". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ Newman, Mark (2018-10-04). Desegregating Dixie: The Catholic Church in the South and Desegregation, 1945-1992. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-4968-1887-4.
- ^ "Bishop Vincent Madeley Harris". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ a b "Bishop Warren Louis Boudreaux [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ "The Episcopacy of Bishop Boudreaux 1971-1977". Catholic Diocese of Beaumont. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ a b Ryan, Steven P. (September 8, 2020). "History of the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-01-20.
- ^ "GANTER, BERNARD JACQUES (1928-1993)". The Handbook of Texas Online.
- ^ "History of The Diocese Of Beaumont". Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont. Archived from the original on 2009-04-01.
- ^ a b "Bishop Curtis John Guillory [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ Jakobeit, Larry. "Bishop's Biography". Diocese of Beaumont. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ Ramos, Jorge (2020-08-20). "Beaumont Archdiocese Bishop Curtis Guillory reflects on 20-year legacy". Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
- ^ Firm, Sloan. "Man Alleging Sexual Abuse and Fraud Against Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont, Area Church and Local Priest, According to Sloan Firm Filing". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2023-03-18.
- ^ a b "Names of Clergy with Credible Accustions" (PDF). Diocese of Beaumont. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- ^ "13 clergy named by Diocese of Beaumont as 'credibly accused' of sexual abuse in last 52 years". 12newsnow.com. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
- ^ "Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School". www.mkchs.com. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ "Catholic schools". Diocese of Beaumont. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
External links
Above the vase are a silver (white) star between two silver (white) roses. The star comes from the Texas flag and seal, "The Lone Star State." The roses come from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, from which the Diocese of Beaumont was erected in 1966. |