The Fort Worth Catholic Diocese will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its establishment in 1969 by Pope Paul VI with a special Mass at 3 p.m., Sunday, August 9, 2009 at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena, located at 1201 Houston St. Bishop Kevin W. Vann, the third bishop of the diocese, will be joined by thousands of Catholics from the 28 county-area of North Texas that makes up the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Houston/Galveston Diocese as well as 12 other Catholic bishops from throughout Texas and the United States for the Mass and a celebration reception.
The Mass marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of the diocese’s establishment.
“The celebration of our 40th Anniversary is a time not only to celebrate the great gifts and blessings that God has poured out upon our Diocese over the past 40 years, but it is also a time to look ahead to the future and continue the work that the Lord has entrusted to use in building up the Body of Christ, the Church in North Texas,” Bishop Vann said.
“This will be a day to reflect on and thank the Lord for the heritage of faith of all these years in North Texas, and especially for all who were involved in the first days of our Diocese.”
The year-long celebration will focus on spiritual renewal through “communio” which is reflected in the anniversary theme: One Lord, One Faith, One Hope. The cornerstone of the spiritual renewal will be the “Why Catholic” program which helps adults deepen their Catholic faith and connect the Church’s teachings to their everyday lives by exploring Catholic teaching in a prayerful small group setting.
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth was established on August 9, 1969, after being a part of the Diocese of Dallas for almost 80 years.
The Fort Worth Diocese is made up of 28 North Texas counties which include: Archer, Baylor, Bosque, Clay, Comanche, Cooke, Denton, Eastland, Erath, Foard, Hardeman, Hill, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Knox, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Shackelford, Somervell, Stephens, Tarrant, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise and Young Counties. The area covers 23,950 square miles.
On October 21, Bishop John J. Cassata, a native of Galveston, was installed as the first bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth. The diocese had 65,000 Catholics in 65 parishes. Before coming to the Diocese of Dallas-Fort Worth as an Auxiliary to Bishop Thomas K. Gorman in 1968, Bishop Cassata was a parish priest in Houston for more than 35 years.
From 1969, when the Diocese of Fort Worth was established, to 1986 the Catholic population in the diocese increased from 65,000, which represented only 5 percent of the total population in the region, to 120,000.
Pope John Paul II named Joseph P. Delaney the second bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth who was installed on September 13, 1981. During his tenure new elementary Catholic schools opened, new parishes and a new Catholic Center brought together under one roof all pastoral and administrative offices of the diocese. His leadership of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth spanned 24 prosperous years and the diocese grew to 400,000 Catholics.
His Excellency Kevin W. Vann was named as the third bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth by Pope Benedict XVI. Bishop Vann was installed as the bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth on Wednesday, July 13, 2005. Under Bishop Vann’s leadership the catechetical and pastoral work of the diocese has experienced marked growth, with special emphasis on vocations to the priesthood. Currently, the diocese has 31 men enrolled in seminary studies for priesthood.
At the same time, Bishop Vann is leading preparations for the future and the unprecedented growth that the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth expects.
Today, the diocese has an estimated 600,000 Catholics in 90 parishes and missions throughout the 28-county region who are served by 97 priests.
A vast majority of the growth occurred in the urbanized areas of the diocese, the Greater Fort Worth area, Denton and Wichita Falls. Planning experts predict that the Fort Worth Catholic Diocese will experience the same fast, or faster, growth that is projected to occur in the North Texas in the decades to come. The Greater Fort Worth area is one of the fastest growing regions of the country, according to census data.
The 40th Anniversary Mass celebration will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 9 at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena with prelude performances by musical groups from local parishes in the diocese.
The diocese’s priests and the 12 visiting bishops, including Cardinal DiNardo are scheduled to join Bishop Vann in celebrating a 40th anniversary Mass at 3 p.m. Following Mass. A reception will be held after Mass in the Fort Worth Convention Center Ballroom which will feature the diocese’s various ministries.
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