Editor: Bishop, this month we celebrate your first anniversary as bishop of the Diocese of Austin. What have been some of the highlights of the last year for you?

Bishop Garcia: Indeed, it has been a year filled with many blessings. I have enjoyed reconnecting with our parishes and old friends I knew before I left for Monterey in 2019. I have been reacquainting myself with Central Texas and am excited to see the expansion and growth of so many ministries in our parishes.

Also, in May and June, I had the gift of ordaining two men to the transitional diaconate and five men to the priesthood. It has been a real joy for me to introduce men into the presbyterate and to get to know our new priests and our seminarians. Our diocese is truly blessed to have a strong culture of vocations, and I am thankful for the support our people give to those who are studying for the priesthood.

Editor: As you go out and visit our parishes, what are you hearing and seeing?

Bishop Garcia: As I visit our parishes, I often see there is a need in many places for refurbishment and/or physical expansion of their facilities. Of course, this poses the question of whether they have the financial resources to expand and how can the diocese help them. The reality is that our diocese has grown and keeps growing, so we as a diocese must be thinking of ways we can help our parishes grow to accommodate all who seek the sacraments.

I also hear often from our parishes that they need more clerical support, and we know that getting more priests and deacons does not happen overnight. So there may come a time when we begin pairing more of our smaller parishes so that more priests cover two or more parishes. This is a very difficult subject for many, and I know this will be a huge task for our diocese.

To help us learn more about the successes and challenges that are happening in our parishes, I have been working with Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI). They will help me gather information, and I will work with our diocesan staff and the presbyteral council to create a strategic plan for the diocese.

Editor: Do you have any requests for the faithful?

Bishop Garcia: First, I ask everyone to pray for our priests and deacons because the expectations on them are far greater than when I was ordained a priest in 1988. Please pray that our priests and deacons stay healthy, that they take good care of themselves so that they can take care of the people of God.

Secondly, I ask the faithful to consider ways they can help their parish. As I celebrate the sacrament of confirmation with our teenagers and young adults, I try to help them understand that in receiving the sacrament we are then pushed out into the community to give of ourselves to others. By virtue of our baptism and confirmation, the faithful are encouraged to preach the Good News, to help the sick, to lift up the broken-hearted and to help people feel welcome at the table of the Lord.

The priest is sent to a parish on behalf of the bishop to serve the people of God, but the priest won't stay there forever. The people more than likely will remain as long as they choose to live in that area. Please find ways to get involved in the life of your parish. The help of the laity is essential to a thriving parish.

Editor: What is your prayer as you begin your second year as the bishop of Austin?

Bishop Garcia: I give thanks to God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon this growing diocese. I especially give thanks for our priests, deacons, religious men and women, and laity, who work alongside me to build the kingdom of God. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire all of us to confidently share the Gospel with all we encounter. May we be bold witnesses of love, truth and light in a world that is too often filled with hate, negativity and division. Amen.

Bishop Daniel Garcia ordained two men to the transitional diaconate and five men to the priesthood in 2026.