Auxiliary Named for Austin, Texas

Pope Francis has named Father Daniel Garcia, a priest of the Diocese of Austin, Texas, as auxiliary bishop of the diocese.

Father Garcia, 54, is currently the vicar general of the diocese and moderator of the curia.

The appointment was publicized in Washington today by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Daniel Elias Garcia was born in Cameron, Texas, in 1960 and ordained to the priesthood on May 28, 1988.

In March 2014, he became vicar general and moderator of the curia.

The Diocese of Austin comprises 21,066 square miles in the state of Texas. It has a total population of 2,974,659 people of which 549,420, or 18 percent, are Catholic. The bishop of Austin since 2010 is Bishop Joe S. Vásquez.