GALVESTON, DIOCESE OF. - A city in the State of Texas, in the United States, founded in 1847 by Pope Pius IX. It comprises that part of Texas between the Sabine River to the east and the Colorado River to the west; to the south it borders on the Gulf of Mexico; while to the north it is bounded by the counties of Lamar, Corvell, McLennan, Limestone, Freestone, Anderson, Cherokee, Nacogdoches and Shelby.
It has an area of 69,534 sq. km. with 1,967,131 inhabitants, of whom 25,475 are Catholics, served by 123 parishes, 32 chapels, 80 missions, 25 chapels, with 116 diocesan priests and 88 regular priests, one seminary (St. Mary's Seminary).
In the diocese there are 13 male religious communities and 19 female, 3 colleges (Hirwin High School for Boys, St. Thomas High School, Catholic University of Houston), 6 diocesan parochial high schools, 71 parochial elementary schools. In 1946 there were 783 conversions. As early as 1869 the first mission to evangelize the Indians had been established in Texas. But the colonization of the region occurred only after 1836, when immigration began, partly composed of Catholics. In 1841 Fr. Odin of the Vincentians was appointed coadjutor to the Bishop of Detroit; on March 6, 1842 the same Fr. Odin was appointed Apostolic Vicar of Texas, and later raised to the See of Galveston in 1847.
The cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary; the diocese is a suffragan of San Antonio.