Dallas, Texas, Mar 11, 2010 / 10:18 am
The Vatican announced on Thursday that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed two priests in the Diocese of Dallas as auxiliary bishops for the same diocese. In Washington D.C. this morning, papal nuncio Archbishop Pietro Sambi announced Fr. J. Douglas Deshotal and Monsignor Mark J. Seitz as the two who will help shepherd the burgeoning diocese.
“The appointments are very significant in that they show that the Holy Father is keenly aware of the tremendous growth of the Catholic Church in Texas,” said Bishop Kevin Farrell on Thursday. “I am very grateful to our Holy Father for acknowledging the growth of our Catholic population here in Dallas and for appointing Bishop-elect Deshotel and Bishop-elect Seitz to help me in our ministry to the 1.2 million Catholics in the Diocese of Dallas.”
Bishop-elect Deshotel was born in Basile, Louisiana in 1952 and currently serves as the Vicar General for the Diocese of Dallas. After obtaining his Masters in Divinity degree, he was ordained a priest in 1978.
“I am deeply humbled and also honored that Pope Benedict has appointed me, along with Bishop -elect Seitz as auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Dallas,” he said on Thursday. “It is also a great blessing that the Holy Father recognizes how important this area of the state of Texas is, given the large number of Catholics and the cultural diversity of the Diocese of Dallas.”