San Antonio Catholics will celebrate the installation of Most Reverend Gustavo Garcia-Siller as the seventh Archbishop of San Antonio on November 23. The occasion is not only of significance to San Antonio, but also to us in the Diocese of Dallas because we are part the Province of San Antonio of which Archbishop Garcia-Siller will be Metropolitan.

Archbishop Garcia-Siller has been an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago since 2003. Like his predecessor, Archbishop José Gómez, the new archbishop is a native of Mexico and a member of a religious community, the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit. He will be the third Hispanic ordinary of the San Antonio archdiocese. Archbishop Emeritus Patrick Flores, who preceded Archbishop Gómez, was the first Mexican-American bishop when he was consecrated in 1970. He became Archbishop of San Antonio in 1979.

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, will install Archbishop Garcia-Siller in ceremonies at St. Mark Church at 2 p.m. San Antonio’s historic San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest Catholic parish in Texas, is too small to accommodate the number of visiting prelates, clergy and guests expected for this joyous installation ceremony.

Let us pray that God will grant many happy, successful years to Archbishop Garcia-Siller.