Mariano Simon Garriga (May 30, 1886 – February 21, 1965) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Corpus Christi The Diocese of Corpus Christi ( la, Dioecesis Corporis Christi) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southern Texas. It was founded on March 23, 1912, having been the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville u ...

in Texas from 1949 until his death in 1965.

Biography

Early life

Mariano Garriga was born on May 30, 1886, in

Port Isabel Port Isabel may refer to: Places *Port Isabel, Texas, USA; a city in Cameron County *Port Isabel, Sonora, Mexico; a former port (1864-1879) at the mouth of the Colorado River * Port Isabel Independent School District, Cameron County, Texas, USA *Po ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, to Frank and Elizabeth (née Baker) Garriga. He studied at St. Mary College in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, , and at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Garriga was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood by Archbishop John William Shaw for the

Archdiocese of San Antonio The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States, and sui juris Latin Church in full communion with the pope of Rome. It encompasses in the U.S. state of Texas. The Roman Catholic Archd ...

on July 2, 1911. He served as assistant chancellor of the archdiocese until 1912, when he was appointed as a curate to a parish in

Marfa, Texas Marfa is a city in the high desert of the Trans-Pecos in far West Texas, between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park. It is the county seat of Presidio County, and its population as of the 2010 United States Census was 1,981. The cit ...

.In 1915, he was named vice-

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St. John Seminary in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. Garriga served as a chaplain to the

Texas National Guard The Texas Military Forces (TXMF) are the principal instrument through which the Texas Military Department (TMD) executes security policy for Texas, which has the second-largest population and border in the United States, and the 9th-largest eco ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, training with the 36th Infantry Division. From 1919 to 1936, he served as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of St. Cecilia Parish in San Antonio. He also served as president of Incarnate Word College in San Antonio. He was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

at St. John Seminary from 1921 to 1936, and became

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

of the archdiocese in 1926. Garriga was raised to the rank of

papal chamberlain A Papal Gentleman, also called a Gentleman of His Holiness, is a lay attendant of the pope and his papal household in Vatican City. Papal gentlemen serve in the Apostolic Palace near St. Peter's Basilica in ceremonial positions, such as escorting d ...

in October 1934, and to domestic prelate in September 1935.

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Corpus Christi

On June 20, 1936, Garriga was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of ''

Syene Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of t ...

'' by Pope Pius XI. Garriga received his episcopal consecration on September 21, 1936, from Archbishop Arthur Drossaerts, with Bishops Emmanuel Ledvina and Aloisius Muench serving as co-consecrators. He was the first Catholic bishop of a Texas diocese to be born in the state. In addition to his episcopal duties, he served as pastor of St. Peter Parish in

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of th ...

(1936-1948). Upon the resignation of Bishop Ledvina, Garriga succeed him as the third Bishop of Corpus Christi on March 15, 1949. During his 16-year-long tenure, he founded a

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and de ...

in 1960 and established several parochial schools. Mariano Garriga died in Corpus Christi on February 21, 1965, at age 78. He is buried in the crypt of Corpus Christi Cathedral.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garriga, Mariano Simon 1886 births 1965 deaths Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from Cameron County, Texas People from Corpus Christi, Texas St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni Saint Mary's Academy and College alumni United States Army chaplains University of the Incarnate Word World War I chaplains Catholics from Texas 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Military personnel from Texas