Andrew Rivas is the fourth Executive Director of the Texas Catholic Conference. As Executive director, Andrew represents the fifteen Bishops of Texas before the state’s governing bodies, including the legislature, the Texas delegation to the U.S. Congress, and the various state agencies. In this role he monitors issues of interest and concern to the Church, including those that affect the Church directly, and other issues relating to the Church’s teachings, such as protecting the sanctity of life at all stages of development, civil rights, and immigration reform.

Prior to his current position, Andrew spent five years as a policy advisor in the office of Social Development and World Peace at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC. Andrew advised the Bishops on federal legislation that affected Criminal Justice, Agriculture and Environmental issues. Andrew worked on important federal legislation such as the 2002 Farm Bill, The Innocence Protection Act and the Agricultural Guest Worker legislation that is part of the current comprehensive immigration debate. As the staff person advising on criminal justice issues he was part of the USCCB team that has been coordinating the Bishops’ campaign to end the use of the death penalty in the United States.

From 1999 until the end of 2001, Andrew served as an advocate on immigration, hunger and housing issues on behalf of Catholic Charities USA, the national social service arm of the Church. And, before taking that position Andrew was on staff at the United States Senate Commerce Committee, assigned to the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs. While there Andrew assisted in oversight of the Federal Trade Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

Andrew Graduated from the Columbus School of Law in 1995 and received his B.A. from UCLA in 1992.

Management Team

Jennifer Carr-Allmon is currently serving as the Associate Director of the Texas Catholic Conference (TCC). In this role she is responsible for facilitating collaboration among the departments of the conference as well as convening the Annual Scripture Seminar and other programs. In addition, she is actively involved with the public policy and legislative activities of the conference. 

Prior to this position, she served as the Advocacy Director at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston where she was responsible for directing the agency’s public policy efforts including issues such as access to healthcare immigration reform, and the needs of the poor and vulnerable. Annually since 1998 she has organized and led delegations from Texas to Capital Hill to bring the voices of the marginalized to lawmakers. Jennifer also served as the HIV/AIDS Education Coordinator at Catholic Charities for four years where she developed and implemented HIV/AIDS and chastity education programs for Catholic parishes and schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Jennifer has given presentations throughout the United States on the issues of substance abuse treatment and prevention, chastity, social justice, and advocacy. Jennifer has published numerous articles on HIV/AIDS education in a Catholic context and on various public policy and legislative issues. She earned a bachelors degree in education from University of St. Thomas in 1997 and is a Texas Certified Teacher.

Margaret McGettrick is the Director of Education with the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department serving eighty thousand students in two hundred and seventy two Catholic schools in Texas. In this role she is responsible for the coordination and supervision of programmatic activities required by the Texas Catholic Accreditation Commission. Mrs. McGettrick works with other federal and state education and accreditation agencies which include the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Private School Acreditation Commission (TEPSAC). She maintains current knowledge of changes in federal and state programs, statutes and regulations that affect Catholic schools as well as providing assistance and support to the superintendents who serve the fifteen dioceses in Texas. In addition, Mrs. McGettrick assists with the public policy efforts related to education with particular emphasis on school choice.

Prior to this position Mrs. McGettrick served as the Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Austin for four years and as a teacher and principal in Corpus Christi for twenty seven years. In her capacity as principal during the 1980s and 1990s she was instrumental in promoting and implementing the Yearly Educational Calendar as well as gender separate education. She graduated from St. Mary’s College in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she taught for two years before immigrating to Texas where she earned a Masters Degree in School Administration.

 Susan Eason is the current director of the Catholic Archives of Texas in Austin, Texas, a position she has held since March 2002. She also serves as a consulting editor to Catholic Southwest, the journal of the Texas Catholic Historical Society, and editor of the Society’s newsletter, the Texas Catholic Historian. Ms. Eason has been at the Catholic Archives of Texas since 1996, where she was assistant archivist in charge of processing the records of Texas State Council, Knights of Columbus until assuming the duties of director. From 1992 to 1995, she worked as associate archivist for the project to process the senatorial papers of John G. Tower at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Ms. Eason holds a B.A. in Sociology from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin. She is active in numerous professional associations including the Texas Catholic Historical Society, the Association of Catholic Diocesan Archivists, the Society of American Archivists, and the Society of Southwest Archivists.

 Associates

Marsha Solana is the Director of Accreditation for the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department. She is responsible for coordinating, tracking and reviewing all visits, reports and documentation required by the Accreditation Commission. Additionally she is responsible for training team members and chairpersons for school accreditation visits. Marsha has served in Catholic education as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent for thirty-eight years in the Austin diocese and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. She earned a Masters Degree in Education at the University of Houston and Administrative Certification in the Masters program at Texas State University. 

Maria Huemmer joined the Texas Catholic Conference as the Public Relations and Outreach Coordinator in August of 2007. She is responsible for reaching out to the various departments and dioceses of Texas and creating and implementing communication strategies for the conference. Maria assists with TCC legislative efforts and event planning and promotion. She is also the TCC webmaster and designs the Texas Catholic Voice e-newsletter as well as TCC action alerts. Maria graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May, 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Plan II Honors. 

Maria volunteers with her parish Young Adult group, participates in a pen pal program through the Death Row Support Project, and is the Gabriel Project Coordinator at her parish.

Eric Hartmann is the Assistant Archivist of the Catholic Archives of Texas. He has worked in this position since 2002. Eric is responsible for processing the Texas State Council, Knights of Columbus records so that they are available for research or historical purposes. He also works with the Director of the Catholic Archives of Texas on other projects, such as preparing other collections for use by researchers and providing reference service. From 1999 to 2002, Eric was a librarian and cataloger at the Victoria Public Library in Victoria Texas. He also was Processing Archivist at the University of Texas San Antonio in 1998 and 1999. Eric earned a B.A. in History from Grinnell College in 1993 and a Masters of Science in Information (Archives and Records Management) from the University of Michigan in 1997.

Carole Hatfield is our Office Manager. Carole joined the Texas Catholic Conference in 2000 working in the education department. Prior to coming to the conference, she served for many years at Austin Area Interreligious Ministries as an Administrator and as the Director of their Refugee Resettlement Program. She is also active at her parish, St. Austin, in the RCIA and on the Liturgy Commission. Carole earned her B.A. in English at Texas Christian University and is the proud mother of three sons and four grandchildren.

Becky Sierra joined Texas Catholic Conference as the Administrative Assistant in January 2007. Prior to this position, she worked with Austin Business College in various positions in the Administration office, Advisor for the Gamma Beta Phi National Honor Society and as an Instructor. Becky earned her Associate of Applied Science in Office Technology degree from Austin Business College in 2000. She volunteers with her parish office, youth ministry, and respect life ministry and is a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. 

Texas' Catholic history is a diverse and long one. Read below for statistics as well as a brief history of the Church in Texas.

In Texas there are....

• 6,767,003 Catholics
• 2 Archdioceses
• 13 Dioceses
• 1 Cardinal
• 3 Archbishops
• 27 Bishops
• 2,047 Priests
• 1,763 Permanent Deacons
• 2,073 Sisters
• 229 Brothers
• 1, 053 Parishes
• 268  Missions
• 25 Catholic Hospitals
• 45 Catholic Heath care Centers
• 90 Catholic Social Service Centers
• 10 Catholic Colleges and Universities with a total of 25,478 students
• 6 Diocesan Seminaries with a total of 253 students
• 12 Religious Seminaries with a total of 70 students
• 25 Diocesan and Parish High Schools with a total of 7,422 students
• 29 Private High Schools with a total of 12,476 students
• 201 Diocesan and Parish Elementary Schools with a total of 52,333 students
• 27 Private Elementary Schools with a total of 7,810 students
• 1 non residential school for the disabled with 144 students
• 91,955 Students in High School Religious Education
• 285,615 Students in Elementary Religious Education

Source: 2010 Official Catholic Directory

Click here to read information on Catholic US population by State

A Brief History of the Catholic Church in Texas

Texas' Catholic roots date as far back as the 1520s when the first Europeans arrived. [i] Spanish explorer Juan de Oñate, who came to America from Spain, began settling the Rio Grande Valley in 1598. [ii] Indeed the first permanent settlements of Texas that still exist today, Corpus Christi de la Isleta and Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción del Socorro in the El Paso, were founded by the Franciscans in 1682. [iii] Spanish missionaries had established six missions in East Texas by 1690. [iv] Missions located in San Antonio and El Paso were founded during this time as well, and later blossomed into some of Texas' largest cities by the 20th century.

Following the Texas War of Independence in 1836, Catholics found themselves cut off from Church authorities in Mexico and appealed to Rome for assistance.

In response to these appeals, Pope Gregory XVI designated Texas as an Apostolic Prefecture in 1839 with Father John Timon, C.M. as Prefect Apostolic. Father Jean Marie Odin, C.M., was named the Vice Prefect. When Father Odin arrived in Texas in 1840, there were five parishes for the entire state serving 12,000 Catholics. Recognizing the growth of Catholics in Texas, Pope Gregory XVI raised the Prefecture of Texas to the level of a Vicariate Apostolic in 1842, and Father Odin, C.M. was ordained a bishop to care for the Vicariate. [v]

Father Odin

Five years later in 1847, Pope Pius IX created the Diocese of Galveston, which included the entire state of Texas, and selected Father Odin as the first bishop. [vi]

In 1849 Bishop Odin brought the Oblates of Mary Immaculate to Texas to aid in ministering to Catholics in the diocese. The sisters began the horseback ministry, visiting more than 100 ranchos and communities located along the Rio Grande river. [vii]

The Church in Texas continued to grow and in 1874 the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville was established. [viii] The Vicariate was home to between 30,000 and 40,000 Catholics, the majority of whom could trace their heritage to settlers brought in the mid-eighteenth century by José de Escandón, known as the "father of the Rio Grande Valley" for his colonization efforts. [ix]

Oblate Missionaries were often known as the "Cavalry of Christ.” Herethe missionaries areaccompanied by Bishop Ledvina of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, 1920s.

Two hundred Irish Catholic families from New York established the town of San Patricio de Hibernia by 1834.[xi]As early as the 1840s, Czech and German Catholics settled Texas towns including Dubina, Warrenton, West and Ammansville. Czechs who settled Hostyn established the first Czech Catholic school in Texas in 1868. [xii]

Today there are approximately 7.4 million Catholics in Texas including over 5,000 priests, deacons, and religious.[xiii] More than 1.9 million of Texas' Catholics are Hispanic and studies predict that by the second decade of the 21st century, over 50% of U.S. Catholics will likely be Hispanic.[xiv]Other Catholic ethnic groups in Texas also continue to grow. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston's Ethnic ministry department has offices for Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Korean, Nigerian, and Vietnamese Catholics in addition to offices for African American and Hispanic Catholics.

[i] Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/CC/icc1.html(accessed November 30, 2007).

[ii] Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/OO/fon2.html(accessed December 10, 2007).

[iii] Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/CC/icc1.html(accessed November 30, 2007).

[iv ]Rhodes, Andy. "On a Mission." The Medallion: 10-13.

[v] "History of the Archdiocese." The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. 10 Dec. 2007 <http://www.diogh.org/about_history.htm>.

[vi ]Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/BB/icb2.html(accessed December 10, 2007).

"History of the Archdiocese." The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. 10 Dec. 2007 <http://www.diogh.org/about_history.htm>.

[vii ]Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/BB/icb2.html(accessed December 10, 2007).

[viii] Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/BB/icb2.html(accessed December 10, 200

[ix] Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/BB/icb2.html(accessed December 10, 200

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/EE/fes1.html(accessed December 10, 2007).

[x] "History of the Archdiocese." The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. 10 Dec. 2007 <http://www.diogh.org/about_history.htm>.

[xi] Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/hls13.html(accessed December 7, 2007).

[xii] "Czech Heritage Tour." Czech Heritage Society of Texas. 10 Dec. 2007 <http://www.czechs.org/pages/toca02.html>.

[xiii] 2006 Official Catholic Directory

[xiv] 2006 Catholic Almanac (Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2005), p. 426.

There are currently 6 departments of the Texas Catholic Conference that reflect the typical departments of the dioceses of Texas.  Membership in the departments is based on the constitution of the Texas Catholic Conference.  The following department descriptions reflect the current TCC constitution.

• Episcopal Department: composed of all Bishops.
• Charity and Justice Department: composed of all Diocesan Directors of Catholic Charities, Directors of Criminal Justice Ministry, and Directors of Social Action.
• Life and Family Life Department: composed of all Diocesan Directors of Respect Life Ministry and Directors of Family Life Ministry.
• Religious Education Department: composed of all Diocesan Directors of Religious Education.
• Superintendents Department: composed of Diocesan Superintendents of Schools.
• Tribunal Department: composed of all Judicial Vicars of Diocesan and Appellate Tribunals.

Our History

Our Mission

The primary purpose of the Conference is to encourage and foster cooperation and communication among the dioceses and the ministries of the Catholic Church of Texas.

A major function of the Conference is to be the public policy arm of the Conference's Board of Directors, the bishops of Texas, before the Texas legislature, the Texas delegation in Congress, and state agencies. The public policy issues addressed by the Conference include institutional concerns of the Catholic Church as well as issues related to Catholic moral and social teachings.

Our Activities

In addition to its public policy function, the Texas Catholic Conference is involved in a wide range of other activities.

The Texas Catholic Conference Education Department, in cooperation with the diocesan schools office staffs, oversees the accreditation of the Catholic elementary and secondary schools of Texas. The Education Department is assisted by the Texas Catholic Conference Accreditation Commission and is a part of the state-approved Texas Private School Accreditation Commission.

The Catholic Archives of Texas, founded in 1923 and under the jurisdiction of the Conference since 1985, is the only Catholic state archival repository in the United States. The Archives' mission is to collect, preserve, and make available for research records of individuals and organizations who have been engaged in the ministries and works of the Catholic Church in Texas. Closely associated with the Catholic Archives of Texas is the Texas Catholic Historical Society, which publishes Catholic Southwest: A Journal of History & Culture.

Our Departments

The Conference relates directly to virtually all of the ministries of the Catholic Church in Texas. There are 6 departments of the Conference representing the usual departments in each (arch)diocese. They are: Episcopal, Religious Education, Superintendents of Schools, Charity and Justice, Life and Family Life, and Tribunal.

Our Educational Programs

The Texas Catholic Conference is responsible for annual and occasional convenings for specific purposes. Among them are:

• The TCC General Assembly, a convocation of the department heads of each of the (Arch)dioceses.
• The Annual TCC Scripture Seminar, a week-long educational experience conducted by nationally prominent theologians and scripture scholars.
• Workshops and convocations to implement programs of the American and Texas Bishops.