Pope Benedict XVI has named two priests of the Diocese of Dallas to serve as auxiliary, or assistant, bishops in the diocese. The appointments of Father J. Douglas Deshotel and Monsignor Mark J. Seitz were announced today in Washington, D.C. by the papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Pietro Sambi.

The Diocese of Dallas has had only two previous auxiliary bishops that served when the boundaries of the diocese ran from Texarkana to El Paso. The last time an auxiliary served the Dallas diocese was 1969 before Rome split off the western region to create the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Expressing gratitude to Pope Benedict for naming an auxiliary bishop to the Diocese of Dallas, Bishop Farrell said, "These 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. In 2007, Pope Benedict made history in the American Church when he appointed the first cardinal to serve south of the Mason-Dixon Line. 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. Their appointments are joyful news to me but also a great joy to the clergy and people who know them and hold them in very high regard. They will be a tremendous help to me and a continued blessing to the people of the diocese."

Bishop-elect Deshotel currently serves as the Vicar General which is second only to the bishop in the administrative structure of the diocese. He was born in Basile, Louisiana on January 6, 1952 but has been in the Diocese of Dallas since 1972 when he began his seminary training at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving. He obtained his Masters in Divinity degree at the University of Dallas in 1978. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 13, 1978. He has served as the Vice-Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, a Vicar Forane and a member of the Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors in the diocese. In 2008, he was appointed Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Dallas.

Bishop-elect Seitz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 10, 1954 but has lived in the Diocese of Dallas since 1972 when he began his priestly formation at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 17, 1980. In 1985, he received a Master’s Degree in Liturgical Studies from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He also holds a Master’s in Divinity and a Master’s in Theology from the University of Dallas. He was named a Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in December 2004. He has served on the diocesan Liturgical Commission and the Committee for Continuing Education of Priests. He is a member of the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors in the diocese.

Both priests have served in numerous parishes in the diocese. Bishop-elect Seitz is currently the pastor of St. Rita in Dallas. Bishop-elect Deshotel most recently served as the pastor of St. Monica in Dallas until 2008.

The bishops-elect will be ordained as bishops on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas.

Bishop Elect Deshotel Curriculum Vitae

Bishop Elect Deshotel Statement

Bishop Elect Seitz Curriculum Vitae

Bishop Elect Seitz Statement

For up-to-date information, visit the Diocese of Dallas web page at www.CathDal.org.