Garcia New Bishop of Austin Diocese

Wednesday morning, July 2, Pope Leo XIV appointed Most Reverend Daniel E. Garcia as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Austin. Bishop Garcia, a native of the Diocese of Austin, currently serves as the Bishop of Monterey, California. His installation date will be announced at a later time.

Bishop Daniel E. Garcia was born on August 30, 1960, and grew up in Waco and Cameron, Texas. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and has three younger sisters.

He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Tyler Junior College in 1982, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from the University of St. Thomas in Houston in 1984, while attending St. Mary Seminary. He went on to receive a Master of Divinity in 1988. Bishop Garcia was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Austin on May 28, 1988, by Bishop John E. McCarthy. In 2007, he earned a Master of Arts in Liturgical Studies from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

Throughout his ministry, Bishop Garcia served in numerous parishes and leadership roles. His first assignments were as associate pastor at St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Cristo Rey Parish, and St. Louis King of France Parish, all in Austin. From 1992 to 1995, he served in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston at St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Humble, Texas. In 1995, he was named the founding pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Austin, where he guided the community through its formation and multiple building projects, including the construction of a permanent church and sanctuary.

Beyond parish ministry, Bishop Garcia held several diocesan roles, including service in the Vocation Office, Priests’ Personnel Board, College of Consultors, and the Presbyteral Council, where he also served as chair. He was Dean of the Austin North Deanery and contributed to the Liturgical Commission, Diaconal Advisory Committee, and served as Master of Ceremonies for the Bishop’s Office.

In 2014, he was appointed Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Austin by Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez. The following year, Pope Francis appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Austin.

In 2018, Pope Francis named Bishop Garcia the Bishop of the Diocese of Monterey, California.

Bishop Garcia has served on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Communications and the Committee on Divine Worship. He also chaired the Subcommittee on Divine Worship in Spanish and currently continues to serve on that subcommittee. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Catholic Relief Services.