Joseph Strickland

Strickland was born in Fredericksburg, Texas. As a young child, his family moved to Atlanta, Texas, where his parents were founding members of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church.[4] Strickland attended Holy Trinity Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1985, for the Diocese of Dallas.[5] His first assignment was to Immaculate Conception Parish in Tyler, Texas. Upon the creation of the Diocese of Tyler in 1987, Strickland was incardinated into the new diocese and was named the first vocation director for the diocese in March 1987 by Bishop Charles Herzig. His service in the diocese also included periods at Sacred Heart Parish in Nacogdoches, Texas and St. Michael Parish in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.[6]

In 1992, Strickland was assigned by Bishop Edmond Carmody to study canon law at Catholic University of America, where he earned a JCL in 1994. He was then named judicial vicar of the Diocese of Tyler and Rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. In 1995, he was named a Prelate of Honor with the title of Monsignor by Pope John Paul II.

Strickland served as administrator of the diocese of Tyler from March 2000 until January 2001 when Bishop Alvaro Corrada was installed as the third bishop of the Diocese. In 2010, Strickland was named vicar general of the diocese. He served in that capacity until being named delegate of the apostolic administrator upon Bishop Corrada's departure for Puerto Rico.

Strickland is a vigorous defender of the Catholic Church's doctrinal and dogmatic positions on marriage and human life. On November 4, 2012, days before the presidential election, Strickland led a public rally and prayer service in downtown Tyler asking the faithful to turn toward God prior to the election. In an editorial written for the Tyler Morning Telegraph, Strickland said, "The fundamental truths that once were and still should be the bedrock of our society are being challenged daily. I believe the election on Nov. 6 brings a great task to all of us as people of faith to soberly reflect on what we believe and how those beliefs should be embodied in our laws and supported by our leaders."[10]

In August 2018, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò released a letter accusing several high-ranking prelates including Pope Francis of covering up allegations of sexual abuse against Theodore McCarrick, and calling on those responsible including Francis to resign. Strickland stated that he found Viganò's allegations "credible."[11][12] In May 2020, Strickland signed a manifesto led by Viganò criticizing restrictions that were enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic as being instituted for the purpose of "creating panic among the world's population with the sole aim of permanently imposing unacceptable forms of restriction on freedoms." The petition singles out the use of contact-tracing devices as well as mandatory vaccinations as infringements on people's rights and cites "growing doubts ... about the actual contagiousness, danger, and resistance of the virus."[13][14]

Strickland offered the Tridentine Mass for the first time in June 2020. He described this form of the Mass as being heavily permeated with reverence and beauty. Strickland encouraged Catholics to attend Mass in the Traditional form of the Roman rite and for Catholics attached to the Tridentine Mass to attend the Mass of Paul VI, which he said could also be conducted reverently.[15]

In September 2020, Strickland endorsed a video by a priest who said "You cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat." The priest also called climate change a hoax, and referred to DACA recipients as "criminal illegal aliens."[16] On October 21, 2020, Strickland denounced Pope Francis for expressing support for civil unions; he dismissed the Pope's statement as merely "opinion" and said that its publicization was "confusing and very dangerous." Strickland invited the Pope to fire him for these remarks.[17]

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• Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler