Mark J. Seitz

Mark Joseph Seitz (born January 10, 1954) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of the El Paso since July 9, 2013. He was Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas from 2010 to 2013.

The Most Reverend

Mark J. Seitz
Bishop of El Paso
Seitz as auxiliary bishop of Dallas
ChurchCatholic Church
ArchdioceseSan Antonio
DioceseEl Paso
AppointedMay 6, 2013
InstalledJuly 9, 2013
PredecessorArmando Xavier Ochoa
Orders
OrdinationMay 17, 1980
by Thomas Tschoepe
ConsecrationApril 27, 2010
by Kevin Joseph Farrell, Charles Victor Grahmann, Michael Duca
Personal details
Born (1954-01-10) January 10, 1954
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Previous postAuxiliary Bishop of Dallas
MottoLatin: Paratum Cor Meum
Styles of
Mark Joseph Seitz
Reference styleHis Excellency
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Early life and education

Mark Seitz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 10, 1954, the eldest of ten siblings.[1] In 1972, he entered Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas in Texas.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1976 and a Master of Divinity degree in 1980.[1]

Ordination and ministry

Seitz was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Thomas A. Tschoepe on May 17, 1980. He served as a parochial vicar at Good Shepherd Church in Garland from 1980 to 1985.[3] He earned a M.A. in Theology from the University of Dallas in 1982 and an M.A. in Liturgical Studies from Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, in 1985.[1] He also took summer courses at the University of Notre Dame and Duquesne University.[1]

Seitz served as an adjunct professor at the University of Dallas from 1985 to 1994, teaching liturgy and sacramental theology.[3] He also served as associate spiritual director (1986-1987), director of liturgy (1986-1993), and vice-rector (1987-1993) at Holy Trinity Seminary.[3] From 1993 to 2003, he was pastor of St. Joseph Church in Waxahachie.[1] He was an instructor at Christ the Servant Institute in Dallas in the fall of 2001 and interned at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the fall of 2002.[1] In 2003, he became pastor of St. Rita's Church in Dallas.[3] He was named a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II in December 2004.[3] In 2009, he donated one of his kidneys to an ailing parishioner.[4] In 2010, he became pastor of All Saints Church in Dallas.[3]

Seitz was a member of the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Dallas (1988–1993, 1999–2006, 2007–2010), spiritual director of Dallas/Fort Worth Courage (1998–2010), a member of the Diocesan Honduras Solidarity Team (2002–2010), a member of the College of Consultors of the diocese (2007–2010), spiritual director of the White Rose Women's Center (2009–2010), and a member of the Board of Directors of the BirthChoice Catholic Crisis Pregnancy Center (2009-2010).[1]

Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas

On March 11, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Seitz auxiliary bishop of Dallas with the titular see of Cozyla. He said: "I have learned through the years that following Christ is an adventure filled with totally unexpected dips and turns. When you give your life to His service you better learn to enjoy the ride."[5] Along with J. Douglas Deshotel, he was be one of the first auxiliary bishops of the Dallas since the Diocese of Fort Worth was split from it in 1969.[2]

He received his episcopal consecration on the April 27, 2010 from Bishop Kevin Farrell, with Charles V. Grahmann and Michael Duca serving as co-consecrators.

Bishop of El Paso

On May 6, 2013, Pope Francis appointed Seitz the Bishop of El Paso, Texas.[2][3] He was installed there on July 9, 2013.

Bishop Seitz is an advocate for the humane treatment of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers arriving at the border. On June 27, 2019, he performed a public action in which he and members of the Hope Border Institute escorted seven Central American asylum seekers to the Santa Fe international bridge in Ciudad Juárez in order to assist them in claiming asylum.[6]

On July 18, 2017, he issued a pastoral letter on immigration in which he said that "elected leaders have not yet mustered the moral courage to enact permanent, comprehensive immigration reform" and praised the efforts of the "heroic individuals, families, pastors, religious, parishes and institutions that spend themselves in service to migrants and refugees" and campaign "against the militarization of our border". He expressed concern for immigrant families who fear separation and for law enforcement officers who "put their lives on the line to stem the flow of weapons and drugs" but are "troubled in conscience by divisive political rhetoric and new edicts coming from Washington, D.C." He condemned profit-based immigrant detention centers, the hostility shown to asylum seekers, and "the disparagement of our Muslim brothers and sisters".[7]

In the aftermath of the El Paso Walmart shooting on August 3, 2019, Bishop Seitz wrote a pastoral letter on racism and white supremacy in which he wrote that, "If we are honest, racism is really about advancing, shoring up, and failing to oppose a system of white privilege and advantage based on skin color. When this system begins to shape our public choices, structure our common life together and becomes a tool of class, this is rightly called institutionalized racism. Action to build this system of hate and inaction to oppose its dismantling are what we rightly call white supremacy. This is the evil one and the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44) incarnate in our everyday choices and lifestyles, and our laws and institutions."[8] The pastoral letter invokes the history of racism in the United States, especially the history of colonialism and racial terror at the US-Mexico border. It calls on Catholics to fight against racism and acknowledges support from the Catholic Church in the United States for an assault weapons ban.

In February 2020, Bishop Seitz, along with bishops from Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, met with Pope Francis in Rome. Pope Francis gave Bishop Seitz 50 rosaries that he personally blessed for survivors of the El Paso Walmart shooting.[9]

References
  1. "CURRICULUM VITAE" (PDF). Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 5, 2014.
  2. "Vatican Recognizes Growth, Pope Appoints Auxiliary Bishops" (PDF). Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso (Press release). July 9, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 25, 2015.
  3. "Pope Names Vicar General, Pastor As Auxiliary Bishops For Dallas". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Press release). March 11, 2010.
  4. "Priest donates own 'holy kidney' to ailing parishioner". Catholic News Agency. November 13, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  5. "Statement from Bishop-elect Mark Seitz" (PDF). Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas (Press release). March 11, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 5, 2014.
  6. "Texas Bishop helps migrant family cross into U.S. on asylum trek". America Magazine. June 28, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  7. Guidos, Rhina (July 18, 2017). "Bishop Mark Seitz denounces hateful words, militarization of border". National Catholic Reporter. Catholic News Service. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  8. "Night Will Be No More | Pastoral Letter to People of God in El Paso". hope-border-inst. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  9. Esquivel, Erika (January 30, 2020). "Pope Francis gives Bishop Seitz 50 rosaries to give to El Paso shooting victims, families". KFOX. Retrieved February 5, 2020.

Episcopal succession
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Armando Xavier Ochoa		 Bishop of El Paso
2013—Present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
-		 Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas
2010-2013		 Succeeded by
-
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