Bishop Peter Verdaguer
Laredo, Webb County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in the Cataluna region of Spain, the most Rev. Peter Verdaguer de Prat studied in the United States. He was ordained (1862) in San Francisco and ministered at Catholic Indian missions in California. While serving at Our Lady of the Angels Church in Los Angeles, he was nominated for the Vicariate of Brownsville. Consecrated a Bishop in Barcelona in 1890, he sailed to Corpus Christi and in 1891 took up residence in Laredo. Entrusted with the care of 42,500 Catholics, Bishop Verdaguer faced two severe problems: the extreme poverty of the Vicariate and the mobility of the many Mexican-Americans among his flock. The great drought of the early 1890s aggravated the situation. Bishop Verdaguer spent much of his time traveling on horseback from Laredo to Victoria and Brownsville, baptizing, marrying and confirming the faithful on South Texas ranches. Despite hardship, three new churches were built in Laredo from 1896 to 1909. During the tenure of the most Rev. Verdaguer, the number of Catholics in the Vicariate rose to 82,000, and the number of churches, schools and clergy increased significantly. After his death, the Vicariate continued to exist until 1913, when the Diocese of Corpus Christi was established. (1978)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Catalonia and educated in the United States, Peter Verdaguer was ordained in San Francisco in 1862 and served Catholic Indian missions in California before being named to lead the Vicariate of Brownsville. Consecrated a bishop in Barcelona in 1890, he settled in Laredo in 1891 to shepherd some 42,500 Catholics amid deep poverty and the great drought of the 1890s. Traveling by horseback across South Texas to baptize, marry, and confirm ranch families, he oversaw new churches and schools until his death, by which time the flock had grown to 82,000.
Why it matters
Bishop Verdaguer's saddle-worn ministry captures the immense reach and hardship of the Catholic Church serving scattered, largely Mexican-American communities across the South Texas frontier.
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Themes & tags
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