Bishop of El Paso
The Most Reverend Mark J. Seitz, D.D. was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the eldest of ten children. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Dallas in 1980 after receiving his B.A. in Philosophy as well as a Master of Divinity and an M.A. in Theology from the University of Dallas. Bishop Seitz also received an M.A. in Liturgical Studies at St. John’s University in Minnesota. After ordination, Bishop Seitz served as a pastor at parishes in Garland, Waxahachie, and Dallas, Texas. He also taught Liturgy and Sacramental Theology at the University of Dallas and served as vice-rector and director of liturgy at Holy Trinity Seminary. Bishop Seitz was named prelate of honor to his holiness by Pope St. John Paul II in 2004. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI elevated Bishop Seitz to the Office of Bishop. Bishop Seitz was ordained and appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas. In 2013, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Seitz as the sixth Bishop of El Paso. As a prelate serving a borderland community whose sister city is Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, the bishop has focused his work and heart on the poor and vulnerable, including migrant families and refugees who have made their home in this region or who choose the community as their point of passage. The bishop believes that migrants add inestimable value to the communities where they choose to live and that parishes and community members should welcome them with compassion, love and solidarity.