Diocese of El Paso celebrates 100 years: Click for report from Yselta Mission

The Catholic Diocese of El Paso is celebrating a milestone Saturday. It marks 100 years of service to the region.

The Catholic Diocese was officially established by Pope Pius the 10th in 1914.

Thousands of people came out to celebrate the centennial, many enjoying music with their families, rejoicing in the spirit of Christ.

The Diocese here in El Paso has been very unique. Bishop Mark Seitz said earlier it has many firsts including the first Catholic missions in Texas. The Ysleta Mission was built in 1680. El Paso was the first in the state to have a Catholic hospital.

Seitz said Catholics have also played an important role in the community dating back to the Mexican revolution.

“One thing that we can be very proud if is that we’ve always been a place of welcome or a place of refuge for people from across the border when they were being persecuted at various times after the Mexican Revolution and the Cristero War,” Seitz said. “People opened their arms wide, we still have some religious communities here to this day that came during that time.”

Five to six thousand people are expected to attend.