Bishop Anthony Joseph Schuler
Obispo Anthony Joseph Schuler
Obispo Anthony Joseph Schuler
Bishop Anthony Joseph Schuler (1869-1944) became the first bishop of the Catholic Diocese El Paso in 1915. He served in this position until his retirement in 1942. Born in Pennsylvania in 1868, the family moved to the mining town of Georgetown, Colo., in 1876. Schuler's father died when he was fourteen years old, and so he worked in the silver mines shoveling ore to support his family. At age 17, he entered the Jesuit Seminary in Florissant, Mo., and was ordained to the priesthood in June 1901. He served as perfect and superior in different cities, before he came to El Paso, where he first worked as chaplain and associate pastor, before being appointed bishop. The Vatican established the Diocese of El Paso on March 3, 1914. During his 27-year tenure, Bishop Schuler was the only Jesuit bishop in the United States. He expanded the diocese significantly by building churches, schools, and associated Catholic institutions. Amongst them were the following projects: Holy Family, St. Joseph's, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Sacred Heart Church and orphanages, Loretto Academy, St. Joseph's Sanatorium, San Jose Clinic, the Western American newspaper, the Revista Católica publishing house, and the monumental construction on Mount Cristo Rey. He also brought other religious orders to West Texas, such as the First Order of Franciscans. Schuler cared for those in need, especially during the Mexican Revolution, when thousand of refugees, amongst them persecuted bishops and priests, looked for shelter in the border town.
