“A privilege, and a gift”

This Friday, our Bishop Michael Mulvey is celebrating a milestone: it’s the 50^th anniversary of his priestly ordination. He was ordained by Pope Paul VI at St. Peter’s Square on June 20, 1975.
 
William Michael Mulvey was born on August 23, 1949, in Houston, Texas, as the second of six children to Daniel H. Mulvey Jr. and Marjorie Jane Patterson Mulvey. He attended Catholic schools and felt a calling to the priesthood in second grade. “My parish priest deeply inspired me, and my second-grade teacher, a religious sister, often spoke about vocations, which brought the idea of becoming a priest to my mind,” he shared in a recent interview with STC.
 
When he was in eighth grade, some priests visited his school to present the minor seminary: “I thought that was the right path for me. I was so excited and told my parents, but they were both very clear – ‘No!’ Of course, I didn't like that response because I believed attending the minor seminary would fulfill God’s will. However, my dad said, ‘Until you graduate from high school, your formation is here with the family.’” 
 
Bishop Mulvey shared how he came to realize that this was part of the discernment process. “God used my father and mother to guide me towards His will, and they continued to shape me as a person.” He graduated from St. Edward’s Catholic High School in Austin in 1967 and from St. Edward’s University in 1971 with a BBA.
 
Entering the seminary, he was sent to Rome to attend the North American College from 1971 to 1976. Being ordained by Pope Paul VI, who is now a saint, was a “privilege and a gift,” says Bishop Mulvey. He stayed one more year in Rome to complete his licentiate (master’s degree) in Sacred Theology from Gregorian University.
 
He served as associate pastor at St. Mary and Our Lady of Guadalupe Parishes in Taylor, TX, and at St. Louis Parish in Austin, as well as Chaplain to Reicher Catholic High School in Waco.
 
He held the position of Director of Spiritual Formation at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston for six years. Between 1992 and 1995, he served as the Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in College Station.
 
Mulvey moved back to Italy in 1995 after being appointed director of the Center for Spirituality for Diocesan Priests, a Focolare facility in Florence. Two years later, he became Director of the Center for Spirituality of the Focolare Movement in Hyde Park, New York. After four years with the Focolare movement, Mulvey returned to Texas in 1999 to serve as pastor of St. Helen Parish in Georgetown.
 
He left St. Helen in 2004 after Bishop Gregory Aymond appointed him as chancellor of the diocese. Mulvey became vicar general in 2007. He was named vice rector of St. Mary's Seminary in Houston in August 2009. A few weeks later, he was elected administrator of the Diocese of Austin.
 
Then, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the eighth bishop of Corpus on January 18, 2010. In a press conference that day, he said he was “humbled and grateful to Pope Benedict XVI for his confidence in choosing me for this indispensable ministry in the Church. I pledge to His Holiness my loyal communion, fraternal love, and respect as a bishop of the Church.” He was consecrated on March 25, 2010, by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo.
 
For over 15 years, he has led our diocese, uniting the faithful from all parishes. For the past three years, he has hosted the “State of the Diocese,” where he updates everyone in person on new developments.
 
Everyone is invited to celebrate the 50^th anniversary this Friday. The Mass of Thanksgiving starts at 6 pm at the pro-Cathedral Most Precious Blood, located at 3502 Saratoga Blvd in Corpus Christi, followed by a reception at the St. Juliana Center.