The High Plains and Rolling Plains areas of West Texas - thePanhandle, the Llano Estacado ("Palisade Plains") or South Plains, and the Concho River Valley - first became home to a Roman Catholic Diocese when the Diocese of Amarillo was established in 1926. The Diocese of Amarillo embraced an area from Dalhart in the north to Ozona in the south. The part north of the Colorado River had been taken from the Dallas diocese and the section south of the river came from San Antonio (with two counties, Andrews and Ector, coming from El Paso).

The first bishop was Most Rev. Rudolph A. Cerken, then pastor of Ranger, Texas. In 1933, Bishop Cerken was appointed Archbishop of Santa Fe, and Robert E. Lucey came from California as Bishop of Amarillo. In 1941, Bishop Lucey was named Archbishop of San Antonio, and Most Rev. Laurence J.FitzSimon, then pastor of Seguin, Texas, became the third Bishop ofAmarillo. Bishop FitzSimon died in 1958 and was succeeded by his auxiliary. Bishop John L. Morkovsky.

In 1962, the San Angelo diocese was established and Rev. Thomas J. Drury, then pastor of Christ the King Parish in Lubbock, was named its first bishop. In 1965, Bishop Drury was transferred to Corpus Christi, and Most Rev. Thomas Tschoepe became Bishop of San Angelo.

In 1969, Bishop Tschoepe was transferred to Dallas and was succeeded by Bishop Stephen Leven, then an auxiliary bishop of San Antonio. Bishop Leven retired in 1979 and was succeeded by Most Rev. Joseph A. Fiorenza. When Bishop Fiorenza was transferred to Galveston-Houston in 1984, Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer, OMI, was named the fifth Bishop of San Angelo.

Meanwhile, back in Amarillo, Bishop Morkovsky had been transferred in 1963 to Calveston-Houston and Most Rev. Laurence M. DeFaIco came from Dallas to serve as the Bishop of Amarillo. Bishop DeFaIco died in 1979 and Most Rev. LeroyT. Matthiesen of Amarillo was named Bishop of Amarillo in 1980.

On June 17, 1983, the Diocese of Lubbock was created with Most Rev. Michael J. Sheehan as its first bishop. The Diocese of Lubbock embraces an area that was formerly in the Diocese of Amarillo, plus five counties (Jones, Scurry, Haskell, Fisher, and Stonewall) from the Diocese of San Angelo.

Ten years later, Bishop Sheehan was named Archbishop of Santa Fe and, on April 5, 1994, His Holiness Pope John Paul II announced the appointment of Bishop Placido Rodriguez, CMF, as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Lubbock. His episcopal installation took place on June 1, 1994, in Lubbock.

Timeline
1907	Saint John's, Hermleigh
1911	Saint Alice's, Plainview (called Holy Trinity Church until 1928)
1912	Saint Joseph's, Slaton
1921	Sacred Heart, Littlefield
1924	Sacred Heart, El Ranchito
	Saint Joseph's, Lubbock
1926	Holy Trinity, Hamlin
1928	Saint Mary Magdalen, Floydada
1926	Diocese of Amarillo established
	Saint Margaret Mary, Lamesa
	Our Lady of Mercy Hospital, Slaton
1931	Saint Philip's, Pep
1935	Saint Elizabeth's, Lubbock
1939	Saint Mary of the Plains Hospital, Lubbock
1944	Saint Theresa's, Hale Center (called Saint Charles Church, until 1961)
1946	Our Lady of Guadalupe, Plainview
1948	Saint Mary's, Spur
1950	Saint Michael's, Levelland
1951	Saint Jude's Tahoka (called Our Lady of Guadalupe until 1967)
1952	Our Lady of Guadalupe, Slaton
	Saint Elizabeth's, Snyder
	Saint Anthony's, Brownfield
1954	Saint Ann's, Morton
1955	Our Lady of Guadalupe, Snyder
	Saint William's, Denver City
	Saint Ann's, Stamford
	Saint Elizabeth's, Paducah
	Holy Cross, Post
1956	Immaculate Conception, Muleshoe
1957	Saint George's, Haskell
1958	Saint Peter's, Olton
	Saint James, Seminole
	Christ the King (Cathedral), Lubbock
1959	Saint Pius X, O'Donnell
	Sacred Heart, Petersburg
	Saint Michael's, Rails
1960	Saint Patrick's, Lubbock
	Our Lady of Grace, Lubbock
1961	Saint Theresa's, Lubbock (Carlisle)
	San Lorenzo, Lorenzo
	Sacred Heart, Plainview
	Blessed Sacrament, Wilson
1961	Saint Theresa's, Hale Center
	Sacred Heart, Plains
	Saint Paul's Seagraves
1962	Diocese of San Angelo established
	Saint Joseph's, Crosbyton
	Our Lady of Cuadalupe, Matador
1963	Saint Joseph's, Lockney
1965	Saint Philip Benizi, Shallowater
1966	Saint Isidore, Abernathy
	Saint Mary Magdalen, Earth
1967	Saint Anthony's, Anton
1972	Epiphany, Jayton (first church was Saint Mary's, built in 1929; moved to Spur in 1948 and property sold)
	Saint Mary's, Aspermont (first church was Sacred Heart, built in 1929; closed and sold in 1951)
1973	Saint Michael's, Anson
	Christian Renewal Center, Lubbock (now Catholic Renewal Center)
1974	San Ramon, Woodrow
	Saint Mary's, Sudan (closed September 1, 1996)
1976	Our Lady Queen Of Apostles, New Deal
1978	Saint Francis of Assisi, Wolfforth
1979	Saint Phillip's, Idalou
1980	Our Lady of Guadalupe, Lubbock
	Saint John Neumann's, Lubbock (Saint Peter's School built at this location by Saint Elizabeth's Parish in 1959)
	Mercy Retreat Center, Slaton (former convent of Sisters of Mercy who owned Mercy Hospital; officially deeded to the Diocese of Lubbock by the sisters in 1986)
1981	Holy Family, Cotton Center (closed August 17, 1996)
	San Francisco de Asis, Ropesville
1983	Diocese of Lubbock established
1985	Catholic Center (built with funds from Kennedy-East Foundation; now called the "Catholic Pastoral Center"
1988	San Isidro Mission, Sundown
1990	Our Lady of Guadalupe, Plainview (now located in the former City National Bank building.)
1998	Holy Spirit Church, Lubbock