Diocese of Tucson

He entered seminary at the age of 30 and, after earning a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, a Master of Divinity, and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology at the University of St. Thomas and St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, Bishop Misko was ordained a priest by Archbishop Gregory Aymond on June 9, 2007. He was appointed parochial vicar of St. Elizabeth in Pflugerville and thereafter served as pastor of Christ the King in Belton, Texas and St. Louis King of France in Austin, Texas.Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez appointed Bishop Misko as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Diocese of Austin on January 21, 2019. He is a member of the College of Consultors, Presbyteral Council, Diocese of Austin Finance Council, Austin Pension Plan and Trust Committee, Diocese of Austin School Advisory Board, Priestly Life and Formation Committee, Priest Personnel Board, and the Diocesan Building Commission. He is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, a fourth degree Knight of Columbus and served for several years as the Legatus chaplain for the Diocese of Austin.

Upon the installation of Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on March 25, 2025, Bishop Misko was elected Diocesan Administrator by the College of Consultors, a group of priests appointed by the diocesan bishop to advise and assist him in governing the diocese, particularly when the see is vacant. Upon the installation of Most Reverend Daniel E. Garcia as the sixth bishop of Austin, Bishop Misko was reappointed as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Misko the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Tucson on December 22, 2025. His ordination took place at St. Augustine Cathedral on February 20, 2026.

His mother, Gerri Misko (his father Tom Misko, deceased), sister Mary Kay Martinez and husband Jesus Toro Martinez live in San Antonio, Texas and his brother John Misko lives in California. Bishop Misko is an avid golfer and enjoys, cycling, traveling, gardening, cooking and visiting local restaurants and coffee houses.

• Bishop Misko’s coat of arms embodies his deep theological and personal devotion to Jerusalem, emphasizing its historical, mystical, and salvific significance. The design features the ancient walls of Jerusalem and the Sheep (Lion’s) Gate, symbolizing Christ as the Lamb of God and the pathway to salvation. Marian devotion is reflected through the blue field, evoking Mary’s role as the living gate through whom Christ, the Savior, entered the world. The use of gold and silver emphasizes divine attributes and follows Catholic heraldic tradition, which allows metal upon metal for theological symbolism.The upper field displays the flaming heart of St. Augustine, symbolizing a restless passion for God and reflecting Bishop Misko’s devotion to the saint, patron of the Diocese and Cathedral of Tucson, as well as a personal devotion to his roots in Austin. The external elements follow ecclesial norms for bishops, including the green galero, episcopal cross inspired by St. Louis King of France, and his chosen motto, Domine tuus sum ego (“Lord, I am Yours”), expressing total dependence on God. The coat of arms further incorporates insignia of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, honoring Bishop Misko’s knighthood and devotion to the Holy Land.
• # ★ 5th Largest

The Diocese of Tucson comprises nine counties with an area of 42,707 square miles. Geographically, the Diocese is the fifth largest diocese in the continental United States.

✟ 400,000 Served

The Diocese of Tucson is a mission diocese of 400,000 Catholics that are served bynearly 200 priests, 77parishes, 34 missions, 23 Catholic schools, four member agencies:

and dozens of charitable and fraternal organizations.

• An explanation of elements:

1.** The cross symbolizes the early missionaries in Arizona.

2.** The black tri-mount symbolizes the Native American origin of the word "Tucson," meaning black mountain.

3.** The stag is from the Territorial Seal of Arizona. When the Diocese was established in 1897, Arizona was still a territory of the United States.

4.** The miter is the traditional headdress of a bishop. Its use on the shield indicates the Diocese is under the authority of the Bishop of Tucson.

The Diocese of Tucson is the spiritual and temporal geography we share as people united in our faith. The people who live within the nine counties of our Diocese have been entrusted to their bishop, a successor to the apostles. The bishop both leads and serves the people, and fulfills his role in cooperation with the priests who have the pastoral responsibilities for our parishes.The history of our faith in Arizona is an important element in our Diocesan identity. We trace the presence of our Church in Arizona back to the time of Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino , the Jesuit missionary from Italy who, in 1690, was the first to bring the Good News of Christ to the native peoples of this region.Kino and the missionaries of the 17th and 18th centuries helped to provide the foundation of what would become our diocese.With the native peoples, the missionaries established small Christian communities, places in which and from which people could demonstrate their care and love for one another in the example of Christ, giving food to those whose crops had failed and providing a safe haven when violence threatened.Christianity in our region was a catalyst for change. With the motivation of Faith, native peoples who spoke different languages and who had distinct cultures could invite each other from isolation and war into community and peace.The Europeans who came during the successive periods of exploration and colonization built on the experience of this indigenous Church. Those early small Christian communities truly served as the foundation for the Church that would come.While missionary activity was minimal in Arizona under Mexico's authority, the Church experienced new growth as nationalities and events converged in the territorial years. In 1850, Catholics in Arizona became part of the Vicariate Apostolic (missionary diocese) of Santa Fe.Our Church was an important element in the growth of Arizona in the territorial years, including the establishment of the first schools and first hospitals in Arizona. In 1868, five years after Arizona became a territory, the Church here became a Vicariate Apostolic. In 1897, it was elevated to the status of a regular diocese, and our Church grew as Arizona grew to statehood in 1912.In so many ways we are a diverse people in our Diocese. Yet through Baptism, we are one in Christ. That unique unity and identity is strengthened in prayer, sacrifice, and the Eucharist.We are enriched by each other, especially when we journey together through difficult times.Through the gifts of treasure, time and talent that have been given so generously by generation after generation, we have arrived at this stage in the history of our Diocese to the blessings and graces of this New Millennium.

Eusebio Francesco Chini (his name later changed to Eusebio Francisco Kino) was born on August 10, 1645, in the Italian-Germanic Alpine borderlands. He began his classical studies at the Jesuit High School in Trent, completing them in Tyrol. There, he became seriously ill, but he recovered miraculously through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier.Deciding to enter the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Kino vowed to dedicate his life to the missions of India, following the previous example of his cousin Martino Martini, another renowned son of Trent. In 1677, Kino was ordained a priest. He completed his preparation for the foreign missions in Spain at the Jesuit College in Seville. On May 3, 1681, Kino arrived in Mexico (New Spain) after a three-month voyage across the Atlantic. Padre Kino’s skills as a mathematician and cartographer made him an ideal candidate to join a new expedition to colonize the Californias. The expedition failed, however, and Kino was reassigned to the missions of the mainland. On March 13, 1687, Padre Kino set out on his life’s greatest adventure - the evangelization of the Pimería Alta people in the modern borderlands of Sonora and Arizona. Although other Jesuits had been in contact with these native people for more than 40 years, very little progress had been made in evangelizing or connecting. Padre Kino bridged cultural borders as he was welcomed by the desert