Reverend Ricardo Ramírez, C.S.B, the first and only Roman Catholic Bishop of Las Cruces, to date, announced his retirement on his 75th birthday in 2011. Pope Benedict XVI has now chosen his successor and Bishop Ramirez will announce the name of his successor at a press conference at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (1240 S. Espina) on Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 10:00 AM.
In 1982, Bishop Ramírez was appointed by Pope John Paul II to lead the newly formed Diocese of Las Cruces. Bishop accepted the position and took his newly formed diocese from a blank sheet of paper to the diocese that it is today, 30 years later. Along the way, he became one of the most preeminent Hispanic bishops in the country.