Bishop Gary W. Janak

Bishop Janak was born in El Campo, Texas on March 22, 1962. He is the third of four children born to Josephat “Joe” and Rose Marie Janak. His father died in 1998.  He has two sisters, Cindy Junek and Sharon Foltyn, a brother, Allan Janak, eight nieces and nephews, and eleven grand nieces and nephews.  Bishop Janak says his Czech heritage has provided a great grounding force for him, in terms of his faith and the call to be connected to God, family, and service to the Catholic Church.

Raised in Palacios, Texas, a rural, multi-lingual and multi-cultural community on the Texas Gulf Coast, he graduated in 1980 from Palacios High School. After attending Wharton County Junior College, he transferred to the University of Texas in Austin. In 1982, he entered Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as one of the seminarians for the newly formed Diocese of Victoria in Texas. In 1983 he received his bachelor’s degree in history from the College of Santa Fe and began his theological formation at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio in 1984. He was awarded his Master of Divinity degree from Oblate School of Theology in 1988.

Bishop Janak was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Victoria on May 14, 1988. He earned a Licentiate in Canonical Jurisprudence (JCL) from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1995 and a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Victoria-Houston in 1997.  He has been licensed by the state of Texas as a professional counselor since 2000.

His pastoral experience in the Diocese of Victoria included assignments as parochial vicar of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory from 1988 to 1990, priest in residence at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Victoria from 1990 to 1994, pastor of Saint Joseph Church in Yoakum from 1994 to 2003, pastor of Saint Philip the Apostle Church in El Campo from 2003 to 2013, and rector of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victoria from 2013-2021.

Canonical and other official appointments in the Diocese of Victoria included serving as judge and advocate in the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal from 1988 to 2021; defender of the bond for the appellate court for the dioceses of Texas in 1993; director of the Permanent Diaconate Program from 1990 to 1995; vice-chancellor from 1995 to 2012; vocation director and director of seminarians from 1990 to 1996; member of the diocesan Review Board from 2002-2021; diocesan co-coordinator of Pastoral Care and Outreach from 2004 to 2016; vicar forane for the El Campo Deanery from 2007 to 2013; member of the College of Consultors from 1993 to 1999 and from 2007-2021; member of the diocesan Presbyteral Council from 1993 to 1999, 2004 to 2006, and 2007-2021; member of the consultors for the diocesan Pastors Committee from 2002 to 2014; and a member of the Board of Directors for the Priests’ Pension Program from 2005 to 2011.

Bishop Janak was elected administrator of the Diocese of Victoria on April 27, 2015, following the retirement of Bishop Emeritus David Fellhauer and prior to the episcopal ordination of Bishop Brendan Cahill, and served in that office until June 29, 2015.

His community involvement has encompassed a myriad of organizations. He was a member of the Board of Hospice of South Texas in 1994; state spiritual director for the Czech Catholic Union of Texas (KJT) from 1995-1998; chaplain for Knights of Columbus councils in Victoria, Yoakum, and El Campo; and member of the Board of Trustees for St. Joseph Catholic High School in Victoria from 2014-2018, chaplain for the Victoria Police Department from 2016 until 2021, and state chaplain for KJZT Family Life, from 2017 until 2021.

In addition to his parish and chancery ministries, Bishop Janak has served on several mission trips to Nicaragua, as well as traveling to Guatemala with the Faith in Practice medical mission team. 

Bishop Janak has a keen interest in assisting and counseling with married couples and has been a presenting priest for the Retrouvaille program since 2006 and designed a marriage retreat for couples entitled Choosing to Live Our Vows Every Day (Choosing to L.O.V.E.).  In 2016, he assisted in the founding of The Emmaus Center, a diocesan-sponsored counseling and spiritual direction center, where he practiced professional and pastoral counseling.

His hobbies include reading, running, biking, paddle boarding, and enjoying, as much as possible, the gifts of nature and silence.

Bishop Janak is a member of the Canon Law Society of America and the American Counseling Society.

His Mass of episcopal ordination was celebrated on April 20, 2021, at Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in San Antonio.  He currently serves as Chancellor of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Episcopal Vicar for Vocations and Priestly Formation.  He oversees the discernment program, archdiocesan seminarians, and the promotion of vocations in the Archdiocese.  By virtue of his role as Auxiliary Bishop and Chancellor, he is an ex-officio member of the Presbyteral Council, and the College of Consultors.  His responsibilities include overseeing archdiocesan archives, Catholic organizations and apostolates, the archdiocesan pastoral council, as well as canonical assistance to parishes.  He selected Give Your Servant a Listening Heart, as his episcopal motto.