We Salute You, Diocese of Las Vegas!

From the Diocesan history page....

Although Nevada was the last of the 48 contiguous states to have its own diocese, the Church in Southern Nevada that now makes up the Diocese of Las Vegas had a long and colorful history before it was established in 1995.
The first Mass celebrated in the territory that was to become Nevada was on the Colorado River in 1775 near the present day Laughlin. It was offered by the explorer, Father Garces, OFM, of Mexico. In 1776, Father Dominguez, OFM and Father Escalante, OFM came from New Mexico, crossed the Virgin River and made the trip to present day Utah.

Before the conquest of this area by the United States, the territory was under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Mexico. The territory was a part of the Diocese of Sonora until 1840, when it was placed under the jurisdiction of Bishop Garcia Diego y Moreno, the first Bishop of California. Shortly thereafter it became part of the Diocese of Monterey in California, until the Archdiocese of San Francisco was established in 1853 under its first Archbishop, Sadoc Alemany.

Time passed, and FINALLY....

In 1995, the Holy See, in recognition of the tremendous growth taking place in Nevada, divided the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas. Two new dioceses were established to support the northern and southern parts of the state: the Diocese of Reno and the Diocese of Las Vegas. The new Diocese of Las Vegas encompassed White Pine, Esmeralda, Nye, Lincoln and Clark counties, with a Catholic population of 250,000. Bishop Walsh was installed as the first Bishop of Las Vegas on June 28, 1995.

And the only thing UGLIER than the outside of their Guardian Angel Cathedral is the inside. And vice versa.