Pope Francis has raised the Diocese of Las Vegas to an archdiocese, the Catholic Church announced on Tuesday.

The decision means that Las Vegas joins Los Angeles and San Francisco in having its own metropolitan archbishop in the Western U.S.

Reverend George Leo Thomas will serve as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Las Vegas.

"This speaks to the tremendous growth and vibrancy of the local faith and the commitment of the women and men that serve in leadership including our priests," Thomas said in a news release. "This really is a remarkable legacy and moment in Las Vegas, and for the Catholic Church as a whole."

Thomas will receive a special liturgical vestment blessed by the pope, called the pallium, next month in Rome.

A special Investiture Mass will also be held in Las Vegas this October with Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Holy See's ambassador to the United States.

Las Vegas first became a diocese in 1995. The now-archdiocese says it has a population of 750,000 Catholics.

Under the Catholic Church's hierarchy, an archdiocese, also known as a "Metropolitan See," makes up an ecclesiastic province, along with other dioceses that are called "Suffragan Sees." The archbishop can provide help to the other dioceses as permitted under the church's law.

With Las Vegas elevated to archdiocese, the Dioceses for Reno and Salt Lake City are now considered Suffragan Sees.