By:  Zaffirini                                   S.R. No. 607
    1-1                           SENATE RESOLUTION
    1-2        WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is proud to
    1-3  recognize the Ursuline Sisters on the 125th anniversary of their
    1-4  ministry in Laredo; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, As the result of a request by Most Reverend
    1-6  C. M. Dubuis, Bishop of Texas, that they establish a school for
    1-7  girls in Laredo, two Ursuline Sisters journeyed to Laredo in 1868
    1-8  to make an Ursuline foundation, accompanied by Don Mariano Gil Garza
    1-9  and Father Neraz; and
   1-10        WHEREAS, The founder, Mother Saint Joseph Aubert, and her
   1-11  companion, Sister Teresa Pereida, arrived in Laredo on
   1-12  May 15, 1868; locating a small house near Saint Augustine Church,
   1-13  they immediately began their ministry of education; and
   1-14        WHEREAS, The Reverend Fathers Neraz and Souchon, together
   1-15  with Mr. Raymond Martin, built a new convent for the Ursulines; the
   1-16  structure was well built and the sisters moved in and set up a
   1-17  boarding and day school for girls; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, On January 23, 1869, four more sisters moved to
   1-19  Laredo; and
   1-20        WHEREAS, The school grew and prospered; as the number of
   1-21  students and sisters grew, additions were made to the building;
   1-22  in the 1880s a clocktower was installed; and
   1-23        WHEREAS, In 1910, the Ursuline Sisters set up a two-room
    2-1  school in Nuevo Laredo that flourished until the Mexican Revolution;
    2-2  during the revolution the sisters offered a home to many religious
    2-3  men and women; whatever the sisters possessed, they shared with
    2-4  others; and
    2-5        WHEREAS, In 1940, the Ursuline Sisters opened a new convent
    2-6  and school after having sold their old property to the United States
    2-7  government; and
    2-8        WHEREAS, By 1984, the convent became too large for the
    2-9  sisters' needs and they sold it to the diocese to be used as
   2-10  a religious retreat; the facility's name was changed to the
   2-11  Holy Spirit Retreat Center; and
   2-12        WHEREAS, Today, the Ursuline Sisters still minister to the
   2-13  needs of the people of Laredo, teaching at Saint Peter's,
   2-14  Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Augustine Elementary, and Laredo
   2-15  Independent School District; new ministries are being opened
   2-16  for the divorced and the poor; the Ursuline Sisters are truly
   2-17  worthy of legislative recognition; now, therefore, be it
   2-18        RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
   2-19  73rd Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the Ursuline Sisters for
   2-20  their 125 years of devoted service to the City of Laredo; and,
   2-21  be it further
   2-22        RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
   2-23  the Ursuline Sisters as an expression of high regard from the
   2-24  Texas Senate.
   2-25                                 _____________________________________
    3-1                                        President of the Senate
    3-2                                      I hereby certify that the
    3-3                                 above Resolution was adopted by
    3-4                                 the Senate on April 14, 1993.
    3-5                                 _____________________________________
    3-6                                        Secretary of the Senate
    3-7                                 _____________________________________
    3-8                                         Member, Texas Senate