R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, The year 1997 marks an important milestone for the
1-2 community of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Laredo, as
1-3 it marks the parish's 100th year of existence, and in reflecting on
1-4 the rich history of the church, its parishioners have, no doubt,
1-5 rejuvenated and strengthened their own faith; and
1-6 WHEREAS, In March 1897, as the population of Laredo
1-7 experienced a tremendous growth spurt due to the burgeoning
1-8 railroad industry and the increased activity at Fort McIntosh,
1-9 several members of the Catholic community, among them Daniel Milmo,
1-10 Quintin Villegas, Juan Benavides, Thomas Ryan, P. J. McMahon, and
1-11 Albert Urbahn, approached Bishop Peter M. Verdaguer, Vicar
1-12 Apostolic of the Brownsville Vicariate, requesting that a second
1-13 Catholic Church be constructed in order to care for the needs of
1-14 the English-speaking people of Laredo; and
1-15 WHEREAS, After receiving approval from Bishop Verdaguer,
1-16 construction was begun on the Gothic church by German craftsman
1-17 Heinrich Portscheller, under the direction of Father Beautgen; on
1-18 October 7 of that same year, Bishop Verdaguer, having named the
1-19 church after his patron, St. Peter the Apostle, blessed the
1-20 building's cornerstone in which was placed a document commemorating
1-21 the event as well as copies of the Laredo Times, the San Antonio
1-22 Express, and the Southern Messenger and many relics and rare coins;
1-23 and
1-24 WHEREAS, Because of ill health Father Beautgen was unable to
2-1 serve as pastor, and the project was turned over to Father Edward
2-2 Russell Chase, who saw the construction until completion and went
2-3 on to serve as the fledgling parish's first pastor; and
2-4 WHEREAS, During the next several months, the parishioners of
2-5 St. Peter's watched the building of their future church; eager to
2-6 serve the 200 families of his congregation, Father Chase quickly
2-7 assured the installation of interior furnishings, including wooden
2-8 pews from Michigan, long-leaf yellow pine floors from the Texas
2-9 Hill Country, the marble baptismal font from Mexico City, a Farrand
2-10 and Votey organ from San Antonio, and the pride of the church, a
2-11 spectacular three-part Gothic altar hand-crafted by Anton
2-12 Deschermeier of San Antonio; and
2-13 WHEREAS, On January 9, 1898, St. Peter the Apostle Catholic
2-14 Church officially opened and was dedicated on January 13 amid much
2-15 pomp and circumstance; the church was described as "an imposing
2-16 structure surmounted by three gilded crosses visible from all parts
2-17 of the city"; and
2-18 WHEREAS, Seven years after its dedication, on Friday, April
2-19 28, 1905, a destructive tornado swept through the southwestern
2-20 sector of the city and destroyed the spire of the church; only a
2-21 section of the steeple was rebuilt and that is now still present;
2-22 and
2-23 WHEREAS, With the exception of the addition of stained glass
2-24 windows in 1907 and 1919, the church saw few physical changes until
2-25 November 1952, when, under its new pastor, Father John Lanning, a
2-26 new marble altar depicting the Last Supper and new communion rails
2-27 were installed; and
3-1 WHEREAS, In 1947, during the pastorate of the Most Reverend
3-2 Mariano Garriga, then Co-Adjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Corpus
3-3 Christi, St. Peter's Memorial School was established, thereby
3-4 allowing the parish children the opportunity to attend a Catholic
3-5 school in their neighborhood; and
3-6 WHEREAS, In 1994, through the efforts of its pastor, Father
3-7 Donald Critchlow and several parishioners, the Texas Historical
3-8 Commission recognized the historical contributions made by the
3-9 parish by awarding the church a historical marker designating St.
3-10 Peter the Apostle Catholic Church an official state historical
3-11 site; and
3-12 WHEREAS, Throughout its 100 years of existence, St. Peter's
3-13 has had the unique distinction of having had a Bishop as its
3-14 Pastor, of witnessing the administration of the Sacrament of Holy
3-15 Orders to those with a vocation to serve the Lord in religious
3-16 life, and of meeting the day-to-day spiritual needs of its
3-17 faithful--from baptism to entrance into eternal life; and
3-18 WHEREAS, In the midst of its joys and tribulations,
3-19 disappointments and triumphs, the force behind its survival has
3-20 been the courage of its parishioners, who with love and devotion
3-21 have dedicated themselves to the preservation of one of Laredo's
3-22 most important religious and historical treasures; and
3-23 WHEREAS, St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church stands today
3-24 as a stirring testament to the many hands and hearts that have
3-25 endeavored to keep it strong through the past century, and as such
3-26 is truly deserving of praise and recognition; now, therefore, be it
3-27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas
4-1 Legislature hereby honor St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in
4-2 Laredo on the occasion of its 100th anniversary and extend to its
4-3 pastor, Father Donald Critchlow, and its parishioners sincere best
4-4 wishes for continued success, blessings, and happiness in the years
4-5 to come; and, be it further
4-6 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
4-7 prepared for St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church as an expression
4-8 of the highest regard by the Texas House of Representatives.
Cuellar
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1388 was adopted by the House on June
2, 1997, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House