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