By Cuellar H.R. No. 1388
Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
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,
1-3 Texas, as it marks the parish's 100th year of existence, and in
1-4 reflecting on the rich history of the church they have, no doubt,
1-5 rejuvenated and strengthened their own faith; and
1-6 WHEREAS, In March 1897, as the population of Laredo, Texas
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
2-1 Express, the Southern Messenger and many relics and rare coins; and
2-2 WHEREAS, Because of ill health Father Beautgen was unable to
2-3 serve as pastor, the project was turned over to Father Edward
2-4 Russell Chase, who saw the construction until completion and went
2-5 on to serve as the fledgling parish's first pastor; and
2-6 WHEREAS, During the next several months, the parishioners of
2-7 St. Peter's watched the building of their future church; eager to
2-8 serve the two hundred families of his congregation, Fr. Chase
2-9 quickly assured the installation of interior furnishings, including
2-10 wooden pews from Michigan, long-leaf yellow pine floors from the
2-11 Texas Hill Country, the marble baptismal font from Mexico City, a
2-12 Farrand and Votey organ from San Antonio, and the pride of the
2-13 church, a spectacular three-part Gothic altar hand crafted by Anton
2-14 Deschermeier of San Antonio; and
2-15 WHEREAS, On January 9, 1898, St. Peter the Apostle Catholic
2-16 Church officially opened and was dedicated on January 13th amid
2-17 much pomp and circumstance; the church was described as "an
2-18 imposing structure surmounted by three gilded crosses visible from
2-19 all parts of the city"; and
2-20 WHEREAS, Seven years after its dedication, on Friday, April
2-21 28, 1905, a destructive tornado swept through the southwestern
2-22 sector of the city and destroyed the spire of the church; only a
2-23 section of the steeple was rebuilt and that is now still present;
2-24 and
2-25 WHEREAS, With the exception of the addition of stained glass
3-1 windows in 1907 and 1919, the church saw few physical changes until
3-2 November, 1952, when, under its new pastor, Father John Lanning, a
3-3 new marble altar depicting the Last Supper and new communion rails
3-4 were installed; and
3-5 WHEREAS, In 1947, during the pastorate of the Most Reverend
3-6 Mariano Garriga, then Co-Adjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Corpus
3-7 Christi, St. Peter's Memorial School was established, thereby
3-8 allowing the parish children the opportunity to attend a Catholic
3-9 school in their neighborhood; and
3-10 WHEREAS, In 1994, through the efforts of its pastor, Fr.
3-11 Donald Critchlow and several parishioners, the Texas Historical
3-12 Commission recognized the historical contributions made by the
3-13 parish by awarding the church a historical marker designating St.
3-14 Peter the Apostle Catholic Church an official state historical
3-15 site; and
3-16 WHEREAS, Throughout its 100 years of existence, St. Peter's
3-17 has had the unique distinction of having had a Bishop as its
3-18 Pastor, of witnessing the administration of the Sacrament of Holy
3-19 Orders to those with a vocation to serve the Lord in religious
3-20 life, and of meeting the day-to-day spiritual needs of its
3-21 faithful--from baptism to entrance into eternal life; and
3-22 WHEREAS, In the midst of its joys and tribulations,
3-23 disappointments and triumphs, the force behind its survival has
3-24 been the courage of its parishioners who with love and devotion
3-25 have dedicated themselves to the preservation of one of Laredo's
4-1 most important religious and historical treasures;
4-2 WHEREAS, St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, stands today
4-3 as a stirring testament to the many hands and hearts that have
4-4 endeavored to keep it strong through the past century, and as such
4-5 is truly deserving of praise and recognition; now, therefore be it
4-6 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas
4-7 Legislature hereby honor St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in
4-8 Laredo, Texas, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary and extend
4-9 to its pastor, Father Donald Critchlow and its parishioners sincere
4-10 best wishes for continued success, blessings and happiness in the
4-11 years to come; and be it further
4-12 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
4-13 prepared for St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church as an expression
4-14 of the highest regard by the Texas House of Representatives.