1-1                                     1                                  
 1-2                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 235
 1-3           WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to join
 1-4     the citizens of San Antonio in recognizing San Fernando Cathedral,
 1-5     America's oldest continuous parish; and
 1-6           WHEREAS, Located on the west side of La Plaza de las Islas
 1-7     in San Antonio, San Fernando Cathedral is a large and busy parish
 1-8     church which embodies the soul of the city; approximately 900
 1-9     baptisms, 70 funerals, and 100 marriages are performed at the
1-10     church annually, and many of the services are conducted in Spanish;
1-11     and
1-12           WHEREAS, The cathedral had its beginnings in 1731 when the
1-13     earliest Spanish families arrived in San Antonio from the
1-14     Canary Islands; they began construction of a church and laid the
1-15     cornerstone in 1738; the building was ready to receive worshipers
1-16     in 1749; and
1-17           WHEREAS, The church was completed in 1755, and the original
1-18     walls still stand, forming what is now the sanctuary of the
1-19     present church and constituting the oldest standing structure in
1-20     the City of San Antonio; and
1-21           WHEREAS, Named in honor of Ferdinand III, King of Castile,
 2-1     who died in 1252, the cathedral has been the site of numerous
 2-2     historical events, such as the wedding of James Bowie and
 2-3     Ursula de Veramendi; in 1836, Santa Anna's troops camped on the
 2-4     cathedral grounds, and many years after the Battle of the Alamo,
 2-5     ashes of the Alamo's Texas heroes were placed in a marble crypt
 2-6     inside the church; and
 2-7           WHEREAS, In 1868, renovation of the church began, and a
 2-8     gabled roof and twin towers were added; with the formation of
 2-9     the Diocese of San Antonio in 1874, the church was designated a
2-10     cathedral, and during the mid-1970s, another major restoration
2-11     took place; further repairs were made in preparation for the 1987
2-12     visit by Pope John Paul II; and
2-13           WHEREAS, A magnificent edifice with beautiful furnishings,
2-14     San Fernando Cathedral has endured as the spiritual center of
2-15     San Antonio, and over 4,000 citizens participate in weekend
2-16     Masses each week of the year; now, therefore, be it
2-17           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
2-18     77th Legislature, hereby  extend appreciation for the
2-19     contributions of San Fernando Cathedral to the citizens of
2-20     San Antonio and to our state and admiration for the cathedral's
2-21     beauty, classic simplicity, and ongoing traditions; and, be it
2-22     further
2-23           RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
2-24     the cathedral as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate.
 3-1                                                    Van de Putte
 3-2           Armbrister           Gallegos            Ogden
 3-3           Barrientos           Harris              Shapiro
 3-4           Bernsen              Haywood             Shapleigh
 3-5           Bivins               Jackson             Sibley
 3-6           Brown                Lindsay             Staples
 3-7           Cain                 Lucio               Truan
 3-8           Carona               Madla               Wentworth
 3-9           Duncan               Moncrief            West
3-10           Ellis                Nelson              Whitmire
3-11           Fraser                                   Zaffirini
3-12                      Ratliff, President of the Senate
3-13                                  ______________________________________
3-14                                          President of the Senate
3-15                                       I hereby certify that the above
3-16                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate
3-17                                  on February 14, 2001.
3-18                                  ______________________________________
3-19                                          Secretary of the Senate
3-20                                  ______________________________________
3-21                                           Member, Texas Senate