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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The year 2007 marks the 100th anniversary of Saint |
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Joseph Catholic Church in Rowena, and this noteworthy occasion |
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provides a welcome opportunity to reflect on the church's rich |
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history; and |
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WHEREAS, An enduring center of community life, the church |
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dates back to the early 1900s, when a wave of new residents, many of |
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them Catholic farmers of German and Czech heritage, arrived in the |
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area; in the fall of 1907, construction of the initial Saint Joseph |
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Catholic Church building was completed, and the first mass was |
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celebrated on November 20 of that year; in 1924, that church was |
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replaced by an impressive Gothic structure, which continues to |
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serve the membership today; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the decades, Saint Joseph's has been a |
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reassuring presence for area citizens as they faced the challenges |
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and opportunities of their times; through the tumultuous years of |
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the Great Depression and World War II and again during the extreme |
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drought that seized the area in the 1950s, the church helped unite |
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the community and provided vital solace and support; and |
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WHEREAS, From 1916 until the mid-1970s, the Saint Joseph |
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school provided a Catholic education for young people in the Rowena |
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area; other parish organizations have also flourished, including |
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the Bishop Forrest Council of the Knights of Columbus, Saint Ann's |
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Altar Society, Catholic Daughters of the Americas, and the KJT and |
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KJZT men's and women's fraternal organizations; and |
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WHEREAS, Rowena has undergone many changes in the past 100 |
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years, but Saint Joseph Catholic Church has remained a constant in |
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the lives of its congregants since its founding, and it stands today |
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as a testament to the faith and dedication of its members, both past |
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and present; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby congratulate Saint Joseph Catholic Church on its centennial |
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and extend to its parishioners best wishes for the future; and, be |
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it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the church as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives and Senate. |