| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, St. Anthony School in Robstown is commemorating the |
|
|
100th anniversary of its founding with a multiclass reunion and |
|
|
centennial celebration on April 29, 2017; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The school was established in 1916 by the Venerable |
|
|
Mother Julia Navarrete; born in Oaxaca, Mexico, on June 30, 1881, |
|
|
she organized the Missionary Sisters of the Most Pure Virgin Mary at |
|
|
the age of 19 and went on to personally found some 45 convents in her |
|
|
home country; when the Mexican Revolution made it unsafe for the |
|
|
sisters to practice their religion, she and other members of the |
|
|
order moved to Kingsville, and she resumed her important work in the |
|
|
Lone Star State; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, St. Anthony School initially served 20 students who |
|
|
were the children of Mexican migrant farmworkers; as the Robstown |
|
|
community changed over the years, so did the school, which |
|
|
constructed a new facility in the mid-1960s; by 1997, the school had |
|
|
expanded to include programs for prekindergarten through eighth |
|
|
grade; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Today St. Anthony School continues to serve a |
|
|
predominately Hispanic student population; in addition to teaching |
|
|
the traditional subjects, the school uses computer technology to |
|
|
enhance learning and to equip students with skills needed to |
|
|
succeed; with the support of devoted alumni, families, and |
|
|
teachers, the school remains a source of estimable faith-based |
|
|
instruction and inspiration; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Paying tribute to St. Anthony's rich history, the |
|
|
centennial celebration and reunion begins with a school carnival |
|
|
and campus tour; these events are followed with a Mass led by Father |
|
|
Gerry Sheehan as well as presentations by two special guest |
|
|
speakers: Sister Maxie Cruz, a nun who tended to Mother Julia |
|
|
Navarrete during her final days in Toluca, Mexico, and former |
|
|
St. Anthony Church parish pastor Monsignor Seamus McGowan; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, For a century, St. Anthony School has provided a |
|
|
number of young Texans with a strong educational foundation, and it |
|
|
is indeed deserving of recognition for its invaluable contributions |
|
|
to the Robstown community; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of |
|
|
St. Anthony School in Robstown and extend to its administrators, |
|
|
faculty, staff, students, and alumni sincere best wishes for the |
|
|
future; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for the school as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
|
|
House of Representatives. |