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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Section 231 of the appropriations bill passed by the |
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U.S. Congress on February 14, 2019, prohibits the use of funds made |
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available through that act or prior acts for the construction of a |
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barrier through La Lomita Historical Park in Mission; and |
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WHEREAS, A religious center for more than 150 years, La |
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Lomita was visited frequently in the mid-19th century by the |
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Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who traveled the Rio Grande |
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Valley to perform baptisms, marriage ceremonies, and other rites |
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for remote communities; the land's owner, a devout Catholic, |
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welcomed the construction of a chapel in 1865 and bequeathed his |
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ranch to the Oblate Fathers; a town grew up around the chapel, and |
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when the city of Mission was founded in 1908, its name was chosen to |
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honor the religious settlement; and |
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WHEREAS, After the original church building was destroyed in |
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a flood, dedicated parishioners replaced it; the present-day chapel |
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dates to the early 20th century, and in 1964, it was recorded as an |
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Official Texas Historic Landmark; recognizing the central role of |
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Catholic missions in the settlement of the region, the entire La |
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Lomita Historic District is listed in the National Register of |
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Historic Places; and |
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WHEREAS, Lovingly restored through the years, La Lomita |
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Chapel continues to serve as a shrine owned by the Catholic Diocese |
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of Brownsville; parishioners, area residents, and visitors were |
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therefore deeply dismayed by the federal government's proposal to |
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build a massive border wall through La Lomita Park; the diocese |
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deems such a barrier inconsistent with Catholic teachings, and |
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while disturbing the sanctity of the site, it would also cut the |
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chapel off from the community, leaving it isolated between the wall |
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and the Rio Grande; were the government to assert eminent domain to |
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seize the land, it would violate both the First Amendment right to |
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free exercise of religion and the provisions of the Religious |
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Freedom Restoration Act; and |
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WHEREAS, Countless Texans have practiced their faith at La |
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Lomita Chapel over the course of its long history, and Congress |
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demonstrated its abiding respect for religious freedom by |
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prohibiting the use of funds for the construction of a barrier |
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through the surrounding park; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the president of the United States and the |
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United States Congress to continue to protect La Lomita Historical |
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Park; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |