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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The members of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church |
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in Fort Worth are celebrating the 95th anniversary of their |
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church's founding on January 19, 2025; and |
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WHEREAS, In January 1929, Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church |
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was established by Father Narcissus Denis of the Josephite Fathers; |
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masses were initially held in a private residence, and parishioners |
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eventually began gathering in a chapel that was converted from an |
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old drugstore; later that year, a new facility was built, and by |
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1935, the parish had grown to a membership of 150; the church served |
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as the first Catholic school for African American children in Fort |
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Worth and as a community center for Black Catholics in the area, and |
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in 1941 it opened the St. Veronica's mission in the city's Lake Como |
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area; in 1952, Our Mother of Mercy moved to its permanent location |
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on East Terrell Avenue; after serving for nearly eight decades, the |
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Josephite Fathers were later succeeded by the Society of the Divine |
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Word; and |
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WHEREAS, Known as the only African American Catholic Church |
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in Tarrant County and in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, Our |
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Mother of Mercy is home to a multiethnic congregation, and it has |
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produced leaders in a number of fields, both locally and |
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nationally; moreover, it was designated as the principal church for |
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the 2015-2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy, and over the years, its members |
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have established a variety of commendable programs, including |
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music, youth, bereavement, and guardian ministries, services for |
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those who are homebound or ill, and the Society of St. Vincent |
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DePaul, which provides emergency aid to the community; and |
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WHEREAS, Countless Fort Worth residents have looked to Our |
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Mother of Mercy Catholic Church for spiritual guidance over the |
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years, and it is a pleasure to join in honoring the parish at this |
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special time in its rich history; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 95th anniversary of Our Mother |
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of Mercy Catholic Church and extend to its members sincere best |
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wishes for the future. |
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Collier |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 81 was adopted by the House on March |
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13, 2025, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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