The Dawn of a New Era
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3,000 to 4,000 in San Antonio, without including the so-called "Muldoon Catholics," they totalled more than 6,ooo. 7 Scattered over a vast area, these Catholics had been sadly neglected but not left entirely without guidance. In the early '2o's Fathers Francisco lVIaynes and Jose Antonio Valdez had worked in East Texas. Father Michael Muldoon had ministered to Austin's colonies in 1831- 1832; Father Miguel Muro had continued his apostolic labors in Refugio, Goliad, and San Patricio until 1833; and Father Antonio Diaz de Leon had persevered in his missionary endeavors in Nacogdoches, Liberty, and San Augustine until the day of his tragic death in November, 1834. "It was my good fortune," wrote Linn, "to meet the last remaining two of this pious band of devoted men in Texas, Father Diaz and Father Muro." 8 That the observance of the precepts of the Church was lax no one denies. As early as 1808 Zebulon M. Pike, in passing through Texas on his way back from Chihuahua, observed that Texas was Catholic but much relaxed. The "Anglo-American settlers' brand of Catholicism," writes a more recent historian, "was even more relaxed." 9 Such a state of affairs was inevitable under the circumstances. The Diocese of Monterrey, under whose jurisdiction Texas then was, lacked episcopal leadership from 1821 to 1832. Jose· Leon Lobo, the administrator of the Diocese, did everything in his power to provide for the spiritual ministration of the settlers, but he was seriously handi- capped by the scarcity of priests in general and of English-speaking clergymen in particularly. Although Jose Maria de Jesus Belaunzaran y Urefia was installed as Bishop in 1832, he was forced to flee because of religious persecution before he could do anything for his fast growing flock in Texas. Thus, on the eve of the struggle for independence the Catholics in Texas were again left without a shepherd, and the last missionary among the settlers was martyred in East Texas. Religiotts intolerance. In view of the facts just summarized, the charges of religious intolerance in the Declaration of Independence is amazing. No real foundation existed for the charges that every interest had been disregarded by Mexico in Texas "but that of the army and the priesthood," or that the only alternative left the settlers had been 7 Linn, op. cit., 283. For estimates of the population and its composition, see Samuel Hannan Lowrie, Culture Conflict in Texas, 1821-1835, pp. 31-38, 52-59, I 32-140. 8 Linn, op. cit., 58; Castaneda, op. cit., V:ol. VI, Chapter XI. 9 William R. Hogan, The Texas Rep11blic, A Social and Economic Histor31, 191.
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