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Religious Communities of 11'/en in Texas
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Many years after the Order of Friars Minor founded the historic missions of San Antonio, they returned to the City of the Alamo to take charge of San Jose, the Queen of the Missions. Members of the Sacred Heart Province, of St. Louis, came at the invitation of Archbishop Drossaerts in 1931. For nine years prior to the return of the Franciscans, the Mission of San Jose had been entrusted to the Redemptorist Fathers. The Franciscans built a new Friary on a three acre tract of land, east of the old Mission Monastery, which was dedicated on October 24, 1931. Under Father Bonaventure Alerding, O.F.M., former teacher at Quincy College, in Illinois, who was ·appointed Superior of the Community and Pastor of the parish, the sons of the Humble Beggar of Assisi returned to the famous Mission of San Jose built by their Spanish predecessors more than two centuries before. In January, 1932, the Third Order Fraternity was formally established with a small membership. 35 In addition to San Jose Mission, they have charge of St. Joseph's of South San Antonio, and a church in Paris, Texas. Members of the Cincinnati Province have parishes in San Angelo and Sonora; members of the Province of St. Francis and St. James, Jalisco, Mexico, have a parish, various missions, and a monastery in Hebbronville, Texas. Resu1·rection, Fatliers, C.R., r867. After the Civil War Bishop Dubuis induced the Resurrection Fathers, of Paris, France, to come to Texas. The first member of the Congregation to come to Panna Maria was the Reverend Adolph Zaknowski. During his pastorate at this, the oldest Polish settlement in the United States, while in charge of Immaculate Conception parish he built a two-story building intended to serve as a school and a residence for the pastorate, which was dedicated on May 15, 1868. He was succeeded by the Reverend Vincent Barzynski, who was replaced in 1678 by the Reverend Felix Zwiardowski. Under Father Felix, the two-story building was turned over to three Sisters of Divine Providence and a group of local girls for a convent. He built the second church at Panna Maria, which was completed and dedicated in February, 1878. Before coming to Panna Maria he had served in the Polish communities in Texas for several years. On November 1, 1880, Father Zwiardowski left the state after fourteen years of service, and the Panna Maria parish was administered by Fathers Pelczar, Lisicki, Tyskiewicz, and Zwiardowski, who returned to Texas after one year in Chicago. Before the end of the century the Resurrectionists abandoned the Texas mission field. 36 35 Archdiocese of San Antonio, Diamond Jubilee, 1874-1949, pp. 225-226. 36 Archdiocese of San Antonio, Diamond Jubilu, 1874-1949, pp. 73-74.
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