Our Catleolic Heritage in Tc:xtls
the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Their efforts were crowned with success. The Most Reverend Archbishop A. J. Drossaerts, of San Antonio, sol- emnly blessed the building of the new school on September 26, 1926. The success of the Claretians in San Antonio and its vicinity ha<l induced Bishop Forest to request from the Father Provincial in Mexico more Fathers in 1905, to take charge of the church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in San Marcos and its missions. Provincial Father Prat named Father C. F. Sugranes, C.M.F., pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in San Marcos that year, with Father Luis M. Galarza, C.M.F., and Brother Jose Hormaechea as assistants. The small community in San Marcos was soon joined by Father Medardo Brulla, C.M.F. They imme- diately took up their labors in a rented house, but by 1907, they had built a small rectory next to the chapel. Both the chapel and the rectory proved inadequate for the needs of the rapidly expanding parish. Plans were made, therefore, to build a more spacious church and rectory. Before the Fathers were ready to build, however, a fire of undetermined origin de- stroyed the rectory and forced them to accelerate the carrying out of their plans. Work was begun on a new church and rectory on July 27, and by dint of great exertions the new church, rectory, and school were com- pleted by December, 1915. The new church was a fine building of reel i:rick, with a spacious rectory and school rooms adjoining. From its loca- tion on top of a hill it dominates the whole city. Bishop Shaw blessed the church and building on December 26, 1915. The ceremony was attended by the Most Reverend Jose Moray Del Rio, Archbishop of Mexico, and by the Bishop of Chiapas, refugees in Texas at the time. The church was named St. John Evangelist by the Most Reverend John A. Shaw, Bishop c,f San Antonio, who donated a beautiful statue of the patron saint for the chapel on the occasion of its dedication. The new parish church became the center of a large mission area. By 1924, it had under its care the missions of Martindale, Kyle and Vasquez. Today the Claretian Fathers have parishes in San Antonio, San Marcos and Fort Worth. 63 Paulist Fatleers, C.S.P., 1908. The Very Reverend George M. Searle, C.S.P., Superior General of the Paulist Fathers, wrote Bishop Gallagher cf Galveston that he had. long been considering the establishment of a foundation in the Southwest, preferably in Texas, in the city of Austin. The Paulist Fathers, an American Order, founded for the purpose of 63Summary based on Carlos E. Castaneda, "Hace Cincuenta Anos, in I.a Esperanza, Ano XXIV, Nos. I4, IS, r6, 17 (April, r953).
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