Our Catl,olic Heritage in Texas
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When the pall of the awful holocaust lifted and life slowly returned to normal, the superintendent of schools fittingly presented the Sisters with a loving cup and the whole city felt grateful for the unselfish aid they had given during the fire and the hard days that followed in every conceivable form. Since that awful tragedy St. Joseph's, the Academy, and the Sisters have been part and parcel of Paris, Texas, and hold a revered place in the heart of the entire community. 45 Da1egMers of Cliarit,, of St.. Vincent de Patel, El Pa.so, 1892. Rev- erend Charles M. Ferrari, S.J. of El Paso, in response to the urgent request of the citizens, succeeded in February, 1892, after repeated efforts, in bringing to the city three Sisters of Charity of the Order of St. Vincent de Paul, the first of this Congregation to exercise their mission of charity in giving comfort to the sick in Texas. The founder of the order in America was Mother Elizabeth Seton, a convert, who adopted the rules of the or<ler of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of France. It was affiliated in 1851 with the French order which dates back to 16:B- Today they have 51 hospitals in Texas alone. 46 Great was the need for a hospital in the old El Paso district, where the Spanish pioneers had founded the first mission and settlement as early as 1662. and where the Christians from New Mexico found refuge in 1680 after the general and widespread revolt of the Pueblos in that distant province. 47 Due to its sunny, dry climate. tuberculosis patients began flocking to El Paso in the eighties. They came from all parts of the country. In the absence of adequate accommodations, many of the newcomers had pitched temporary tents here and there, wherever the spirit moved them. Mount Franklin proved the most popular site. The area in its vicinity had become known as "Tent Town" by 1890. There was urgent need for the gentle ministration of the devoted daughters of St. Vincent de Paul, the great saint who so aptly said "it takes the poor to help the poor." It was not only those who had come long distances at great sacrifice in search of health in Natnre's fresh air and sunshine 45 The account of the fire is based on that made by the Sisters who lived through the tryin~ ordeal and kept in the records of the Con_g'Tegation. Cf. Shelly, ot,. dt. . R2-83. 46 The Golden /11bilee of Seton Hospital [18-19]; "Dau~hters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Texas," MS. in possession of Author. • 7 c. F.. Castaneda. 011r Cnthnlir Ht'dlnf!t' in Tt'xas, I. 250-252.
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