Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
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other great field, education, has previously been discussed. There are many other activities in social welfare work in which they have taken a major role, but it will not be possible to exhaust the subject in the remainder of this chapter. Only a few of the most important activities will be briefly sketched. Probably the first home for the care of orphan children in the State is St. Peter's and St. Joseph's Home in San Antonio. originally founded by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in connection with Santa Rosa Hospital. The great fire of October 30, 1912 destroyed the boys orphanage, five Sisters were burned. and three boys lost their lives. The generous response to the call for help through our State and the liberality of Peter Kuntz in particular. enabled the Sisters to rebuild the orphanage now called St. Peter to honor the donor. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word deeded the two orphanages-the boys• and the girls'- to Bishop John W. Shaw shortly afterwards, and they became a diocesan institution with the Sisters still in charge. Archbishop Arthur J. Dros- saerts joined the two by having a new building erected at St. Peter's on Mission Road, which was dedicated on November 24, 19:29 and left in charge of the Sisters. The orphanage became a member agency of the Community Chest of San Antonio. The Chest helps with the operating expenses, and the institution and the Archdiocese, aided by generous benefactors, keeps up improvements. 71 Equally important is the work of the Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Poor whose main purpose is to help poor, underprivileged children. Founded in Mexico in 1885 by Fray Jose Maria Yermony Parres, who was deeply moved by the sight of hogs devouring the body of a poor child, the Sisters first came to Texas in 1907. They confine their work to the care of orphans and underprivileged girls. They founded the Sacred Heart Orphans Home in Laredo early in 1907. The Mother Su- perior of their first establishment was Maria Josefina Rivera Rosas. They next answered a call from El Paso, where they went in 1919 to take charge of the Guadalupano Day Nursery. Eight Sisters accompanied Mother Paz de Quevedo, who were put in charge of the Nursery by Bishop Anthony J. Schuler. The Guadalupano Nursery was originally founded by a group of charitable Mexican ladies in El Paso to help poor children whose parents had to leave them unattended while at work. The next year, on February IO, 1920, Mother Paz founded Sacred
71 Archdiocese of San Antonio, Diamond /11bilee, 125-126.
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