CHAPTER XI
THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HISTORICAL COMMISSION*
One of the outstanding accomplishments of the Texas Knights of Columb.us, and which is one of the much coveted "firsts" in the history of the entire Order, is the sponsorship and publication of a history of the Church, which has appeared in se,·en volumes, and bears the general title Oter Catholic JIeritage in T ezas. * Perhaps but few States of the Union have so rich and an exciting past as that of the Lone Star State. The still existing missions of San Antonio, and that of the presidio chapel of La Bahia at Goliad are but the remnants of more than sixty missions which once flourished within the present borders of the State. With a strong spirit of Faith and sacrifice, and with deft hands, the friars came to Texas. They civilized and converted the savage Indian tribes, and taught them also manual trades so that the once inhabitants of the empty wilderness learned to build mission churches, dwellings, and shops with expertness and beauty. These missions became important centers through the efforts of the Crown of Spain and of the Church. The Texans were and are known as tellers of tall tales about Texas, but the glory of the mission period was one which even every seeming exaggeration could not adequately describe. There were many Texas Knights who beholding the ruins of the missions, and eager to preserve those which still were in existence, expressed the thought that the Cath- olics of Texas should be made aware of the glorious past of the Church. At the State Convention of 1922 at Yoakum a resolution was introduced by the Galveston Council stating that "Whereas, there are in various parts of the State very ancient historical places connected with the intro- duction and establishment of the Catholic Faith in Texas, and in this connection as has been suggested by our Rt. Rev. Bishop C. E. Byrne that some effort should be made to commemorate and perpetuate the events that occurred in tho~e places, which can be readily designated by / *This chapter, written by J\!ons_ignor -~ ~~la,~ Oberste, V.G., is Chapter VIII in his book, Knights of Columbus i,i Texas, 1902-1952, is reproduced here as Chapter XI with the permi..slon of the author and of the Texas State Council of the Knights of Columbus. For obvious reasons the Historiographer prefers to u~e this masterful account of the Texas Knights of Columbus Historical CommiMion :ind his work in connection with it. [4551
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