81R6627 CBE-D
By: McClendon H.R. No. 400
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy, born on May 4, 1833, in
Cahirciveen, County Kerry, Ireland, to Jane and Richard Healy,
affected many lives, specifically those of African Americans in
Texas; and
WHEREAS, In 1887, she purchased land at the corner of Live Oak
and Nolan Streets in San Antonio, and the following year, amid
controversy, she constructed her "free school for colored
children," which consisted of a brick church, a clergy house, and a
school building and became the first Catholic church and school for
African Americans in the state; and
WHEREAS, Mother Margaret went on to found the Sisters of the
Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate in 1893, and on her death in 1907,
she left behind a thriving community of 15 sisters and two
postulants in San Antonio and Laredo, as well as in Oaxaca, Mexico;
and
WHEREAS, Under the direction of Sister Superior Mary
Evangelist Jennings in 1909, some 27 new members joined, and
schools for African American students opened in Dallas, West San
Antonio, Mobile, Alabama, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Pascagoula,
Mississippi; in addition, schools for Mexican and rural white
students opened in Longview, Charlotte, Gonzales, and San Antonio,
as well as in Tabasco, Mexico; and
WHEREAS, With these expansions, the Sisters became
associated with the Josephite Fathers and Brothers in Baltimore,
Maryland, a congregation whose main focus was to minister to the
African American people, and they began to administer St. Peter
Claver Mission in San Antonio and serve locations throughout the
South and in Africa; moreover, they purchased land on the east side
of San Antonio, where a new motherhouse was constructed at 301 Yucca
Street; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary
Immaculate, guided by their belief in the power of the Holy Spirit
and their love for Mary, continue their work of simple,
compassionate caring in a variety of ministries; they are nurses,
aides, and hospital chaplains, caring for and bringing communion to
the sick and elderly; they visit families, engage in parish
ministry, and advise the needy and poor on neighborhood
improvements; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and
Mary Immaculate for their commitment to the poor and oppressed in
the United States, Mexico, and Zambia, Africa; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate as
an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.