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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Father Harold Rahm is being honored as the inaugural |
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| 6 | 7 | | Segundo Barrio Person of the Year by the Sacred Heart Jesuit Parish |
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| 7 | 8 | | on the occasion of his return visit to El Paso in May 2015; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, A Tyler native, Father Rahm made an indelible |
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| 9 | 10 | | imprint on South El Paso while serving as an assistant pastor at |
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| 10 | 11 | | Sacred Heart Church from 1952 to 1964; the area was beset by poverty |
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| 11 | 12 | | and gang warfare at the time, but he worked tirelessly to improve |
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| 12 | 13 | | conditions and help young people turn away from destructive paths; |
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| 13 | 14 | | and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, Father Rahm established Our Lady's Youth Center and |
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| 15 | 16 | | persuaded gang members to work out their aggression in the boxing |
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| 16 | 17 | | ring instead of the streets; the facility also offered other |
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| 17 | 18 | | sports, as well as music, bands, theater, and free lunches; in |
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| 18 | 19 | | addition, he founded the Guadalupe Employment Office, the Guadalupe |
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| 19 | 20 | | Thrift Store, the Guadalupe Way of Life Homes, the Tepeyac Credit |
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| 20 | 21 | | Union, and Camp Juan Diego, which provided children with |
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| 21 | 22 | | opportunities to swim, play games, and take lessons in arts and |
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| 22 | 23 | | crafts; earning the nickname "the Bicycle Padre," Father Rahm rode |
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| 23 | 24 | | his bike every morning to deliver breakfast to the homes of the |
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| 24 | 25 | | elderly; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, By the time he left for a ministry in Brazil, Father |
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| 26 | 27 | | Rahm had created a strong foundation for further progress, and |
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| 27 | 28 | | parishioners continued his good works and taught younger |
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| 28 | 29 | | generations to follow his example; his legacy lives on through |
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| 29 | 30 | | various nonprofit organizations, including the youth center, now |
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| 30 | 31 | | known as Las Alas, and Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe, which was |
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| 31 | 32 | | started by local mothers as the Father Rahm Information and |
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| 32 | 33 | | Referral Services Center; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Today, a mural on Father Rahm Street depicts this |
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| 34 | 35 | | beloved clergyman on his bicycle, and his image is also included in |
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| 35 | 36 | | a mural at La Fe Health Clinic; although Father Rahm has been |
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| 36 | 37 | | working in Brazil for decades, the impact of his service in El Paso |
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| 37 | 38 | | continues to resonate in that community, and this accolade is |
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| 38 | 39 | | indeed a fitting tribute to his accomplishments; now, therefore, be |
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| 39 | 40 | | it |
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| 40 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 41 | 42 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Father Harold Rahm on his selection |
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| 42 | 43 | | as the Segundo Barrio Person of the Year for 2015 and recognize him |
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| 43 | 44 | | for his enduring contributions to El Paso; and, be it further |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 45 | 46 | | prepared for Father Rahm as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 46 | 47 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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