85R7483 BK-D
By: Arévalo H.R. No. 101
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Archbishop Emeritus Patricio Fernandez Flores of
San Antonio passed away on January 9, 2017, at the age of 87,
leaving behind an exceptional record as a pioneering leader in the
church and as a champion for social justice; and
WHEREAS, Born on July 26, 1929, in Ganado to Patricio Flores
and Trinidad Fernandez de Flores, Archbishop Flores grew up in
Pearland; in his teens, he joined the fight for education equality
by organizing community fund-raisers, which eventually helped
secure the legal victory that allowed Mexican American children to
attend the local public school; and
WHEREAS, Ordained to the priesthood on May 26, 1956, Patricio
Flores spent the early years of his career in Houston, where he
served as assistant pastor of Holy Name Parish, as pastor of
Guardian Angel Parish, and as pastor of St. Joseph-St. Stephen
Parish; in 1970, he was consecrated as the first Mexican American
bishop in the United States; eight years later, he began a brief
tenure as prelate of the Diocese of El Paso, and in 1979 he was
appointed archbishop of San Antonio; and
WHEREAS, Presiding over the Archdiocese of San Antonio for
more than two decades, Archbishop Flores dedicated much of his
energies to issues affecting indigent women and children, the
elderly, and the infirm, and he remained a fervent advocate for the
rights of farmworkers; in 1987, he had the honor of welcoming Pope
John Paul II to the San Antonio Archdiocese, where the pontiff
celebrated a mass that was attended by some 330,000 people; and
WHEREAS, A member of the Migration and Refugee Services
Department of the U.S. Catholic Conference, Archbishop Flores also
chaired the Church in Latin America Committee of the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Texas Advisory Committee to
the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; he took pride in his heritage
and encouraged other Latinos to become agents of change in their
communities; in 1986, he received the Hispanic Heritage Award for
leadership; and
WHEREAS, Profoundly devoted to his faith and to the cause of
social justice, Archbishop Patricio Flores touched the lives of
countless individuals in ways beyond measure, and his
compassionate, selfless service to the world will be remembered far
and wide with deepest appreciation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Archbishop Patricio
Fernandez Flores and extend deepest sympathy to all those who mourn
his passing; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Archbishop
Patricio Flores.