85R21974 CJM-D
By: Herrero H.R. No. 1509
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, St. Anthony School in Robstown is commemorating the
100th anniversary of its founding with a multiclass reunion and
centennial celebration on April 29, 2017; and
WHEREAS, The school was established in 1916 by the Venerable
Mother Julia Navarrete; born in Oaxaca, Mexico, on June 30, 1881,
she organized the Missionary Sisters of the Most Pure Virgin Mary at
the age of 19 and went on to personally found some 45 convents in her
home country; when the Mexican Revolution made it unsafe for the
sisters to practice their religion, she and other members of the
order moved to Kingsville, and she resumed her important work in the
Lone Star State; and
WHEREAS, St. Anthony School initially served 20 students who
were the children of Mexican migrant farmworkers; as the Robstown
community changed over the years, so did the school, which
constructed a new facility in the mid-1960s; by 1997, the school had
expanded to include programs for prekindergarten through eighth
grade; and
WHEREAS, Today St. Anthony School continues to serve a
predominately Hispanic student population; in addition to teaching
the traditional subjects, the school uses computer technology to
enhance learning and to equip students with skills needed to
succeed; with the support of devoted alumni, families, and
teachers, the school remains a source of estimable faith-based
instruction and inspiration; and
WHEREAS, Paying tribute to St. Anthony's rich history, the
centennial celebration and reunion begins with a school carnival
and campus tour; these events are followed with a Mass led by Father
Gerry Sheehan as well as presentations by two special guest
speakers: Sister Maxie Cruz, a nun who tended to Mother Julia
Navarrete during her final days in Toluca, Mexico, and former
St. Anthony Church parish pastor Monsignor Seamus McGowan; and
WHEREAS, For a century, St. Anthony School has provided a
number of young Texans with a strong educational foundation, and it
is indeed deserving of recognition for its invaluable contributions
to the Robstown community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of
St. Anthony School in Robstown and extend to its administrators,
faculty, staff, students, and alumni sincere best wishes for the
future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the school as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.