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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, A life made rich through meaningful service drew to |
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| 6 | 7 | | a close with the passing of the Most Reverend Raymundo J. Peña, |
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| 7 | 8 | | bishop emeritus of the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, on |
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| 8 | 9 | | September 24, 2021, at the age of 87; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, The son of Cosme and Elisa Peña, Raymundo Peña was |
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| 10 | 11 | | born in Corpus Christi on February 19, 1934, and he grew up in |
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| 11 | 12 | | Robstown; answering his call to the priesthood, he entered the |
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| 12 | 13 | | St. John's and Assumption Seminaries in San Antonio and was |
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| 13 | 14 | | ordained on May 25, 1957, at the Corpus Christi Cathedral; he served |
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| 14 | 15 | | in parish posts as a diocesan youth director and as editor of the |
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| 15 | 16 | | Texas Gulf Coast Catholic; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Ordained as a bishop in 1976, this esteemed |
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| 17 | 18 | | clergyman was named the auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San |
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| 18 | 19 | | Antonio that same year and also served as administrator; in 1980, he |
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| 19 | 20 | | embarked on a 15-year tenure as bishop for the Catholic Diocese of |
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| 20 | 21 | | El Paso; among his many accomplishments, he founded the Progress: |
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| 21 | 22 | | Catholic Ministry Appeal and the Rio Grande Catholic, the official |
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| 22 | 23 | | newspaper of the El Paso diocese; he also helped develop the Tepeyac |
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| 23 | 24 | | Institute, which offers training for church ministry; and |
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| 24 | 25 | | WHEREAS, In 1995, the Most Reverend Peña was appointed bishop |
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| 25 | 26 | | of the Brownsville diocese; nearly a decade and a half later, in |
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| 26 | 27 | | 2009, he retired as the longest-serving active Hispanic bishop in |
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| 27 | 28 | | the U.S.; an admired leader in the Catholic church, he chaired |
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| 28 | 29 | | committees that focused on the concerns of Hispanics in the United |
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| 29 | 30 | | States and Latin America, and he was a synod father for the Special |
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| 30 | 31 | | Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops; he also tirelessly |
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| 31 | 32 | | advocated for the rights of immigrants and strove to promote unity |
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| 32 | 33 | | along the border between Mexico and the U.S.; during his years in |
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| 33 | 34 | | the ministry, he faithfully practiced his motto of "Haz todo con |
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| 34 | 35 | | amor," which means "Let all that you do be done in love"; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, Though it is impossible to gauge the full effect of |
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| 36 | 37 | | one person's life, some individuals leave their unmistakable mark |
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| 37 | 38 | | on the world as they move through it, and Raymundo Peña's record of |
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| 38 | 39 | | good works will continue to resonate for years to come; now, |
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| 39 | 40 | | therefore, be it |
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| 40 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 41 | 42 | | Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory |
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| 42 | 43 | | of the Most Reverend Raymundo J. Peña and extend heartfelt sympathy |
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| 43 | 44 | | to his loved ones and friends; 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 the Catholic Archives of Texas and that when the Texas |
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| 46 | 47 | | House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of |
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| 47 | 48 | | the Most Reverend Raymundo Peña. |
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