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| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, The members of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church |
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| 8 | 9 | | in Fort Worth are celebrating the 95th anniversary of their |
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| 9 | 10 | | church's founding on January 19, 2025; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, In January 1929, Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church |
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| 11 | 12 | | was established by Father Narcissus Denis of the Josephite Fathers; |
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| 12 | 13 | | masses were initially held in a private residence, and parishioners |
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| 13 | 14 | | eventually began gathering in a chapel that was converted from an |
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| 14 | 15 | | old drugstore; later that year, a new facility was built, and by |
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| 15 | 16 | | 1935, the parish had grown to a membership of 150; the church served |
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| 16 | 17 | | as the first Catholic school for African American children in Fort |
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| 17 | 18 | | Worth and as a community center for Black Catholics in the area, and |
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| 18 | 19 | | in 1941 it opened the St. Veronica's mission in the city's Lake Como |
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| 19 | 20 | | area; in 1952, Our Mother of Mercy moved to its permanent location |
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| 20 | 21 | | on East Terrell Avenue; after serving for nearly eight decades, the |
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| 21 | 22 | | Josephite Fathers were later succeeded by the Society of the Divine |
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| 22 | 23 | | Word; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Known as the only African American Catholic Church |
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| 24 | 25 | | in Tarrant County and in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, Our |
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| 25 | 26 | | Mother of Mercy is home to a multiethnic congregation, and it has |
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| 26 | 27 | | produced leaders in a number of fields, both locally and |
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| 27 | 28 | | nationally; moreover, it was designated as the principal church for |
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| 28 | 29 | | the 2015-2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy, and over the years, its members |
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| 29 | 30 | | have established a variety of commendable programs, including |
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| 30 | 31 | | music, youth, bereavement, and guardian ministries, services for |
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| 31 | 32 | | those who are homebound or ill, and the Society of St. Vincent |
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| 32 | 33 | | DePaul, which provides emergency aid to the community; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Countless Fort Worth residents have looked to Our |
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| 34 | 35 | | Mother of Mercy Catholic Church for spiritual guidance over the |
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| 35 | 36 | | years, and it is a pleasure to join in honoring the parish at this |
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| 36 | 37 | | special time in its rich history; now, therefore, be it |
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| 37 | 38 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 38 | 39 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 95th anniversary of Our Mother |
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| 39 | 40 | | of Mercy Catholic Church and extend to its members sincere best |
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| 40 | 41 | | wishes for the future. |
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