St. Mary Mission breaks ground for new CCD Hall

St. Mary Mission in Calallen broke ground on the Mother Teresa CCD Hall on Sunday, Nov. 4. The $712,000 hall will be used for meetings, religious education, Vacation Bible School and other Mission events, and is expected to open in 10 months.

“My dear friends, the work we are beginning today should enliven our faith and make us grateful,” Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey said at the ceremony. “We know the familiar words of the psalm: ‘If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor.’ Whenever we look to the interests of our neighbor or the community and serve them, we are, in a sense, God’s own coworkers.”

After celebrating Mass, Bishop Mulvey, along with Msgr. Seamus McGowan and Msgr. Morgan Rowsome, led a procession to the ground-breaking. Members of St. Mary gave time and talent to prepare the grounds and the area for the ground-breaking ceremony.  

The existing hall, which was built in the early days of the Mission established by Msgr. Robert Freeman in 1947 as a Mission of St. Anthony in Robstown, was determined to be beyond repair so it was decided to build a new hall.

“Over the past five years the people have worked very hard to raise the needed money for the project and were blessed with generous grants from the John G and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation, the Pax Christi Sisters and the mother parish, St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles,” Msgr. Rowsome, pastor at St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles said.

The total cost of construction includes parking, lights and moving of portable buildings. The fund-raising events and grants have already yielded about half the cost of construction. A loan was obtained from the Diocesan D & L Fund for the remainder of the cost and will be paid back over five years.

Bishop Mulvey recognized and thanked the founding members of the Mission that were present at the ground-breaking. The bishop said that in the Year of Faith it was wonderful to see the beginning of a building that will be used to keep the Catholic faith alive and to educate people to pass it on to future generations. 

Danny López led all present in singing “This is the Day the Lord has made” and “This is Holy Ground” at the beginning and the end of the gathering.

Msgr. Rowsome extended a special word of thanks to Joe Quitugua and the members of the Mission Advisory Board who “have devoted so much time and energy to raising funds and overseeing the planning of this new hall.” The pastor also thanked the ladies of the Mission for preparing the hall, the meal and the drinks and the youth that served at the Mass and the reception in the hall.

Msgr. McGowan celebrates Mass at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday morning at St. Mary Mission and Pax Christi Sister Susana María Rentería, PCI is in charge of religious education, the youth, altar servers, visiting the sick and other ministries at the Mission.

Architects on the project are Gignac & Associates and the contractor is KJM Commercial Construction of Corpus Christi. The work will start immediately.

“Let us pray for His help, that God will bring all of our efforts in building the Mother Teresa CCD Hall for St. Mary’s Mission to a successful completion and that his protection will keep those who work on it safe from injury,” Bishop Mulvey said.