Driscoll, twenty-two miles southwest of Corpus Christi at Highway 77, was established in 1904, when the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway built a station south from Robstown on ranchland belonging to Robert Driscoll, Jr. Only 19 years later, in 1923, a small Catholic Church was built to help the growing population to live out their faith.
In this small community – Driscoll has around 650 inhabitants – people are there for one another. And they make things happen: Fundraising, helping, organizing and enjoying each other’s company are vital to St. James Mission Church, as much as Mass celebrated each Sunday at 10 am by Fr. Luke Thriunelliparambil. The mission church now belongs to St. James Parish in Bishop.
This Sunday (June 25) is unique: the mission Church celebrates its 100th anniversary. Bishop Michael Mulvey will celebrate Mass, and afterward, the community will hold a reception with former members who will arrive for this special day: “We have more than 200 people registered,” says Rosie Badilla, Coordinator of Jubilee Celebration.
She put together panels with historical pictures, bearing witness to this small, close-knit community's resilience and level of commitment. The first wooden Church, with a high bell tower, was soon too small, so a new Church was built on a neighboring slot. It was inaugurated in 1969; however, something was missing: “We had a bell, but no bell tower.” Without getting tired, the parishioners continued to raise money until the bell could be rung again – and many of the people of the preparatory committee remember ringing it with a strong rope.
Fundraising continued. When churches started to close in other places, the parishioners in Driscoll dreamed of building a new church – and they made it happen. Belinda and Luis Mendez remember all the endeavors: “Someone had extra turkeys, so we had to butcher them, pluck and clean them and sell them.” The Fall Carnivals with raffles were legendary: “We always collected prizes,” adds Rosie. Not to forget handmade items and home-cooked food. Bands from Robstown came to play live music, and the community came. Luis was born and raised in Driscoll, “my father didn’t go to Church that much, but he sent all his ten children. And he helped with every fundraiser.”
Altogether, they gathered around $480,000. “I don’t know how we did this – but we are a small, determined community,” says Rosie. 2008 the new Church building was inaugurated; the old one now serves for religious education and festivities.
Everyone did their small part. A now 99-year-old woman, a few years ago, colored eggshells and raised almost $400 – an altar cloth was purchased. People sponsored stain-glass windows and pews, but it expresses their sense of belonging: “I don’t want to live anywhere else,” says Rosie, who moved here with her family in 1981.
On Sundays, 50-60 people attend mass and around 100 on special feast days. But if someone passes away, more than 200 show up. Luis remembers that friends and family would dig the graves in the cemetery with shovels – “It’s a tradition.”
Jenny Galvan helps with religious education; she was literally born in Driscoll by a midwife. “I would not move away for a million dollars,” she says. And the Church is the center of their community, even now that everything is changing. “People are busier, both parents work, and many commute to Corpus Christi,” they say. Yet the younger generations still show up in Church and feel connected. “Before their First Communion, the children clean the church to prepare everything for their feast.”