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Sacred Heart in Falfurrias steeped deep in history
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October 31, 2014
Lourdes Trevino-Cantu (left) and Lucy Trevino pose with their 104-year-old mother, Maria L. Trevino who was four-years-old when the parish was founded.
Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic
Sacred Heart Parish in Falfurrias wrapped up its centennial celebrations in October marking the parish's 100-years of serving the local Catholic community. Bishop Michael Mulvey celebrated Mass with parishioners, followed by a lunch banquet in the parish hall on Sept. 21. The last big celebration was held on Oct. 25, an alumni reunion dinner of Sacred Heart's Catholic school, which closed in 1965.
"There is a tremendous amount of history at this parish," said Father Matthew Stephan, who has served as pastor of Sacred Heart Church for the past 25 years. "We wanted our 100-year anniversary celebration festivities to remind our community of the numerous ways so many people sacrificed to make our church what it has become today. Sometimes you can forget over the many years, and events like these help everyone better appreciate our heritage."
The church is steeped in a rich history that goes back to 1905 when the first Mass was celebrated in a wood-framed church initially named after San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers. According to life-long parishioner and historian Lourdes Trevino-Cantu, Charles Premont donated a vacant piece of land for the church back in 1904. Today, Sacred Heart is still located on that same tract of land.
A special Mass celebrating Sacred Heart parish's 100th anniversary was held at the Falfurrias church on Sept. 21. Concelebrating the Mass were, from left, Father Julian Cabrera, a son of Sacred Heart and now pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Alice; Father Charlie Banks, OMI former pastor at Sacred Heart now in San Antonio; Bishop Mulvey, Father Matthew Stephan, pastor at Sacred Heart; and Father Alejandro O. Augustinus Saenz, also a son of Sacred Heart and now parochial vicar at Holy Family Parish in Corpus Christi. Assisting on the altar were Deacons Richard Costley (in back) and Ramiro Davila (at far right), another son of Sacred Heart now serving in the Diocese of Brownsville .
Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic
"Don Pedro Jaramillo, a legendary faith healer from that era, provided the funds for the purchase of a bell for the church. This bell is preserved and currently displayed next to the Schoenstatt Chapel located on the grounds of Sacred Heart Parish," she said.
The church was formally organized in 1914 and by 1925 the church was officially renamed Sacred Heart. Trevino-Cantu said Ursuline nuns from Laredo established the first school at the parish in 1917. It closed after a few years. The Dominican fathers headquartered in San Diego reopened the school in 1939, and it served the parish until it closed its doors in 1965.
The parish has been generous, giving eight of its sons and daughters to serve the church in religious life. Among them are three priests, three deacons and two religious sisters. The priests are Msgr. Gustavo Barrera, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in McAllen; Father Julian Cabrera, pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Alice; and Father Alejandro O. Augustinus Saenz, parochial vicar at Holy Family Parish in Corpus Christi. The deacons include Richard Costley at Sacred Heart, Ricardo Gonzalez at St. Joseph Parish in Kingsville and Ramiro Davila at St Joseph Parish in Edinburg. The two religious sisters are Sister Noelia Garcia, SMSM now living in Massachusetts and Sister Bernadine Reyes, OSB, who is in Boerne, Texas.
Father Stephan said the 1980s were a turning point for the church and the community as a whole, as the economic climate started to change, affecting population and growth for the Falfurrias area.
Bishop Mulvey poses for a Facebook-bound "selfie" with 14-year-old parishioner Jessika Perez. "If Pope Francis can do it, so can I," Bishop Mulvey said.
Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic
"Our local economy took several big hits during this time, as we saw dairy farms, citrus groves and textile mills leave the area. By 1986, the Oblate Fathers left, and the Diocese of Corpus Christi took over the administration of the parish. And despite seeing so many major industries leave, we have still been able to maintain a large percentage of college graduates. I think that's because parents in our community have always stressed education," he said.
There may be no greater example of how important a quality Catholic education was to some in the community than the story of the parish's oldest parishioner, 104-year-old Maria L. Trevino who sent all eight of her children to Sacred Heart School from the late 1940s until the school closed in 1965.
"In lieu of tuition, my mother would cook for the nuns and act as their chauffeur. I was the only one of my mother's eight children who did not graduate from Sacred Heart School, since I was a sixth grader when it closed in 1965. I had to attend public school after that," her daughter, Trevino-Cantu, said.
Father Stephan added there are still opportunities to admire some historical artifacts from the early days of the parish. The Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel, which is still used every day, houses the altar, pews and some religious statues that date back at least 100 years, he said.
"It's very important we never forget about the blood, sweat and tears that went into building the foundation for our church over the span of many years. Hard-working Catholics sacrificed greatly for us long ago and we must never forget that," he said.
For more information on Sacred Heart Parish, call (361) 325-3455 for Mass times.
