Texas Catholic Historical Society meets in Corpus Christi

The Texas Catholic Historical Society held their annual meting at St. Joseph's Hall at the Corpus Christi Cathedral on Friday, March 6. The group attended Mass at the Cathedral before their meeting got underway.

During their luncheon meeting, the Carlos Eduardo Castañeda service award was presented to Amanda Bresie, editor of the Texas Catholic Historian. The award is given annually to the individual deemed to have made a lasting contribution in fulfillment of the society's mission.

Brother Edward Lock, SM, archivist for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, was a recipient of the Fitzsimon award for archivists. Other recipients were Lisa May, archivist for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and Joyce Higgins, associate Archivist for the Diocese of Dallas.

The Father Paul J. Foik award was presented to Dr. John C Pinheiro, Associate Professor of History and Director of Catholic Studies at Aquinas College, for his book “Missionaries of a Republicanism: A Religious History of the Mexican-American War,” which details the religious history of the Mexican-American war. The award is given annually to the author of the publication judged the most important contribution to Texas Catholic history.

Earlier in the day, the Texas Catholic Historical Society held a joint session with the Texas State Historical Association at the OMNI Hotel. The session covered "The Life and Ministry of the Pioneer Bishops in the Formation of the Catholic Church in Modern Texas." Felix D. Almaraz Jr., PhD read a paper for Patrick Foley on "Once a Missionary, Always a Missionary: Bishop Jean Marie Odin, CM." Foley was unable to attend because of weather delays in Dallas.

Gilbert R. Cruz, PhD presented a paper on "Through Floods and Droughts: The Valiant Bishops and Missionaries in the Foundation of the Apostolic Vicariate and Diocese of Brownsville."

Anyone interested in joining the Texas Catholic Historical Society can download a membership application here.