[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 5, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E134]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 2003

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to an 
organization whose dedication and contributions to Riverside County are 
exceptional. Riverside County has been fortunate to have dynamic and 
dedicated community organizations who willingly and unselfishly give 
time and talent to making their communities a better place to live and 
work. St. Thomas the apostle church is one of those organization. This 
January, St. Thomas the Apostle Church celebrates its 100th year 
anniversary.
  The history of St. Thomas the Apostle Church includes service by the 
Jesuits, Franciscans and Diocesan priests as well as several 
communities of religious women. The Church has had the honor to have 
one of the newly named American saints work within the church 
community. St. Katharine Drexel and her order, the Sisters of the 
Blessed Sacrament, served the religious needs of the children at the 
Indian schools in the Southwest.
  In 1903, St. Thomas the Apostle Church's path began as Father O'Brien 
celebrated his first Mass to a church paced with Indian students using 
a kitchen table as an alter. In the 1940's, the church experienced many 
changes as the pews began to fill with Army personnel during World War 
II. Father Edmund Krolicki of the Conventual Franciscans, with the help 
of parishioner volunteers, worked to build the first school buildings 
at St. Thomas the Apostle. In the late 1950's the parish faced more 
challenges when the church was lost to an arson fire. The commitment of 
service and faith would see the church through these difficult times 
and the community quickly united in the effort of re-building the 
church.
  The new millennium has brought the parishioners of St. Thomas the 
Apostle great spiritual and structural growth under the care and 
guidance of Fr. Joseph Felker. Since his arrival in 2000, the parish 
has enjoyed a renewed sense of community as the parish joins in the 
collaborative effort of renovating the parish site as well as building 
a new ministry center. The Katharine Drexel Ministry Center is a dream 
being actualized as a legacy for the next generation.
  St. Thomas the Apostle continues to illustrate what a church 
community should strive for; a community of prayer, a place for 
families to be blessed; a place to celebrate the sacraments; and where 
God's live is at work. St. Thomas the Apostle's tireless work in their 
community and among their members has contributed immeasurably to the 
betterment of Riverside county. I congratulate St. Thomas the Apostle 
on 100 years of service and worship.

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