[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 9, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  A BILL TO RECOGNIZE THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF ARCHBISHOP PATRICK FLORES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CHARLES A. GONZALEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 9, 2005

  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a House resolution 
recognizing the long career of public service of Archbishop Patrick 
Flores of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Archbishop Flores, the first 
Mexican American Bishop in the United States, will be retiring on 
Tuesday, February 15, 2005, after 34 years of service as a bishop.
  Patrick Fernandez Flores, was born on July 26, 1929 to Patricio 
Flores and Trinidad Fernandez de Flores in Ganado, Texas. He was the 
seventh of nine children. After graduating from Kirwin High School in 
Galveston, Texas, Patrick Flores entered the St. Mary's Seminary in La 
Porte, Texas. On May 26, 1956 he was ordained to the Catholic 
Priesthood and served the Diocese of Galveston-Houston for the next 14 
years.
  On Cinco de Mayo--May 5, 1970 in San Antonio, Texas, Patrick 
Fernandez Flores was consecrated a bishop in the Archdiocese of San 
Antonio. His appointment was an event of great significance in the 
history of South Texas and the United States. While the Mexican-
American community was one of the largest Catholic communities in the 
United States, until that day in 1970 there had never been a Mexican-
American bishop. In that regard, like other civil rights leaders of the 
time, Archbishop Flores broke a barrier in a major national 
institution--the Catholic Church, and in doing so, he helped to lay the 
groundwork for a more equal society. Less than a decade later, in 1979, 
Bishop Flores was consecrated Archbishop for his Archdiocese.
  Archbishop Flores has committed his life not only to the service to 
his Church but to the wider community. He has been a leader on 
countless public policy issues that improved the lives of his 
parishioners and created new opportunities for many Americans to 
participate in the American Dream. He has long been an advocate for 
public housing, for the rights of immigrants, for health care for the 
poor, for economic development, for education, and for multi-cultural 
understanding.
  Among his many accomplishments were the creation of the Mexican 
American Cultural Center, a unique program dedicated to developing 
Catholic leadership that is responsive to the needs of increasing 
diverse society, and contributing to the establishment of the Hispanic 
Scholarship Fund, a national program that has provided over 68,000 
college scholarships to economically disadvantaged Hispanics. At the 
heart of both these programs is the heart of the Archbishop's social 
vision of giving hope to the disadvantaged and constructing a society 
that respects diversity and truly values equality.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge the House to pass this resolution in the 
coming weeks. Archbishop Patrick Flores has been a national leader not 
only for the cause of Hispanic rights but for the rights of all 
Americans.

                          ____________________