[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14114]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL IN 
                           BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS

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                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 4, 2009

  Mr. ORTIZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 150th 
Anniversary of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral with a celebration 
scheduled on June 8 in Brownsville, Texas.
  The Immaculate Conception Cathedral, the Diocese of Brownsville's 
most historical church, traces its roots to a small wooden church that 
served as the first church in Brownsville.
  In 1850, Father Adrien Pierre Telmon, one of the first Missionary 
Oblates of Mary Immaculate to come to Brownsville, built a small wooden 
church between Adams and Jefferson streets that accommodated about 300 
people. The first mass was celebrated on June 29, 1850, and three years 
later Father Jean Marie Casimir Verdet started the design and 
construction of a larger church to replace the temporary wooden 
structure.
  The cornerstone to the cathedral was laid on July 6, 1856, and over 
250,000 clay bricks were made for the church in the village of Santa 
Rosalia, about three miles east of the old town site of Brownsville.
  The church was completed in 1859 and blessed by Father Augustin 
Gaudet on June 12, 1859; 10 years after the Missionary Oblates of Mary 
Immaculate first arrived in the Valley. The church was credited with 
being the largest in Texas at the time. The rectory behind the church 
was the site of the first Texas Oblate seminary and served as a haven 
for priests fleeing revolutions in Mexico.
  The historical church was elevated to a cathedral in 1874 when the 
large Texas diocese was divided and the Vicariate Apostolic of 
Brownsville was established. It remained as such until 1912 when the 
Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville was converted into the Dioceses of 
Corpus Christi.
  The Immaculate Conception church was designated a Cathedral again in 
1965 by Bishop Adolph Marx upon the creation of the Diocese of 
Brownsville. The church, built in a Gothic Revival style, became a 
reality through the generous contributions of its parishioners 
throughout the years. The utmost care and detail went into the 
construction of the church. The ceiling is of specially prepared canvas 
painted blue, and at one time it was covered with gold stars. The 
pulpit was built in native Mesquite by a local cabinetmaker and a 
concealed spiral stair provided access to the pulpit.
  In 1970, the original altar, rail and two chandeliers were removed 
from the cathedral in an effort to modernize the church when the 
present altar was built. Time has taken its toll on this historic 
church. However, just as early Catholics came to its aid in its early 
days, they are doing the same in the twenty-first century.
  Today this historic Cathedral continues to beckon Catholics through 
its doors. Thousands of Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, 
Weddings and Funerals have been celebrated there.
  And for many years, generations of generations of residents of 
Brownsville and the Rio Grande Valley have called the Immaculate 
Conception Cathedral home. I am honored that this beautiful cathedral 
is located in the 27th Congressional District of Texas, which I so 
humbly represent.
  I join the Diocese of Brownsville, the residents of the city and the 
Rio Grande Valley in celebrating the cathedral's anniversary.
  Today, I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating the 150th 
anniversary of the historic Immaculate Conception Cathedral in 
Brownsville, Texas, on the tip of South Texas, along the U.S.-Mexico 
border.

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