[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6751]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF MARY FLORES, LUPE F. FLORES AND OUR LADY OF LORETO 
                                 CHAPEL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FILEMON VELA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 2014

  Mr. VELA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mary Flores and Lupe 
F. Flores and their contribution to Our Lady of Loreto Chapel in 
Goliad, Texas.
  The beautiful chapel has been in continuous use since the 1700s and 
is one of the oldest churches in Texas.
  In 1946, Corpus Christi artist Antonio Garcia, who was known as the 
Michelangelo of South Texas, was commissioned to paint a fresco behind 
the chapel's altar. Mary Flores and Lupe F. Flores, both in high school 
at the time, posed for the artist during multiple sessions after 
school. Their likenesses were used to depict the annunciation scene 
from the Bible where the Angel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary and 
explains that she will become the mother of Jesus.
  The stunning fresco, which Mary Flores and Lupe Flores helped to 
create, is uniquely Texan and includes a cactus and rattlesnake in the 
background.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to honor Mary Flores, 
Lupe F. Flores and their contribution to Our Lady of Loreto Chapel. I 
appreciate you and the House of Representatives joining me in 
recognizing the beauty and history of Our Lady of Loreto Chapel and 
Goliad, Texas.

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