Texas HR 81: In memory of Irene Kaye Michna of Taylor.

Bill Text

89(R) HR 81 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

  

  

  
 H.R. No. 81

  

  

   

 R E S O L U T I O N

   

        WHEREAS, The members of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church 

  

 in Fort Worth are celebrating the 95th anniversary of their 

  

 church's founding on January 19, 2025; and

  

        WHEREAS, In January 1929, Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church 

  

 was established by Father Narcissus Denis of the Josephite Fathers; 

  

 masses were initially held in a private residence, and parishioners 

  

 eventually began gathering in a chapel that was converted from an 

  

 old drugstore; later that year, a new facility was built, and by 

  

 1935, the parish had grown to a membership of 150; the church served 

  

 as the first Catholic school for African American children in Fort 

  

 Worth and as a community center for Black Catholics in the area, and 

  

 in 1941 it opened the St. Veronica's mission in the city's Lake Como 

  

 area; in 1952, Our Mother of Mercy moved to its permanent location 

  

 on East Terrell Avenue; after serving for nearly eight decades, the 

  

 Josephite Fathers were later succeeded by the Society of the Divine 

  

 Word; and

  

        WHEREAS, Known as the only African American Catholic Church 

  

 in Tarrant County and in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, Our 

  

 Mother of Mercy is home to a multiethnic congregation, and it has 

  

 produced leaders in a number of fields, both locally and 

  

 nationally; moreover, it was designated as the principal church for 

  

 the 2015-2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy, and over the years, its members 

  

 have established a variety of commendable programs, including 

  

 music, youth, bereavement, and guardian ministries, services for 

  

 those who are homebound or ill, and the Society of St. Vincent 

  

 DePaul, which provides emergency aid to the community; and

  

        WHEREAS, Countless Fort Worth residents have looked to Our 

  

 Mother of Mercy Catholic Church for spiritual guidance over the 

  

 years, and it is a pleasure to join in honoring the parish at this 

  

 special time in its rich history; now, therefore, be it

  

        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas 

  

 Legislature hereby commemorate the 95th anniversary of Our Mother 

  

 of Mercy Catholic Church and extend to its members sincere best 

   

 wishes for the future.

  

   

 Collier

   

   

 ______________________________

   

 Speaker of the House     

  

   

        I certify that H.R. No. 81 was adopted by the House on March 

   

 13, 2025, by a non-record vote.

   

   

 ______________________________

   

 Chief Clerk of the House