The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 60, July 1956 - April, 1957 Page: 572
616 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Catholic Church in the Lower Rio Grande Valley from 1849 to
1883. Father Bernard Doyon, professor of Church History at De
Mazenod Scholasticate in San Antonio, bases his account largely
on unpublished sources, particularly on the correspondence of
the missionaries. It is essentially a narrative of the apostolic efforts
which the Oblates of Mary Immaculate made in bringing religious
consolations to the inhabitants of the area.
While centering their activities in Brownsville the Oblates
early and literally took to the saddle, as the title of the book
implies, and carried the Gospel to hundreds of small settlements
scattered along the Rio Grande and reaching into the interior of
Texas and Mexico.
New undertakings are often difficult and the devoted mission-
aries in Texas experienced a variety of trials. The people were
often unsympathetic, and in the beginning even antagonistic;
the authorities in Mexico were hostile; the ravages of war and
yellow fever took a heavy toll. Because of these and other trials
there was even serious question of withdrawing the priests al-
together. This problem centering about honest differences of
opinion, human frailties, timidity, and the shortsightedness of
those charged with the direction of the undertaking is skillfully
and sympathetically handled by the author.
Students interested in religious history and particularly in the
growth and development of the Catholic Church in Texas, will
find Father Doyon's book engaging and generally well done. The
author has produced a book easy to read which covers the subject
adequately. Fuller sketches of the character of some of the indi-
vidual priests would undoubtedly add to the human interest value
of the book. The switching of tenses is sometimes annoying; the
italicized French, Spanish, and Latin expressions in the text
distract the reader without either improving the meaning or the
literary merits.
The many church spires which dot the Lower Rio Grande
Valley today give mute testimony to the success of the work of
the Oblates. An explanation of the origin of these spires can be
found in Father Doyon's book which will be hailed as an impor-
tant contribution to the history of the church in Texas.
JOSEPH SCHMITZ
St. Mary's University572
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 60, July 1956 - April, 1957, periodical, 1957; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101163/m1/622/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.