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History of St. Rose of Lima ParishSaint Rose of Lima was erected into a parish on September 29, 1981, by the former San Antonio Archbishop Patrick F. Flores, DD. The parish was taken from the western sections of Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Rev. Kevin Ryan was appointed first pastor, and served the parish from 1981 to 1991. In February 1982, the parish acquired 10.3 acres to serve as grounds for future parish buildings. After a few months gathering at the adjacent Pete and Bernice Pavilion, an old barracks building was acquired and used as a church until 1987, when the present Parish Hall was built and used as a multipurpose building, including Mass on weekends, until the building of the final church in 2005. The parish grew from the initial 350 families to over two thousand at the inauguration of the new church on December 4, 2005 presided over by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, STD. A Religious Education Center, with 16 classrooms and an office, was completed in 1997, to take care of more than a thousand children registered in religious education. A Ladies Society was established in November 1981, and a Men’s Club in January 1982. A Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) was formed in May of that same year. An annual parish festival, the ROSEFEST, was started in August 1982 and has been held every year up to the present. ROSEFEST is now held in the spring, due to better weather conditions. Fr. Juan I. Alfaro was appointed pastor in November 1991 and has guided the parish up to the present. In 1996, additional land, 3.5 acres, was obtained for the new church; the number of weekend masses was increased from four to six, on of them bilingual. Father Virgil Elizondo was assigned to the parish as Parochial Vicar in 1996; since 1997, Father Juan Alfaro has obtained the yearly services of priests from the Philippines who have helped meet the growing needs of the parish. The construction of the Religious Education Center provided room for additional adult Bible classes, for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), and for meetings of parish organizations. With the passage of years, new organizations and programs came to life at Saint Rose: The Knights of Columbus started a dynamic Council in 1995, and a Squires Circle under the Knights was established in 2002. A Senior Social weekly gathering began in 1998. A fundraising program commenced in 1998 to build a new church and raised the 2.5 million dollars needed to obtain permission from the archdiocese to proceed with the building for the church. Parish activity \has continued to grow with the involvement of over 800 adults in various ministries and services. Saint Rose of Lima Church was named an “Excellent Parish” in a national survey in 2001.
LIFE OF SAINT ROSE OF LIMA"Rose" was born in 1586 in Lima, Peru, and was baptized with the name of Isabel. At Confirmation she took the name of "Rose" by which she became universally known. She was the youngest child of Gaspar Flores and Maria de la Oliva de Herrera, both of Spanish extraction. Rose's life was modeled after the great Dominican Saint, now recognized by the Pope as a Doctor of the Church, Catherine of Sienna, for Rose was born on this saint's feast day, on April 30th. From her earliest years, Rose was a person of deep religious sensitivity, piety, and devotion to the Child Jesus; it is said that she learned to read overnight miraculously and that the Child Jesus was her teacher. The first book she ever read was the Life of Saint Catherine of Sienna. Rose had to work soon to help her family in financial need due to a failure of her father's mining venture. Some authors think that Rose never entered a convent because she considered her duty to be with her family to assist them. Her family dreamed of having her marry some rich young man, since her beauty was remarkable. Rose had decided in her heart that Christ was going to be her only Spouse for she was in love with Him alone. To avoid he pressures and ridicule of her own family, Rose joined the Third Order of Saint Dominic, and lived as a recluse in a hut she built in her father's garden. She worked hard, prayed constantly even going into ecstasy, and practiced severe penances. Even in her last and painful illness, Rose kept on repeating: "Lord, increase my sufferings, and with them increase thy love in my heart." Rose radiated love of God from her presence. People who came close to her felt that she was a woman of God and with God. People, even priests, came to consult with her about their problems. Upon her death in 1619, Rose was declared a "saint" by the people. Miracles were soon attributed to her and due to the influx of people, her funeral had to be postponed repeatedly to give a chance to the thousands that came to see and touch her body. Rose had to be buried secretly, during the time of siesta, in the Church of Santo Domingo, where it lies now in the chapel of Saint Catherine of Sienna. Saint Rose of Lima became the first saint of the New World, when she was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671. Saint Rose was called he Pride of Peru" and was declared Patron of Latin America and of the Philippine Islands. Her Feast is celebrated on August 23rd (formerly on August 30th).
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![Photo of the Multipurpose building [Church] and Religious Education building](images/rebldg-church-300pxls.jpg)