Consecration Of St. Joseph’s Church Set For June 23

Amarillo—For the third time in the past 65 years, the oldest church building serving Catholics in the city of Amarillo will be consecrated.
 
Bishop Patrick J. Zurek will consecrate the newly-rebuilt St. Joseph’s Church Saturday, June 23 during a 5:00pm Mass at 4122 South Bonham. The Mass will be followed by a catered meal for the parish in the St. Joseph’s Gymnasium at 4114 South Bonham.
 
“We’ve referred to this project as a rebuilding of our Church,” said Father Hector J. Madrigal, pastor. “All of the original building was replaced by new walls and a roof.
 
“There were so many significant changes made to the church during this project. There are new walls, new sacristies, a new altar and a new confessional. The roof was raised higher and the main body of the church was widened. The Sanctuary was reduced and shortened to make more room for pews. With all new pews, the seating capacity of the new church is approximately 500. We’ve also restored the original marble Ambo and Baptismal Font to the Sanctuary—both had been stored from the last renovation in 1992-1994.”
 
Father Madrigal said the project began after Thanksgiving weekend nearly seven months ago. He referenced many of the changes made to the church during his June 3 homily at a Mass where the parish moved back into the newly rebuilt church.
 
“This Solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ is meant to strengthen our faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.,” he said. “I know you believe. Let the procession with the Blessed Sacrament, the blessing of the doors and the sacrifices we are making for this new church ‘the house of God’ strengthen your belief.
 
“Let the hand-crafted Italian marble Altars and Ambo, the Stained glass windows, the Stations of Cross and the lamps hanging in the entrance of the Church remind us of our history. We are grateful for all the priests and laity who have served this parish in the past. Thanks to them, we had a foundation from which to build. 
 
“Those pews acquired by the generosity of so many of our old and new parishioners are a reminder of our call to be a community in service to God and others. As you sit comfortably in the pew remember that we are called to welcome and help others feel comfortable even when it makes us uncomfortable. 
 
“Finally, we have raised the ceiling and widened our church. Let it be a symbol of our ongoing desire to seek that, which comes from above, the graces that we receive with a daily encounter with God. Let the wider church be symbolic of our widening the doors of hearts to continue to welcome one another and all God’s children as we together grow as Disciples of Christ.”
 
Looking Back
On May 1, 1953 then-Bishop Lawrence J. FitzSimon signed a decree establishing a new parish in Amarillo. The parish, which would be the first located in southwest Amarillo, was called St. Joseph’s Church, in honor of the Holy Family. Its first pastor, Father Edmund Hartigan, was a 35-year-old Irishman who had served as rector of St. Mary’s Chapel (now St. Mary’s Cathedral), Amarillo.
 
Father Hartigan was given five acres of land that had been purchased by the diocese, two unused buildings and unpaved streets in the 4100 block of South Bonham to establish this new parish. One of those buildings purchased by the parish was the former Ellwood Park Presbyterian Church on 11 ^th Street, which was being used as a temporary site for the YMCA. Father Hartigan had the old building and adjoining duplex moved across town and had it renovated and remodeled into a church and rectory, He also had newly installed utilities, a new garage, paved streets and a parking lot for 100 cars completed in time for the church to be dedicated on Oct. 18, 1953. The dedication of the new church coincided with the 50 ^th anniversary of the dedication of the original Sacred Heart Church in Amarillo on Oct. 18, 1903.
 
Father Hartigan was far from finished with the building at his new parish.
 
Motivating his parishioners and selling them on the idea of a Catholic School to go with their new parish, ground was broken in March 1954 for a new $56,000 school that was opened on Sept. 8, 1954 and staffed by the Benedictine Sisters of Fort Smith, Ark. Before the Sisters arrived, the men of the parish constructed a 10-room convent for them, completing the task in a mere four weeks. In just one year, the Bonham street location had a new church, a new school building and a convent for its’ Benedictine Sisters.
 
A Second Renovation Of The Church
In September 1992, St. Joseph’s parishioners and parish leadership began planning for a renovation of the church building, which was originally constructed in 1922. By January 1993, the building had been gutted and was ready for framing. Matters weren’t helped with the effects of three chilling snowstorms, nor were they helped by the effects of Hurricane Andrew, whose passing in the summer of 1992 led to an increase in the price of lumber.       
 
The project finally commenced in the second week of May 1993. The only thing left from the old church was the center portion, which was solid with a good pier and beam foundation.
 
The newly renovated church also had its share of religious artifacts, in the form of stained glass windows, hand crafted pews and other religious artifacts from various churches. The Ambo, made from handcrafted Italian marble, contains the symbols of the four evangelists—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Stations of the Cross are nearly 125 years old and came from St. Rose of Lima Church in St. Louis. The pews that were placed during the 1992-1994 renovations were hand carved oak and were from St. Agnes Church in Chicago.
 
What garnered the most attention were the stained glass windows, in particular the rose window behind the altar. The rose window came from St. Augustine’s Church in Chicago and the stained glass windows came from St. Bridget’s Church in Chicago, the church where Mayor Richard Daley Sr. and his family were parishioners. Not only was the elder Daley baptized and married there, but so were all of his children.
 
The windows are now over 155 years old and were originally crafted in Munich, Germany by Zettler Studios.