South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, March 5, 2010 Page: 4 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Gulf Coast Register/South Texas Catholic and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries.
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DIOCESE
SOUTH TEXAS CATHOLIC ■ MARCH 5,2010
Ben Bolt community has history of working for church
By Geraldine McGloin • STC Correspondent
A young parishioner enjoys
carne guisada meal with his
family in the church hall after
ceremonies.
Named after a once popular song,
Ben Bolt is just off Highway 281
seven miles south of Alice. It got its
name from the first line of the song
“Don’t you remember sweet Alice,
Ben Bolt?”
The town’s developer, L. B. Col-
lins, thought the connection was a
good thing as Alice was named for
Alice Kleberg (of the King Ranch
family.) The year was 1904 and Ben
Bolt was hardly more than a hamlet
of a few souls.
The railroad arrived in 1914
bringing growth and opportunity
By 1927 it had grown sufficiently
to open a small frame church as a
mission for the Catholic Spanish
speaking community
The population never reached
more than 150, in 2000 it was 110.
That is when Bishop Edmond Car-
mody arrived at St. Peter Mission.
“The first time I visited the church
was in 2000,1 became aware there
was only one Mass and that was at
7:00 a.m. I knew it must be very
hard on the people to get to the
one Mass, which was so early We
needed to have more Masses, we
also needed a rectory for a resident
STC Photos/Phillip Wright
St. Peter Church in Ben Bolt serves over 120 families. A new office and classroom building was
recently completed and blessed.
priest,” he recounted to the people
who had gathered for the February
13 Mass and blessing of their new
office building, they had worked so
hard to get
After the Mass, Father Cyraic
John Valachanath, the priest-in-
charge, began his remarks by say-
ing, “Where there is a will, there’s a
way! We have a very strong will and
the strongest support of our bishop.
Thank you Bishop Carmody. Be-
cause of your encouragement,
help and support we now have our
church, a rectory, a parish hall and
an office building. “
He also thanked those who had
actually done work on the build-
ing, the parish organizations that
had helped and the parishioners
in general for their support over
the years.
Today the parish campus at Ben
Bolt consists of a large brick church,
a modern parish hall, a rectory,
built three years ago and now the
new office and classroom building.
“With it,” said Fr. Cyraic, “we now
have everything we need."
The Ben Bolt mission serves ap-
proximately 120 families with 70
children enrolled in the religious
education programs. There are two
Sunday Masses, a Saturday Mass and
weekday Masses Tuesday through
Friday Parish organizations include
a Knights of Columbus Council, an
Altar Society, and a Choir.
The new facility contains a large
classroom for youth activities and
meetings. The parishioners come
from Ben Bolt proper and Green
Acres a nearby development off
Highway 281.
Looking at the bigger pictures, it
stands as testimony to the positive
influence of the church in the rural
communities that make up the
south Texas landscape.
Together with the railroads, hard
work of the people and the support
of the church these hamlets have
grown all over the 12 counties of
the diocese. Vibrant parishes that
serve the spiritual and social needs
of the community have developed,
as Bishop Carmody would say, “with
the love of our Lord Jesus.”
COURTNEY is
IN NEED OF LOVE AND
DIRECTION BY LOVING
ADOPTIVE PARENTS.
361-850-8200
▼
for Children
PAX CHRISTI
RELIGIOUS GOODS STORE
4601 Calallen Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78410 (361)241-2833
We are next to Magee Elementary School
Bring this coupon
Get 10% OFF in any religious item
Get 15% OFF on First Communion and Confirmation items
Store Hours Monday thru Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm
Offer valid 3/01/10 - 4/30/10
Courtney is a very active, friendly and social 9 year
old, who enjoys interacting with her peers. She loves
to go shopping, and going to fun places. She has
an eye for fashion, and really enjoys trying on newT
clothes. Courtney enjoys school and works hard to
be a good student. She also enjoys riding her bike
and any outdoor activities.
For information on adopting this precious young
lady call Spaulding for Children at 361-850-8200.
Adoption sendees are free.
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Beaton, Paula J. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, March 5, 2010, newspaper, March 5, 2010; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth855655/m1/4/?q=War+of+the+Rebellion.: accessed June 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .