South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 47, No. 11, Ed. 1, November 2012 Page: 4 of 56
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A new era begins
Msgr. Michael Howell
Contributor
"T" ith the death of Bishop
% /% / Mariano S. Garriga in Feb-
V V ruary 1965 and the final
sessions of the Second Vatican Council
the following autumn, the Diocese of
Corpus Christi faced major changes.
On the local level, the boundaries of the diocese
changed for the first time since the erection of the vicari-
ate in 1874. Separated from the Diocese of Corpus Christi,
the southern four counties of Hidalgo, Starr, Cameron and
Willacy were designated the new Diocese of Brownsville
with the Auxiliary Bishop Adolph Marx of Corpus Christi
named as the first bishop.
Bishop Thomas Joseph Drury of the Diocese of San
Angelo was named as the new shepherd of Corpus Christi.
Bishop Drury was born in County Sligo, Ireland in 1902
and came to America at an early age to make his home
with his older sister in St. Louis, Missouri.
He completed his high school studies and first two years
of college at St. Benedict’s High School and College in
Atchison, Kansas where he responded to the call of Bishop
Joseph P. Lynch of Dallas who was seeking seminarians for
both Dallas and the newly established Diocese of Amarillo.
Choosing to study for Amarillo, Bishop Drury completed
his priestly formation at Kenrick Seminary in Missouri
and was ordained in 1935.
His life as a young priest in a new diocese included work
both on the parish and diocesan levels, with assignments
as editor of the diocesan paper and diocesan director of
Catholic Action (Catholic Charities), Boy and Girl Scouts
and the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (religious
education) as well as work in the Marriage Tribunal. After
World War II he served as a military chaplain until invited
by his former bishop, now Archbishop Robert Lucey of San
Antonio, to serve as moderator of the Spanish-speaking
programs and Catholic Action in the archdiocese.
At the outbreak of the Korean conflict, he was again
called to military service as a chaplain in the Air Force
and after his tour of duty returned to parish work in the
Diocese of Amarillo. Among other tasks, he directed the
building of the parish church of Christ the King in Lub-
bock and served as its first pastor in 1961. Christ the King
was later designated the cathedral when the Diocese of
Lubbock was erected in 1983.
His time at Christ the King, however, was cut short by
his appointment as bishop of San Angelo. It was there he
was serving when he received the call to come to Corpus
Christi in 1965 as successor to Bishop Garriga.
Msgr. Robert E. Freeman, when he was Vicar General
of the Diocese of Corpus Christi noted that the “climate
of the church in south Texas when Bishop Drury was in-
stalled in 1965 can be compared to the introduction Charles
Dickens gave his ‘Tale of Two Cities’.” It was the “best of
times” because of the Vatican Council’s call for renewal
and increased involvement of the laity in activities of the
Church to serve as leaven in the world. However, it was
also “the worst of times” because there were no models or
structures to implement this new society
This led to great challenges as dioceses and parishes
sought to develop such structures. The vision promoted
by the Council required training and motivation from both
clergy and laity to implement. Bishop Drury responded by
initiating a diocesan wide census to better ascertain the
demographics of the Catholic community He also intro-
duced a Diocesan Pastoral Council composed of Catholic
lay leaders along with clergy and religious to ascertain needs
and workable answers to those needs and established a
Presbyteral Council to promote collaboration and seek
advice from a larger representative body of the clergy than
just his Consultors.
During this time, the Church made some radical chang-
es in the liturgy of the Church in the use of the vernacular
and renewal of the sacramental rites in light of historical
and scriptural studies. The bishop appointed a Director
of Liturgy to promote education of both the clergy and
the laity as well as oversee any architectural modifications
made in the existing churches in light of the reforms.
The Diocesan Liturgical Commission also brought in
noted speakers to help the parish priests prepare for new
demands. Noting the Council’s focus on the importance
of the Word of God in the revised rituals of all the sacra-
4 SOUTH TEXAS CATHOLIC | NOVEMBER 2012
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Cardenas, Alfredo E. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 47, No. 11, Ed. 1, November 2012, newspaper, November 2012; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth855662/m1/4/?rotate=270: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .