Religious Life -- Doorways to a Forgotten Past No. 4, Roma TX
N 26° 24.381 W 099° 01.068
14R E 498224 N 2920685
The fourth of multiple interpretive signs scattered throughout the National Historic Landmark District in Roma TX.
Waymark Code: WMPGXG
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/30/2015
Views: 1
The waymark sign is located at the corner of Estrella and the Plaza, a few feet away from the mural of a famous 1911 photo of the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate, which was added to this building in 2012. The sign explains the role of the Oblate Fathers and religious life in early Roma, Texas.
The sign reads as follows:
"ROMA NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK
DOORWAYS TO A FORGOTTTEN PAST
No. 4
RELIGIOUS LIFE
Along Estrella Street are three religious buildings important to the history of Roma. Northwest along the stone street at the corner of Lincoln Avenue, is the Old Mission Church which, according to local tradition, predates the founding of Roma in 1848. The Convent (1880), located south of the Mission Church, was designed by Heinrich Portscheller for the Sisters of the Incarnate Word. Facing the applause on the north end is the historic Tower of the original Nuestra Senora de Refugio church built in 1856.
The history of religion in early Roma is largely that of the history of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a French-Catholic religious order. Before the arrival of the Oblates in Brownsville in 1849, settlements along the Rio Grande were isolated outposts or mission settlements. Secular priests from the nearby village of Mier served the Roma ranchlands between 1829 in 1848. In 1854, father's Pierre Keralum and Jean Marie Gaye traveled to Roma to establish a parish. Keralum, originally a carpenter, began constructing a small church atop the plaza which, similar to other settlements of the lower Rio Grande, was named after Our Lady of Refuge. The original bell tower from that church remains at the north end of the Plaza. The Sisters of Mercy replaced the sisters of the Incarnate Word in 1913 and used the convent until 1940."
Group that erected the marker: city of Roma
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Estrfella at the plaza
Roma, TX
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Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.