|
About Us |
|
HISTORY OF St. Therese of the Little Flower Catholic Church The Little Flower Church’s origins go back to the late 1930’s when Fr. Ochoa got on his familiar bicycle and in one day collected enough money to pay for the land on which the Little Flower now stands today. Prior to this time, Little Flower was located at the end of George Orr Road about a mile north of the Rio Grande River. During the Depression a group of farmers and farm laborers decided they needed a school house for their children and also to serve as a house of prayer. The school house was turned into a chapel and was named San Isidro in honor of the patron saint of farmers and farm laborers. Then in 1939, Fr. Ochoa was notified that the church must move of this land owned by the Martinez Company. Fr. Ochoa found a new location on Alameda and named the new church after St. Therese of the child Jesus a French Carmelite non, also known as the “Little Flower.” With the stones from the Franklin Mountains, Little Flower church was built by Fr. Ochoa, his main helper, Francisco Santini, and many others. Mrs. Trinidad Diaz and her father, Mr. Santini built and donated the confessional. The first pews and Way of the Cross were donated by the Sister of St. Margret. The Statue of St. Therese was donated by George Orr, and his wife contributed toward construction of some of the pews. Other contributors were Joe Serna, Holy Name members, including Miguel Martinez, Jose Gutierrez, Frank Melendez and many others. The Little Flower Church was completed in October, 1939, with Bishop Anthony Schuler presiding over the dedication. Of the success of the building of Little Flower, Fr. Ochoa said, “Besides Bishop Metzger and our people all our blessings came from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, his Most Blessed Mother, and the Little Flower, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, in whose honor the church was dedicated. To this day we feel proud of being able to help build this church in appreciation for all the benefits and protection that I have received from her.” A TIME TO LEAVE Letting go of something important to us is never easy. Our present Little Flower Church has served us well as a place to come together for mass and as a community home to celebrate the important events in our lives. But because of its age and size, combined with very little building space and the growth of our parish community, a decision was made to sell the old church and build a new one. There is a bit of sadness and many memories we leave behind, but we look to the future with hope. Let’ St. Therese of the Little Flower guide us in this challenge as she guided Fr. Ochoa, and be as proud of being able to build this church as they were in building the old Little Flower during the Depression years. IT IS A TIME TO LET GO, A TIME TO LEAVE A TIME TO BUILD Creating something new is always exciting and challenging. Our new church will accommodate 350 people and will cost approximately $300,000.00. It will be located on Polo Inn Road. The old church will sell anywhere between $80,000.00 to $100,000.00. The Little Flower has already raised $100,000.00 from a previous building fund campaign. The Goal of the Little Flower Church Building Fund is to fraise a minimum, of $100,000.00 to be paid over a three-year pledge period. The ’IDEAL’ GOAL would be to raised $150,000.00 to offset any unforeseen costs such as furnishings for our new church. Then we will secure a loan with the help of the Diocese and our objective would be to break ground in time for the 60th Anniversary of the Little Flower. With the cooperation and sacrifice of all, the new church will be built to serve our Catholic community for many years to come. Let’s go about this important project with as much enthusiasm and spirit as Fr. Ochoa and in his memory accept this task, for when the new Little Flower is erected someone will say, “Look at the picture of St. Therese. She is smiling.” |
|
Old Little Flower Church on Alameda Ave. |
|
Little Flower Church 171 Polo Inn El Paso, TX 79915 |