Scotus College at Hebbronville (Jim Hogg County)

I had seen photographs of the lovely, former Franciscan seminary -- Scotus College in Hebbronville -- but knew nothing of its story. These articles tell more, with the first link taking one to an image of the graceful structure.

http://www.somosprimos.com/sp2005/spoct05/ScotusCollege.jpg

http://tinyurl.com/5vnmah

'"Scotus College, A Jewel in the South Texas Brush Country'

"By Joe Martinez

"Most South Texans have never heard of Scotus College, a landmark building in the Brush Country. Scotus College is located in Hebbronville and is the most prominent and historical structure in town. However, many Hebbronville residents, as well as other South Texans, do not know that Franciscan friars setup the seminary college in 1929, after fleeing Mexico to avoid persecution during the Cristero War.

"The Cristero War, 1927-29, was a bloody 30-month-long conflict brought about when Elías Plutarco Calles, newly elected president of Mexico, setout to exterminate Catholicism in Mexico. Basically, Calles sought to enforce five anti-Catholic articles in the 1917 Constitution, plus he added anti-Catholic legislation of his own. In response to Calles drastic measures, the Church instructed faithful followers to boycott certain governmental and private enterprises. In the meantime, the Mexican Episcopate voted to suspend all public worship in Mexico, effectively closing down all Catholic churches in Mexico. Not unexpectedly, the Church then resorted to armed retaliation against the government by means of all-out rebellion. This armed conflict is officially known as the Cristero War. The Cristero War quickly spread throughout Mexico and as a consequence thousands of lives were lost. The War came to an end after the inauguration of a new Mexican president, the former governor of Tamaulipas, Emilio Portes Gil, bringing about the ringing of church bells in Mexico again.

"In 1929, towards the end of the Cristero War, Franciscans sought refuge in the United States for fear of reprisals from the Mexican government. The Franciscans found sanctuary in three Texas locations, El Paso, Dumas (near Amarillo) and Hebbronville.

"Bernardino Madueño, a Franciscan friar, was among those seeking refuge. He was also seeking to establish his own parish in Texas. Madueño arrived in Laredo by train from Mexico, however, this first stop in Texas was a failure since the local priests turned him away. He then ventured to San Antonio, but once there the bishop informed him that he had to wait 8 days for a response. In desperation he traveled to El Paso, but found that Franciscan refugees were already established there and did not want to jeopardize their efforts there. So it was back to San Antonio, only to find out that they had not reached a decision as yet. Finally, he traveled to Corpus Christi where he struck luck. The Bishop of Corpus Christi graciously turned over to Friar Madueño the parish in Hebbronville - fellow friars Pasqual Ruiz and Jose Guadalupe Torres joined the parish soon afterward.

"Once in safe haven, the Hebbronville Franciscans setout to build a seminary, with jurisdiction out of Guadalajara, that ultimately would help replenish the priests lost during the Cristero War. Justo Alvarez, a local architect who learned his trade through correspondence courses, was hired to carry out the construction project - in spite of not having formal architectural schooling, he did an excellent job. Concrete blocks needed to wall the building were manufactured on site and the completion date went as scheduled.

"Once completed, the college was aptly named in honor of John Duns Scotus, (c.1266-November 8, 1308) a theologian and philosopher. He was one of the most important Franciscan theologians. Scotus taught at Oxford, Cambridge and lastly at Cologne France. He founded Scotism, a special form of Scholasticism, a medieval theological and philosophical works that sought to bridge the gap between religion and reason. It’s generally accepted that Scotus was born in Scotland, but Ireland and England are laying claim to him also. Pope John Paul II beatified Scotus in 1993.

"Scotus College at one time had as many as 50 students studying theology. The success of the college prompted certification by the State of Texas. Once seminary students finished theology instruction in Hebbronville, they were ordained by the bishop in Corpus Christi, and afterwards they departed Texas for church assignments in Mexico.. The college closed as a seminary in1957, but the magnificent building stands today as testimony to the turbulent times that engulfed Mexico for most of 1927 through 1929. Today the Scotus College Building is owned by the Guadalajara, Mexico Provisional of the Saints Francisco and Santiago under the direction of Antonio Porres.

"The Spanish style three floor structure recently received a $50,000 renovation grant from the Kenedy Foundation. Restoration work has begun and once renovation is complete, the college will be used for CCD classes (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) confirmations and quinceañera (15th birthday) classes.

"The panoramic view from the upper level is magnificent. On the northeast corner, across from the college, is the oldest building in Hebbronville, a building that once housed the first nuns that came to Hebbronville in 1927. The complex, church and Scotus College Building are still run by the Franciscans with jurisdiction out of Guadalajara, Mexico.

"(This information was mostly furnished by Friar Oscar Villalobos, Franciscan priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, that sits adjacent to Scotus College. Friar Oscar recently conducted a tour of Scotus College for the Texas Cactus Council. During this tour he provided much of the information for this article. Friar Oscar was recently transferred to Mexico City, and he is almost finished writing a book on Scotus College. For information about joining the Texas Cactus Council, contact J. T. Garcia at 361-256-3571) (Photos by William Foerster and Robert McAnear)
Joe Martinez jcm36@msn.com Tel: (956) 781-9252
PO Box 4195, McAllen, Texas 78502"

Taken from:

http://www.somosprimos.com/sp2005/spoct05/spoct05.htm
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves