✝ PARISH LIFE
Father Tom Goodwin, at left, concelebrated Mass with Bishop Mulvey at Immaculate Conception in Skidmore and St. Francis Xavier in Tynan. Holding the Missal for Bishop Mulvey is Cameron Guerrero. Holding the crosier is Jesse Sabala and holding the bishop’s mitre is Dani Avarado. Alfredo E. Cárdenas, South Texas Catholic
renewal in the country.” As early as 1893, the Southern Messenger mentions a faith community in Skidmore with pioneer priest Father Ferdinand Joseph Goebbels as its spiritual leader. It had its beginnings at nearby Olmos around 1891. In 1898, Father Goebbels ordered a bell weighing 200 pounds for the church in Skidmore. Six years later, in 1904, he celebrated the first midnight Mass in Skidmore. He preached in Spanish, English and German. Twelve years after Bishop Verdaguer’s confirmation visit, the Messenger reported that Catholics in Skidmore had become indifferent because they had lost their priest. Not only did they not have a priest for a number of years, they learned that their beloved Father Goebbels tragically perished in a fire at St. Boniface in Corpus Christi
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early in 1912. Many men had not been seen in church for some time. But in March 1912 Father Albert Stroebele from Hobson began tending to the flock and the faithful responded. The people surprised Father Stroebele, who traveled 60 miles every other Sunday to celebrate Mass, with “electric lights in church and a new picket fence.” Two months later they had remodeled the altar, installed a statute of the Sacred Heart and another of St. Anthony, secured an enlarged tabernacle, built a place for exposition and purchased new vestments and banners. That year they had a first communion class of 40. In 1915, Bishop Paul Nussbaum designated Immaculate Conception a full parish and named Father J.J. Steines as its first resident pastor. A
fire in 1928 razed the rectory and the present church was built in 1942. Twenty-five years later, brick was used to cover the church. For a decade, from 1958-1967, Immaculate Conception did not have a resident priest and the Altar Society maintained the church. In 1967 the priests with the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Family took charge of the parish. In 1983 the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity began to minister to the parish and did so until 2001 when diocesan priests were assigned. Today, the parish has some 120 registered families and an enrollment of 50 students in its Religious Education program. Sixteen young people will be confirmed this year and a like number will make their first communion.