“To Serve God is to Reign”
Bishop Drury met challenges of Church in south Texas Msgr. Michael Howell
A Contributor
s the Second Vatican Council concluded in 1965, the Diocese of Corpus Christi faced a new era. The implementation of the reforms of Vatican II preoccupied the next decades of the Church in south Texas under the administration of Bishop Thomas J. Drury.
ish offices of the Cathedral, necessitating the building of a new Cathedral rectory in 1979 and in the renovations of the former Benedictine Abbey on Lantana as a Diocesan Pastoral Center. He established more than 20 new parishes, including Most Precious Blood, St. Paul the Apostle, St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, St. Philip the Apostle and St. Thomas the Apostle in the Corpus Christi area; Our Lady of the Good Counsel and St. Joseph in Kingsville; St. James in Beeville;
The new bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi responded to the challenges and opportunities of those years with new programs and diocesan departments composed of clergy, religious and laity to work with him in a spirit of collaboration. His motto was “Deo Servire Regnare” (to Serve God is to Reign). Mindful of Christ’s message that those who “reign” in God’s kingdom are those who “serve” the needs of their brothers and sisters, Bishop Drury sought to ascertain and respond to the needs of the people of south Texas. He began his administration with a census to better understand the situation of the people and the scope of their needs. Over the course of his almost 20 years as chief shepherd of the diocese, he expanded the outreach of the diocese from two to 32 departments. This led to the expansion of the Chancery offices to include the floors used for the parIn photo at left, Bishop Drury meets with Pope John Paul I during his Ad Limina visit to the Vatican. At right, a volunteer works to prepare food baskets for the poor for the newly established Catholic Charities. Diocese of Corpus Christi Archives www.SouthTexasCatholic.com
DECEMBER 2012 | SOUTH TEX AS CATHOLIC
5