THE HERITAGE OF ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH Our Parish

  1. Mission San Antonio de Valero

  2. Bishop Dubuis

  3. Bishop Jean-Marie Odin

  4. Major General Merritt

  5. Gustavus Freisleben

  6. Kampmann, John Herman (1819–1885).

  7. Theodore Giraud drafter of the Cornerstone

  1. The day of the dedication of the new St. Joseph's Church in 1871 was a day of great Catholic celebration in San Antonio. The Alameda (now East Commerce Street) was draped with garlands, evergreens, and flowers from one side to the other; houses along the street of cottonwoods were decked with flags. The clanging of the bells of San Fernando, St. Mary's and St. Michael's
  2. churches signaled the beginning of the procession of the faithful, which stretched from St. Mary's Church to the new St. Joseph's German Catholic Church. Included were people of all nationalities in the frontier city - American, Spanish, Irish, English, Mexican, French, and Polish. A committee of German-Americans carried the statue of St. Joseph on their shoulders from St. Mary's Church up St. Mary's Street, eastward on The Alameda, across the San Antonio River bridge to St. Joseph's Church. With them marched The  Rt. Rev. Claude M. Dubuis , Bishop of Texas, who had come from Diocesan headquarters in Galveston to bless the church. Within the evergreen garland over the portal of the new sanctuary hunga decorated tapestry into which was woven the greeting: Wilkommen. Visitors reported that the ceiling and walls literally reverberated when the congregation sang Grosser Gott Wir Loben Dich, Holy God We Praise Thy Name, at the conclusion of the mass.
  3. The creation of a German national Catholic Church, in which German could be spoken, and in which Germans could be members regardless of parish boundaries within which they lived, had been no easy task. Since the mid-1800's Germans had been fleeing from the political upheavals of the Fatherland, and large numbers had been coming to South and Central Texas. The German Catholics who came to San Antonio first worshiped at San Fernando chapel, reported to be the only Catholic church not in ruins by 1840. Later, many German Catholics helped to build the first St. Mary's Church, completed in 1857. Though there were a number of German emigrant priests at St. Mary's, the German families seemed to feel no more at home among the primarily English-speaking congregation at St. Mary's than they had felt among the Spanish­ speaking congregation at San Fernando.
  4. During the late 1850's the German Catholics united informally and chose St. Joseph as their guide and protector.
  5. The   Rt. Rev. J. M. Odin, first Bishop of Texas, made the difficult journey to Western Pennsylvania to secure a few German-speaking Benedictine fathers who, with the help of the skilled German artisans, began restoration of the abandoned San José Mission.
  6. They reconstructed several portions of the mission, build a dam and the historice irrigation ditches to connect with the Spanish acequias, which they excavated. But the Civil War came. Then came Reconstruction, occupation of San Antonio by the Union Army, and the post-war depression. The Benedictines abandoned the project and returned to their Arch-Abbey in Pennsylvania before Texas rejoined the union in 1870.
  7. Through the war years,   Father Charles T. Freyenbuehl and  Father J. Anstaetts , both from St. Mary's, had encouraged the German Catholics to renovate The Alamo for use as their parish church. For many years The Alamo had been on lease to the United States Army, which was using it as a Quartermaster Depot and storage facility. After the war,  Bishop Dubuis petitioned the commanding general of the army to relinquish their use of  The Alamo , in order that it be restored to religious use.  Major General Merritt and his staff were willing to vacate the building, but were unable to find any other building large enough to accommodate their supplies.  Bishop Dubuis therefore granted the present site, located at the eastern edge of the in-filled Acequia del Alamo - a plot which  Bishop Odin had acquired in 1859 for $591.65!  Bishop Dubuis also contributed $15,693 for construction of the foundation, walls, and temporary roof of the structure. Several members of the building committee also collected funds from parishoners and secured a grant from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Soon members donated their services and their ox teams to cart the stones from the quarry where Pittman-Sullivan Park is now located, south of Com­merce Street near New Braunfels Avenue.
  8. Laying of the cornerstone was delayed by a  tropical hurricane (1868 San Antonio, Texas) , the one which collapsed the north wall and domed ceiling of San Josê Mission Church and damaged thousands of structures as it moved northward from the Gulf of Mexico. All available tinners, carpenters, masons, and plasterers were needed to repair the damages in South Texas. Finally on November 1868, the cornerstone was laid, bearing the date May 8, 1868, the date originally scheduled. The German inscription on the front reads "Behold the Dwelling of God Among Men" and the Latin inscription on the other exposed surface translates "TheHouse of God, the Gate of Heaven."
  9. A contemporary account relates that the German pioneers of the 60's were men animated not only by an indomitable spirit and energy but also an idealistic turn of mind which influenced their lives and actions. For such men, the exuberant Gothic style, being revived throughout America, no doubt seemed a logical choice, with its arches and steeples soaring symbolically toward heaven, much like churches they remembered from their homeland.
  10. The architect  Gustavus Freisleben designed the plan.  Major I.J.H. Kampmann was in charge of the stone masons and  John Heitgen was construction foreman. Mr. Freisleben resigned late in 1868 and was replaced by  Theodore Giraud , son of the famed architect   Francois Giraud , as church architect who coordinated the project during the three years of construction.
  11. After the dedication in 1871, much remained to be done.
  12.  Ray Neumann , who wrote the Centennial History of St.Joseph's Church and Parish in 1968, noted: There was no steeple and no sacristy. The window openings were covered with ordinary canvas to keep out the rain•••. Only the sanctuary was plastered. The remainder of the interior was bare rock.
  13. The parish developed rapidly, first under the direction of  Father Francis Henry Andres (1872 - 1874) , who possessed great musical skill and knowledge, accumulated an astonishingly large library, was an excellent writer, and had fluence in Latin, Greek, German, English, and Spanish. After Father Andres was transferred to Mexico,  Father Nicholas Feltin continued the expansion of the parish. He acquired bells for the church and obtained from the City of San Antonio the land at the corner of Center and Monu­mental Streets now known as "  Old German Catholic Cemetery ." In 1878, only three and a half years after he came to St. Joseph's, he was buried in that cemetery in what chroniclers of the day called one of the largest funerals in the history of San Antonio.
  14. Between 1878 and 1896 the church experienced an era of tremendous growth under  Father Henry Pefferkorn : artist, businessman, leader of men. His tenure began as San Antonio was beginning to recover from the post-war depression. Southern Pacific freight cars brought merchandise which led to a resurgence of business activity. New businesses emerged, agriculture and stock-raising prospered. San Antonio had become a staging area for cattle-drives toward the northward markets and the Chicago provision houses. The railroad's passenger cars brought more and more people - many of them German In 1876 the city 5,475 Americans, English, and Irish; and 3,750 Mexican-Americans as the most populous nationalities. Inasmuch as about one-third of all German immigrants were Catholic, it was only natural that a German national Catholic church would grow. And the pastor to those people was one who worked and who inspired others to follow.
  15.   Father Pefferkorn did much of the manual work around the church himself. Early in his pastorate, he removed the leaky canvas from the church windows and replaced it with plain white translucent glass. He then contracted with J.H. Sievers to carve an "appropriate main altar" The main altar was flanked by two exquisite side altars, and at the rear of the churchwas placed an altar dedicated to Our Sorrowful Mother. All were designed by   Father Pefferkorn and made to his specifica­tions by  Mr. Sievers , a master cabinet maker and wood carver, for $2,000.  Father Pefferkorn personally painted the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and the Ascension of Jesus over the two side altars and is generally credited with the painting of the fourteen stations of the cross.
  16. When  Father Pefferkorn came to St. Joseph's, the congregation was paying on a $7,000 debt at 12% interest! One of his first acts had been to arrange,with the help of some of the businessmen in the parish, for refinancing of the loan at a lower interest rate. Once the debt became reduced, the pastor added the Gothic ceiling and a badly-needed choir loft of his design. He also acquired a pipe organ, described as "one of the wonders of its time in the frontier city."
  17. In the late 1880's, the congregation agreed that it was time to build a rectory, for which once again they pledged funds as well as personal labor. The large two-story stone house is said to have cost $5,000. It was constructed from the same lime­ stone as that used in building the church, and as before, was brought from the quarry by oxen and horses provided by parishioners.  John Heitgen , who had supervised construction of the church, was superintendent of construction for the rectory.
  18. In 1885  Father Pefferkorn arranged for the consolidation of two groups formed in the 60's into the  St. Joseph Roman Catholic Benevolent Association. Generally known as  "St. Joseph's Society," , the group was organized for the "mutual and social development of its members and for mutual assistance and benevolent purposes." From its earliest days to the present, however the Society has extended its activities far beyond the concerns of its members. It has been a champion of human rights and social justice, a pioneer in the field of Catholic Action, and has, from the beginning, taken an active part in the religious, civic, and fraternal activities of the community.
  19. Later,   Father Pefferkorn organized  St. Cecilia's Singing Club which soon became known as the  San Antonio Liederkranz . Formed to insure a good choir for the church - one which could be depended upon for important feast days and special occasions, such as Easter and Christmas - the group has continued through the years not only to serve as the church's official choir, but also to perform throughout Texas.
  20. St. Joseph's Society and the Liederkranz occupied the large room,on the top floor of the rectory, known as Die Vereins-Halle. The groups occupied the Halle until the Society's two-story meeting place, with spacious meeting hall, club rooms, and bowling alleys,was completed in 1892. The hall, designed by  Father Pefferkorn and J. C. Dielmann , was located on East Commerce Street and succumbed to the expansion of Joske's in 1945. The Society had already moved its meeting place to the old Groos homestead in the 300 block of East Commerce Street, which the Society had acquired in 1926. The latter property fell to the terrain demands of HemisFair, the river extension, and the Convention Center in 1966. The Society's present home, where the Liederkranz also meets, is located at the corner of East Durango and Pancoast Streets and was dedicated in 1971.
  21. As St. Joseph's congregation approached the Silver Anniversary of the laying of the corner stone, they added a number of refinements.  Father Pefferkorn arranged for the purchase of four bells with matched tones. These bells were consecrated in August, 1891, by  Bishop John Neraz assisted by 15 priests. The largest bell, weighing 3,000 pounds, was named "Joseph;" the second, weighing 1,500 pounds, was named "Mary;" the third bell, weighing 750 pounds, was named "Henry;" and the smallest, weighing 300 pounds, was also named "Joseph." Now rung by electric motors, the bells still ring the Angelus three times a day, for all Sunday services, and various special occasions. Three stained glass windows, representing St. Ann, St. Joseph, and St. Boniface, were placed in the chancel; several statues were added to the altars; new side doors were provided and the St. Joseph's Society donated the ornately-designed new front doors. The church celebrated its 25th anniversary "with pomp and splendor' in 1893.
  22. Before  Father Pefferkorn voluntarily retired to the less­-strenuous life as chaplain at Our Lady of the Lake College, he had also organized  St. Joseph Academy , operated by the  Sisters of Divine Providence for the education of young ladies, the  St. Aloysius Society for young men and the  Young Ladies Sodality . During his 18 year tenure, the church had become one of the out-standing structures in the Southwest and the parish was on a sound financial footing: its only debt was $900 - at a moderate interest rate.
  23. One of the first accomplishments of the new pastor,  Father William Fuhrwerk , was the elimination of the $900 debt. During his twenty-tenure, St. Joseph's experienced what has-been called its Golden Era." Born in Germany,  Father Fuhrwerk was 38 years of age when he came to St. Joseph's from his post as chaplain to the  Sisters of Divine Providence in Castroville . Those who knew him described him as a man of driving personalit>y a man 'who was not afraid of the devil hirnself."
  24. At his first annual meeting in January 1897, reports showed 1200 members and approximately 400 children attending  St. Joseph Academy , of whom some 20% were non-Catholics. During that year he commissioned   James Wahrenberger to prepare plans and specifications for the addition to the belfry of a Gothie steeple, such as he and many of his parishioners remembered from the Fatherland, "to crown the entire structure." And crown it did. Constructed by  Jacob Wagner and completed in 1898, the steeple is frequently referred to by architects , as "the most beautiful Victorian church spire in America "
  25. Several years later the exquisite windows, each designed by a renowned European artist, were imported frorn the famnous  Emil Frei Art Glass factory of Munich, in Bavaria, Gerrnany and were installed for a total cost of $2,879. The walls and ceilings were frescoed by  Fred Stockert and A. Kern; electric lights and new pews were added, as well as a Gothie-style confessional, a new communion rail and an impressive new Gothie pulpit frorn which many persons still in San Antonio remember "thundering sermons in sonorous German."
  26. Like his predecessor,  Father Fuhrwerk was an "organization man." Early in his ministry, in 1898,   Father Fuhrwerk and St. Joseph's Society took part in an event of singular importance - the organization of the "Staatsverband" - State League - in Castroville. Members and delegates frorn St. Joseph's Society, the parish of Saints Peter and Paul of New Braunfels, the St. Louis Society of Castroville, St. Augustine Society of Schulenburg, and the St. Joseph Society of Devine, assembled to celebrate St. Louis Day and to draw up a charter for the league which, by 1935 embraced 38 societies with 1864 members. Because of its affiliation with the  Central Verein of America the organization has exerted influence far beyond Texas.
  27. For the school children of the parish he organized the  "Sacred Heart Union,". a group which helped him in one of his avocations: the production of religious plays in the parochial school. He also established The Third Order of St. Francis at the Parish.
  28. In 1914  Father Fuhrwerk formed the  St. Elizabeth Society , which soon became the distaff counterpart of St. Joseph's Society. The original membership of the Society, named after a queen who had devoted her life to the poor in Hungary, was almost one hundred. Through the years this organization has provided charitable works for many women of the community. They have been of particular assistance to the Carmelite Sisters in San Antonio. Since 1930 the Society has been furnishing altar linens to the poor mission parishes of Texas. St. Peter's - St. Joseph's Home, St. Vincent de Paul's Home for the Aged, Santa Rosa Medical Center, and the State Hospital have been and continue to be beneficiaries of the Society's efforts and at least three other parish organizations at St. Joseph's - the Maternity Guild, the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and the Altar Society, owe their origin and support to this important womem's group. St. Elizabeth's Society, like St. Joseph's Society, now operates inter-parochially throughout Bexar County.
  29. Only one of Father Fuhrwerk's dreams failed to succeed. He wanted to create a fine tuition-free St. Joseph's College for boys and young men of German descent. The proximity of St. Mary's College, which also included a grade school, the awkward structure, and lack of playground space helped to lead to its failure and eventual destruction of the building in 1940. The college's statue of St. Joseph and its cornerstone now form part of the eastern arcade of the church.
  30. One account, quoted by Ray Neumann, states:
  31. As a result of his untiring efforts and enthusiasm, on January 5, 1915, he was able to breathe a vast sigh of relief, and great joy swept the congregation with his announcement that all debts of the parish had been paid. It had cost him eighteen years of strenuous mental and physical labor during which time his parishioners had been willing to enrich the church in whatever manner he suggested.
  32. When  Father Fuhrwerk died in 1916 after a long illness, he was buried,at his request, in the humble brown habit of the Carmelite fathers, his body lowered into a grave unadorned with flowers. A writer, describing the service, wrote: "An enormous concourse of Catholics and non-Catholics followed his body on foot, in carriages and a few autos to the Old St. Joseph Parish Cemetery, eloquent proof of the estimation and regard of San Antonians in every walk of life for this worthy and noble priest."
  33. Even before the death of Father Fuhrwerk, the portent of the move from downtown to the suburbs was evident. Many of the original German Catholic members had transferred to the new parishes of Sacred Heart on West Commerce Street in 1899 and to St. Henry's on South Flores Street in 1902.   Monsignor Peter J. Schnetzer, who served St. Joseph's from 1916 to 1955 was the pastor who, supported by the various parish groups, guided the church through the years of exodus, as well as the national depression and two world wars. The first crisis came after America declared war on Germany in April, 1917. One account states that anti-German feeling was so high that "for a time, it looked as if the death knell of St. Joseph's parish had been sounded. Some parishioners, fearing for their safety, even shunned the church and attended mass elsewhere." After World War II,   Father Schnetzer arranged for a change of status from "National" to "Territorial" parish. The change enabled German families to remain in the parish regardless of place of residence and, as a result of the new territorial boundaries, added about 3OO Mexican-American families to the parish, as well as many Black families who transferred from St. Peter Claver Church on Nolan Street. St. Peter Claver was one of the first Black national churches in America,an:d became a mission of St. Joseph's during the 1950's, In addition to the continued operation of the previously­ organized groups, St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph's Church was founded in 1924 to assist the poor in the parish and St. Joseph's Credit Union, the first of its kind in Texas, was organized in 1932 to help sustain the needy families whose breadwinner had lost his job. Both groups now operate on a county-wide basis.
  34. In addition,  St. Joseph Maternity Guild for Mothers was formed to help those in distress because of the depression. In order to care for the Mexican-American families, a center for catechetical instruction and divine services,  Our Lady of Fatima Chapel at Burleson and Hackberry Streets, was dedicated in 1949. This facility has since been consolidated with St. Joseph's Church.
  35. Though the parish grew, other changes resulted in the contraction of church property. The lands which housed St. Joseph College and St. Joseph's Academy were sold to  Joske Bros. , as the store was known in the 1940's. Parish archives indicate that the archdiocese may have contemplated selling the church property as early as 1941. In March, 1945, at the request of  Archbishop Robert E. Lucey , the St. Joseph parishioners met to consider an offer by Joske's for purchase of the church and the rectory. The parishioners adopted a resolution, part of which read:
  36. Far from having outgrown its usefulness, aside from its historical value, this venerable edifice is, because of its downtown location, a convenient place for those who seek consolation in a few "minutes of prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, a fact fully attested by the great number of visits made during the day by those who have deep and abiding" faith in the Lord Who dwells in the Tabernacle, and it is still one of the leading parishes of the cityBe it therefore Resolved that we voice our emphatic opposition to the sale and abandonment and the eventual destruction and wreckage of St. Joseph's Church and that we most respectfully petition His Excellency,   Most Reverend Robert E. Lucey, Archbishop of San Antonio, to reject all offers of purchase from whatever source they may cone, and to perpetuate it as a shrine and historical monument for future generations to draw inspiration from the great and noble sacrifices made by these early, pious settlers.
  37. Before he retired in 1955,  Monsignor Schnetzer received an award from the  San Antonio Conservation Society, citing the quotation from Proverbs 23:10: "Remove not the old landmark," and stating:
  38. Whereas the purpose of the Society is to cooperate in the preservation of old buildings and whatever is admirably distinctive in San Antonio, and whereas an outstanding contribution toward the accomplishment of this aim has been made by  Monsignor Schnetzer in preserving St. Joseph's Church, the Conservation Society in recognition thereof presents this document.
  39. When  Monsignor Paul J. Ehlinger became pastor after the retirement of  Monsignor Schnetzer , he found that little had been done to the structure except some minor repairs and that the interior of the top floor of the rectory had never been completed. His first· goal was restoration of the interior of the church, but many parishioners opposed any changes, fearful that the paintings and statuary might be damaged or destroyed. Fortunately, during the period of indecision,   Griewe & Company of Cincinnati was com­missioned to renovate St. Mary's Church. The firm, utilizing expert craftsmen and specialists in church restoration, performed such a masterful job on St. Mary's that the board of trustees of St. Joseph's voted to employ the same firm to renovate the interior of St. Joseph's. Also fortunate was the fact that a part of the finances for the renovation was already available as a result of the wise investment by  Monsignor Schnetzer of the funds received from the sale of St. Joseph's College. Many parishioners added their gifts of treasure and talent to the renovation fund. A fine new pipe organ was purchased in 1956 and electric motors were installed to ring the mighty bells; in 1957 air conditioning and central heat were installed. The frames and paintings of the Stations of the Cross were refurbished and English sub-titles were added to the German legend beneath each station. Also in 1957 a historic marker was placed on the church by the Texas Historical Survey Commission. In the rectory,  Monsignor Ehlinger converted the top floor to comfortable living quarters. It was during the tenure of  Monsignor Ehlinger that St. Peter Claver's Church, organized in the 188O's as one of the first Black national churches in America, became a mission of St. Joseph's. Our Lady of Fatima Chapel was incorporated into St. Peter Claver's parish during the same period.
  40. Just as in the old days, new organizations sprang into action: a Holy Name Society; an Altar Society; a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; and the "Guadalupanas," an organization devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas. The parish had come to life again, but now it was a "melting pot" with what  Ray Neumann described as "a core of staunch German­ American families, a number of devoted Negroes, and a growing congregation of Mexican-Americans." After having revitalized St. Joseph's,  Monsignor Ehlinger retired in 1967 to a less arduous post in Bandera, and now serves St. Paul's Church in San Antonio
  41. It was Rev.  Emil J. Wesselsky who led St. Joseph's through the events leading to the church's Centennial celebration, which coincided with HemisFair 1968. As a result of a gift from  Dr. Katherine A. Ryan, long a devoted member of the parish and a noted philanthropist, the renovation of the rectory was accomplished. The sagging porches of the 1880's structure were replaced with an addition constructed of the same limestone from Pittman-Sullivan Park as that used for the construction of the church and the rectory. The stone had been saved by the Archdiocese from the former Bishop's residence and chancery on Dwyer Avenue and a portion of the historic Ursuline Academy.   Alvin J. Julian, A. I. A., carefully duplicated the Gothic details and provided a new front entrance embellished with faceted glass. The Golden and Diamond Jubilees of the church had been unmarked by public festivals because of the two world wars, but the Centennial was celebrated with thanksgiving in splendor. The program included a Solemn Pontifical High Mass with sermons in both German and English, and a gala banquet at the nearby  Menger Hotel, which had been the only building standing near the church at the time of its construction. During HemisFair '68 members of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women conducted tours of the church every morning except Sundays, with the result that the guest registers of the church were swelled with thousands of names listing addressed from around the world. The same year   Holy Redeemer Church, established in 1901 to serve Blacks south of Commerce Street, became a mission of St. Joseph's. In 1969   Father Wesselsky became Director of Communications for the Archdiocese and  Rev. William A. Killian became pastor of St. Joseph's. Most of the pastoral energies of Father Killian and his associate,   Rev. Marvin Doerfler, were directed toward stabilizing the east side apostolate. Parishioners from  Our Lady of Fatima Chapel and  St. Peter Claver Church were incorporated into St. Joseph's parish and the pastors were involved in the founding of  Healy-Murphy Learning and Day Care Center , operated by the  Sisters of the Holy Ghost and Mary Immaculate , who had conducted St. Peter Claver School since 1892. The pastors incorporated the students and faculty of Holy Redeemer School into nearby St. Gerard's School and helped with renovation of the first floor of the school into a free full-health care public clinic. From 1968 until 1972 the clinic was funded by the Archdiocese and staffed by the Sisters of Mercy of St. Louis Province. The facility was later leased to the University of Texas Health Science Center for use in their "Outreach" Program. In 1975 St. Joseph's lost both of its pastors.   Father Doerfler was transferred to St. Margaret Mary's Church and  Father Killian died in an automobile accident . Rev. John Wagner became pastor, assisted by Rev. Michael DeGerolami. New members join regularly and membership is now approaching the number recorded during the era of  ather Fuhrwerk. Swelling the register are some new residents to the downtown area who have moved "Back to the City," as well as some young adults attracted by the dynamic environment of the reviving central city. Most of the organizations established in earlier years continue to support the church, now called St. Joseph's Downtown Church since the organization of another St. Joseph's Church on the Laredo Highway. On most Saturday evenings "His Brother's Children" provide choral and instrumental music for the mass. The group, comprising boys from Central Catholic High School and girls from Providence, Incarnate Word, and Ursuline High Schools, has visited Romania, Poland, and Russia as part of the Friendship Ambassadors program. The Liederkranz sings the fourth Sunday of each month, often in Latin or German, at the 11 AM mass, as well as on special occasions, such as Midnight Mass at Christmas. The pastors continue to serve Holy Redeemer Church and the clinic was recently leased to the Bexar County Anemia Association. Joske's of Texas, which now surrounds the church on three sides, pays for operation of the exterior lighting system which enhances night-time aesthetics and security of the church. Saturday evening masses are scheduled to coincide with Joske's closing hour, so that Catholic employees can fulfill their Sunday obligation right after work. Church-goers at the daily noon masses are frequently Joske employees. Inasmuch as the church is "Open on Sunday," Joske's makes available a specified number of parking spaces without charge to persons attending mass. The symbiotic relationship has led to the church's affectionate nickname: "St. Joske's."
  42. Presently the parish is engaged in a stewardship program, from which some funds will be expended for repair of the stone, which, after 110 years, has many fine-line cracks through which moisture is seeping.  O'Neil Ford , the prominent architect who supervised restoration of San Fernando Cathedral, recently inspected St. Joseph's and directed this report to the pastor: The stone work is beautiful, even exemplary, and we are fortunate that St. Joseph's has an excellent foundation, as there are no significant structural cracks. The normal aging of ordinary lime-and-water mortar and expansion and contraction inherent in big masonry walls is the cause of all the fine cracking. We now have stronger and more waterproof materials that would stop the leakage for a very long time am so pleased that you and your parishioners and many other interested persons in San Antonio are beginning to know what a treasure St. Joseph's is and that there is interest in the problems of stopping and preventing damage. Work should start as soon as funds are available. The parishioners of St. Joseph's hope that many others in the community will join with them in helping to save this splendid landmark, which is on the  Historic American Buildings Survey in Washington , bears a Texas Historical Marker, and is in first priority section of the San Antonio Historic Survey. Those who wish may send gifts to St. Joseph's Downtown Church, 623 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205.
  43. Property of Archives & Records Management Office Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas