Our History

1. 1901

   A Brief History of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church

   Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, formerly known as the Divine Redeemer Home, is located at Vargas, Nevada and Gevers Streets in San Antonio, Texas. In the beginning, Holy Redeemer was founded as a home for aged, needy and orphaned Negroes. Later on, the name was changed to Holy Redeemer Church. Sometime in the early part of February, 1901, the Rev. A.J. Dumolin, pastor of St. Peter Claver a church for colored people on the corner of Nolan and Live Oak Streets came to see a friend at South Heights to inquire as to the possibility of securing a ground site to establish a “work of charity” facility. Knowing that the diocese owned four lots in the east end of San Antonio between Vargas and Gevers Streets, this friend informed Fr. Dumolin about the lots and recommended that he see Bishop John Forrest about securing them. Fr. Dumolin did confer with the Bishop and was granted conditional consent for the “work of charity” to begin at that site. On February 22, 1901, Fr. Dumolin went to the site, blessed it and the work to be done in God’s name, and prayed for direction and success. That afternoon, the first building materials were ordered. On April 21, 1901, three main buildings on the site were completed, and on November 7, 1901 the altar, which was donated, arrived at Divine Redeemer Home. Arrangements were made to have Holy mass celebrated on the coming Thanksgiving Day. An organ was borrowed, and an impromptu choir was organized. On December 25, 1901, a beautiful service was held, and attendance was good.

   After using Divine Redeemer Home as an old folks home, it was repurposed into a day school in September 1906. The first story of the present Education Center was completed in 1911. At that time, there were three different Protestant lay teachers who served the school until 1913; at the completion of the first floor of the Education Center, one lay teacher and one neighborhood minister worked in the school. In 1913, two Holy Ghost Sisters arrived and began working in the school. The next year, Fr. Lambert J. Welbers, now pastor, went to Bishop John Shaw to discuss the teaching situation; Shaw had arrived in San Antonio in 1910, and was very interested in the situation and in establishing a school. As a result, Fr. Welbers was directed to bring in the Sisters of the Holy Ghost, who taught in the school, and lived in a two story house on the west side of Vargas Street, opposite the school. A second story was added to the school in 1922, and the parish and school continued to grow.

   Through the years, many other milestones were reached at Holy Redeemer. In 1950, Holy Redeemer Credit Union was founded. In 1960, construction of a new convent on Polaris Street began. In 1966, a new parish hall was dedicated on the site of the old convent. In 1968, the parish school closed, and the Josephite Fathers, who had ministered at Holy Redeemer for 64 years, withdrew from the parish, and the parish became a mission of St. Joseph Church downtown. The work, though, continued on. Shortly afterwards, a community clinic was started and staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. In 1979, Holy Redeemer was reinstated as a parish, and Fr. John Wagner was assigned as Pastor. In 1991, at the behest of parishioner Velma Harrison, Holy Redeemer held its first Mardi Gras gala. In April 1999, Fr. Celestin Tongotani became Pastor. His untimely death in October 2000 left the parish without an assigned pastor. Deacon Thomas St. Claire White was appointed as Pastoral Administrator, and served until July 2002 when Fr. Bruce Schultz, O.P. was appointed Pastor.

   On Palm Sunday, 2006, another milestone was reached at Holy Redeemer. After years of planning and construction, parishioners moved into the long awaited new sanctuary, processing inside to the tune of “Get Your House in Order.” Archbishop Jose Gomez dedicated the new sanctuary on May 3, 2006. In October 2007, Fr. Bruce was reassigned, and once again, the community was without a pastor. In January 2008, Fr. Kevin P. Fausz, a Vincentian priest, was announced as the new pastor, and was installed by Archbishop Gomez on August 17, 2008. Under his leadership, a Capital Campaign was begun to provide for the restoration of the original church, and to remodel and expand the parish hall to meet the growing needs of Holy Redeemer. The campaign, known as “Rooted in Faith, Building for the Future” is still in progress. The parish is now the only predominately African American Catholic Church in San Antonio, and serves as a beacon of God’s love on the east side of San Antonio.

Photographs, programs, bulletins, and recollections from parishioners are the heart of this history. If you have something to contribute, the parish would be glad to see it.