SELMA • Another chapter in the 109-year history of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church was lovingly written on Oct. 15, when three new buildings were dedicated by Archbishop José H. Gomez: the Pastoral Center, the Child Development Center and a gymnasium. The dedication began appropriately in giving thanks to God with the archbishop and pastor Msgr. Conor McGrath concelebrating Mass, with another Mass occurring simultaneously in the gym for the overflow crowd, with Father Philip Chung-jin Kim as presider.
    Seven years ago in 1999 a survey was conducted to determine what the needs of the community into the 21st century were, said Mel Cummings, building projects manager. “Vision 2000, Cummings reported, became the working title of the program to help provide for the needs of the parish into the next century. At the dedication, Cummings shared his gratitude for the generosity of the parishioners that led to the completion of the new buildings, as well as providing a much needed new roadway into the campus, doubled the number of parking spaces available, improved storm drainage and overall brought the church campus up to code.

    After the Mass, the community gathered outside in the new arbor area, where Rudy Pollok, chair of the Building Committee, welcomed everyone. “Even with the gift of God’s rain this day, he is blessing our newly planted landscape and our arbor which is a work in progress,” Pollok pointed out. The rain halted just enough for all of the blessings at the three buildings, and everyone remaining dry, as they processed from one to the other.

    Pollok especially thanked Fisher-Heck, who took the community’s vision for the future and turned it into plans, and then the great team of Keller-Martin, the general contractor, and Rick Smith as its president and building supervisor, Ron Litwornia. He also acknowledged the mayor of Selma, who was on hand for the dedication, as well as other Selma city officials who were extremely helpful throughout the building process.

    At the ribbon cutting of the Pastoral Center, Jeannette Easley, pastoral administrator, selected a special group of parishioners for the honors. The land that the church sits on, once belonged to the Friesenhahn family and so Bernice and Wilbur Friesenhahn used the scissors, joined by Sister Rosemary Leopold, IWBS, whose order has had a long presence at the church as well. Wilbur told the story that when his family wanted to go to Mass, they had a choice between driving to San Antonio downtown to attend Mass at St. Joseph Church or going to New Braunfels. His grandfather approached the archdiocese and asked, “If I give you the land, will you build a church here?” The rest is history.

    At each building, Archbishop Gomez blessed it and then took time to walk through and meet each staff member who would work there. After the blessings, everyone moved to the big tent set up to enjoy refreshments and fellowship.

    From the gift of the rain that morning, and its temporary let-up, to the Gospel of the day where it was proclaimed, “with God all things are possible,” to the canonization that day of a saint who walked in San Antonio, Msgr. McGrath summed it up well at the end of the day when he thanked all for their generosity, saying, “This is a day of blessings, a wonderful day in the history of our church.”