Dedication of John Patrick Stolte Community Center in Del Rio

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Dedication of John Patrick Stolte Community Center in Del Rio

Submitted by Bonnie Bolner, Dr. Marian Casillas and Pam Smith

Photos by Dr. Veronica Cadena, Raquel Cedillo and Allison Hubbard

The Dedication Ceremony of the John Patrick Stolte Community Center - Offices of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Adoration Chapel was held on October 28 in Del Rio.

The ceremony began with Eucharistic Celebration at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and concelebrants Father Pius U. Ezeigbo, Pastor, Sacred Heart Church; and Father Sady Nelson Santana, Parochial Vicar, Saint Joseph Church, Del Rio.

Assisting Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS were Deacon David Scarbo, Sacred Heart Church, Del Rio; Deacon Robert Kusenberger, Saint Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church, San Antonio and Gilbert Casillas, the Archbishop’s Master of Ceremonies from San Antonio.

Archbishop Gustavo in the homily proclaimed God’s law of love. He stated, “The ancient rabbis counted 613 precepts in God’s law.  A favorite debate topic was which was the greatest, the most important commandment of all.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy: ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’ (6:5).   Then he immediately adds that ‘the second’ is similar, quoting from Leviticus: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  (19:18). These two teachings are central to the life of every one of God’s people.  
The First Letter of John says that ‘whoever does not love a brother [or sister] whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen’ (4:20).  In the Old Testament the people of God are commanded to pay special attention to ‘widows, orphans, and strangers’ – the most vulnerable members in the community. We will be judged by God at the end of our lives by how we loved others – how we defended and protected their human and civil rights – how we helped the poor and vulnerable. 
Let us pray with Saint Francis: ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace!’”  
The Archbishop concluded with a quote by Pope Paul VI: ‘If you want peace, work for justice’”. 

Archbishop Gustavo asked for prayers for the two young men from Del Rio who are currently studying at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio; Arturo Garcia, III, Saint Joseph Church and Jesus Alonso, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

The Offertory Gifts at Mass were presented by: William Edward Stolte, Robert Daniel Stolte, Kenneth Wayne Stolte, Jr., and Tracie Marie Massey.

The Sacred Heart Catholic School Children’s Choir, directed by Javier Rojas and Emanuel Odin, sang at Mass.  

After Mass, The Knights of Columbus escorted Archbishop Gustavo to the entrance of the J.P. Stolte Community Center. After the congregation gathered around His Excellency, he blessed the building. The Archbishop then entered the building and sprinkled the interior with Holy Water. The blessing ceremony culminated with the Chapel being incensed and the Blessed Sacrament was installed for Adoration.

Archbishop Gustavo encouraged all those present to visit the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the Chapel. He led all in   praying Grace before Meals and counting down to the grand opening of the J.P. Solte Community Center where the reception and dinner were held.

High spirited Mariachi music welcomed the guests into the gymnasium. Mariachi Rayos Del Sol, directed by Jesse Brijalba, added a festive ambiance to the celebration.

Throughout the evening a slide show was projected on two screens, one displayed all the stages during construction of the building and the other revealed the life of John Patrick Stolte.

During the reception, Oscar San Miguel, Jr., the Master of Ceremonies, introduced the Archbishop, Priests, Deacons, the Archbishop’s Master of Ceremonies, and Guests of Honor.

Archbishop Gustavo gave a blessing emphasizing: “The Lord has been good to us. We are all blessed. Celebrate every day the gift of the Lord in our lives. May the Lord keep us all united.”

A skit by Sacred Heart Catholic School students was presented highlighting the history of Sacred Heart Parish and School.
Jane H. Steffey, Tech Teacher Jr. High, Specials Teacher, at Sacred Heart Catholic School; researched, wrote, and organized the students, from grades PreK3 through 8th Grade, who so charmingly shared an often humorous and sometimes touching skit depicting scenes highlighting events from the history of the 132 year old parish and the 117 year old school.
Skits portrayed: the building of the first Sacred Heart Church, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word arriving in Del Rio in a horse-drawn buggy, the “Bucket Brigade of Mercy” endeavoring to save the school from a fire in 1903, Sacred Heart’s Pastors and parishioners sharing a warm relationship with Laughlin Air Force Base and Mary, Queen of the Universe parish in Comstock, Texas.  Also depicted were the treasured, unique artwork in the Church featuring the stained glass windows by Dupleix Freyes of Paris, France and the striking contemporary art of Sister Mary Peter Tremonte.
The students concluded by congratulating all who helped make the J.P. Stolte Community Center a reality.

Pam Smith, Sacred Heart Parish Council President, gave a detailed presentation of the initiation and progression of the J.P. Stolte Community Center project.
“Sacred Heart parishioners, students and alumni had a long enduring aspiration for a gymnasium. During a homily Father Pius U. Ezeigbo, who had newly arrived in Del Rio, outlined the idea of a building with a gymnasium and parish offices. His main message was, ‘If God wants this to happen, it will. Someone listening today will come forward to help make it happen.’ 
Kenneth and Theresa Stotle from Del Rio, who were in the congregation that day, approached Father Pius with a proposal in memory of their son, John Patrick. The family would make a significant initial donation plus matching funds up to $227,000. After the matching funds were secured the task of raising additional money became more challenging. There were numerous fundraising events along the way to secure all the necessary funds.
A tremendous gratitude is owed the Stolte family, Sacred Heart parishioners, and all who contributed to our project. Also thank you to Archbishop Gustavo for permission to embark on this three year journey. We give a special acknowledgement of appreciation to Lou and Mary Ann Zylka who lived this project every day. The value of their input and dedication was absolutely immeasurable.
This project was accomplished with prayerful support. With the help of the Holy Spirit we were able to overcome all obstacles along this long but rewarding journey. By joining talents, resources and effort John Patrick’s legacy will live on to serve the community of Del Rio with a venue for sports, meetings and social gatherings.
As Father Pius had stated in the homily that initiated this project, ‘If God wants this to happen, it will.’ God must have thought it was a fantastic idea because here it is!”

Guest Speaker, the Honorable Brock Jones, Senior District Judge 112th Judicial District, shared many memories about his friendship with John Patrick Solte.  He saw John Patrick as a man who possessed high standards and deeply held values. John Patrick used his time on earth to convey these attributes to the young people around him. Judge Jones told how his friend John Patrick would often speak about his students, whom he deeply cared about and cherished. Finally he related the last days in the hospital and how the life of his friend has left a lasting impression.

Father Pius concluded the ceremony with heartfelt thanks to all who took part in creating the John Patrick Stolte Community Center.

Friends and family of the Stolte’s along with Sacred Heart Parishioners filled the church and gymnasium to capacity with an estimated 750 in attendance.

This dedication was a tribute to the loving memory of John Patrick, who will be deeply missed by his wife, Theresa Chambers Stolte, Del Rio, Texas; his mother, Theresa Stolte, Del Rio, Texas and his siblings: William Edward Stolte, Spring, Texas; Robert Daniel Stolte, Kenedy, Texas; Edward Lee Stolte, Three Rivers, Texas; Kenneth Wayne Stolte, Jr., Angleton, Texas and Tracie Marie Massey, Port Lavaca, Texas.

John Patrick Stolte: February 16, 1967 - February 16, 2014
He was born in San Antonio, Texas, attended Our Lady of Victory Parochial School, graduated from Victoria High School in Victoria, Texas and obtained his Masters of Science in education from Sul Russ State University.
He loved teaching Physics at Del Rio High School and was an avid outdoors man passionate about fishing, hiking and camping.
His kindness, dignity, and sense of humor were a blessing and a gift.  His enthusiasm for this earth, its rivers and its skies will be forever remembered by the people he touched so deeply.

Special upcoming events scheduled to be held jointly by the three Catholic Parishes in Del Rio: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Sacred Heart and Saint Joseph, and which will be presided over by Archbishop Gustavo at the J.P. Stolte Community Center include: On May 25, 2018 - Sacrament of Confirmation will be conferred on high school students and on May 26, 2018 - Deaconate Ordination will be administered to seven men.

The Chapel of Adoration is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. where the Most Blessed Sacrament is exposed for all to come and adore Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The J.P. Stolte Community Center in the heart of Del Rio, 307 East Losoya Street, includes a conference room, kitchen, stage and a full-size collegiate basketball court, where our community athletes will play basketball and volleyball.
The facility will be used for family services, trainings, retreats, theatre programs, special meetings, Vacation Bible School, summer programs, special celebrations and bereavement services.
In case of a natural disaster or an emergency, the facility will also provide shelter to the residents in Del Rio and Val Verde.


The J.P. Stolte Community Center is a wonderful addition for the Catholic community, and a tremendous asset to the city of Del Rio and Val Verde County.