Day of Prayer Honors the Fallen at San Jacinto

The weekend of Dia de los Muertos, All Soul’s Day, will bring a day of healing to the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site.  An outdoor Mass on the point overlooking the San Jacinto River will memorialize the more than 600 men who lost their lives in the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto and will consecrate the ground that became the final resting place of many of the fallen soldiers. The 12:30 p.m. Mass on Sunday, November 3, will be celebrated by the Most Reverend Joe S. Vasquez, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston Houston.

Following the Mass, an ecumenical prayer service will be held at 2:30 p.m.  Blessings will be offered by Bishop Vasquez; Rev. Ron Pogue, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, Galveston; and Rev. James Bankston, Pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Houston.

“While many associate the San Jacinto Museum of History Association with our efforts to preserve and portray Texas history, few realize that part of our mission is ‘to promote and perpetuate peace, friendship and sympathetic understanding between the peoples of Texas and Mexico, Spain, France and the Latin-American Republics,’” says George Donnelly, President of the San Jacinto Museum of History.  “It is our hope that, after 166 years, this Day of Prayer will help heal that period in our history when the relationship between Mexico and Texas was tumultuous, and pave the way for a closer relationship with our neighbor with whom we share a common heritage,” Donnelly explains.

Religion played a strong role in early Texas history.  The San Jacinto Museum of History’s holdings covering the three centuries are extensive, and several exhibit cases on the main floor follow this early period chronologically, beginning with the arrival of the first Europeans in the 1500s.  Ceremonial vessels, liturgical robes, crucifixes and religious paintings help convey the spiritual side of Texas under the rule of Spain and, later, Mexico.

Admission to the Day of Prayer, the 1,000-acre park and the San Jacinto Museum of History is free.  The San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park is located 22 miles east of Houston.  For information about the park, telephone 281/479-2431. For information about the Day of Prayer or the San Jacinto Museum of History, telephone 281/479-2421.