| Amanda Vessel, "The Making of a Landmark: St. | | | | decided to build a new convent for the nuns at a |
| Anthony's Cathedral, Beaumont, Texas," | | | | cost of $25,000. More building projects included a |
| Touchstone, vol. XIX (2000), 48-58.This article | | | | brick rectory in 1922, a high school in 1926, and an |
| explores the history and symbolic and cultural | | | | outdoor recreation area in 1928. In 1937, Father |
| significance of St. Anthony's Cathedral in | | | | Kelly began restoring and decorating the interior |
| Beaumont, Texas. Amanda Vessel asserts that | | | | of St. Anthony's. Father Kelly added oil paintings |
| this Catholic Church has special meanings for their | | | | and stained glass windows at a cost of $32,000. |
| parishioners. St. Anthony's physical appearance is | | | | In 1953, a new grammar school was constructed |
| very symbolic. The floor plan is shaped like a | | | | to accommodate an increasing student enrollment. |
| cross and the statues and other works of art | | | | This school cost $400,000 and is still in use |
| represent many tenets of the Catholic | | | | today.Monsignor Kelly retired from his position as |
| faith.Before 1897, and the coming of Father | | | | pastor of St. Anthony's in August 1954, and he |
| William Lee, the Catholic Church in Beaumont, St. | | | | passed away six months later. His successor, |
| Louis, was very small and Spartan. In 1901, the | | | | Reverend George Black, constructed a new high |
| discovery of oil led to an influx of people and | | | | school and a new convent in 1961. In 1972, Father |
| oil-related businesses. As a result, St. Louis | | | | Marvin Enderle began restoration of the church's |
| became too small to accommodate the increasing | | | | interior, and he added a parking lot for the church |
| Catholic population, and Father Lee proposed | | | | in 1979. In 1995, under Father Beenie Patillo, St. |
| building a new church. This church was built | | | | Anthony's had developed a parish center.The |
| according to Father Lee's design, and it was | | | | evolution of St. Anthony's from a Spartan church |
| dedicated in January 1907, in honor of St. | | | | to the beautiful structure that is an historical |
| Anthony of Padua. Next Father Lee started a | | | | landmark in Beaumont involved many different |
| new grammar school and the former school was | | | | pastors and generations of the Catholic |
| moved to be a convent for the nuns who taught | | | | parishioners. St. Anthony's is more than a place of |
| at the schools. Father Lee did not live to see the | | | | worship; the church is involved in numerous |
| completion of the grammar school in September | | | | aspects of its parishioners' lives. Thus, St. |
| 1918; he died in July of that year and was buried | | | | Anthony's is very important to the Catholics in |
| in St. Anthony's at the foot of the altar.Father E. | | | | Beaumont.Mary Arnold graduated from University |
| A. Kelly, Father Lee's successor, arrived in | | | | of Houston - Clear Lake with a B.A. in literature |
| Beaumont while the city was still experiencing the | | | | and history.She is an author on which is a site for |
| economic prosperity from the oil boom. He | | | | Creative Writing. |