Father Roy Snipes, a 73-year-old priest, blasts the idea of a wall.
“They are trying to bully us but we are not backing down,” said Snipes, who made his final vows nearly four decades ago at La Lomita. “The wall goes against our beliefs as Catholics and as Texans. We refuse to let them bulldoze our church for something that will harm people in need.”
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The historic La Lomita Chapel sits about 800 feet from the border and welcomes all folks from the surrounding area near the Rio Grande in the City of Mission, Texas.
The obvious intrusion into religious liberty means nothing to the Trump administration who is in the process of seizing the chapel and surrounding land.
Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, the federal government asked a McAllen judge to give it immediate possession of land in Hidalgo County owned by the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville. The federal government filed a Declaration of Taking on Oct. 25 to use eminent domain to take properties that include La Lomita Chapel and property south of the Juan Diego Academy in Mission on brush land next to the levee. 2
- The Daily Beast – La Lomita Chapel is the heart of one Texas border town. It may also be the latest casualty in Trump’s demands for a border wall.
- The Monitor, Mark Reagan, November 28, 2018 – U.S. Government wants immediate access to Brownsville Diocese land in Mission