Order of Alhambra alive and well in San Antonio

Roland DeWinne Sr. and Tony Dettling oversaw St. Anthony statue’s move to San Fernando Cathedral. Carol Baass Sowa | Today's Catholic

SAN ANTONIO • In years gone by, the Order of the Alhambra’s Bejar Caravan No. 56 played a prominent role in the large annual Christ the King procession that would wend its way from St. John’s Seminary over to the orphanage. Though that particular event no longer takes place, members of the Bejar Caravan continue actively involved in San Antonio and the Catholic Church.

An Italian marble statue of St. Anthony of Padua, designed by Louis Rodriguez, was presented by them to the city in 1955 and formerly stood in front of the Bexar County Courthouse facing Main Plaza. Here, Alhambra members annually participated in a wreath-laying ceremony for the Feast of St. Anthony, followed by Mass and a social gathering.

Recent construction, however, and restoration of the 19th century statue of Lady Justice to her former place of honor on the courthouse grounds shuffled the St. Anthony statue into temporary storage, a fact to which the caravan was alerted by member Dr. Felix Almaraz, a history professor at UTSA. In 2008, with the statue inaccessible, the Alhambras’ traditional ceremony had to be held at St. Anthony de Padua Church instead.

A “committee” of former Grand Commander Roland DeWinne and Supreme Advocate Jack Sims (also a former Grand Commander), set about the task of attending innumerable meetings with city staff, the Historical Review Board and other parties involved to reach a decision on relocating the statue, which at first languished behind a protective chain link fence on the courthouse grounds and was later stored in a municipal garage.

DeWinne and Sims rejected proposals to move the statue to less visible nearby locations on the San Fernando Portal (between street level and the Riverwalk) or Trevino Alley (between the cathedral and city hall annex). At one point, it was suggested the statue go “into storage.” Remembering how Lady Justice had been “lost” for decades that way, the two Sir Nobles strongly resisted.

Finally, a location in front of the cathedral gift shop, facing Main Plaza, was agreed upon, with Alhambra member Harold Kuntz volunteering to lay the statue’s foundation and Lupe Rodriguez, nephew of the statue’s designer, doing minor restoration work on it. The father of Harold and his brother John (also a member) had been Vice Grand Commander in 1955 when the statue was originally donated.

The statue’s installation at its new place of honor was blessed by Bishop Oscar Cantu, assisted by Sir Noble Msgr. Laurence Stuebben during the traditional wreath-laying ceremonies on June 11.

Proclamations by the city, county and state commemorating the occasion were read at that time by Grand Commander Alex Camacho and Vice Grand Commander Rene Valero. Roland DeWinne quipped, “It took a year for St. Anthony to cross Dolorosa Street, but he made it safely!”