Morgan Wheatly

St. Mary’s Catholic Church invites the public to attend the Open House of its new Parish Hall this Sunday, December 4, from 1 to 4 p.m.

After ten years of planning, a year of construction, and a formal dedication with the blessing of the bishop, St. Mary’s parishioners are excited to have a facility for the many functions of their growing church, which has gone from a dozen families ten years ago to about 50 today.

Parish Council President Lindy Craft said the new building fills a need for St. Mary’s.

“It’s very nice to have our religion classes there,” she said. “Previously we had to have them in the old priest’s house.”

The facility, which is available to be rented for activities, is a great achievement for the church, and parishioners are excited for the community to come see the new hall.

During the open house, tamales and enchiladas will be for sale for $12 per dozen, and a raffle will be held to help three women struggling with medical crises – Amber Williams, Sue Carson, and Liz Carreon. Items being raffled include a handmade quilt, a wine basket, Nutcracker tickets, and other items.

Catholics were meeting in Clarendon by 1890, and in 1892 the present church was built and continues to serve as the Panhandle’s oldest Catholic church. An academy building was later built on a block west of the church but was closed and dismantled early in the 20th century.

Craft said the church had a priest’s house and perhaps a storage building, but in all its history it has never had a Parish Hall, a place for church meals, classes, family gatherings, and more… until now.

“Our church is the oldest in the diocese,” Craft said, “and it’s really nice to finally have something like this for the people of our church.”

The Parish Hall, situated just east of the church, is 6,750 square feet and can seat up to 240 people, according to Building Committee Chair Denise Bertrand. The building also has four classrooms, a changing room – for weddings and other events – near the restrooms, a large kitchen, an office, and a library.

Ground was broken on the project just over a year ago, and contractor Claudell Wright build the facility and is credited with helping the church find ways to save money during construction.

“I’m just thrilled that we finally got it and that it’s as nice as it is,” Bertrand said. “A lot of parishioners put in a lot of time doing the finish work to get it done. I’m also thrilled that it’s almost paid for. We’re still raising money, but we’re close.”

Craft said the project could not have happened if not for the support of local people as well as people from other areas.

“A lot of donors from outside the parish have helped make it possible,” Craft said. “We’ve had money from the diocese and others that has helped reduce the debt.”

Those interested in making a donation to the project can do so by sending a check to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, PO Box C, Clarendon, TX 79226 and put “building fund” in the memo. For rental information, call 806-248-7584.

A Donley County man remains hospitalized this week after being severely injured in a two-vehicle accident east of Clarendon Saturday.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Lynn Mays said Clovis McCary was traveling south at about 8:25 a.m. November 26 on FM 1260 when he apparently went through the stop sign south of the BNSF railroad tracks, crossed westbound lanes and crossover of US 287 and was struck crossing the eastbound lanes by a 2012 Chevy pickup driven by Samuel Cummings of Whitesboro.

McCary’s 2005 Chevy pickup was heavily damaged, and McCary, was airlifted to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo before later being flown to University Medical Center in Lubbock.

Cummings suffered only minor injuries, but his wife’s injuries required her to be transported to Northwest Texas.

Mays said the DPS investigation of the accident is still on going.

Responding to the accident were DPS, the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department, Associated Ambulance Authority, and the Texas Department of Transporation.

A special screening will be held in Amarillo next week of the documentary film Citizen Soldier, which features Clarendon native Colt Floyd.

The screening will be held in honor of the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor on December 7 at the Veteran Resource Center’s Happy State Bank Virgil Patterson Auditorium at 701 S. Taylor. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the movie starts at 6:30.

Citizen Soldier tells the true story of a group of young Soldiers and their life-changing tour of duty in Afghanistan. Using real footage from multiple cameras, including helmet cams, these Citizen Soldiers give the audience an intimate view into the chaos and horrors of combat and, in the process, display their bravery and valor under the most hellish of conditions.

Floyd and some of the other soldiers in the film will be in attendance next week and invite you to share this experience with them.

SSG Colt Floyd is a 2001 Clarendon High School graduate who attended Southern Nazarene University before enlisting in the Oklahoma Army National Guard after 9/11.  He spent about 12 years serving as an infantryman and worked full time for the Oklahoma Guard in recruiting and retention, and served as an instructor trainer for the states Pre-Mobilization Training Assistance Unit.

SSG Floyd deployed twice to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart upon the completion of his most recent 2011-2012 tour.

Citizen Soldier follows Floyd’s unit during his last tour in Afghanistan.

“This film has aroused several different thoughts and emotions from me,” Floyd writes. “Early on I really didn’t want to participate in it due to the deployment having such an impact on my life.  Losing (Army Sgt. Mycal L.) Prince and my other men being hurt/wounded devastated me.  I feel like I’ve been picking up the pieces ever since.  With that being said I also know Prince would want what’s best for us all.  And that’s to live our lives in a positive light and under the best circumstances possible.

Floyd says it’s important to raise awareness and have an up close and personal look at what combat is like in the line of fire. The chaos, he says, will show the American people what it’s all about.

“It will help them to understand that even after the soldier returns home, the battle doesn’t exactly stop.  This film gives me a whole new sense of pride and I look forward to the response it receives from the tireless hours put into it to make it possible.”

For those who cannot attend next week’s screening, the movie is available for sale on DVD through Amazon.com. A preview video of the movie can be seen at https://vimeo.com/180936857.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos had no problem sliding by Lockney at home last Tuesday night. They were able to work both ends of the court and earned a 74-46 win.

The Broncos jumped on the Longhorns early taking a 22-point lead into the break. Lockney was unable to stop the Broncos as they executed their offense almost perfectly. Clarendon was dominant on the defensive end and stopped Lockney from finding a rhythm.

“We did a good job of taking care of the basketball,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “I was pleased with our defensive effort.”

The big five accounted for 64 of the Broncos’ total score. Keandre Cortez led the scoring effort with 17 and Chance Lockhart put in 16. Colt Wood had 11 and Marshal Johnson and Jared Jeffers each had 10. Bryce Grahn and Damarjae Cortez each had four and Bear Smith added two to finish out the scoring.

The Broncos’ rebounding was good as well with Grahn grabbing 10 and Smith getting nine. Grahn led with seven assists and Wood and D. Cortez each helped with five. Grahn also led in steals with six and D. Cortez and Smith each had two.

The Broncos will participate in the Miami Tournament December 1-3 and play Vega at home on Tuesday, December 6, beginning at 8:00 p.m.