Replacement historical marker dedicated for ‘The Lost Missionary'

WESLACO — The Hidalgo County Historical Commission hopes the historical marker for the Rev. Peter Keralum will stay this time. “The Lost Missionary” has become known for his disappearing acts.

The commission dedicated a replacement marker for Keralum on Sunday in the rear parking lot of the Compass Bank branch near the junction of Expressway 83 and 3 Mile Road West here in Weslaco.

The French Catholic priest was a member of the Calvary of Christ, a group of Oblate priests who traveled by horseback up and down the Rio Grande Valley in the mid-1800s ministering to thousands of people and helping in the construction of churches and much-needed infrastructure.

His missionary work was integral to the Valley’s development, said Manuel Cano, a member of the historical commission.

“He civilized the Lower Rio Grande Valley from Laredo to Brownsville,” Cano said. “If you go to this marker and read it, you’ll understand what he did for this area in 40 to 50 years.”

The marker was originally set at the same spot in 1989 but was lost after the demolition of the Rio Grande Valley Chamber of Commerce two years later.

The historical commission thought someone would find it and turn it in eventually but recently decided to go ahead and replace it. Compass Bank donated the $1,800 for the new one.

In 1872, Keralum himself got lost in the Valley while riding on horseback on a missionary trip from a ranch north of Mercedes to one near Hargill. His remains were found 10 years later in heavy brush country, about three miles north of where the historical marker was placed.

The exact location of his remains’ discovery is on private property and is not accessible to the public, explained Adel Ortega, the historical commission’s chairwoman. That’s why the marker was placed at a different site.

“He was a very famous and storied priest and a treasured person to remember,” said Marge Johnson, a member of the historical commission. “We just wanted to make sure the marker was still up.”

Keralum first arrived in South Texas in 1852 after being ordained an Oblate priest in Marseilles, France. An architect, he brought French Gothic architecture to the Valley, including designing and helping to build Our Lady of Refuge Church in Roma and what is now known as Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville.

His ministry work as a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate took him to more than 100 scattered ranches throughout the Valley and made him a beloved figure in the region.

“He was doing all the business of the church while riding on horseback and he didn’t have anything with him — no money, no food, just whatever the people on the ranches fed him,” Cano said. “What this priest did was very important to us. From Brownsville to Laredo there was nothing. And going north, there was nothing but wilderness until San Antonio.”

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Nick Pipitone covers McAllen and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.