Catholic Priests on the Texas Frontier

Session Chair: Carlos Varela, Texas General Land Office

Father Pedro Fuentes, a native of Saltillo, served as pastor of San Fernando parish in San Antonio for nearly two decades during the Spanish colonial era—the longest tenure of any diocesan priest in the period. This presentation examines Fuentes’s pastoral work, his relationships with the community and government, and the enduring mark he left on the province, offering insight into both the role of diocesan clergy and the development of San Antonio as a frontier community.

Fr. Anthony Ganilh, long surrounded by mystery, is credited with authoring one of the first novels of Texas, Mexico versus Texas (1838), later republished as Ambrosio de Letinez (1842). Drawing on newly uncovered letters, this presentation supports Ganilh’s authorship and sheds light on his departure from the Diocese of Bardstown, his time in Texas and Mexico, and how his experiences are woven into the fabric of his novel—offering fresh perspectives on an early work of Texas literature and its enigmatic creator.