Ordained a priest May 23, 1959, in his wildest dreams, Father Robert Mahoney probably never thought he would have ever ended up in the small town of Somerville, Texas, but he did and all who knew him agree that both, the small country parish and the sleepy little railroad town by the lake have both benefited from the man of the cloth who came to be know as the Cowboy Priest. He passed away Saturday leaving behind a legacy and many fond memories.

In May 2009, Fr. Mahoney celebrated 50 years of becoming a priest and following a lengthy illness, he died Saturday and while those who knew him grieve they also know, his answer to serve God allowed him to be a part of their lives.

When Fr. Mahoney arrived in Somerville in 1963, times were tough but still, he knew he somehow had to literally build a parish from the ground up and in order for that dream come true, he knew he would need lots of money...money he knew the parish didn't have especially since in those days, the weekly collection was about $13.00 a week and he was able to carry it in his vest pocket.

Longtime church member Lucy Orozco says, "we didn't have any money, it was a poor parish. St. Ann's didn't have any money, but we knew how to work."

So being the hands on, determined and stubborn priest that he was, Fr. Mahoney also knew how to work and he had the idea to organize a fundraiser and decided that he and the parishioners of St. Ann's would put on a rodeo.

When Sister John, one of the nuns at St. Ann's heard of the plan she says, "rodeo, rodeo, rodeo...I didn't even know what a rodeo was, but I said okay. I thought he was crazy and the people here were crazy, but okay, we were going to put on a rodeo."

Fr. Mahoney also knew that putting on a rodeo was only half the battle because in order to make money, he knew people would have to attend and much to his mother's astonishment, he let the word out that he would be riding bulls at the rodeo to attract spectators. His belief was that onlookers from all around would come to see the young priest from South Bend, Indiana take on and conquer some of the meanest and toughest bulls in the area.

While most of the church members thought he was out of his mind, they supported him and and after many broken bones and years of hard work, Fr. Mahoney's vision paid off and ground was broken on the parish's church hall which doubled as the sanctuary, until guess what? Until more money was raised to build the actual church building.

Throughout the years, Fr. Mahoney and his small group of parishioners sold pigs, shoes and even shoveled manure all while clearing the land they were now buying and all of that hard work is the history of Saint Ann's in Somerville.

While that's the public side of Fr. Mahoney, the private side is that during the parish's formative years, he worked without a salary because there wasn't any money to pay him and the few coins he had in his pocket he would gladly give them to those who needed them more and that often times his meals consisted of what ever canned meat was in his pantry.

Sister John says, "he had a big heart and would give the shirt off his back to help anybody."

Finally after more than 20 years with his new adopted family, Fr. Mahoney left town, but he never left the hearts of his faithful followers and after visiting Somerville one last time to the mark 50 years of him becoming a priest, he said his last goodbyes and almost four months later he died, but his legacy and vision continue.

Sister John says, "I loved him like a brother and yes, I will miss him, but I will never forget him or forget what he was able to do for the people."

While Father Mahoney often lacked the funds he needed to make his parish prosper, there was never a shortage of faith and it was that faith that allowed him to work miracles.

Other parishes where Father Mahoney worked his miracles and spread God's message was at St. Joseph in Manor, Sacred Heart in Elgin, St. Eugene in McGregor, St. John in Waco, St. Mary in Lockhart, Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Granger and St. Mary in Taylor.

While he served at numerous places, at no other parish was he the Cowboy Priest; that title has been and always will be reserved for when Fr. Mahoney is associated with St. Ann's in Somerville where he had the privilege of leading a small group of poor parishioners to produce and accomplish what many believed was always the impossible.

Father Mahoney retired from the priesthood on July 1, 2003 and upon his death, Msgr. Michael Mulvey, Administrator of the Diocese of Austin released this statement, "Father Mahoney was certainly one of a kind. He was a very dedicated priest - especially to the poor and those in need. He did not accumulate things for himself, but was always thinking of others. Even in his last days in the nursing home, people told me that when they visited him, they left with something he said that helped them personally or spiritually."

Father Robert Louis Mahoney was 81.

Funeral arrangements for Fr. Mahoney are as follows:

Tuesday, September 15
6 - 7 p.m. Vigil
7 - 8 p.m. Rosary
St. Mary's Cathedral
203 East 10th Street
Austin, Texas

Wednesday, September 16
Funeral Mass
2 p.m.
St. Mary's Cathedral
203 East 10th Street
Austin, Texas

Thursday, September 17
Memorial Mass
6 p.m.
St. Ann's Catholic Church
333 Thornberry Drive
Somerville, Texas