Ralph J. Diefenbach (right) was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 31, 1913, the only son of Margaret and Jacob Diefenbach. He spent his childhood in Dallas, Waco, and Houston. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor that affected his vision when he was 12 or 13 years old. When the doctor told Margaret that there was a very real possibility that Ralph, her only child, might not survive the surgery, she began praying to the newly canonized St. Theresa of Lisieux. She always credited St. Theresa with the miracle of his survival. The surgery left him needing very thick glasses the rest of his life. He graduated from St. Thomas H.S. in Houston and was ordained in November of 1937 at St. Mary's Seminary in La Porte. He was an accomplished musician and could play the piano, organ, and accordion. While in the seminary, he led a small dance orchestra. He even composed all the music for his first solemn Mass. He later composed another concerto for Fr. Rhein.
Father Diefenbach was first assigned to St. Anthony's in Beaumont, and then moved in 1940 to serve as Assistant Pastor of St. Joseph's in Houston. While at St. Joseph's, he was Athletic Director of the Catholic Youth Organization in Houston. He also served as the chaplain for the Sam Houston Area Council of Boy Scouts.
In June of 1943, Fr. Diefenbach went into the army as a chaplain. He served for 2 1/2 years in Europe with General Patton's Third Army. He was chaplain at the field hospital of the 2nd CORPS in Germany, participated in the D-Day invasion, and served in Belgium and France. He received a Commendation Ribbon for his service and was awarded the Bronze Star for his extraordinary acts of heroism in bringing comfort and the sacraments to wounded and dying soldiers during the heat of battle.
In 1945, he was chosen for the dangerous mission of retrieving the "hand of St. Stephen". This relic of the first king of Hungary was extremely important to the people of Hungary and had been removed from the royal palace at the beginning of the war for safekeeping and hidden in an Austrian warehouse. American soldiers found it near the end of the war, but Russia would not permit transport of the religious artifact back to Hungary. Fr. Diefenbach gained national fame when he disguised himself and went through Russian held territory with forged papers to retrieve the hand and return it to Budapest.
He taught philosophy at the Rainbow University in Zell am See, Austria from Sept. until February of 1946, when he returned to Houston on terminal leave. Upon his arrival, Bishop Byrne charged him with establishing a new parish in the west end of Houston. Fr. Diefenbach's original plan included a school, auditorium, cafeteria, convent, rectory, and church. He eagerly went to work. Fr. Diefenbach was much loved and admired by his new parishioners. His enthusiasm was contagious, and they quickly united to make his dream a reality.
When he was officially discharged from the army in June of 1946, Fr. Diefenbach joined the reserves as chaplain of the143rd Regiment of the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard. Once a year he had two weeks of reserve training to attend.
Fr. Diefenbach was involved in many civic and philanthropic groups. He actively served on the boards of the Houston Harris Count Tuberculosis Assoc., and the Hodgkin's Disease Memorial Research Center. His work with the Lighthouse of the Blind was special to him.
He was diocesan director for all Holy Name Societies in the Diocese of Galveston, and he was chaplain of the Houston Police Department. Bishop Nold appointed him to organize and be the moderator of the new Diocesan Council of Catholic Men. Houston had become a city of a million people, but when there was a civic project and a committee was needed to promote it, Fr. Diefenbach was almost automatically named.
His extra-curricular job was taking religion into the homes of the Gulf Coast through the media. He directed the Catholic portion of the TV series, "Strength of Our Nation". Fr. Diefenbach also led discussions each Sunday on the radio program "Truths to Live By", which he also planned and directed. He was in charge of the weekday "Morning Devotional" television program. He wrote religious articles for the city newspaper titled "My Favorite Sermon".
He received the highest honor the Catholic faith can bestow on a priest, the Father McKenna Award. The Holy Name Society gives this award to the outstanding priest of the nation. He won this distinction in 1956.
When he had time, Fr. Diefenbach played golf or tennis, but he always felt he was much better at tennis. His other love was flying. He acquired a second-hand Cessna 170, which he flew to get to his many meetings all over the state of Texas. The plane had gas gauges that didn't register accurately until the plane had leveled itself in the air. He always rechecked the tanks himself because he didn't trust the airport attendants.
On June 10, 1959, Fr. Diefenbach's plane stalled and crashed shortly after takeoff from Andrau Airpark. He died instantly along with his cousins, the Lockwood family from Dallas. He had been taking them to Galveston to visit relatives. FAA investigators blamed the crash on a combination of overload, and excessive heat on the runway. The entire city mourned. He did not live to see the culmination of his thirteen years of planning and work. Six months after his death, the Church of St. Theresa of the Little Flower was dedicated.
Information compiled and written by Greg Haas and Mary Goins