Parish History
Established in 1913
The first wooden structure for the early Catholics of this area was built in 1913 at Fifth and Orchard Streets in Missouri City on land purchased by Fr. G.A.O. Montruil, Mrs. Lucy Adams, and Mr. G. G. Roane. It was placed under the patronage of Saint Patrick. This chapel was almost destroyed by a hurricane in 1915 but was partially rebuilt and used on those occasions when a priest was available for Holy Mass until it was closed in 1928.
The families of the area then made many sacrifices and, in 1932, were able to remodel a former movie and dance hall donated by Mr. John and Mr. Julius Lampson and Mr. Jack Jebbia, to be the second structure to serve as a church. It was located on Hwy 90A between Avenues C and D in Stafford on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cangelosi and placed under the patronage of the Holy Family. Fr. Nunzio LaRocca served as pastor until World War II when Holy Family was entrusted to the care of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
On April 3, 1949, Bishop Christopher Byrne blessed a new brick structure located adjacent to the original Stafford church which became the third house of worship for the area. In 1955, the Congregation of Saint Basil (Basilian Fathers) were entrusted with the care of Holy Family as a mission of St. Theresa, Sugar Land. In 1964, Bishop John L. Morkovsky dedicated a new parish hall and religious education building. On August 25, 1969, Holy Family was officially designated a separate parish because of its steady growth.
New buildings for Holy Family were built on the site of the original chapel of St. Patrick’s in Missouri City and were dedicated on December 29, 1974. Buildings included the parish hall (where Holy Mass was held), rectory and classrooms. The groundbreaking for the construction of the present Holy Family Church was held on October 11, 1978, with then Msgr. Joseph A. Fiorenza presiding. This new church was dedicated on December 30, 1979, the feast of the Holy Family, by Bishop John L. Morkovsky.
In keeping with the name of the church, the theme of the two stained glass windows on the east and west sides of the nave is the family of mankind with its many races and cultures. Many artifacts from the original church in Stafford were saved and placed in the new building including the stained glass Holy Family placed over the front entrance.
On April 5, 1981, the Father Michael Biondi Memorial Library was opened as a memorial to the much-loved priest who had died on August 26, 1980. The Bell Tower was also blessed on that day to honor former pastor Fr. Robert A. Hall, C.S.B.
Our parish family continued to grow leading to full-time qualified professionals being added to the staff during the next few years. They included the Director of Religious Education, a Youth Minister, a Social Service Director, a Music Director, and a Business Manager. To accommodate growing religious education programs and a new active Social Service Ministry, we embarked on a new expansion program. In 1996, construction on a new parish hall and the renovation of the existing hall began to provide more meeting and office space.
In July 2007, the Basilians turned over the parish to the Order of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart.
In 2011, Holy Family established a volunteer Society of St. Vincent de Paul to minister to the poor and needy of our community.
On April 1, 2013, our worship space was moved to the parish hall to allow for a renovation of the church building. The courtyard was renovated to include a “Centennial Plaza” with a life-sized Holy Family statue. One classroom wing was remodeled to allow for an entrance to the courtyard from Main Street. On December 15, 2013, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo reopened our remodeled church as we celebrated Holy Family’s Centennial Mass. On March 2, 2014, the Religious Education/Conference Center was opened. An expanded parking lot bordering Main Street was dedicated on July 2, 2017.
Thanks to the fact that Holy Family is one of the most culturally diverse parishes in the Archdiocese, we have been able to maintain a vibrant community for over 100 years and look forward with faith to the future.
