In 1847 the Diocese of Galveston was created and encompassed most of the State of Texas. The bishop resided in Galveston and St. Mary’s was the Cathedral. Very few people lived in Houston. As the population of Texas grew, so to did the population of Catholics, and the Diocese of Galveston started to spawn other dioceses. In 1874 the Diocese of San Antonio and the Diocese of Brownsville were erected. In 1890 the Diocese of Dallas was erected. By 1910 Houston had grown and over 176,000 people called Houston home. The population of Catholics in the diocese was approaching 60,000 and included most of East Texas.
In 1918 Bishop Christopher Edward Byrne was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston. There were only eight parishes making up the Diocese of Galveston at the time of Bishop Byrne’s appointment and Houston was on the move. The Ship Channel had opened and the oil industry was booming. By 1920 Houston’s population had grown to over 256,000 with the number of Catholics growing as well. Despite the arrival of the Great Depression, Houston and the Diocese of Galveston continued to grow. By 1940 Houston’s population was approaching 650,000. World War II ended and still Houston and the Diocese of Galveston were experiencing dynamic growth. In 1947 the Diocese of Galveston, the Diocese of San Antonio, and the Diocese of Dallas would spawn the Diocese of Austin.
After World War I had concluded, William C. Hogg acquired Camp Logan, an army-training base, located west of Houston. Hogg donated over a thousand acres of Camp Logan to the City of Houston to be used as a park. This donated land was to become Memorial Park and it was on the edge of this land over five decades ago, that the St. Theresa community would be born out of faith and imagination.
Fr. Ralph Diefenbach and several Sisters of the Incarnate Word gathered on a remote outpost of Camp Logan and imagined a vibrant new community of faith, education, and service. Along with 90 registered families, in January of 1946, Bishop Christopher Byrne and Fr. Ralph Diefenbach established St. Theresa of the Little Flower Parish. The new Parish's first Mass was celebrated in the nearby Memorial School Auditorium.
After the quick purchase of 3 acres along Rodrigo Street followed by another 3 adjacent acres along Haskell Street these committed pioneers sacrificed to put foundations under their dreams and following a crack construction effort, the first two buildings on campus were dedicated as classrooms of the newly opened St. Theresa School on August 10, 1947, The Sisters of the Incarnate Word began teaching 220 students in grades 1 through 8 holding classes in what national architectural publications then dubbed "the most modern school in America."
Masses of the growing Parish community were immediately moved from the Memorial School Auditorium to a temporary sanctuary in the classrooms of St. Theresa School. A Master Plan was developed and plans were made for adding additional School Classrooms, Rectory, Parish Offices, and an Auditorium/Gymnasium. The sanctuary was moved once the Auditorium/Gymnasium was completed with masses being celebrated there for the next several years.
By 1957, the Parish had set its sites on building a magnificent permanent Sanctuary. In only 7 weeks, parishioners committed funds to build and artfully furnish this beautiful place of peace and worship. Bishop Wendelin Nold had become bishop of the Diocese of Galveston in 1950 and it was he that blessed St. Theresa Catholic Church in December of 1959. Celebration of parish masses began with the celebration of Midnight Mass.
The putting together of the bricks and mortar was complete, but the dream that had begun in 1946 when Fr. Diefenbach and those few Incarnate Word nuns had gathered on the edge of Camp Logan was only just beginning. Physically, a Community Center would open in 2000 under Fr. Benjamin Smaistrla and Bishop Joseph Fiorenza, but the real dream would never end.
Every new family that joins the parish adds to the dream. Their faith and their hope for salvation give life to the St. Theresa Community. Fifty years and many acts of faith later, Camp Logan hosts 3 million visitors annually as Memorial Park and St. Theresa's hosts hundreds of parishioners and students. The ministries and organizations of St. Theresa Parish thrive with the addition of new life as more families join to celebrate and worship. From the original 90 families, the parish has grown to just under a thousand. There are many larger parishes in the diocese, but none with more of a sense of stewardship.
St. Theresa of the Little Flower Catholic Church and Parish flourishes amongst the surrounding area of gardens and parklands. Over the years, the gardens have increasingly grown "showers of little flowers" in honor of our Patroness. In 1956, parishioners installed the St. Theresa Rose Garden and Fr. Diefenbach blessed the life-sized statue in front of the Auditorium.
Houston and the neighborhood in and around the Parish boundaries itself has also grown with urban rejuvenation. Much of the original Parish, which itself was split from the west side of St. Joseph's, has been split off into other new western parishes such as St. Jerome, St. Cecilia, and St. John Vianney.
Priests and Deacons who served the parishioners of St. Theresa:
After Fr. Diefenbach's tenure, Fr. C. J. Alleman served as administrator of St. Theresa Parish from 1959 to 1960, followed by pastors, Fr. George V. Rhein, 1960-1970; Fr. John E. McCarthy, 1970-1972; Fr. Denis Lynch, 1972-1977; Fr. Edward Randall, 1977-1982; Fr. Rodney Poythress, 1982-1987; Fr. Benjamin Smaistrla, 1987-2000; and Fr. Stephen Tiemann, 2000-2005. Fr. Phil Lloyd is the pastor from 2006 to the present. Rev. Msgr. William Pickard served as Parochial Vicar from 2000 to 2008.
Assistant Pastors who have served are: Fr. David Kennedy, Fr. Joseph Christensen, Fr. E. A. Sheffield, Fr. Joseph Tulley, Fr. Joseph Morell, Fr. Clinton Natho, Fr. George Olsovsky, Fr. Clifton Ransom, Fr. Maurice Ovellet, Fr. David Cardenas, Fr. Stephen Horn, Fr. James Rainosek, Fr. Dominic Pistone, Fr. Rolando Bongalon, Fr. James Burkhart, and Fr. Frances Macatangay.
In residence over the years: Fr. Joseph A. Fiorenza, Fr. David L. Max, Fr. James Golasinski, Fr. Rivers Patout, Msgr. William M. Pickard, Fr. Dennis Peterson, Fr. Justin Price, and Fr. Donald Nesti.
Deacons who have served are: Richard Glor, Leonard Ramirez, Jim Welsh, Jay Vocelka, Larry Vaclavik, Mike Baker, Antonio Moya, Rodolfo Cerda, and John Froning.
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