Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham

History

Our Lady of Walsingham has its roots in the Anglo-Catholic wing of the Episcopal Church in Texas. Founded in 1984 by former Episcopal priests James Moore and James Ramsey as a parish of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston under the Pastoral Provision, it became the country's first Catholic parish dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham. After worshipping in borrowed spaces for nearly a decade, the parish built a small church on its current Spring Branch site in 1992, then a major limestone cathedral in 2003 designed by Cram & Ferguson Architects. Following the 2009 apostolic constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, the parish became the principal church of the new Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter on January 1, 2012, and was elevated to cathedral status with the ordination of Bishop Steven J. Lopes on February 2, 2016.

Becoming Catholic / OCIA (RCIA)

The parish's Christian Initiation program reflects a particular call from the Holy Father to bring about reunion between separated brethren and the Holy See. Classes meet each Tuesday evening from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm in St. Jude Hall and draw on the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, theology texts, and other magisterial resources. Summer Inquiry Sessions (e.g., June 11 & 25, July 9 & 23, August 20 & 27, 6:30 pm–8:00 pm) precede the fall cycle, which begins in early September. The program welcomes not only those curious about becoming Catholic but also already-baptized Catholics preparing for Confirmation.

• Director of Christian Initiation: Mrs. Terri Bolton (terri.bolton@olwcatholic.org)
• Tuesday evenings 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm in St. Jude Hall
• Summer Inquiry Sessions in June–August
• Open to unbaptized inquirers and baptized Catholics seeking Confirmation

Sunday School & Children's Faith Formation

Children's faith formation at the cathedral uses the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium (Levels 1, 2, and 3) — a Montessori-based approach — and offers two weekly sessions (8:15–9:15 pm and 9:45–10:45 am) so that families can attend a morning Mass. Sacramental preparation for First Holy Communion (grades 1–2, age 7+) and Confirmation (age 7+) follows a one-year cycle and runs September through May; First Communions are typically on Divine Mercy Sunday. Post-Confirmation courses continue through 12th grade, covering Sacred Scripture, the Church, virtue and the moral life, the human person, English patrimony and Ordinariate life, and vocation and the spiritual life. An Adult Forum Lecture Series is offered for those 18+.

• Director of Children's Faith Formation / Safe Environment Coordinator: Mrs. Holly Prestenbach (holly.prestenbach@olwcatholic.org)
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium Levels 1–3 for ages 3–11
• First Communion and Confirmation sacramental preparation tracks
• Post-Confirmation curriculum through 12th grade; Adult Forum for adults
• Program cost: $85 one child, $120 two, $175 three or more (scholarships available)

Walsinghammers Youth Group

Walsinghammers is the parish's youth group for young people between the ages of 12 and 18 (those not yet graduated from high school). The group meets on the first Sunday of the month from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, with additional events throughout the month including retreats, pro-life rallies, and service projects. Members participate in the wider life of the Ordinariate — Catholic Moral Guidelines (CMG) training is expected of at least one parent — and may overlap with Trail Life, Fraternity of the Nazareth Elementary (FNE), or Cathedral High School.

• Youth Coordinator: Mrs. Kim Valdez (kim.valdez@olwcatholic.org)
• First Sunday of the month, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
• Annual dues: $20
• Required forms: Youth Code of Conduct, Emergency Medical & Liability Waiver, Off-Site Permission Slip

Family Life Ministry

The Family Life Ministry supports the 'domestic church' of parish households, with a particular emphasis on marriage formation. It serves as the entry point for engaged couples preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony at the cathedral.

• Contact: Terri Bolton
• Marriage formation and marriage preparation
• Welcomes engaged couples from within and outside the Ordinariate

Hospitality Ministry

Hospitality — described by the parish as 'a key component of our Anglican Patrimony' — is organized around the parish's Patronal Feast Day, the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, the St. Joseph Altar, parish potlucks, and special receptions. The ministry makes full use of the cathedral's facilities, including the kitchen, parish hall, and outdoor pavilion in St. Jude Hall.

• Patronal Feast Day celebration
• Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
• St. Joseph Altar
• Parish potlucks and special receptions

Mass & Liturgy

The cathedral celebrates Mass according to Divine Worship: The Missal — the Ordinariate Form of the Roman Rite promulgated by the Holy See. The liturgy is at once distinctly and traditionally Anglican in character, content, and structure, while also being clearly and recognizably a form of the Roman Rite. Weekday Masses are said at noon (Monday through Friday) and on Saturday morning at 8:00 am. The Sunday schedule includes a Vigil Mass on Saturday evening, four Sunday Masses (with sung, Solemn, and Hall variants), and a wide range of devotions throughout the week including Tuesday adoration and Vespers/Benediction.

• Sunday Masses: Saturday Vigil 4:30 pm; Sunday 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 9:40 am (Benedict XVI Hall), 11:15 am Solemn Mass, 6:00 pm
• Daily Mass: Monday–Friday 12:00 pm; Saturday 8:00 am; Wednesday 10:00 am Holy House Academy Sung Mass
• Liturgical form: Ordinariate Form of the Roman Rite (Divine Worship: The Missal)

Sacraments

The cathedral prepares parishioners for the full sacramental life of the Catholic Church: Baptism, First Holy Communion (typically on Divine Mercy Sunday), Confirmation (including post-Confirmation curriculum through 12th grade), Marriage (coordinated with the Family Life Ministry), Holy Orders (with discernment supported through the rosary for vocations and the Ordinariate House of Formation), and Anointing of the Sick. Sacramental Records may be requested through the parish office.

• Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Anointing of the Sick
• First Communions typically on Divine Mercy Sunday
• Confirmation preparation as a separate monthly Saturday course
• Sacramental Records request form available at olwcatholic.org/sacramental-records-request

Architecture & Shrine

Designed by Cram & Ferguson Architects, the cathedral is built of roughly hewn Texas limestone in a Neo-Gothic style inspired by 14th-century churches around Walsingham, Norfolk. Artisans from four countries contributed: Willet Studios in Philadelphia (stained glass), the Cornille-Havard Bell Foundry in Normandy (bells), Colombian woodcarvers (pulpit, altar rail, Holy House Chapel facade), and Grande Liturgical Arts in Spain (hand-carved reredos and tabernacle). Gargoyles by local sculptors guard the four corners of the tower. The cathedral seats about 300 worshipers. Within one transept is a life-size replica of the destroyed Walsingham Holy House, with an altar reproducing that of the Slipper Chapel in England. The 2011 outdoor Shrine is a replica of the ruined priory arch at Little Walsingham, and the parish venerates a fragment of the original priory's 12th-century eastern window.

• Architect: Cram & Ferguson Architects (Boston)
• Style: Neo-Gothic, English 12th–16th-century parish and pilgrimage church inspiration
• Capacity: approximately 300 worshipers
• Materials: Texas limestone exterior; stained glass by Willet Studios (Philadelphia); bells by Cornille-Havard (Normandy); woodcarvings from Colombia; reredos/tabernacle from Spain
• Holy House Chapel: life-size replica of Walsingham Holy House destroyed by Henry VIII; altar a replica of the Slipper Chapel altar
• Outdoor Shrine: replica of ruined priory arch at Little Walsingham, Norfolk; consecrated May 2011 by Cardinal DiNardo
• Relic: fragment of 12th-century eastern window of the original Walsingham priory

Cathedral High School (2022)

Cathedral High School is the Ordinariate's new classical Catholic high school, located at 7726 Westview Dr, Houston, TX, and affiliated with the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham. It welcomed its inaugural freshman class in August 2022 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Lopes. The school rebuilds Catholic culture through a classical education in truth, goodness, and beauty, oriented to the four pillars of the Ordinariate patrimony and guided by Cardinal St. John Henry Newman's motto 'Cor ad cor loquitur' ('Heart speaks to heart'). Cathedral High is open to all Catholics in the greater Houston area, not exclusively to Ordinariate members.

• Address: 7726 Westview Dr, Houston, TX
• Website: https://cathedral-hs.org/
• Founded 2022; inaugural freshman class orientation Aug 11, first day of school Aug 12, 2022
• Classical curriculum; Cardinal Newman's motto 'Cor ad cor loquitur'
• Affiliated with the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham and the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter

Clergy & Staff

Bishop Steven J. Lopes presides as the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter. Day-to-day pastoral leadership is provided by Very Rev. Charles A. Hough IV (Rector and Pastor), assisted by Parochial Vicar Rev. Evan Simington. Five permanent deacons serve the parish: Deacon James Barnett (Emeritus, the first deacon of the Anglican Use), Mark Stockstill (Pastoral Assistant and Business Manager), Scott Woloson, Cheston Cooper, and Greg Orcutt.

• Bishop Steven J. Lopes (first bishop of the Ordinariate)
• Very Rev. Charles A. Hough IV — Rector & Pastor (ordained July 2012)
• Rev. Evan Simington — Parochial Vicar
• Deacon James Barnett — Emeritus (first Anglican Use deacon, 1988)
• Deacon Mark Stockstill — Pastoral Assistant / Business Manager (ordained 2015)
• Deacon Scott Woloson — Pastoral Assistant (ordained 2020)
• Deacon Cheston Cooper — Pastoral Assistant
• Deacon Greg Orcutt — Pastoral Assistant

Becoming a Parishioner

Those interested in joining the cathedral community complete an online registration form providing sacramental history (Baptism, Confirmation, marriage) and contact information. Registration enables the parish to support families more fully in sacramental preparation, faith formation, and parish life — including participation in the Ordinariate's patrimony-centered ministries and devotions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.

• Online registration form at olwcatholic.org/becoming-a-parishioner
• Captures Baptism, Confirmation, and marriage history
• Required for sacramental preparation of children at the cathedral