About Holy Cross · The Colony, Texas
Holy Cross Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in The Colony, Texas, belonging to the Diocese of Fort Worth. It serves the communities of The Colony, Frisco, Little Elm, and portions of Carrollton and Lewisville, offering Mass in both English and Spanish. The parish is pastored by Rev. Joy Joseph, TOR (Third Order Regular), a member of a Franciscan religious congregation. Its campus at 7000 Morningstar Drive is the focus of an active multi-phase GIFT Capital Campaign ('Destined to Develop Disciples') to expand and renovate facilities, including a new Discipleship Center, meditation garden, and family fellowship area.
- Patron
- Holy Cross
- Rector
- Rev. Joy Joseph, TOR
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fort Worth
Why belong here
Holy Cross is a welcoming, bilingual parish serving The Colony, Frisco, Little Elm, and parts of Carrollton and Lewisville, with Mass offered in English and a Spanish Mass every Sunday. Daily Mass Monday through Friday, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and Saturday confessions make it easy to weave prayer into a busy week. The parish family actively builds community through ministries such as Youth Ministry (led by coordinator Jennifer Norton), Knights of Columbus Council #8493, faith formation, and the ongoing GIFT-3D capital campaign that is creating a Discipleship Center, prayer garden, and family fellowship area for present and future generations.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (some sources list 3:45 PM or 4:00 PM; current official site also notes 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM). Confessions are also available by appointment through the parish office.
Adoration times
- Monday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- Tuesday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- Thursday 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Friday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- First Friday 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM (Chaplet of the Divine Mercy at 7:30 PM, Adoration through midnight)
About Holy Cross Catholic Church
Holy Cross Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Fort Worth, located on Morningstar Drive in The Colony, Texas. The parish family welcomes Catholics from The Colony, Frisco, Little Elm, and portions of Carrollton and Lewisville, and is committed to being a bilingual community where English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners worship together. The current pastor is Rev. Joy Joseph, TOR, a Franciscan priest of the Third Order Regular, and the parish is known for its warm welcome, daily Mass schedule, and active sacramental life.
- Diocese of Fort Worth
- Pastor: Rev. Joy Joseph, TOR
- Bilingual: English and Spanish
- Serves The Colony, Frisco, Little Elm, and parts of Carrollton and Lewisville
History of the Parish
Holy Cross grew alongside the booming North Texas suburbs of The Colony, Frisco, and Little Elm. By the late 1980s and early 1990s the parish was already studying whether to open a Catholic school; that dream was finally realized in 2012 when Holy Cross Catholic School opened on King Road in Frisco. In February 2015, Bishop Michael F. Olson created the new St. Martin de Porres Parish for the rapidly growing eastern Denton County area, and Holy Cross Catholic School was transferred to that new parish and renamed in July 2015. Holy Cross itself remained at its Morningstar Drive campus under Fr. Joy Joseph, TOR, and launched a multi-phase building campaign beginning in 2016.
- Late 1980s–early 1990s: First school-feasibility discussions
- 2012: Holy Cross Catholic School opens on King Road, Frisco
- February 2015: St. Martin de Porres Parish created by Bishop Olson
- July 1, 2015: Holy Cross Catholic School renamed St. Martin de Porres Catholic School
- June 1, 2016: GIFT Capital Campaign launched (project budget $6.1M)
- December 2017: Narthex completed
- August 2018: Major Expansion and Renovation began
Sacraments
The parish prepares parishioners for all the sacraments of initiation and healing. In June 2024, Bishop Michael F. Olson himself came to Holy Cross on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi to confirm 21 young people — a sign of the diocese's investment in the parish's faith-formation program. Baptisms, First Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick, and RCIA are coordinated through the parish office.
- Baptism
- First Communion / Eucharist
- Confirmation (Bishop Olson celebrated the 2024 class at Holy Cross)
- Reconciliation
- Matrimony
- Anointing of the Sick
- RCIA for adults seeking initiation
Parish Ministries and Groups
Parishioners are active in a variety of lay ministries. The parish has a dedicated Youth Ministry led by coordinator Jennifer Norton, a strong Knights of Columbus presence (Council #8493 meets at the parish), and ongoing faith formation for children and adults. Pastoral and Finance Councils help guide parish life, and the bilingual identity of the community shapes how ministry is offered.
- Youth Ministry (Coordinator: Jennifer Norton)
- Knights of Columbus Council #8493
- Religious Education / Faith Formation
- Pastoral Council
- Finance Council
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) ministry and liturgy
GIFT Capital Campaign — 'Destined to Develop Disciples'
Holy Cross is in the middle of a multi-phase GIFT Capital Campaign (with the current phase called GIFT-3D 'Destined to Develop Disciples') to expand and renovate the parish campus. The Diocese of Fort Worth is administering pledges through the Advancement Foundation. The campaign's goals are to raise $3 million over a three-year period with 100% parish-family participation, and to fund construction of a Discipleship Center, a meditation/prayer garden, a family fellowship area, a new entrance sign, and improved parking and walkways. Any funds raised above the construction goal will establish a building and maintenance Endowment Fund.
- Phase: GIFT-3D 'Destined to Develop Disciples'
- Goal: $3 million over 3 years
- 100% parish family participation sought
- Projects: Discipleship Center, meditation garden, family fellowship area, new entrance sign, parking/walkways
- Excess funds to building/maintenance endowment
- Pledges administered by the Advancement Foundation of the Diocese of Fort Worth
- Construction begins once $1.2M in cash + $750K in pledges/pledge-equivalents is reached
Discipleship Center
The Discipleship Center is the heart of the GIFT-3D vision. According to the parish's own FAQ, it is where parish leadership is housed and where the 'current and future direction of the church is developed.' It represents the parish's investment in forming disciples of every generation who go on to form others.
- Houses parish leadership offices
- Hub for strategic and pastoral planning
- Central component of the GIFT-3D campaign
Prayer / Meditation Garden and Family Fellowship Area
Alongside the Discipleship Center, the campaign will create two complementary outdoor spaces. The prayer/meditation garden is intended as a peaceful outdoor area for parishioners to spend time in prayer and reflection. The family fellowship area is a partially-covered space in the courtyard where families can gather while children enjoy a safe environment — designed to make the parish campus more hospitable to multi-generational parish life.
- Prayer garden for outdoor prayer and reflection
- Family fellowship area: partially covered courtyard space
- Designed to be safe and accessible for families with children
School and Faith Formation History
Holy Cross Catholic School was originally founded in August 2012 at a purchased and remodeled building at 303 King Road in Frisco — the fulfillment of a school dream first considered in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After Bishop Olson created St. Martin de Porres Parish in February 2015 to serve eastern Denton County, the school was transferred to that new parish and renamed St. Martin de Porres Catholic School on July 1, 2015. Today, Holy Cross continues to focus on faith formation for children, youth, and adults in the parish itself.
- 1980s–1990s: First feasibility studies for a Catholic school
- 2012: Holy Cross Catholic School opens on King Road, Frisco
- 2015: School becomes St. Martin de Porres Catholic School under the new parish
- Current Holy Cross focus: parish-based faith formation for all ages
Knights of Columbus Council #8493
Holy Cross is home to Knights of Columbus Council #8493. The council meets at the parish address on Morningstar Drive and is part of the worldwide Catholic fraternal organization founded on the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. The council supports the parish through service, fundraising, and faith formation events; members have been seen making their Third Degree at the parish alongside Fr. Joseph.
- Council #8493
- Meets at 7000 Morningstar Drive, The Colony, TX 75056
- Affiliated with Holy Cross Catholic Church
Contact and Directions
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, email, or in person. From Highway 121 in The Colony, take Morning Star Drive north about 1.5 miles — the church will be on the right. Confession times and Mass times are posted on the parish website (holycrosscc.org), and updates are shared via the parish Facebook page.
- Address: 7000 Morningstar Drive, The Colony, TX 75056
- Phone: (972) 625-5252
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.holycrosscc.org/
- Facebook: HolyCrossCatholicChurch
- Directions: From Hwy 121, north on Morning Star Dr ~1.5 miles