About Our Lady of Czestochowa · Houston, Texas
Our Lady of Czestochowa (Polish: Parafia Matki Boskiej Czestochowskiej) is a Polish ethnic Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, serving Polish-speaking faithful across the Houston metropolitan area. Established in 1982 as a Polish Catholic Pastoral Mission and elevated to parish status in 1994, it is cared for by priests of the Society of Christ (S.Chr.), a Polish religious order whose vocation is ministry to Polish communities abroad. The parish celebrates Mass in both Polish and English, runs a Saturday Polish-language school named after Nicolaus Copernicus, and preserves Polish Catholic piety, language and culture in the heart of Texas.
- Established
- 1982
- Patron
- Our Lady of Czestochowa (Matka Boska Częstochowska)
- Rector
- Rev. Mariusz Lis, S.Chr. (Society of Christ)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Why belong here
Our Lady of Czestochowa is the spiritual home of Houston's Polish Catholic community — a place where the faith is celebrated in both Polish and English, where children can learn the Polish language and culture in a thriving Saturday school, and where Polish forms of Catholic piety are kept alive year-round. The parish is served by Society of Christ priests who come specifically to minister to Polish émigrés and their descendants, and it offers daily Mass, frequent Confession, faith formation for children, youth and adults, and the warm fellowship of concerts, lectures, and Sunday parish breakfasts.
Mass times at Our Lady of Czestochowa
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday–Thursday: 7:15–7:50 AM
- Friday: 6:15–6:45 PM
- Saturday: 5:15–5:45 PM
- Sunday: 8:15–8:45 AM and 10:15–10:45 AM
- Office visits only by appointment
History of the Polish Parish in Houston
Our Lady of Czestochowa parish traces its origins to a 1981 petition by Houston's Polonia for a Polish-speaking priest and to Bishop John L. Morkovsky's 1982 agreement with the Society of Christ. Founded as a Polish Catholic Pastoral Mission on July 13, 1982, the community first worshipped at the Dominican chapel on Holcombe Boulevard before purchasing 1731 Blalock Road in 1984. It grew to over 300 families and was raised to non-territorial parish status in 1994 under Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza. Construction of the present church, led by Rev. Jerzy Frydrych, culminated in its consecration on August 26, 2001 by Auxiliary Bishop Vincent M. Rizzotto.
- 1981 (Aug 1) — inaugural Polish Mass; 98 families affiliate
- 1982 (Jul 13) — Mission erected; Rev. Wojciech Baryski first pastor
- 1984 (Mar) — purchase of 1731 Blalock Rd.; (Aug 12) converted building consecrated by Bishop Morkovsky
- 1985 — John Paul II Hall added
- 1994 (Oct 1) — Mission elevated to non-territorial parish under Bishop Fiorenza
- 2001 (Aug 26) — consecration of the new church by Bishop Vincent M. Rizzotto
- 2006 — adjacent lot at 1735 Blalock purchased under pastor Rev. Jacek Nowak
Society of Christ Fathers (Towarzystwo Chrystusowe)
From its founding, Our Lady of Czestochowa has been entrusted to the Society of Christ (S.Chr.), a Polish priestly congregation whose specific charism is the pastoral care of Polish emigrants and their descendants around the world. The Society arrived in North America in 1956 (Rev. Jan Otłowski), formally established a U.S./Canadian Province on February 2, 1978, and by 2006 had 53 priests working in 22 American centers and 8 Canadian centers. The Houston parish is one of the Society's historic missions, and every pastor has been a member of S.Chr.
- Society of Christ — Polish religious order of priests for Polish diaspora ministry
- North American Province inaugurated February 2, 1978
- Patroness of the Province: Our Lady of the Polish Diaspora
Polish Saturday School (Szkoła Polska im. Mikołaja Kopernika)
Founded on March 20, 1982 — the same year as the parish Mission itself — the Polish School named after Nicolaus Copernicus began with 17 students and three teachers at the Polish House in north Houston. In 2011 it moved into a newly constructed building on the parish grounds, where it has operated ever since. Today it is an eight-class school with approximately 100 students and 11 teachers; the principal is Hanna Tomaszkiewicz and Fr. Tadeusz Rusnak serves as parish priest. Saturdays run from assembly at 10:00 AM through 2:00 PM, with Polish-language, religious, and Polish-history/culture instruction. The school also maintains a library of Polish books and films that families may borrow.
- Founded March 20, 1982 by Mike Lesniewicz with Ewa Chmiel and Marzena Rudnicka
- First teachers: Stanisław Siwek, Agnieszka Kuszakiewicz, Magdalena Bobrowska
- Moved to parish building in 2011 under Rev. Waldemar Matusiak (principal until 2017)
- Current principal: Hanna Tomaszkiewicz
- Kindergarten library handled by Mrs. Aldona Kline
- Tuition (2025–2026): $800 / $1,100 / $1,350 for 1/2/3 children; $100 non-refundable deposit per child due by end of May
Volunteering and Family Service
Every family is required to complete 10 volunteering hours per school year for the Polish School: six hours of general school events (e.g., playground cleanup, Wigilia setup) and four hours at the May or Harvest Festival. Baking a cake counts as one hour; serving as class parent counts as two (one family per class). Families unable to fulfill the hours may instead submit a $180 check to the parish by the end of October.
Community Life and Polish Catholic Culture
Beyond the liturgy, the parish has long been a cultural anchor for Houston's Polish community. Concerts, lectures, and theatrical performances are hosted on parish grounds, and well-attended Sunday breakfasts bring parishioners together socially while generating modest income for the parish. Religious and civic instruction for children — taught in the same Saturday school that preserves the Polish language and Polish history — ensures that the next generation grows up rooted in both Catholic faith and Polish heritage. Archbishop Szczepan Wesoły of Rome, congratulating the parish on the consecration of the new church, captured its mission: '[s]piritual ministering to immigrants… is closely tied to the spirituality and culture of their country of origin.'
- Sunday parish breakfasts
- Concerts, lectures, theatrical performances
- Religious and civic instruction for children plus Polish language and culture
- Liturgical, Financial, Cultural Events, Educational, and Youth Commissions
Contact and Visit
The parish mailing address is 1712 Oak Tree Drive, Houston, TX 77080; the church itself is at 1731 Blalock Road, Houston, TX 77080. Telephone (713) 973-1081, fax (713) 984-9501, email [email protected]. The parish is pastored by priests of the Society of Christ and is listed under the Polish Ministry of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
- Mailing/office: 1712 Oak Tree Dr., Houston, TX 77080
- Church: 1731 Blalock Rd., Houston, TX 77080
- Tel: (713) 973-1081 | Fax: (713) 984-9501
- Email: [email protected]
- Office: by appointment only
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Wojciech Baryski, S.Chr.1982–1989
First pastor of the Polish Catholic Pastoral Mission; led the search for a permanent home.
- Rev. Edward Traczyk, S.Chr.1989–1992
- Rev. Marian Ogórek, S.Chr.1992–1993
- Rev. Jerzy Frydrych, S.Chr.1993–2003
Led the Mission to parish status in 1994 and drove the construction of the new church, consecrated 2001; secured the parish's ethnic-parish title.
- Rev. Jan Fiedurek, S.Chr.2003–2005
- Rev. Jacek Nowak, S.Chr.2005–2010
Presided over the 2006 purchase of the adjacent lot at 1735 Blalock.
- Rev. Leszek Wedziuk, S.Chr.2010–2011
- Rev. Waldemar Matusiak, S.Chr.2011–2020
Parish priest during the 2011 move of the Polish School into the parish's new building; also served as school principal until 2017.
- Rev. Tadeusz Rusnak, S.Chr.2020–2025
Appointed by Archbishop of Galveston-Houston effective October 1, 2020.
- Rev. Mariusz Lis, S.Chr.2025–present
Current pastor; appointed by the Archdiocese effective July 30, 2025.