About St. Stephen · Houston, Texas
St. Stephen Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic parish in Houston's historic Sixth Ward, located just north of downtown along the Washington Corridor. Founded in 1941, the parish served a largely working-class Mexican-American community at the corner of Center and Silver streets for 75 years before being merged with neighboring St. Joseph Parish in 2016 — a decision the St. Stephen faithful successfully appealed all the way to the Vatican's Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, which in April 2018 ordered the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to undo the merger. Today the linked parish community worships at the former St. Joseph site at 1505 Kane Street while continuing the bilingual liturgical life, devotional rhythm, and outreach that have defined St. Stephen's since the 1940s.
- Established
- 1941
- Patron
- St. Stephen — the first Christian martyr and one of the first seven deacons appointed by the Apostles; patron saint of deacons and stonemasons.
- Rector
- Fr. Victor C. Perez
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Why belong here
St. Stephen offers a rare combination: a deep-rooted bilingual Catholic community in the heart of Houston's Sixth Ward, a full weekly schedule of Spanish and English Masses (including a beloved Sunday Mariachi Mass in Spanish), daily confession and Eucharistic Adoration, and a Faith Formation program that walks children and adults through RCIA, sacraments, and Scripture in both languages. It is also a parish with an extraordinary story of lay faithfulness — ordinary parishioners carried their fight to reopen St. Stephen all the way to the Vatican's highest court and won — making it a place where ordinary families really do shape the church's future.
Mass times at St. Stephen
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Friday: 20 minutes before each Mass
- Saturday: 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm
- Sunday: 15 minutes before each Mass
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
- Thursday: 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Our Story — From 1941 to Today
St. Stephen Catholic Church was founded in 1941 in Houston's Sixth Ward to serve the spiritual needs of the neighborhood's Mexican-American community. For more than seven decades the modest brick church at the corner of Center and Silver streets was the heart of parish life — daily Mass, devotions, catechism for hundreds of children, and the rhythms of a tight-knit immigrant congregation. In 2016 the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston merged St. Stephen with neighboring St. Joseph Parish, prompting an extraordinary lay response that culminated in a 2018 ruling from the Vatican's Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura ordering the parish reopened. The story is still unfolding.
- Founded 1941 — serves Houston's Sixth Ward / Washington Corridor
- Original church: 1941 brick building at Center & Silver streets
- 2014: Archdiocese announces merger with St. Joseph Parish
- May 8, 2016: Merger Mass celebrated by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo at 1505 Kane St.
- April 2018: Vatican's Supreme Tribunal rules the merger must be undone
- Parishioners famously funded their appeal by selling tamales
Mass & Worship Schedule
The parish celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish every day of the week, with a full weekend schedule that includes a beloved Sunday Mariachi Mass in Spanish. Weekday Masses are offered five days a week, and the parish also gathers for monthly first-Friday devotions in Spanish and a first-Saturday morning Mass in English.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm English, 7:00 pm Spanish
- Sunday: 8:00 am Spanish · 10:15 am English · 12:30 pm Spanish (Mariachi) · 6:30 pm English
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12:10 pm English
- Tuesday: 5:45 pm English
- Wednesday & Thursday: 7:00 pm Spanish
- Thursday: 7:00 am English
- 1st Friday: 7:00 pm Spanish devotion
- 1st Saturday: 9:00 am English Mass
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The Faith Formation Department serves both St. Joseph and St. Stephen Parishes under the leadership of Pastor Fr. Victor C. Perez and Director of Faith Formation Viridiana Gamboa. Following Holy Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium, the team provides formation for every age in both English and Spanish, with a stated mission of "Caritas et Veritas — Charity and Truth." All catechists, teachers, and volunteers are required to complete Diocesan Safe Haven training and a background check.
- Elementary CCE — Pre-K through 6th grade, English and Spanish
- Junior High — grades 7–8, English
- High School Youth Ministry — Adore Ministries, English
- Young Adult Ministry (ages 18–39) — Adore Ministries, English
- RCIA for children and adults — English and Spanish
- Adult Faith Formation — topical classes, retreats, seminars, guest speakers
- Sacramental prep: Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation
- Contact: Viridiana Gamboa, DRE — 713-222-6579
Clergy & Parish Staff
The parish is led by Fr. Victor C. Perez, pastor since June 2019, and supported by a deacon and a committed lay staff handling liturgy, music, faith formation, youth work, business, and parish outreach. Fr. Victor grew up in Katy, TX, studied business at the University of Texas at Austin, spent time in seminary for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and was ordained in 2011; he previously served at St. Cecilia in Houston and as pastor of Most Holy Trinity in Angleton.
- Fr. Victor C. Perez — Pastor (since June 2019)
- Deacon Glen Pennell
- Viridiana Gamboa — Director of Faith Formation (713-222-6579)
- Anahí Gonzalez — Business Manager (713-222-6193)
- Diana Treviño — Parish Secretary (713-222-6193)
- Juanita Alonso — Receptionist
- Ani Gonzalez — Music Director (361-779-8519)
- Brystin Whitinger — Youth Ministry
- Clarivel Rodriguez — Social Ministry Coordinator (713-222-8903)
- Janie Benitez — Liturgy Coordinator (713-817-5563)
- Juan Carlos Restrepo — Maintenance
- Lina Salgado — Housekeeping
Pastoral Leadership History
The published record of St. Stephen's pastoral succession is thin, but the most consequential recent chapter is well documented: Father César Lomelí Flores, MJ — then pastor of St. Stephen Parish — was installed by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo as the first pastor of the merged St. Joseph–St. Stephen Parish at the May 8, 2016 Merger Mass. He was succeeded in June 2019 by Fr. Victor C. Perez, who continues to shepherd the linked community today.
- Fr. César Lomelí Flores, MJ — first pastor of merged St. Joseph–St. Stephen Parish (2016–2019); Missionaries of St. Joseph (MJ)
- Fr. Victor C. Perez — current pastor (since June 2019)
Music & Liturgy
Music is central to the parish's identity. The Sunday 12:30 pm Mass is celebrated in Spanish with a live Mariachi ensemble — a tradition that anchors the parish's Mexican-American cultural heritage and draws families from across the Houston area. Day-to-day liturgical coordination is led by the parish's Liturgy Coordinator, and all musicians and liturgical ministers are formed and scheduled through the parish office.
- Sunday 12:30 pm Spanish Mass with Mariachi
- Music Director: Ani Gonzalez
- Liturgy Coordinator: Janie Benitez
- Sacristan and liturgical-minister scheduling handled through the parish office
Social Ministry & Outreach
Outreach to the Sixth Ward community has been part of St. Stephen's DNA since 1941. The parish's Social Ministry Coordinator organizes food distribution and other charitable works that serve immigrant and working-class neighbors in the neighborhood — a mission that has only grown more important as gentrification has reshaped the Washington Corridor around the original Center Street church.
- Food distribution ministry (weekly / ongoing)
- Parishioner-led charity and outreach to immigrant families
- Coordinated by Clarivel Rodriguez, Social Ministry Coordinator (713-222-8903)
Becoming a Parishioner
St. Stephen welcomes new members from across Houston's Sixth Ward and the surrounding Washington Corridor neighborhoods. Registration can be completed online through the parish website or by printing a PDF form and returning it to the parish office at 1505 Kane Street.
- Online registration form available on the parish website
- PDF registration form also available for download
- Mailing address: 1505 Kane St., Houston, TX 77007
- Office phone: (713) 222-6193
Visit Us — Location & Contact
St. Stephen Catholic Church currently worships at the historic St. Joseph site at 1505 Kane Street in Houston's Sixth Ward, near the Washington Corridor just north of downtown. The original 1941 St. Stephen church building remains at the corner of Center and Silver streets, the subject of the ongoing Vatican-mandated reopening process.
- Worship & parish offices: 1505 Kane St., Houston, TX 77007
- Phone: (713) 222-6193
- Websites: https://www.ststephenhouston.org/ and https://www.saintjoseph.org/
- Near Memorial Drive and I-45, in the Washington Corridor north of downtown
- Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father César Lomelí Flores, MJ2016–2019
Former pastor of St. Stephen Parish; installed by Cardinal DiNardo as the first pastor of the merged St. Joseph–St. Stephen Parish on May 8, 2016; member of the Missionaries of St. Joseph (MJ).