About St. Theresa (Sugar Land) · Sugar Land, Texas
St. Theresa's Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic parish in Sugar Land, Texas, just southwest of Houston, in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Founded in the 1920s to serve a small farming and sugar-mill community, the parish has grown alongside Sugar Land into a thriving community of nearly 4,000 households. Today it offers a robust sacramental life — including a Latin Novus Ordo Mass on Sundays — a Catholic school dedicated to classical education, a perpetual adoration chapel, more than twenty lay ministries, and a wide range of faith formation programs for children, youth, and adults.
- Established
- 1927
- Patron
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux (St. Theresa the Little Flower)
- Rector
- Rev. David Angelino
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston (formerly Diocese of Galveston-Houston)
Why belong here
St. Theresa's is one of the largest and most active parishes in the Sugar Land area, with Mass celebrated in English, Spanish, and Latin, an abundance of confession times, and a Perpetual Adoration chapel open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the Emmaus Chapel. The parish hosts more than twenty lay ministries — from Knights of Columbus and Catholic Daughters to St. Vincent de Paul, Gabriel Project, Lay Dominicans, Lay Carmelites, and a Grief Support Ministry — and supports Saint Theresa Catholic School, a nationally recognized classical Catholic school. It is a place where a newcomer can worship in their own language, find a ministry that fits their gifts, and send their children to a school rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Mass times at St. Theresa (Sugar Land)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:15 p.m.
- Sunday: 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
- Monday–Friday: after each morning Mass
- Tuesday: 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday: 6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday: 6:00 p.m. (Español)
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration in the Emmaus Chapel — open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (adorers commit to a weekly hour; contact Rebecca Freeman at 281-844-4616 or [email protected])
Parish History
Catholic life in Sugar Land dates to 1915, when local families gathered in the home of Jessie H. Roberts on Main Street every fifth Sunday for Mass with an Oblate priest from Houston. By 1927 a frame church dedicated to St. Theresa the Little Flower was built on Main and Fifth Streets, making the community an official parish of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. The Oblates staffed the parish until 1955, when the Basilian Fathers (C.S.B.) took over, and a new church was built in 1960 on land donated by the Imperial Sugar Company. The parish grew alongside Sugar Land, expanding from a convent for the M.C.D.P. sisters in 1962, to a parish hall and classrooms in 1967, to a remodeled church seating 1,200 by 1999. The Basilians departed in 2001 after 46 years, and Father Stephen B. Reynolds became the parish's first diocesan pastor. The opening of Saint Theresa Catholic School in 2008 and the dedication of the Education Building in 2009 ushered in the current era, with the parish now numbering more than 3,500 households.
- 1915 — First Catholic congregation gathers in Sugar Land
- 1920 — Becomes part of Oblate missions attached to Immaculate Conception, Houston
- 1926 — Sugarland Industries donates land; Ladies Altar Society organized
- 1927 — First church built and dedicated to St. Theresa the Little Flower; parish established
- 1940 — Original church enlarged; rectory added
- 1955 — Basilian Fathers (C.S.B.) invited; Father W. P. McGee, C.S.B., first Basilian pastor
- 1960 — New church dedicated at Main and Seventh Streets (Imperial Sugar Co. land)
- 1962 — Convent for the Sisters of the Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence (M.C.D.P.) completed
- 1966 — First Parish (now Pastoral) Council created
- 1967 — Rectory, parish hall, and classrooms built
- 1970 — Annual May Bazaar established
- 1975 — 600 families, 450 children in CCE
- 1982 — 1960 church becomes transept of new church; bell tower added
- 1990 — Convent converted to Perpetual Adoration (Emmaus) Chapel
- 1996 — 2,800 families, 1,500 children in CCE; Parish Hall built; St. Vincent de Paul pantry expanded
- 1999 — Church remodeled, capacity 1,200
- 2001 — Basilians depart after 46 years; Father Stephen B. Reynolds installed as first diocesan pastor; Family Life Center groundbreaking
- 2008 — Saint Theresa Catholic School opens
- 2009 — Education Building (Duncan Stroik, architect) dedicated by Cardinal DiNardo on August 13, 2009
- 2015 — Father Reynolds reassigned; Education Building named in his honor
- 2019 — Father David Angelino installed as current pastor
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. David Angelino (since 2019) and is assisted by a Parochial Vicar, a Priest in Residence, and Deacon James Anderson. The lay staff includes faith formation directors for preschool, elementary, middle school, and youth ministry, along with a pastoral assistant, bookkeeper/VIRTUS coordinator, administrative assistant, parish secretary, receptionist, and maintenance supervisor. Sacred Music is led by Music Director Dr. Kevin Clarke (a recitalist who has represented the U.S. at the Cervantino and Morilia International Organ Festivals) and Assistant Music Director Mr. Gustavo Andres.
- Rev. David Angelino — Pastor (2019–present)
- Parochial Vicar
- Priest in Residence
- Deacon James Anderson
- Gabriel Castillo — Director of Youth Ministry
- Rocio Williamson — Assistant Director of Youth Ministry
- Andrea Ramsey — Preschool Faith Formation/Nursery
- Cindy Cortes — Assistant, Elementary & Middle School Faith Formation
- Dr. Kevin Clarke — Music Director
- Mr. Gustavo Andres — Assistant Music Director / String Orchestra
- Pastoral Assistant, Bookkeeper & Safe Environment (VIRTUS) Coordinator, Administrative Assistant, Parish Secretary, Parish Receptionist, Maintenance Supervisor
Saint Theresa Catholic School
Saint Theresa Catholic School opened in 2008 and is dedicated to a Classical Catholic education rooted in the Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition. Students follow the classical Trivium (Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric), study Latin conversationally from grades 1 through 6 and then read authors like Saint Augustine, Julius Caesar, and Cicero in the original by middle school. The school is recognized as a 2020 U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School, is accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops Education Department, is a member of the Cardinal Newman Society, and is a recognized Ruah Woods Theology of the Body Campus. Headmaster is Mark A. Newcomb, Ph.D.
- Opened 2008; housed in the 2009 Education Building designed by Duncan Stroik Architect, LLC
- Classical curriculum built on the Trivium: Grammar (Primary), Logic (Middle School), Rhetoric (High School)
- Latin taught conversationally grades 1–6, then as a lexical/textual model in middle school
- Recognized 2020 U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School
- Member: Cardinal Newman Society, NCEA, Institute for Catholic Liberal Education
- Recognized Ruah Woods Theology of the Body Campus
- Headmaster: Dr. Mark A. Newcomb, Ph.D.
- Phone: 281-494-1157
Sacred Music
The parish's music program is led by Music Director Dr. Kevin Clarke, who has represented the U.S. at the Cervantino Festival (2001) and the Morelia International Organ Festival (2007) and has concertized in Italy, Germany, Great Britain, and Mexico. Flos Cantuum, the parish's children's choir, is directed by Dr. Clarke in collaboration with the school; the St. Theresa String Orchestra, under Mr. Gustavo Andres, plays at the 5:00 p.m. Sunday Latin Mass and at concerts through the year.
- Music Director: Dr. Kevin Clarke
- Assistant Music Director: Mr. Gustavo Andres
- Flos Cantuum children's choir
- St. Theresa String Orchestra (5:00 p.m. Sunday Mass and concerts)
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Faith formation at St. Theresa's spans nursery through high school and includes preparation for the First Sacraments, an active youth ministry, and a Becoming Catholic (RCIA) program for adults. Spanish-language faith formation is supported alongside English programs. Couples preparing to marry at the parish attend the Pre-Marriage Seminar, held the second Tuesday of every other month at 7:00 p.m.
- Preschool Faith Formation & Nursery (Andrea Ramsey)
- Elementary & Middle School Faith Formation and First Sacraments
- Youth Ministry — Director Gabriel Castillo; Assistant Director Rocio Williamson
- Becoming Catholic Ministry (RCIA)
- Pre-Marriage Seminar — 2nd Tuesday every other month, 7:00 p.m.
- Engaged Couple Sponsors
- Spanish-language Mass (Sunday 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.) and formation
Parish Ministries & Service Organizations
St. Theresa's supports more than twenty lay ministries and service organizations. Three apostolic religious orders meet at the parish — Lay Dominicans, Lay Carmelites, and the Knights of Columbus (Council 4204) — alongside Catholic Daughters of the Americas, St. Vincent de Paul, and pro-life ministries like the Gabriel Project and Project Rachel. Pastoral leadership is supported by a 12-member elected Pastoral Council, an appointed Finance Council, a Stewardship Committee, and a Strategic Planning Committee. The parish also runs a free ESL program for adults.
- Pastoral Council (12 elected members, 3-year terms)
- Finance Council (six appointed members, quarterly)
- Stewardship Committee
- Strategic Planning Committee
- Perpetual Adoration Ministry (Emmaus Chapel, 24/7)
- Lay Dominicans (Order of Preachers)
- Lay Carmelites
- Catholic Daughters of the Americas
- Knights of Columbus — Council 4204 (1st & 3rd Mondays at St. Basil's Hall; kc4204.org; membership: Stephen Frontera 281-410-1632)
- St. Vincent de Paul — Food Pantry at Wood & 7th (Mon & Fri 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.; Theresa Dojs 281-242-9149)
- Gabriel Project (Archdiocesan pro-life apostolate for women in difficult pregnancies)
- Project Rachel (post-abortion healing via Archdiocesan Office of Pro-Life Activities)
- Pre-Marriage Seminar
- Engaged Couple Sponsors
- Grief Support Ministry
- Deacon Frank Cromer Memorial Men's Prayer Breakfast — 2nd Wednesday, 6:45 a.m.
- ESL — free conversational English classes for adults 18+
Getting Involved
Newcomers are welcomed through the 'I'm New' page, which answers practical questions about Mass times, confession, parking, the worship aids in the pews, and how to receive Holy Communion. The parish encourages online giving, bulletin reading, and joining a ministry — especially its Perpetual Adoration, which has open hours needing adorers. Visitors can also sign up for Flocknote weekly and monthly newsletters to stay informed.
- Flocknote weekly and monthly newsletters
- Online giving via the parish website
- Worship aids in each pew; ushers available to help
- Handicap parking near chapel entrance; main lot near parish offices and school; K of C lot across St. Theresa Blvd.
- Do not park in fire lanes
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. David Angelino2019–present
Current pastor
- Rev. Eurel Manzano2015–2019
Now Rector of St. Mary's Seminary, Houston
- Rev. Stephen B. Reynolds2001–2015
First diocesan pastor; the Education Building was named in his honor
- Rev. Robert Matzinger, C.S.B.1991–2001
Basilian Father
- Rev. Charles Christopher, C.S.B.1989–1991
- Rev. Thomas Mailloux, C.S.B.1985–1988
- Rev. William Coughlin, C.S.B.1980–1985
- Rev. Donald Cooper, C.S.B.1978–1980
- Rev. Roy Oggero, C.S.B.1975–1978
- Rev. Richard Jeffrey, C.S.B.1971–1975
- Rev. Raymond Jackson, C.S.B.1965–1972
- Rev. John Collins, C.S.B.1961–1965
- Rev. Robert Lowery, C.S.B.1958–1961
- Rev. W. P. McGee, C.S.B.1955–1958
First Basilian pastor
- Rev. Jas Smith, O.M.I.1952–1954
Oblate of Mary Immaculate
- Fr. Leo Dery, O.M.I.1950–1952
Oblate of Mary Immaculate
- Fr. Edward J. Murray, O.M.I.1946–1949
Oblate of Mary Immaculate
- Fr. Frederick Caldwell, O.M.I.1943–1945
Oblate of Mary Immaculate