A Foundation Fixed on Jesus

“When Cardinal DiNardo called me, I was so excited. I wanted to dance! It is an incredible joy that comes from the Lord. Let us allow the Lord to work through us to build this new Catholic parish.” - Father Dat Hoang

These were the words of Fr. Dat back in 2014 when Cardinal DiNardo first announced that the name of our parish was to be St. Faustina Kowalska Catholic Parish. It may seem like yesterday to some, but there are many in our community who don’t know the inspiring story of how our parish came to be. 

“In just a few short years, Saint Faustina Catholic Church located in Fulshear, Texas, has grown from its inception to nearly 3,200 families. The journey has been exciting, rewarding and memorable,” says Brenda Gillespie, current Business Manager and one of the founding members of the parish.

Brenda recalls the early planning days when 600 people gathered for town hall meetings which gave the faithful community an opportunity to meet Father Dat, learn more about the plans for the new parish, ask questions, and participate in the process of finding a name for the parish. With Fr. Dat as the founding administrator and leader, plans were finalized, committees were formed, and logistics discussed in detail. All agreed that this new parish would be a vibrant place of worship in which all people who entered would encounter Jesus.



Things moved quickly, and by August 16th of that year, due to the hard work of many volunteers, St. Faustina’s began holding Mass at Joe Hubenak Elementary School. The school gym was transformed into a beautiful place of worship with two Mass times offered. Brenda remembers many of the details of those first few weeks, “Attendance at both Masses was phenomenal with the hallways filled with families who could not find a seat in the hall. Father quickly added a third mass on Sundays and in January 2015, a Sunday Spanish Mass was added for our Spanish speaking families.”

On August 31st, 2014, Fr. Dat was officially installed as the founding Pastor. By October, the church offices were formally opened and quickly became a hub of activity as parishioners became involved in launching and joining the many many ministries being formed. At that time, Father Dat initiated morning Mass with the staff to start off each business day and this has grown to be a beloved tradition of the parish.



“St. Faustina continues to be recognized as a warm, welcoming vibrant community.  People immediately feel connected and want to be a part of the ever growing family.  We continue to try and meet the needs of the parishioners as we evolve into a very diversified community,” Brenda shared, full of enthusiasm and hope for the future of St. Faustina’s.

Father Dat’s initial joy continues on as well. It is clear that the Lord is truly working through the people of St. Faustina’s Catholic Church. As we look to the future, we can be confident that God will continue to move in our parish community.


Key Milestone Events & Information

• Saint Faustina First Mass – August 17th/18, 2014
• Father Dat established as founding Pastor – August 31st, 2014
• St. Faustina’s first Baptism – October 11, 2014.
• The first Children's Liturgy – October 12, 2014.
• St. Faustina Parish Office established – October 2014
• St. Faustina Parish Office relocated to a Business Park – March 2015
• St. Faustina’s moved to present location December 2016.