ARCHDIOCESE OF GALVESTON-HOUSTON TO ADMINISTER HOLY GHOST PARISH IN HOUSTON

The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the Redemptorist missionaries of the Denver Province today announced that the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will assume leadership of Holy Ghost Parish in Houston in July of 2023. Allowing an entire year for the change in leadership is expected to ensure an orderly transition and minimal impact on the parish community and its thriving outreach programs.

Founded by the Redemptorists in 1946, Holy Ghost Parish has worked for many years to bring two cultural groups together: the historically Anglo community and a multicultural Hispanic community composed of people from Mexico and many Central and South American countries. In fact, Holy Ghost Parish has become a beacon in the Latino world for sacramental ministry. Hundreds of children receive their First Communion at the parish every year, and approximately 150 people are confirmed in a typical year. Parish groups – Young Adult, Adolescent Youth and Family – animate the community and build solidarity. A dedicated group of parish volunteers is involved in several community outreach programs, such as a Food Bank that provides supplemental groceries to approximately 250 families every week.

“We are grateful for the Redemptorist vocations that were nurtured here, and for the tremendous love and support of this parish family for the past 76 years,” said Very Rev. Stephen Rehrauer, C.Ss.R., Provincial Superior of the Denver Province. “An aging membership and a shortage of new vocations require us to continually reassess how we can best respond to meet the needs of the poor and abandoned. As part of a major worldwide restructuring of the entire Congregation, the Denver Province is merging with other Redemptorist Provinces in North America and Mexico. Leadership has discerned a call to focus more specifically on evangelical outreach to young adults, immigrants, and those who do not participate in a church.

“We will work diligently with Cardinal DiNardo to assure a smooth transition, and are confident that the spirit of Holy Ghost Parish that we have nourished and sustained these many years will continue to flourish under new leadership. We are grateful to have served with a faith community so committed to loving and serving the People of God.”

The Redemptorists are a religious congregation of Catholic priests and Brothers founded in 1732 by St. Alphonsus Liguori in Naples, Italy. Approximately 4,200 Redemptorists are currently working for the poor and most abandoned in nearly every part of the world. More than 130 Redemptorist priests, Brothers and students represent the Denver Province in the United States.