About Us
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
We are faithful Roman Catholic children of a loving Father. Following the example of our brother, Jesus Christ, we make our way home by sharing our beliefs with those who have not heard, by teaching those who do not know, and by providing for those with pressing temporal and spiritual needs. We pursue our mission faithfully through the power of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of our time, talents, and treasures.
St. John the Apostle
We proclaim God’s Word and show our beliefs by our actions. Strengthened by the sacraments, we build up the Body of Christ by supporting Catholic education programs for youth and adults, and by serving those with spiritual and temporal needs.
Our Church
We, the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, are a multi-cultural Church with active members from every continent of the world. We pray and celebrate in over 14 languages on any given Sunday in our 146 parishes. There are over a million Catholics in our archdiocese. We participate in activities of social justice, support the good works of persons in other countries, prepare our children and young people to be responsible members of the community and we do all this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. But just who are we? Catholics are the largest single denomination among religions in the United States. We have certain basic beliefs and practices which unite us with other Catholics throughout the world. Many of our beliefs can be found in other Christian religions but some are distinctively Catholic. We believe that God is the Creator of all things and that Jesus is the Son of God who was born on this earth. Therefore we believe that Jesus has two natures: divine and human. Jesus preached God’s message and brought God’s love to people. Jesus died and rose from the dead. Catholics believe that Jesus’ presence continues in the world through the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that there is one God who is present in three Divine persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our belief is that the Church has the authority to teach and continue to discern the will of God through the pope and the bishops. Catholics believe that the Scriptures contain sacred revelation from God which forms the basis of our beliefs and our moral code. Besides being people of the Bible we are also a people of tradition. Tradition, for Catholics is more than a long history; we base our teachings also on the faith experiences of the many people who have made up the Catholic Church over the past twenty centuries. We ritualize what we believe through our celebrations of the seven sacraments of the Church: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. Through theses sacraments we are connected to the sacredness of life. Catholics also have a special devotion and reverence for Mary, the mother of Jesus. We believe that Mary was chosen for this responsibility and was born free from original sin which is present in all others who have been born. There are special celebrations of Mary’s life and role throughout our Church year. We believe that there is a continuation of life after the death of our bodies. It is our belief that after our mortal body dies, our soul lives on. If our life has been one of good rather than evil, if we have tended to the least of God’s creatures, if we have come to know and love God, then it is our belief that we will spend eternity in the presence of our God.
Our History
Local Catholic families first began meeting formally in West Columbia over sixty years ago with about fifteen families. In 1943, families had to journey to other towns to receive the Sacraments. Father Francis J. Dobias then came from Danbury to administer the Sacraments to West Columbia and Sweeny Catholics once a month. In 1954, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Mission was erected in Sweeny. On August 12, 1968, Bishop John L. Morkovsky raised the mission church to a parish church status. In West Columbia, St. John the Apostle was established as a mission community. Twelve days later, Father Anthony T. Orlando was appointed as the first pastor. During this time the parish population totaled approximately 50 families. The ground breaking ceremonies for the new St. John the Apostle Church was held on February 3, 1980. It was finished on Dec. 27, 1980. Presently, Father Preston Quintela is ministering to approximately 400 combined families from Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. John. We must never forget the generosity of the people who gave of their time, money, land, contributions, and continuous efforts in providing various fund raisers. Without their help and the grace of God, our parishes would not have become a reality.
Past Priests
- 1974 – 1979: Fr. Frank Clancy
- 1979 – 1986: Fr. Joseph Gietl
- 1986 – 1989: Fr. Steven Payne
- 1989 – 1995: Fr. John Connolly
- 1995 – 1998: Fr. Peter Mastrobuono
- 1998 – 2005: Fr. Lee Flores
- 2005 – 2006: Fr. Wayne Wilkerson
- 2006 – 2010: Fr. Ralph Roberts
- 2010 – 2020: Fr. Daniel Baguio
- 2020 – Present: Fr. Preston Quintela
