Our Story

Vision Statement:  Baptized into Christ Jesus, we worship as one and reach out to all.

Our parish was founded on February 25, 1979 when Bishop John L. Morkovsky redefined parish boundaries, forming a new parish out of part of St. Mary's parish, and appointed Rev. Msgr. William L. Tinney as pastor.

Father Tinney selected "St. Martha, Mary and Lazarus - Friends of Jesus" as our parish name in honor of the friends and family of Jesus. 

The Elm Grove Elementary School in Kingwood acted as a temporary church for the parish's first year, while St. Martha was under construction.

The church was completed in September, 1980 with the help of parishioners and many friends.  The Dedication Mass was celebrated October, 1980.  The parish has grown from 867 to 6,800 registered families.

The original St. Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Friends of Jesus Catholic Church 

With the increased number of registered families, and growing number of ministries, it was obvious St. Martha had to expand its facilities.  But the question was – how?
 
To try and answer this question the Building and Planning committee did an extensive study including the demographics of the area, which identified the estimated growth in the vicinity.  The conclusions of the analysis were instrumental in creating the master plan for the parish.  The study revealed the projected growth for our parish in its current location would be very problematic, so expanding the existing campus was not a viable option.  The results also served as the basis for identifying the needs and wants of the parish ministries and parish community.
 
After much prayer, study, and consulting, a master plan for a new church campus was developed and 35-acres off North Park Drive was purchased.  In November 2009, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo blessed the site and construction began.  Many committees joined in a coordinated effort to make the dream of a new church a reality.
 
The Dedication Mass for the new church was celebrated on August 12, 2011.

New Church Campus

    Click HERE to view the Tour Guide Book for the New Church. 

Psalm 84 tells us “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!”  Our new chapel is a lovely addition to our parish family because it points us to the heavenly banquet!  We are so grateful for Pat Reid whose generous gift allows us to have our new chapel. With joyful hope, we know she is praying with us every time we enter this holy place.

Beginnings
Msgr. Chester Borski designated a Liturgical Design Committee to start developing an overall plan for the new chapel in October of 2016.  The name eventually chosen, the Holy Family Chapel, reflects the many realities of the families in the Kingwood area, and of the Family of St. Martha Catholic Church. 
The groundbreaking for the Holy Family Chapel took place in 2018 on October 13, and the Dedication was celebrated in 2019 on September 13.

Click HERE to view the Holy Family Dedication Booklet. 

We, the community of St. Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Friends of Jesus Catholic Parish, are committed to our baptismal covenant with Jesus Christ.  This covenant is manifested in our worship, evangelization, education, stewardship, service and our commitment to live as a community of faith.  

• We center our parish life on Christ, Scripture and the celebration of the Sacraments in joyous worship and prayerful reflection of His love and mercy. 
• We come together as a community of faith, in a spirit of hospitality and loving care, to serve one another in times of need and to share in the joys and struggles of everyday life in Christ. 
•  We provide all members of our diverse community the opportunity for spiritual growth through faith formation and the sharing of the richness of our Catholic tradition.  
• We, as stewards of God’s gifts, share generously of our time, talent and treasure within our community and extend that care to others in fulfilling the mission of the Church in the world.

     We, the community of Sts. Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Friends of Jesus Catholic Parish, are committed to our baptismal covenant with Jesus Christ.  This covenant is manifested in our worship, evangelization, education,
stewardship, service and our commitment to live as a community of faith. We center our parish life on Christ, Scripture and the celebration of the Sacraments in joyous worship and prayerful reflection of His love and mercy. We come
together as a community of faith, in a spirit of hospitality and loving care, to serve one another in times of need and to share in the joys and struggles of everyday life in Christ. We provide all members of our diverse community the opportunity for spiritual growth through faith formation and the sharing of the richness of our Catholic tradition. We, as stewards of God’s gifts, share generously of our time, talent and treasure within our community and extend that care to others in fulfilling the mission of the Church in the world.