About Our Patron Saint                    

Pope Saint Gregory I, also known as the Great, was the Pope of the Catholic Church between 590 and 604 AD.  Gregory was born around 540 in Rome.  Gregory's family was very wealthy and owned estates on the island of Sicily. His great-great-grandfather was Pope Felix III who reigned from 483 to 492. His father Gordianus was a senator and a Prefect of Rome. Gregory's mother was Silvia, also from a noble family. His  brother was named Gregory but nothing is recorded about him.. Gregory was an expert in law and became the Prefect of Rome. In 590, Pope Pelagius II died, and Gregory was proclaimed pope by acclamation and referred to himself as a servant of God.  Pope Gregory made many changes to the Mass, some of which remain today. The position of the Our Father in the Mass remains where Pope Gregory placed it.  Pope Gregory was well known for his alms to the poor.  He died on March 12, 604 AD. He was immediately proclaimed a saint by means of popular acclaim.  Saint Gregory's relics remain in St. Peter's Basilica to this day.

The History of St. Gregory the Great

In 1960, Bishop Wendelin Nold purchased 10 acres of land in the Northeast section of Houston, Texas and built a Catholic Church. He named this church St. Gregory the Great after one of the greatest Popes and doctors of the Universal Church.    

St. Gregory was established because the Church of the Assumption became overcrowded in the 1950’s. To properly administer the sacraments to the ever-increasing Catholic populace in the northeastern section of Houston,  Bishop Wendelin J. Nold errected St. Gregory the Great on December, 1960.  
Before the erection, masses were held in the gym of Northwood Junior High School and in the rectory garage.  Later in 1960 the rectory was converted into a small parish chapel where weekly massess were conducted.    

In January 1960 Reverend C. J. Alleman became pastor of the newly erected parish of 400 families.        

In 1963, the present church, parish hall, C. C. D. building were completed and three years later the present rectory was erected.

In 1979 several parish organizations were formed, more scheduled masses on Sundays and holidays plus a Spanish Mass was added.

 
ST GREGORY THE GREAT FORMER PASTORS AND ASSOCIATES                 
                   PASTORS                                                                  ASSOCIATES
Rev C.J. Alleman 01/01/1960-07/15/1974                   Rev Clifton J Natho 11/16/1969-02/03/1971
Rev Lawrence Lee 07/15/1974-03/17/1975                Rev John P. McGinnis 07/01/1974-05/01/1975
Rev Lawrence Peguero 05/01/1975-08/27/1976     Rev Ignatius M Gutmann 07/31/1975-08/27/1976
Rev Maurice Dho 08/28/1976-05/04/1977               Rev Michael T Corrigan 08/01/1983-04/28/1984
Rev Frank Jones 07/01/1977-07/15/1980
Rev Edward Kucera, Jr 10/06/1980-03/07/1986
Rev Gabre T. Adhana 03/07/1986-08/01/1990
Rev Gary F. Wanzong 08/01/1990-05/19/1998
Rev Francis Ngo 07/01/1998-03/05/2018
Rev Joseph Lamani 03/06/2018-07/31/2018
Rev Desmond Ohankwere 08/1/2018-Present

 
St. Gregory The Great Today
St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church was damaged by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Currently, Mass is being held in the Parish Community Building.
We are a living diverse and multicultural community built on faith and trust. Our Parish still carries the torch of our Patron Saint, to serve and feed the poor.