Church Record Sunday: St. Francis de Sales, Houston, Texas

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Houston, Texas, was my family's parish from summer 1964 until my father was transferred out of Houston in late 1985.  The parish itself was founded only two years earlier, in 1962, so it is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

The building pictured above in the black-and-white photo is the original church building, through 1979.  It is now a gym and parish hall.  That was the original plan for it all along, as can be seen from its design inside, with high clerestories the only windows in the building.  The structure to the right in the photo above was the original school cafeteria, which was sectioned off from the church by a large folding door that could be opened for overflows at Mass. The cafeteria tables and benches neatly converted to pews with (hard!) kneelers.

The Risen Jesus mosaic above right hung above the altar in this church, as pictured below in a photograph of my brother Brian's First Communion class in spring 1969. 

Both the mosaic and the marble altar pictured below (behind Brian on his First Communion day) were moved to the new church building when it was dedicated in 1980, and are still there today.

This was the parish where my youngest sister Mary was baptized, and where I and all my four siblings had our first confessions and communions, as well as our confirmations.

My First Communion was on December 6, 1964.  Pages from a remembrance booklet I received that day are pictured above, and the photograph at left is of me in my First Communion dress and veil.  My mother made the dress.

Below is a picture of my Confirmation certificate, from April 20, 1966.  I took the confirmation name Jane in honor of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, who founded an order of nuns with the help of St. Francis de Sales.  This also honored my sponsor, my mother's long-time friend Frances Grembowiec.

This post is for a series on "Doors of Faith" at the Catholic Gene blog.

© Amanda Pape - 2012 - click here to e-mail me.