History of St. Thomas More Catholic Church
In July 1988, a Hilltop Lakes resident wrote to Bishop Charles Herzig of Tyler requesting that a priest be assigned to celebrate Mass in the Hilltop community on a regular basis. Bishop Herzig asked Father Thomas Davy, the priest in charge of Blessed Kateri in Buffalo to meet with the Catholic community. On September 3, 1988, Father Davy celebrated Mass in the home of one of the Catholic families, and Mass was celebrated in private homes on Saturday afternoon each week until the community outgrew the living rooms.
The group then obtained permission from the Hilltop Lakes Volunteer Fire Department for use of its building for weekly Mass. The fire station worked well for the community except when there was a fire call, or the Saturday was election day. On election day, Mass was moved to a nearby park. On a particularly windy election day in 1992, one of the Interdenominational Chapel trustees happened to witness Mass celebrated outdoors in the wind. A few days later, the community was invited to hold Mass in the Chapel or the Fellowship Hall. The community voted to move to the Fellowship Hall where Mass was celebrated on Saturday afternoons for nineteen years.
On March 5, 1998, Bishop Edmond Carmody, then Bishop of Tyler, placed the Catholic Community of Hilltop Lakes under the protection of St. Thomas More. The priest in charge of Blessed Kateri from Buffalo said Mass until September 1998. On September 17, 1998 Bishop Carmody assigned a priest to be in residence at St. Leo the Great in Centerville and gave him responsibility for the St. Thomas More Community.
As early as 1998, with Father Deveraj Arulappa as the priest in charge, the community began to raise funds in order to eventually provide a church facility for itself.
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On February 21, 2003, the St. Thomas More Community acquired 5 acres of land in Hilltop Lakes Section 60 as the site of a future church for the community.
By 2007, it was apparent that the community’s fundraising efforts were successful enough for the community to believe that a church could be built. So, on November 29, 2007, a group of dedicated community members came together to begin the process of designing a new church.
With the encouragement of Bishop Alvaro Corrada and Father Luis Roncancio, who was the priest in charge, the group established the vision for a new church. The Building Committee selected the Fort Worth architectural firm of Callahan and Freeman to develop a master plan and design for the church. DWP Architects of Katy were selected to develop the construction drawings, and Stewart Builders of Houston under the direction of Craig Stewart were designated as the General Contractor.
On Palm Sunday, 2011, Bishop Corrada conducted a groundbreaking ceremony, and construction began in July. The completed church was consecrated by Bishop Corrada on December 4, 2011.
In 2014, Father Nolan Lowry the priest in charge and Craig Stewart began designing a Parish Hall and Education Building. Fundraising began in 2015 with a matching grant from the Stewart Family Foundation.
As the Parish began planning the Parish Hall and Education Building in late 2019, the COVID pandemic, followed by a flood of the Church caused from the 2021 freezing temperatures stopped progress.
In June 2023 a new fundraising campaign began to construct a Parish Hall during 2024 with Rev. Fr. Joseph Lourdusamy as the priest in charge.