FULSHEAR, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Saint Faustina Catholic Church in Fulshear has broken ground on a 35,800 square foot church designed to serve the rapidly growing Catholic community in north Fort Bend County.
The church is located on FM 1093 between FM 1463 and Cross Creek Ranch Boulevard.
According to a filing with the state of Texas, it will cost more than $32 million and be completed in 2027. It will seat between 1,700 and 2,000 people, making it among the largest in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
The traditional cruciform design — shaped like a cross when viewed from above — follows centuries-old Catholic architectural traditions that symbolically represent the crucifixion of Christ.
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The new church will be shaped like a cross.
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The inside of the new church being constructed by St. Faustina Catholic Church.
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A rendering of the inside of the new St. Faustina Catholic Church.
"My heart is filled with wonder and gratitude when I think about the goodness and blessing of the Lord for our community," said the Rev. Dat Hoang, the church's founding pastor wrote in a brochure about the new church.
Hoang was there when the parish started in 2014.
"He called us together 11 years ago, named us Saint Faustina Parish and entrusted us with His mission to spread His Divine Mercy," Hoang wrote. "From our humble beginning in the cafeteria of Hubenak Elementary School, to the warehouse, to our current temporary church; now we are embarking on an exciting journey to build our new church."
The project received extensive community input through six engagement sessions and a parish survey involving nearly 1,100 families. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, approved the capital campaign in October 2023.
"Our new place of worship will be a beacon of hope for the entire Fulshear/Katy area, a place of beauty adequate for giving testimony of the Divine Presence of God, of the timeless tradition, faith, and hopes of the Catholic Church," Hoang wrote. "Our new church will rise up on the prairie, inviting everyone to come and experience God's Divine Mercy. It will be a reverent dwelling for God, a meeting point between heaven and earth, a Center of Divine Mercy and a refuge for wounded souls."
Houston-based Jackson & Ryan architects designed the building, considering both current needs and future growth for the expanding suburban community.