Huffman parish set to return to home March 28 after Imelda’s displacement
March 10, 2020
HUFFMAN — More than six months after Tropical Storm Imelda swept through the Texas Gulf Coast, the parish at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church is set to return to its home campus with Mass on March 28 and 29.
In a Feb. 23 letter published in the parish bulletin, Father Richard Barker shared the “joyful news” that the community will return to their “beloved campus and the fullness of parish life.” The parish church is located at 2308 3rd St. in Huffman.
Imelda dumped more than two feet of rain on east Montgomery County Sept. 19, pushing six to eight inches of water into the parish’s buildings. The flood forced the parish community to celebrate Masses at a nearby church in Atascocita while the sanctuary and parish campus was renovated.
Quickly after Imelda, parish officials worked to reopen the parish office on the parish campus. In 2017, the parish had flooded during Hurricane Harvey.
Starting that weekend, the new sacramental schedule includes confession at 3 p.m. and Vigil Mass at 4 p.m. on Saturdays, with 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Mass on Sundays. Daily Masses will be held at noon and on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Starting April 4, First Saturday Masses will be celebrated at 9 a.m.
Lenten Liturgies include a Friday, Apr. 3, Lenten Mass and Stations of the Cross. Palm Sunday weekend follows the same set weekend schedule. The Triduum schedule includes Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, Apr. 9, at 7 p.m.; Good Friday services on Apr. 10 at 3 p.m. (no Stations); Easter Vigil on Saturday, Apr. 11, at 8:30 p.m. and Easter Sunday Masses on Apr. 12 at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. All parish ministries were expected to return to the St. Philip campus on Monday, Apr. 13.
In his letter, Father Barker thanked those who have assisted the parish in making the “recovery easier” with donations and volunteer service hours to help renovate the campus.
“Your fervent and loving prayers to God on our behalf are especially powerful,” he said. He also shared the parish’s “deepest gratitude” to Pastor Deborah Hawboldt and the staff at Atascocita United Methodist Church, where St. Philip had services after Imelda.
For more information, call 281-324-1478 or visit stphiliphuffmantx.org.