On July 2, 2023, the U.S. Spiritans assumed responsibility for Holy Ghost Parish in Houston, Texas. The new pastoral team includes Fr. Binh T. Quach, C.S.Sp., Pastor; Fr. Daniel Abba, C.S.Sp., Parochial Vicar; and Fr. Neil McQuillan, C.S.Sp., Parochial Vicar. See photos from their first Mass. 

Holy Ghost Parish was formed in 1946, by the Redemptorist Congregation which led the parish for more than 75 years. Today it’s a thriving multicultural parish of about 2,500 families, a large portion of which are first-and-second-generation immigrants.
 
According to Fr. Binh, the new pastor, the Parish has English and Spanish masses each day and 7 each weekend. There is confession every Saturday which requires all three priests to hear confessions and still has long lines.  There are also more than 25 groups in the parish which provide formation and education for the parishioners.
 
“The challenge is to bring them together and work collaboratively to move toward not two communities using the same church, but one community. Unity in diversity is our goal for our sacramental, educational and formational life,” he said.

The parish also hosts Holy Ghost Catholic School with 184 students from pre-K to eight grade. The parish and diocese both offer financial help for families who cannot afford tuition.  

Financial solvency remains one of the biggest challenges for the parish and school. They are in the process of bringing together 12 finance advisors from the neighboring parishes to assist in developing a strategic plan so that they can continue the important work of the parish and school in their community.

Fr. Binh wrote the following message to his new parishioners, shared in their bulletin on July 2, 2023. It describes a vision for the future for the newest U.S. Spiritan parish.
 
Dear Parishioners,

The Heart of a parochial life and mission is Jesus Christ Himself.  Our pastoral works center on evangelization.  Christ cannot be left out of evangelization.  He is the heart of it, the subject of it, and its very goal. What is at stake is the recap of all things in Jesus Christ--all things, all creation, all cultures and nations with all their riches and diversities.
 
The mission of Holy Ghost Church is to engender the sense of belonging, of participation, and of mission in each member of the parish.  With this aim, our daily ministries both in the school and in the parish will generate and foster Shalom.  Shalom is at once peace, integrity, community, harmony and justice.  Our Holy Ghost Parish’s mission, thus, is to become a Gospel oriented community--a community of public witness to evangelical values, formed by the Gospel, dedicated to the Gospel, understanding the Gospel, reflecting the Gospel. 

At Holy Ghost Church and School we are blessed with the riches of cultural diversity, American, African, Hispanic, and Asian, our mission is to be lifted up, fulfilled and transformed in Jesus Christ.  Since our mission is Christ-centered, our sacramental life is foundational for all our pastoral, educational, and formational ministries.  

As the new pastoral team of Holy Ghost fathers, we would like to commit ourselves to the mission of establishing Shalom and of being lifted up, fulfilled and transformed in Jesus Christ of the whole parish.  It is not simply a responsibility of ordained ministers, but also of each member of our Holy Ghost Parish under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ.  It was Mary who brought the disciples together in prayer for the gifts of the Holy Spirit at the First Pentecost.

Now as we continue building on the works of the Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers of the last seventy-five years, we are confident that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will empower us to become witnesses of Christ’s Love to one another and to all.  Shalom will be present among us making us truly a Gospel Community, a Spirit-filled parish which is inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit to carry out our mission of evangelization.  As an evangelizing community, we are called to get involved by words and actions in one another’s life, to build bridges among ourselves, and to embrace and serve our least brothers and sisters.  

In God’s Love
Under the Protection of Mary, 
Fr. Binh