Saint John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church Houston, TX

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History

The establishment of St. John Chrysostom Church can be traced to an organizational meeting with Bishop John Bilock on March 12, 1982 at the Knights of Columbus Council #803 in Houston. Bishop Bilock returned one month later to celebrate Holy Week and Pascha (Easter) with the Byzantine Catholics of the area.

A short time later, Father Robert Karl celebrated a Divine Liturgy on June 20, 1982 in the chapel of the University of St. Thomas in Houston. In August Father Karl became the first pastor of St. John Chrysostom parish. For four months Sunday Liturgies were celebrated at the chapel of the Earthman Funeral Home.

On December 19, a piece of property with three buildings on Acorn Street was purchased. One of the buildings had been constructed in 1963 as the Mangum Oaks Baptist Church. It no longer was used as a church when the property was purchased. The first Liturgy on this site was celebrated on December 25, 1982. The congregation worked very hard to remodel all three buildings.

The church of St. John Chrysostom formally was dedicated on October 21, 1984. The next four years were dedicated to renovating the church, social hall and rectory. Ten short years later, on November 13, 1994, the parish held a festive dinner to celebrate the burning of the mortgage.