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The events leading to this bulletin announcement formed our parish heritage. Locating the Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake City brought many government employees and contractors to this area in the early 1960’s. As a result, many residential developments were started to accommodate the influx, including Sagemont, in 1964. The number of Catholics settling in Sagemont swelled the congregation of St. Frances Cabrini located across Interstate 45. It grew steadily for ten years and new parishioners, for from home and relatives, anxious to become an active part of the parish community, offered their talents and education to parish service.
The rapid growth made it obvious that it would soon be necessary to create a new parish to serve the Catholics living west of I-45. The diocese purchased five acres of land in Kirkwood South in anticipation of the split. The pastor and parish council at St. Frances (1,800 registered parishioners strong and finding it increasingly difficult to adequately minister to the needs of so many) ten began planning the division. Even before boundaries were drawn and a pastor appointed for the new parish, a Parish Split Committee was appointed from the parish council membership at St. Frances Cabrini, and instructed to formulate plans for a smooth transition with minimum disruptive effects for all concerned.
On April 3, 1975, ten weeks before the division, the committee presented recommendations for the split. They included providing the new pastor (not yet named) with census cards, CCE student records and teacher education cards for those in the parish boundaries. They also proposed setting aside collection envelopes from those parishioners for four weeks prior to split date, sharing the Saturday evening liturgy collection. To spare the new parish additional rent expense, the committee proposed offering the use of facilities at St. Frances for baptisms, weddings, funerals, and CCE classrooms, as well as miscellaneous equipment when available.
Within the next few weeks, Reverend Jesse Judice was appointed pastor of the new parish. He asked those on the St. Frances Cabrini Parish Council who should be in the new parish to serve on an interim parish council. Meetings were held on May 29, and June 12, where decisions on purchasing a rectory, acquiring facilities at Thompson Intermediate School for Sunday liturgies and CCE classes, setting mass times, hiring a religious education coordinator, and appointing a Finance Council chairperson were made.
On June 17, 1975, at 7:00 pm, over 500 families who had been determined to live within the boundaries of the new parish were invited to celebrate mass and attend a “birthday party” at St. Frances Cabrini. At the party, all were given the opportunity to indicate their area of interest for participation in the new parish, and the Catholic Community of St. Luke the Evangelist was born.
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