Texas Governor Greg Abbott made a late April announcement of a phased reopening of Texas, the Archdiocese announced April 29 that it may resume the celebration of Mass in churches starting May 2 provided they adhere with state guidelines.

Those requirements include maintaining a 25% capacity threshold, wearing masks, social distancing, and church personnel properly sanitizing commonly used surfaces such as pews between each service. 

Mass dispensation remains in place.  Cardinal DiNardo reaffirmed that, even with the phased reopening, the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days remained suspended in the Archdiocese during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Archdiocese strongly encourages senior citizens over 65 those who may be sick or have compomised health to remain home and continue watching Mass online.

 

Dear Parishioners of St. Michael's and Sts. Cyril & Methodius,

I am so excited to share this news from Cardinal DiNardo!  We can begin celebrating the Holy Eucharist PUBLICLY again with LIMITATIONS for those who wish to attend at St. Michael's and Sts. Cyril & Methodius effective this week!  However, there is NO obligation to attend Mass in our Archdiocese.  Our mass schedule remains the same, with the temporary addition of a Saturday evening mass at Sts. Cyril & Methodius.  All masses will be held in the Church.

MASS SCHEDULE:

    St. Michael's:                                                           Sts. Cyril & Methodius:

We respect that people are choosing to stay at home for their health and safety and for their fellow parishioners.  Masses can be added back if the need arises.

Remember we can have up to 100 people at each Mass!

We have listed the major limitations on mass attendance below.  This information and any follow-up communications will be available on the website and through St. Michael's social media.  For now, we are only allowed a maximum of 25% of the church seating capacity at each Mass.  The real limiation will be that we are still to maintain the social distancing of 6 feet from each other, except family members in the same household.  For both parishes, that equates to 100 seats per Mass.  Seating will be on a first come, first served basis so PLEASE do not be offended if you are turned away because we have met the capacity.  Entrance doors will open 30 minutes prior to mass time.  At the 25% capacity limit that should leave plenty of time to enter the Church.  DO NOT come early to stand in line.  We must observe the restrictions.  It is also especially important that we are not congregating in small groups outside the church before and after Mass in the Church, outside on the porch or lawn area.

• Make sure you enter the Church using the side door (handicap entrance) at St. Michael's and the main doors on the right side at Sts. Cyril & Methodius.  All other doors will remain closed.

• For ages 10 and up, face coverings are required for the duration of Mass.  No mask, no Mass!  Each week we have more and more people not bringing masks (some of the same ones over and over again)--we have been providing masks but our supply is limited.  If you do not bring a mask with you to Mass you will be asked to leave and get one.  Masks are readily available from Walmart, convenience stores, etc.  Please purchase some for your use.  You can also sew one yourself or have one done for you.  The wearing of masks is for your protection and for those around you since COVID-19 virus particles can be passed through the air by speaking, singing, sneezing, coughing, etc.   I also encourage you to bring your own sanitizer that fits your skin type to use before communion.  DO NOT bring items that contain bleach into the sanctuary as this will damage the pews.

• Collection plates will not be passed during the offertory.  You will be able to place your weekly gift in a basket as you enter and exit the church.  We strongly encourage online giving.

• Cardinal DiNardo has mandated that Holy Communion is not offered on the tongue under any circumstance for the time being.  Please understand this is only temporary.

• Communion will be distributed by the Priest only after the final mass blessing.  There will be a single communion line in the center of the main aisle.  Mask should be worn in the communion line.  After the priest offers you Holy Communion, please step to the mark on the side, lift or remove your mask, consume the Most Holy Eucharist and remask before exiting the church.  DO NOT take the host back to your pew to consume!

• You must exit your pew when prompted.  Private prayer is not allowed after Masses to allow the church to be prepared for the next Mass.  If you are unable to walk to the front for communion, please remain seated and Father will come to you.

• Clergy is unable to shake hands.  Clergy will wave.  Please DO NOT congregate outside but head directly to your vehicle.

    In an effort to bring Mass to everyone, several parishes throughout the Archdiocese are offering live broadcasts of the Holy Mass.  Other ministries are also boadcasting via radio and television.
     The Archdiocese provides this information to continue "inviting all to become One in Christ."  Al are welcome to join the Universal Chruch around the world in prayer.
To watch Sunday, Saturday or daily Mass online, visit https://www.archgh.org/onlinemass.
     Additional online offerings include Spiritual Resources and Prayers, including the Archdiocesan Prayer during Coronavirus and Pope Francis's Prayer to the Virgin Mary, all available at www.archgh.org/spiritualresources.
     On March 12th, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo granted a dispensation from Mass obligations until further notice.
     On March 14th, Pope Francis tweeted:  "Through the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:1-32) the Lord helps us understand the problem: living at home but not feeling at home, because there's no paternal or fraternal relationship."
    The Archdiocese continues to keep all those affect by COVID-19 in prayer and charity.

For the latest Archdiocesan updates on COVID-19, visit the https://www.archgh.org/resources/health-updates/.
    

The History of Needville

Needville was established in 1892 by Mr. and Mrs. August Schendel.  Together they built their home and a general store on their 160 acre tract of prairie land.  Since this was the era of "free range", may cow trails served as roads to the early settlers.

Schendelville, then Needmore, and finally Needville were names given to this thriving community.  Mail was received from several towns including Damon and merchandise came by mule-drawn wagons from Richmond.

The Schendel's supported many area churches by donating land and money.  They also donated land for the first public school.

Since its conception, Needville has grown from one family to many families.  Needville, Brown, Forester, Seiler, Modena, Williams and Concord Schools were merged to form Needville Independent School District in 1946 and 1947.  The school district was the first to merge in Fort Bend County. 

Needville continues to thrive and has embraced many Christian Churches with various denominations including our very own, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church.

The History of the Catholic Church

A new century was born when Catholics of Czech decent began to arrive in the Needville area between 1901 and 1903.  The "virgin land" was ready to give up, in abundance, her riches for the life of the people whom tilled her.  So, with faith, the early settlers began to carve out an existence from the good earth.  Ever dependent on God's Divine Providence, they looked to building a better future.

The nearest Catholic Church, at that time, was forty miles away in Sealy.  Father William Skocek came several times a year to celebrate Mass in the home of John Sitta at Old Guy.

Then, in 1910, Father Vaclav Demel was made pastor of Wallis and began coming once a month to celebrate Mass in the Foster School until 1912 when the old school burned down.  The Church now owns the property.

The first funeral was held on December 9, 1906 for Frank Kulcak, whom was killed in a hunting accident.  He was the son of Paul and Pauline Kulcak.  The Kulcak family donatd one acre of land near the Foster School, which became the first Catholic Cemetery of the new settlement.

From the time of Father William Skocek, the people began to talk about building a church.  Since the people were scattered in different areas, it became almost impossible for them to agree on where it should be built.  Of course, each group wanted the church to be built nearest to them -- an age old problem.  So, Fr. Vaclav Demel, the pastor, stepped in and helped to make the decision -- and age old solution to parish problems.  Needville was chosen as the site to build the new church.  Frank Horak donated one acre of land for the church, and later sold two more acres for a cemetery.

The first church was 30 ft. wide and 50 ft. long.  It was paid for by about 30 Catholic Families and many non-Catholic friends who made generous contributions once a year.  St. John's parish of Ammansville gave the main altar.  St. Veronica's parish of Cameron gave the two side altars.  On May 22, 1912, Bishop Nicholas A. Gallagher came and blessed the new church.  At the same time, he confirmed 48 members of the parish.

In June of 1914, Father James Kveton became assistant to Father Vaclav Demel.  He served the faithful of St. Michael's until June of 1915.

In the meantime St. Michael's became a mission to the Rosenberg parish, Holy Rosary.  Father E. J. Hajek was the pastor, and he said Mass twice a month in Needville, until he was replaced by Father I.J. Valenta, who served the people until 1922.

In 1922, Father Kveton, who had served this area before, was made pastor and he continued to serve the people of St. Michael's until 1926.  At that time there were about 100 Catholic families in this area.

Now we get down to the reason for this celebration:  St. Michaael's ceased to be a mission and became a parish.  On January 17, 1926, Bishop Christopher E. Byrnes sent father Innocent Raska to be St. Michael's first pastor.  Almost immediately, a rectory was built and Sts. Cyril & Methodius became a Mission of Needville.

Father John E. Kalas repalced Father Raska, June 17, 1927.  He and the people began plans for a new church.  The architect was S.N. Nelson, of Houston, and the builder was A. Anders, of the parish.  The cornerstone was put in place and blessed on November 7, 1927.

In these days of high prices, it might be interesting to note that the new church, together with 3 new altars, pews, and all artifacts cost only $25,000.00.  

The new church being completed, was blessed by Bishop C.E. Byrnes, June 25, 1928.  Everyone rejoiced that day, but they mourned later when Father Kalas died suddenly in March 1933.  He is the only priest buried in the St. Michael's Cemetery.

Bishop Byrnes sent a replacement in May of 1933, Father J.F. Hanak.  He served the people until June 1937.

The next pastor served the parish the longest, Father Joseph Klobouk.  He rendered 60service to the people, and during his tenure many improvements were made.

While Father Klobouk was pastor, a shrine was built and dedicated to our parishioners who served in Wold War II and Vietnam.  Those who gave their lives in active duty were:  World War II:  Albert E. Jurca, Ignac W. Cernosek, Vit J. Barta, Edwin V. Janicek, Arnold Stavinoha and Peter Pekar;  Vietnam:  Antonio Flores, Jr., and Manuel DeLuna, Jr.  Father Klobouk served from June 1937 until January 1954.

In January of 1954, Bishop Wendelin J. Nold appointed Father Gilbert F. Pekar as pastor of St. Michael's.  A remodeling program was initiated.  The rectory was completely redecorated with additions of a utility room and a two car garage.  In 1956 the church was redecorated, and more rooms and restrooms were added to the Parish Hall.  Father Pekar served the parish until September of 1960.  At that time the parish had grown to 280 families.

The next three pastors served a short time, but what they accomplished is not to be measured in dollars and cents.  Father T.W. Kappe followed father Pekar.  He was replaced by Father W.J. Bosworth in June of 1964.  Father C.F. Quinn followed Father Bosworth in February of 1965.  He served until August of 1966.  (The Annex, through Father Bosworth's efforts, was purchased from the Alfred Demel Family.)

Father Kenneth Mikulik came and stayed a little longer, from August 1966 until February of 1971.  Like all the other priests before him, he took care of the spiritual needs of the people and the material needs of the parish.  A new roof was installed on the church during his stay.

Bishop John L. Morkovsky sent Father Ludon Angelle in February 1971.  Everything went on as usual until the evening of November 16, 1973 when the church caught on fire.  Through the quick and efficient action of our Fire Department, together with the help of the Rosenberg, Damon and West Columbia Departments, the fire was put under control and the building was saved.  However, the smoke, heat, soot and water damage was extensive.

Father Angelle and the majority of the parishioners agreed to restore the chruch as it was before the fire with a few exceptions:  carpeting was to be installed under the pews, a new altar of celebration and a pulpit was to be designed and built to match the main altar of reposition.  The vestibule was to serve also as a cry-room, the Baptistry was to be made into a vesting sacristy and a new organ was to be purchased.  The insurance would pay for 100% of the restoration costs from all the fire damage.

The Te-Ko Contractors, Inc. of Houston, Texas had the lowest bid, and the contact was signed on January 21, 1974.  Even though Holy Week was celebrated in the church, it was not until May 9, 1974 that the work was completed and the contract finalized.

The parish was blessed to have Fr. Angelle until his passing in November 1990.

In February 1991, our parish welcomed Fr. James Ramsey.  He would become the fifteenth pastor to lead our faithful.  Our parish family had grown in numbers from the original 30 families to 750 families in 1994.  In order to better serve these families, St. Michael's facilities had to grow.  A building program was launched in 1992 and completed in October 1993 with the addition of 16 classrooms to the Parish Hall, administrative office space to the Church, and the Adoration Chapel.  Renovation of the Parish Hall, Annex and Rectory were also part of the program.

On September 18, 1994, Auxiliary Bishop James A. Tomayo blessed the monument to the unborn.

Fr. Ramsey's love and dedication to our parish cannot be measued in words.  His legacy spans generations and we are grateful for his service.

A new Family Life Center building was completed and the dedication ceremony was held on September 30, 2007.  This was the last building project completed before Fr. Ramsey took a sabbatical and then leave of absence.  Father Don Schwarting was appointed temporary pastor of both St. Michael's and Sts. Cyril & Methodius.  After Fr. Ramsey's leave of absence, he was transferred to Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, Texas.

Fr. Schwarting wanted to retire and return to his home in New Braunsfels so in August 2008,  Fr. Joseph Son Thanh Phan was appointed Parish Administrator of both churches by Archbishop Daniel Cardinal DiNardo.  He was then installed as pastor on March 14, 2010 by Msgr. George Sheltz.  The reception took place at St. Michael's with a reception following in the Family Life Center.  Fr. Joseph immediately continued improvements started by Fr. Schwarting. In August of 2014, Fr. Joseph was transferred to St. Francis de Sales in Houston, Texas.

Fr. Marty Pham was then assigned to both St. Michael's and Sts. Cyril & Methodius and was installed as Pastor on August 4, 2014.  

Father Marty became a priest on May 29, 2004.  For him, it was a long, difficult road which lead him to the priesthood.  It started in Vietnam many years before that.  Father Marty was born in Da Nang City in 1963 and is one of ten children.  He has four brothers and five sisters.  In 1985, he escaped from a war torn country as one of the "Boat People."  Boat People is a term referring to impoverished, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who arrive in masses in old or crudely-made boats.  The term came into common use during the late 1970's with the mass departure of Vietnamese refugees from community-controlled Vietnam, following the Vietnam War.  He went from there to Malaysia and then to the Philippines and spent six months studying the English language.

It took him a long time to be accepted into the seminary, but he loves being a preist and being in these small community parishes.  He enjoys fishing and when he can, he likes to spend time casting a rod into the surf in hopes of a great catch.  He also enjoys playing his guitar and saxophone and cooking for his parishioners, family and friends.  He is a man of many talents.

Parishes are permitted to reopen provided they, and parishioners, observe health guidelines set by the State of Texas when attending Mass.
These include at least the following:

Our parish has been a part of the life of the Czech community in Needville, Texas since 1912.  We are also a part of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas.

St. Michael The Archangel is a unique parish with many opportunities to connect with others. Please come visit us at St. Michael's, where you can worship God, learn more about the riches of our Catholic faith, and enjoy many fun social activities.

I would love for you to stop by and introduce yourself to me or any of our staff.  We are here after Mass every weekend, and in the parish office during the week, or you can join us at one of our scheduled events.

If you are looking for God, come join us on the journey...