St. Francis of Assisi Parish celebrates 75 years of faith in Kashmere Gardens

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo presides over a Mass on June 28 honoring the 75th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Houston’s Kashmere Gardens neighborhood. (Courtesy photo)

HOUSTON — In 2025,  St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, located at 5102 Dabney St. in Houston’s Kashmere Gardens community, marked the parish’s 75th anniversary. The parish’s anniversary theme of “75 Years – Still Standing” reflected the strength and grace that have carried the parish and its community through trials and triumphs alike.

Since 1950, the parish has celebrated faith, unity and service. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo presided over a special anniversary Mass on June 28, with the parish’s pastor, Father Martin Eke, MSP. 

In his homily, Cardinal DiNardo praised the parish’s growth, noting its vibrant community and its ministries even in the face of major challenges.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey catastrophically flooded the parish. The record-breaking storm covered the parish with at least four feet of water as rain and rising water rushed in from a nearby flooded bayou.

Displaced from their church, the parish first met under the shade of the campus’ aged trees. Then, the congregation moved to a tent and eventually to the parish’s restored parish hall for Masses and events. The church finally reopened and was formally re-dedicated in March of 2019.

“There has been much you have endured and much that has gotten you through with the grace of the Lord Jesus,” he said. “Gratitude is (a gift from) the Lord to persons and to the Church, by which we can indeed render praise to Him, and in that praise, we get ... the ambition to help others, because it’s in gratitude and in thanksgiving, which indeed is the very name we give to the very celebration of Mass: Eucharist.”

Cardinal DiNardo also shared his gratitude for the parish’s faithfulness and acknowledged the contributions of past and current pastors, urging continued praise and thanksgiving.

“The history of St. Francis of Assisi is a parish that is constantly enlarging its vision,” he said. “The parish is known in the Archdiocese for its singing, for its participation by its people and for its educational and gratitude ministries of service to others.”

“I beg the Lord Jesus to continue to look upon St. Francis of Assisi Church,” he said. “You really have made a vineyard here ... whether it was fertile or dry, the land around here is now fragrant and fertile because of the ministry, the presence and the Church of St Francis of Assisi.”

At the end of the Mass, Father Eke encouraged the parishioners to continue their faith in Jesus and thanked the many people who have helped the parish achieve its continued growth.

Following the celebration Mass, parishioners and guests gathered for a celebratory banquet in the parish hall. The event brought together past and present members of the community, honoring the legacy of those who built the foundation and celebrating the vibrant spirit that continues to guide the parish today.