How is it possible for a business person, a lawyer, an engineer, a computer expert, or any other busy professional to achieve holiness under the pressures of family responsibilities and work?

Surely one requires considerable support for the spiritual life and the faith of a member of the lay faithful in such circumstances. Holy Cross Chapel is a place where one finds God in the tabernacle, but it is also a place for Catholics to encounter the support that working persons need to integrate their faith and professional work.

Holy Cross Chapel and Catholic Resource Center was the dream of Msgr. Albert J. Beck who envisioned a place where people could have close contact with Our Lord and which would be near their workplace. Through a generous start-up contribution of Mr. and Mrs. George Strake, Sr., the project was launched. Over the years the Strake family has continued to support Holy Cross Chapel. On Ash Wednesday, February 24, 1982, Msgr. Albert Beck, with his brother, Msgr. George Beck, opened the Chapel which has served downtown workers and visitors for 26 years. 

Chapel hours are Monday through Friday from 9 am. to 4 pm. with two Masses offered each day during the lunch period - one at 11:35 am and one at 12:15 pm. On Holy Days of Obligation and Ash Wednesday there are 6 Masses. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available throughout the day except during Mass. A priest is available for counseling from 9 to 4, Monday through Friday, by appointment. Please call the Chapel at 713-650-3123 for the current schedule.

Classes on the teachings of the Catholic Faith and afternoons of recollection are also available activities to the faithful of Downtown Houston. In addition, a Bookstore provides good reading and needed religious articles to expand one's piety and understanding of prayer life.

Facilities

The noisy, active street outside the Chapel is a stark contrast to the quiet and charm within, and many pass by the sign on the front of the Chapel never imagining that one of the best resource centers in the heart of Houston could be so easily accessible. People often express surprise when they enter and find the welcoming and warm environment of a small Catholic Church right in the middle of Main Street Square. The entrance is on street level at 905 Main, between Walker and McKinney and the lobby is monitored by a professional security guard.

The Chapel itself has a capacity of 135 and the large foyer that is separated from the Chapel by a glass wall provides a space where visitors can congregate. It is dedicated to the Holy Cross and is simple and pleasant in its design and appointments.