-
-
PastorFr. John Rooney is a Dominican Diocesan Priest and a professed member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Dominic. He was ordained a permanent deacon in 1986 and a priest in 2001. He grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, the oldest of eight children. His initial formation was with the Eastern Dominican Providence. He is the father of two children and the grandfather of three, all residing in the Houston area. He has a Master of Religious Education with a Specialization in Spirituality from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX.
Arriving in Texas in 1979, he served in five parishes: Christ the Good Shepherd (1982 – 1984), St. Frances Cabrini (1984 – 1999); St. Edith Stein (1999 -2001); St. Michael the Archangel (2002-2007) and was founding pastor of St. Angela Merici (2007-2014). Cardinal DiNardo appointed him Director of Spiritual Direction at St. Mary Seminary in July of 2014, and in November of 2020, he became pastor of St. Mary of the Expectation.
-
-
-
parochial vicarFr. Simon Daudet Kipiti was born in the city of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, situated in the Central African Region. He is the eldest in a family of seven children, composed of 3 boys and 4 girls. Fr. Simon entered into the seminary in the D.R. Congo as a 16 year-old and studied philosophy and theology. Upon reflection, he wrote a letter to the bishop expressing his desire to be a priest but not in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa (in the D.R. Congo). Through an immigration lottery, Fr. Simon won a visa to come to the United States and decided to come to Houston. He quickly contacted the Houston Vocations Office and began to work with them over a period of years. During this time, he studied English and the American culture and regularly saw a spiritual director before being accepted into St. Mary Seminary. While awaiting his acceptance, Fr. Simon worked at the Restaurant Depot, Quietflex , and as a Security Officer for Texas One. In 2013 , he became a US Citizen. In 2014, he was ordained Transitional Deacon and assigned at St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Deer Park. Upon his ordination to the priesthood in 2015, he served in three Parishes- Saint Laurence in Sugar Land, Saint Cecilia in Memorial Park, and Saint Faustina in Fulshear. In July of 2025, after spending time back in the D.R. Congo assisting family, Fr. Simon joined St. Mary of the Expectation to serve as Parochial Vicar.
-
-
-
Deacon Russell G. Carroll was born on August 22, 1956, in Wichita, Kansas. He graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Wilmington University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He attended the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary Seminary completing a Diploma program in Pastoral Theology in 2014. He was employed by The Boeing Company for thirty-five years holding Senior Management positions at the Boeing facilities in Wichita, KS., Philadelphia, Pa., Seattle, WA., and Houston, TX retiring as Executive Director of Supply Chain Management for the Boeing Space Exploration Division in May 2012. Russ was Ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on January 31, 2015. He has served as a Chaplain in Prison Ministry, Port of Houston Seafarer Center, Hospital Ministry & Pastoral Care to Senior Living Communities. Russ and his wife Diana K. Carroll have been happily married for forty-two (42) years. They moved to League City in 1993 from Delaware and became members of St. Mary in 1994. Russ & Di have two married adult children, Ashley (husband Bill Williams, Jr.) and Nathan (wife Dr. Emma Carroll) and are blessed with nine (9) grandchildren: Adissyn, Cade, Knox, Colt, Grey, Iain, Isla, Callum and Alec.
-
-
-
Deacon Andy DeYoung and his wife Kay have lived and worked in the League City area since 1990. Married for 46 years, they have two children, Jenny and Brad, and four grandchildren. Andy earned his BA from the University of Texas and MBA from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Andy retired from UTMB in 2020 after 30 years in Clinical Administration. He attended the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary Seminary from 2010 to 2015, where he earned a diploma in Pastoral Studies, and was ordained into the permanent diaconate on January 31, 2015.
-
-
-
Deacon Steve Stich and his wife Sherry have lived and worked in the League City area since 1990. They have been parishioners at St. Mary of the Expectation since 1992. Married for 29 years, Sherry and Steve have two adult children, Kevin and Jessica, many nieces, nephews, and five great nephews. Steve earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1987 and has worked at the NASA Johnson Space Center for over 37 years. Sherry holds a physics degree and trains astronauts to live on the International Space Station. Steve has had the privilege of leading in various roles at NASA including as a Space Shuttle Flight Director, Deputy Director of Engineering, and as the Manager of the Commercial Crew Program for the last five years. He attended the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary Seminary from 2019 to 2024, where he earned a diploma in Pastoral Theology. Steve was ordained into the Permanent Diaconate of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on February 15, 2025. In addition to serving at St. Mary’s, his assigned social ministry for the archdiocese is young adults and campus ministry at the University of Houston.
-
