About Holy Family Catholic Church · Orlando, Florida
Holy Family Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Orlando located at 5125 S Apopka-Vineland Road in the southwest Orlando / Horizons West area. Founded in 1975 to serve families drawn to the area by the Walt Disney World tourism corridor, it has grown into a multi-building campus with a parish elementary and middle school (PreK–8), a 24/7 Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel, and ministries serving hundreds of families. The parish is currently shepherded by Fr. Martin Nguyen, J.C.L., and is home to a long-running Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference that operates a food pantry and outreach programs for southwest Orange County.
- Established
- 1975
- Patron
- The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Martin Nguyen, J.C.L.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Orlando (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
A parish that puts family — God's family, in the words of Fr. Martin Nguyen's welcome letter — at the heart of everything. Holy Family offers daily and Sunday Mass, a 24/7 Adoration chapel, a robust Faith Formation program from PreK through Confirmation, a long-standing St. Vincent de Paul food pantry and outreach network, and a PreK–8 parish school where students attend weekly Mass and grow in service. Whether you are a newcomer to Orlando's southwest side or a lifelong Catholic, the parish explicitly frames itself as a place where 'those of us who are wearied and burdened by the challenges of daily life should feel embraced, accepted, and loved.'
Mass times at Holy Family Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday through Saturday — after the 8:30 AM Mass (approximately 9:15 AM) in the Daily Chapel
- Saturday — 4:00 PM
Adoration times
- Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (code obtained from the parish office at 407-876-2211)
- Permanent adorers and substitutes needed; contact Deacon Noel Oteyza
History & 50th Anniversary
Holy Family Catholic Church was established in 1975 when Bishop Thomas Grady and the diocese carved out a new parish from St. John Vianney to serve the booming southwest Orlando corridor, including workers drawn to Walt Disney World. Its founding pastor, Fr. Joseph Harte, was tapped that same year as the Diocese of Orlando's first tourist minister — the seed of what would become the diocesan tourism ministry and Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine. Around 2025, the parish marked its 50th anniversary with a formal celebration and the conclusion of the 'Bridging the Past, Building the Future' capital campaign under Fr. Martin Nguyen.
- Founded: 1975 (from St. John Vianney Parish)
- Founding pastor: Fr. Joseph Harte (also diocese's first tourist minister, 1975)
- 50th Anniversary celebrated ~2025
- Capital Campaign: 'Bridging the Past, Building the Future' (concluded)
Capital Campaign: Bridging the Past, Building the Future
Following Fr. Martin Nguyen's arrival in June 2021, the parish launched a major capital campaign to renew its physical campus. By the time the campaign was formally closed after the 50th anniversary, all major projects had been completed: the chapel-renovation debt was retired, a new priests' residence was built, two parking lots were upgraded, a state-of-the-art athletic field and track were added for the parish school, and the main sanctuary was renovated.
Clergy & Staff
Holy Family is currently served by a pastor and two parochial vicars, supported by seven permanent deacons and a large parish staff including Directors of Operations, Music & Liturgy, Pastoral Ministry & Evangelization, Faith Formation, Youth Ministry, Sacraments, Facilities, Communications, Development and Outreach.
- Pastor: Fr. Martin Nguyen, J.C.L. (installed Dec. 18, 2022)
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Peter Latouf
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Edwin Cardona
- Deacons: Rick Chabot, Larry Brockman, Spencer Silvers, Noel Oteyza, Edgar Jecino, John Broehl, Tullio Ossa
- Director of Operations: Velia Rodriguez
- Director of Music & Liturgy: Matt Cremisio
- Coordinator of Pastoral Ministry & Evangelization: Amber Sechser
- Sacraments Coordinator: Dani Rivera
- Wedding Coordinator: Rosemary Chapdelaine
- Funeral Coordinator: Cele Salzenstein
- Youth & Young Adult Ministry Coordinator: Ellona Delac
- Middle School Youth Coordinator: Emilee Staab
- Communications Development Coordinator: Carly Richards
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation at Holy Family serves the full span from preschool through high school Confirmation preparation, with a 'Family Faith Formation' model for younger children and dedicated Pre-Confirmation / Confirmation tracks for teens. The parish also runs an RCIA-style process for unbaptized adults interested in the Catholic faith.
- Grades K–5: Family Faith Formation
- Grades 6–12: Pre-Confirmation & Confirmation classes
- PreK: parent-led lesson packets
- RCIA for unbaptized adults (contact [email protected])
Holy Family Catholic School (PreK–8)
The parish school, addressed at 5129 S. Apopka-Vineland Road, is a PreK–8 Catholic elementary and middle school operated in conjunction with the Diocese of Orlando Catholic Schools office. Voted Best Private School by Southwest Orlando Bulletin, Playground Magazine and Orlando City Magazine (2015–2018), it features a STREAM curriculum (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math), weekly Mass, sacramental preparation, community outreach, performing arts, clubs, leadership programs, and athletics on a newly installed field and track built through the capital campaign. Principal: Lauren Schellenberg (hfcschool.com).
Outreach: St. Vincent de Paul Holy Family Conference
Holy Family is home to one of the longest-running St. Vincent de Paul conferences in the Diocese of Orlando, with a food pantry — distributed from Building E on parish grounds — providing over 240,000 pounds of fresh, frozen and packaged food annually through partnerships with Second Harvest Food Bank. The conference began more than 30 years ago with parishioners delivering food from the back of a truck and making in-home visits, and it now sponsors multiple seasonal and year-round outreach programs.
- Food Pantry (Tue/Wed/Thu; by appointment): 407-481-3223 (English) / 407-426-2799 (Spanish)
- Soles 4 Kids (back-to-school shoes for Head Start children)
- Jesse Tree Christmas Toy Drive
- Thanksgiving Baskets (with Publix gift cards)
- Easter Baskets
- Souper Bowl of Caring
- Friends of the Poor Walk/Run
- Home Visits (Vincentian charism)
Liturgical & Devotional Life
Beyond daily Mass and the round-the-clock Adoration Chapel, Holy Family maintains an active liturgical life through its Music & Liturgy team under Director Matt Cremisio. The parish also supports a Hispanic-American prayer ministry (Ministerio de Oración Hispano-Americano) which represents an important cultural dimension of parish life.
- Music & Liturgy ministry
- Ministerio de Oración Hispano-Americano (Hispanic prayer group)
- 24/7 Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel
- Coordinated vocations and Eucharistic devotion emphasis
Sacraments
Information for the seven Catholic sacraments is handled through dedicated parish coordinators — Sacraments Coordinator Dani Rivera for Baptism and First Sacraments, Wedding Coordinator Rosemary Chapdelaine for marriage preparation, Barbara Oliverio for annulment and convalidation, and Funeral Coordinator Cele Salzenstein.
- Baptism — contact Sacraments Coordinator
- First Reconciliation / First Communion — via Family Faith Formation
- Confirmation — via Pre-Confirmation program
- Marriage — Wedding Coordinator
- Annulment / Convalidation
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral Liturgies
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Joseph Harte1975 – founding pastor
In 1975 Bishop Thomas Grady named Fr. Harte as the Diocese of Orlando's first tourist minister, a ministry born out of the Holy Family parish that eventually led to the diocesan tourism ministry and the Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine.
- Fr. Martin Nguyen, J.C.L.June 2021 – present (installed December 18, 2022 by Bishop John Noonan)
Originally a Vietnamese refugee who arrived in the United States in 2006, Fr. Nguyen was himself an altar server at Holy Family during his youth. He led the parish's 50th anniversary and the 'Bridging the Past, Building the Future' capital campaign.