About Holy Family · Fort Worth, Texas
Holy Family Catholic Church is a parish in the Westside/Arlington Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas, belonging to the Diocese of Fort Worth. Originally established as St. Alice parish and school in 1945, it was renamed Holy Family in 1962 when a new church and campus were developed on Pershing Avenue. Today it serves more than 2,000 registered families with a PreK–8 Catholic school (Holy Family Catholic School, founded alongside the school as St. Alice in 1945, dedicated on its current site on September 27, 1970), more than 70 ministries, and a full schedule of English-language Masses, weekday adoration, and Saturday confessions.
- Established
- 1945 (as St. Alice parish/school); renamed Holy Family in 1962; new church building on Pershing Ave 1964
- Patron
- The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
- Rector
- Very Rev. Hoa Nguyen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fort Worth
Why belong here
Holy Family is a large, multigenerational west-Fort Worth parish with more than 2,000 registered families, more than 70 ministries, a PreK–8th-grade Catholic school (Holy Family Catholic School) on the same Pershing Avenue campus, a thriving youth-ministry and Confirmation program, weekly adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a Saturday Vigil Mass, three Sunday Masses, daily Mass most days, and a Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference that traces its Fort Worth roots back to St. Alice in 1945. For Catholics moving into the Camp Bowie / Arlington Heights corridor who want a full-service parish with a school, active deaconate, and a strong social-outreach arm, Holy Family offers exactly that combination.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–4:30 PM in the Reconciliation Room (check the calendar for changes; the Diocese of Fort Worth lists 3:30 PM)
Adoration times
- Thursday (school year, Labor Day–Memorial Day) 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday (summer, Memorial Day–Labor Day) 3:00 PM – 5:15 PM
History of Holy Family Parish
Holy Family Catholic Church grew out of St. Alice parish, which was founded in June 1945 to serve the growing west-Fort Worth Catholic community near Camp Bowie Boulevard. The original St. Alice School was staffed from the start by the Sisters of Saint Mary of Namur. In January 1961 Monsignor Vincent J. Wolf was appointed pastor; in 1962 the parish acquired land on Pershing Avenue and was renamed Holy Family to emphasize the sacredness of family life. The new church was built in 1964 and the new school dedicated September 27, 1970. Since 1979 the school faculty has been entirely lay (with a Dominican Sister of Mary Immaculate Province joining in 2019). The Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference at the parish traces its roots to 1945 at St. Alice, making it one of the oldest in north Texas.
Holy Family Catholic School
Holy Family Catholic School (HFCS) is a parish-affiliated PreK 3 through eighth-grade Catholic school located at 6146 Pershing Avenue, immediately adjacent to the church. As a ministry of Holy Family Catholic Church, HFCS is dedicated to 'exposing young minds to the powerful combination of spirituality and academics,' with the motto 'Learn, Serve, and Lead' adopted by the Catholic Identity Committee in 2017. The principal is Mrs. Brenda Conway and the business manager is Laura Bates. The school opened in June 1945 as St. Alice School under the Sisters of Saint Mary of Namur, was renamed Holy Family in 1962, and dedicated its current Pershing Avenue building on September 27, 1970. The interior was extensively remodeled in 1984 and a gymnasium plus 7th- and 8th-grade classrooms were added in 1993. The school celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 1995, 70th in June 2015, and 75th in 2020.
- Grades PreK 3 through 8
- Mascot: Hornets
- Principal: Mrs. Brenda Conway
- Business Manager: Laura Bates
- Motto: Learn, Serve, and Lead
- Affiliated with Diocese of Fort Worth Catholic Schools
Faith Formation, Youth & Confirmation
The parish offers year-round faith formation from PreK through adult. Middle-school and high-school youth ministry meets Sunday mornings from 10:30–11:45 AM (beginning August 17, 2025), and is the normal pathway for families with 7th–12th graders, including those preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Coordinator of Confirmation & Youth Ministry is Michelle Romero ([email protected], 817-502-7883).
- PreK through Adult religious education
- Family Faith Formation for 7th–12th graders
- Sunday-morning Youth Group (10:30–11:45 AM)
- Confirmation preparation coordinated through the parish
Ministries, Stewardship and Outreach
Holy Family supports more than 70 ministries and volunteer opportunities for parishioners, with stewardship of time, talent, and treasure coordinated by Pastoral Assistant Monica Molina. Among the most notable is the parish's Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference, whose Fort Worth roots are traced to St. Alice in 1945.
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference (since 1945)
- Stewardship of Time, Talent & Treasure
- Ministries & Volunteer Opportunities form on the parish website
- Family Members Sacramental Information Input Form
- Pastoral Assistant: Monica Molina ([email protected])
Clergy and Staff
The parish is led by Very Rev. Hoa Nguyen as pastor, with Rev. Isaac McCracken serving as parochial vicar. Three permanent deacons — Dcn. Michael Mocek, Dcn. Mark Gannaway, and Dcn. David Kinch — assist with liturgy and pastoral care. Monica Molina serves as Pastoral Assistant and parish liaison for stewardship and ministries.
- Very Rev. Hoa Nguyen — Pastor
- Rev. Isaac McCracken — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Michael Mocek
- Deacon Mark Gannaway
- Deacon David Kinch
- Monica Molina — Pastoral Assistant
Sacraments and Sacramental Records
Holy Family prepares parishioners for Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation through its Family Faith Formation program, and helps coordinate the Annulment process through the parish office. Sacramental information can be submitted online via the parish's 'Family Members Sacramental Information Input Form.'
- Baptism preparation
- First Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Annulments (parish coordinator)
- Saturday and weekday confession
Notable Historical Connection — November 22, 1963
On November 21–22, 1963 — the day before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas — Monsignor Vincent J. Wolf, then pastor of the parish (which was just transitioning from St. Alice to Holy Family), was part of the welcoming party at the Fort Worth breakfast. During the breakfast he delivered an envelope from 'the school children, the nuns and priests of Holy Family Church in Fort Worth' offering 1,000 Masses for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the president and his family. Decades of family testimony have debated whether Monsignor Wolf heard the president's confession that night — a story his relatives and former parishioners have publicly affirmed and that remains part of the parish's historical memory.
- Pastor's note delivered at Fort Worth breakfast, November 22, 1963
- 1,000 Masses offered for the president and family
- Family testimony regarding the alleged confession
- Monsignor Wolf previously rector of St. Patrick Cathedral, Fort Worth; founding pastor of St. Pius X, Dallas
Pastors & rectors through the years
- (Unknown — early pastors of St. Alice parish, 1945–1960)1945–1961
The official parish and school histories record the 1945 founding and the January 1961 appointment of Monsignor Wolf as pastor, but do not enumerate the intervening pastors of St. Alice. The associate pastor Rev. Joseph M. Thomas is recorded as celebrating Mass for the 1949 White Settlement mission out of St. Alice, suggesting he was on staff there in the late 1940s.
- Rev. Joseph M. Thomaslate 1940s (associate)
Associate pastor of St. Alice; celebrated the first Mass of the White Settlement Catholic Mission (later SS. Peter and Paul / St. Peter the Apostle) on October 23, 1949.
- Monsignor Vincent J. WolfJanuary 1961 – ?
Appointed pastor of St. Alice Church in January 1961. In 1962 led the acquisition of the Pershing Avenue property and the renaming of the parish and school to Holy Family. Previously rector of St. Patrick Cathedral in Fort Worth (through 1956) and earlier founding pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Dallas (1951–1956). Famous (and controversial in JFK-lore) for allegedly hearing President John F. Kennedy's confession the night before the November 22, 1963 Dallas assassination during the Fort Worth breakfast visit.
- (Pastors after Monsignor Wolf — succession not publicly listed)post-Wolf – present
Neither the parish website nor the Diocese of Fort Worth parish-finder page publishes a full chronological succession of pastors between Monsignor Wolf and the present pastor Very Rev. Hoa Nguyen. Only the current pastorate (Hoa Nguyen, with parochial vicar Rev. Isaac McCracken) is officially listed.
- Very Rev. Hoa Nguyenpresent (current)
Current pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church, Fort Worth, per the Diocese of Fort Worth parish finder.