About Holy Family · Hillcrest Heights, Maryland
Holy Family Catholic Church is a bilingual (English and Spanish) Roman Catholic parish located in the Hillcrest Heights community of Prince George's County, Maryland, just south of Washington, D.C. Canonically established in 1952 by Archbishop Patrick A. O'Boyle during the early growth of the newly created Archdiocese of Washington, the parish serves a diverse suburban congregation with weekend Masses in English and Spanish and a full weekly Mass schedule. The parish is currently pastored by Rev. Philip W. Ilg, assisted by Permanent Deacon Gerald A. Collins, and is known for its outreach through the Holy Family Food Pantry, which distributes groceries to neighbors in need on the third Saturday of each month.
- Established
- 1952
- Patron
- The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Philip W. Ilg
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
Holy Family is a welcoming, bilingual Catholic parish just south of Washington, D.C. where English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Catholics worship side by side, with a Sunday Mass in Spanish at 1:00 PM and the main English Mass at 10:00 AM. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Friday at 9:00 AM, with a Tuesday evening hour of Eucharistic Adoration and Confession from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, making it easy to weave prayer into a busy week. The parish runs the Holy Family Food Pantry every third Saturday morning — a concrete, hands-on ministry where parishioners feed their neighbors — and the community recently came together to fund and complete a major new church roof. For Catholics in Hillcrest Heights, Temple Hills, and the surrounding Prince George's County neighborhoods, Holy Family offers a stable, bilingual parish home with steady clergy leadership and tangible outreach.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (with Eucharistic Adoration)
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM (per Archdiocese of Washington parish page)
- After Saturday and Sunday Masses during Advent and Lent (per ADW parish page)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Friday 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM in the Rectory Chapel, September through May (per Archdiocese of Washington parish page)
About Holy Family Parish
Holy Family Catholic Church is a bilingual (English and Spanish) Roman Catholic parish in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland, in Prince George's County, just south of Washington, D.C. It was canonically established in 1952 by Archbishop Patrick A. O'Boyle as part of the post-war expansion of the newly created Archdiocese of Washington. Today the parish offers weekend Masses in English and Spanish and a full schedule of daily Masses Monday through Friday, serving a diverse suburban Catholic community.
- Canonically established: 1952
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Washington
- County: Prince George's, Maryland
History
Holy Family was founded in 1952 during Archbishop Patrick A. O'Boyle's tenure as the first resident Archbishop of Washington. Five years later, Holy Family Catholic School opened its doors in 1957 with roughly 200 students and was originally staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph. For more than six decades the parish and school formed the heart of Catholic life in Hillcrest Heights.
- Parish founded 1952 by Archbishop Patrick A. O'Boyle
- Holy Family School opened 1957 with ~200 students
- Sisters of St. Joseph staffed the school at its founding
Closure of Holy Family Catholic School
In May 2020, parish administrator Fr. Matthew Fish announced that Holy Family Catholic School would close at the end of the 2019–2020 academic year, citing falling enrollment, growing budget deficits, the cost of maintaining the 63-year-old school building, and the financial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. Archbishop Wilton Gregory acknowledged the parish's many years of financial support for the school and the more than $625,000 in archdiocesan tuition assistance provided to families in the previous five years. The parish has continued without its school, focusing its resources on parish life, the church building, and outreach.
- School closure announced May 2020 by Fr. Matthew Fish
- Closing cited enrollment, deficits, pandemic impact, and aging building
- Acknowledged by Archbishop Wilton Gregory with tuition assistance totals
Clergy and Parish Staff
The parish is currently pastored by Rev. Philip W. Ilg, who serves as both Pastor and Parish Administrator. He is assisted by Permanent Deacon Gerald A. Collins. The parish office is led by Keith Poindexter (Parish Manager) and Dennis Haspert (Business Manager). Office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The parish can be reached by phone at (301) 894-2222 or by email at [email protected].
- Pastor: Rev. Philip W. Ilg
- Permanent Deacon: Deacon Gerald A. Collins
- Parish Manager: Keith Poindexter
- Business Manager: Dennis Haspert
- Office phone: (301) 894-2222
Devotions
Beyond Mass and Adoration, Holy Family keeps a small, steady devotional life. The Miraculous Medal Novena is prayed on Saturdays after the (weekday) 8:00 AM Mass, and the Rosary is prayed in the Rectory Chapel after that same Mass — a quiet, traditional Saturday rhythm for parishioners who want to grow in Marian devotion.
- Miraculous Medal Novena, Saturday after the 8:00 AM Mass
- Rosary, Saturday after the 8:00 AM Mass in the Rectory Chapel
Parish Pantry (Food Ministry)
The Holy Family Food Pantry is one of the parish's signature ministries. Open every third Saturday of the month from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon, the pantry distributes groceries to neighbors in need and is run with the help of parishioner volunteers. The parish frames the work theologically — Christ feeds us first in the Eucharist, and we in turn feed those who hunger — and lists the pantry among the parish-based food pantries recognized by the Archdiocese of Washington. Parishioners are encouraged to take part in this ongoing mission of mercy.
- Open: third Saturday of each month, 10:00 AM – 12:00 noon
- Run by parishioner volunteers
- Listed among ADW parish-based food pantries
- Tied to the parish's Eucharistic spirituality of feeding the hungry
Parish Building and Stewardship
Holy Family continues to invest in its physical plant and welcomes support for ongoing needs. The parish homepage recently highlighted the completion of a major church roof replacement as a milestone of stewardship, and the parish maintains an online contribution page through which supporters can help sustain the church and its outreach. The Archdiocese of Washington confirms the campus is wheelchair accessible.
- Church roof project recently completed
- Online contribution page available on the parish site
- Wheelchair accessible (per ADW parish page)
Visit, Connect, and Get Involved
Newcomers are welcome at Holy Family. The parish maintains a "Welcome New Parishioners" link on its homepage, offers Parish Registration Forms in both English and Spanish, and stays in touch through Facebook, Flocknote, and YouTube. Office hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and the parish can be reached by phone at (301) 894-2222 or by email at [email protected]. Practical links — Parish Registration Forms and a Check Request Form — are posted on the parish-leaders page of the website.
- Parish Registration Form available in English and Spanish
- Parish social channels: Facebook, Flocknote, YouTube
- Office hours: Tue–Thu, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Phone: (301) 894-2222
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Matthew Fish
Listed in 2020 Catholic Standard article as administrator/administrator-pastor when the parish school closed at the end of the 2019–2020 academic year.
- Rev. Philip W. Ilgpresent
Current pastor and parish administrator per the Archdiocese of Washington parish page and the parish's own parish-leaders page.