About Holy Family · Lawtell, Louisiana
Holy Family Catholic Church is a small rural parish at 291 Thibodeaux Street in Lawtell, Louisiana, situated in St. Landry Parish within the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. Since 1954 it has served the Catholic community of Lawtell, and today it is twinned with neighboring St. Ann Church in Mallet — the two parishes share a pastor, staff, and resources to form one Catholic community. The parish is staffed by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) missionaries; the current pastor is Rev. Stanley Jawa, SVD, who succeeded the beloved longtime pastor Fr. Borgia Aubespin, SVD. Weekend Masses are offered Saturday evening and Sunday morning, with weekday Masses on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and confessions before the Saturday Vigil.
- Established
- 1954
- Patron
- The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Stanley Jawa, SVD
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana
Why belong here
Holy Family offers the rhythms of a tight-knit, rural Cajun-country parish: a Saturday Vigil Mass and Sunday morning Mass, weekday Masses on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Saturday confessions — all in the familiar setting of small-town Acadiana. As one Catholic community twinned with St. Ann in Mallet, it pools its resources with a neighboring parish under a Society of the Divine Word (SVD) pastor, giving parishioners access to a wider worship life than the parish's small size would suggest. Visitors and locals alike are welcomed into a Catholic community that has, since 1954, sustained the faith of families in and around Lawtell.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM (at Holy Family, Lawtell)
- By appointment
About Holy Family Parish
Holy Family Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish at 291 Thibodeaux Street in Lawtell, Louisiana, in St. Landry Parish. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana and has served Catholic families in and around Lawtell since 1954. It is twinned with St. Ann Church in nearby Mallet, with the two parishes sharing a pastor, staff, and resources as one Catholic community.
- Address: 291 Thibodeaux Street, Lawtell, LA 70550
- Parish type: Church (parish)
- Diocese: Lafayette in Louisiana
- Rite: Roman (Latin) Rite
- Language: English
History
Holy Family was established in 1954 to serve the rural Catholic population of Lawtell, an unincorporated community between Opelousas and Eunice in the heart of Acadiana. The parish has been linked for many years with St. Ann Church in Mallet, LA, and the two are now formally twinned to share pastoral and material resources under a single SVD pastor.
- 1954 — parish founded (per GCatholic records)
- July 2015 — Fr. Borgia Aubespin, SVD, assigned as pastor of both Holy Family and St. Ann
- 2017 — Louisiana Senate Resolution No. 64 honors Fr. Borgia's 52nd anniversary of ordination
- December 2024 — Fr. Borgia retires to SVD Techny Community for health reasons
- April 19, 2025 — Fr. Borgia Aubespin, SVD, dies at age 89
- 2025 — Rev. Stanley Jawa, SVD, named pastor of Holy Family and St. Ann
Pastor: Rev. Stanley Jawa, SVD
The current pastor of Holy Family Church, Lawtell, and St. Ann Church, Mallet, is Rev. Stanley Jawa, SVD, a member of the Society of the Divine Word. He is listed as pastor of both parishes in the Diocese of Lafayette's official priest directory. He succeeded Fr. Borgia Aubespin, SVD, who served the linked parishes from July 2015 until retiring for health in late 2024.
- Title: Pastor, Holy Family Church, Lawtell, and St. Ann Church, Mallet
- Religious institute: Society of the Divine Word (SVD)
- Listed on the Diocese of Lafayette priest directory (diolaf.org)
Remembering Fr. Borgia Aubespin, SVD (2015–2024)
Fr. Borgia Aubespin, SVD, served as pastor of Holy Family and St. Ann from July 2015 until December 2024 and was widely beloved in the Lawtell community. Born in Prairie Laurent near Opelousas, he was ordained a priest of the Society of the Divine Word on February 13, 1965, and spent seven years as a missionary in the Philippines before returning to the U.S. Southern Province for pastoral ministry in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including service as Provincial of the SVD Southern Province (1986–1994). The Louisiana State Senate adopted Senate Resolution No. 64 in 2017 honoring his 52nd anniversary of ordination. He died on April 19, 2025, at age 89 at the Divine Word Residence at Techny in Illinois.
- Born in Prairie Laurent, near Opelousas, LA
- Educated at Holy Ghost High School (Opelousas), St. Augustine's Seminary (Bay St. Louis, MS), and Divine Word Seminary (Techny, IL / New York)
- Ordained February 13, 1965 — Society of the Divine Word
- Served as missionary in the Philippines (≈1965–1972)
- Pastored St. Francis (Yazoo City, MS), St. Rose de Lima (Bay St. Louis, MS), Immaculate Heart of Mary (Lafayette, LA), St. Mary of the Purification (Houston, TX)
- Provincial of the SVD Southern Province, 1986–1994
- Pastor of Holy Family / St. Ann: July 2015 – December 2024
- Died April 19, 2025, age 89, at Divine Word Residence at Techny, IL
Linked Parish: St. Ann, Mallet, LA
Holy Family and St. Ann Catholic Church in Mallet (8348 Highway 190, Mallet, LA 70550) operate together as one Catholic community, sharing a pastor, parish staff, phone number, and website (holyfamilysaintann.org). Discover Mass and the parish's own description state plainly that 'The Parishes of Holy Family and St. Ann, Mallet, LA, joined to form one Catholic Community sharing resources.' This twinning allows both small rural parishes to maintain a fuller schedule of Masses and sacraments than either could alone.
- St. Ann address: 8348 Highway 190, Mallet, LA 70550
- Shared phone: (337) 543-2366
- Shared website: holyfamilysaintann.org
- Linked-pastor model with Holy Family
Parish Staff
The parish directory lists the pastor and lay staff who keep Holy Family and St. Ann running day to day. Names currently published in the parish directory include the pastor and two lay staff members.
- Rev. Stanley Jawa, SVD — Pastor (Holy Family & St. Ann)
- Antoinette Rene — parish staff
- Earline Guilbeau — parish staff
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach Holy Family and St. Ann through the shared parish office by phone or email, or via the joint parish website. The parish is located in Lawtell, an unincorporated community in St. Landry Parish between Opelousas and Eunice.
- Address: 291 Thibodeaux Street, Lawtell, LA 70550
- Mailing: Holy Family Catholic Church, Post Office Box 310, Lawtell, LA 70550
- Phone: (337) 543-2366
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.holyfamilysaintann.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Borgia Aubespin, SVDJuly 2015 – December 2024
Society of the Divine Word missionary; born in Prairie Laurent, LA; ordained Feb. 13, 1965; served Holy Family and St. Ann as a linked-parish pastor; retired for health to Techny, IL; died April 19, 2025 at age 89. Honored by Louisiana Senate Resolution No. 64 in 2017.
- Rev. Stanley Jawa, SVD2025 – present
Current pastor of Holy Family Church, Lawtell, and St. Ann Church, Mallet, per the Diocese of Lafayette priest directory.