About Holy Family · Lincoln, Illinois
Holy Family Catholic Parish is a rural parish in Lincoln, Illinois, in the Diocese of Peoria. Formed in 1976 by the merger of two earlier Lincoln parishes — St. Mary (founded by German immigrants in 1879) and St. Patrick (founded by Irish immigrants in 1904) — Holy Family now serves Catholic families across Logan County. It is one of four parishes clustered as the Logan County Catholic Community alongside Carroll Catholic School, and offers daily and weekly Mass, Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, faith formation for children and adults, and a full range of liturgical and outreach ministries.
- Established
- 1976
- Patron
- Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Dondanville
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
Parishioners at Holy Family worship in a beautiful historic 1904 church, share daily Mass Monday through Saturday morning, and gather for Eucharistic Adoration and the Divine Mercy Chaplet every Thursday afternoon. They raise their children in the faith through the parish CCD program and Carroll Catholic School (Preschool–8th grade), and adults grow through Bible Study, RCIA/OCIA, and Cursillo. A wide range of ministries — lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, servers/acolytes, hospitality/usher and greeter, music ministry, Knights of Columbus, Ladies Auxiliary, and more — give every family a place to serve. As a rural parish ministering to families across Logan County, Holy Family offers the warmth of a small-town Catholic community with the resources of a four-parish cluster.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 7:30–7:50 am (prior to 8:00 am Mass)
- Saturday 2:45–3:30 pm (prior to 4:00 pm Vigil Mass)
Adoration times
- Thursday 3:00–6:00 pm, beginning with the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00 pm
Parish History
Holy Family traces its roots to two turn-of-the-century Lincoln congregations: St. Mary Church, founded by German immigrants and dedicated in 1879, and St. Patrick Church, founded by Irish immigrants and dedicated in 1904. In 1976 St. Mary's was destroyed by fire, and the two communities merged the following year to form Holy Family Catholic Parish. Today the parish ministers to Catholic families across rural Logan County as part of a four-parish cluster with the Diocese of Peoria.
- St. Mary Catholic Church (German immigrants) — dedicated 1879; destroyed by fire 1976
- St. Patrick Catholic Church (Irish immigrants) — dedicated 1904
- Holy Family formed by merger — 1976–1977
- Joined the Logan County Catholic Community cluster — 2013 (Diocese of Peoria G.I.F.T. process)
- Listed in GCatholic with a parish history date of 1857
Architecture of the Church Building
Because Holy Family worships in the former St. Patrick Church built in 1904, the parish inherited a notable piece of Midwestern Catholic architecture. The red-brick Romanesque-style building was designed by William F. Stauduhar, the German-born architect best known for the Cathedral of St. Mary in Peoria and dozens of other Midwest Catholic churches. An original concept painting and a complete set of blueprints for the church are preserved in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign archives, a connection first uncovered by parishioner research and reported in The Catholic Post.
- Architect: William F. Stauduhar
- Style: Romanesque Revival, red brick
- Dedicated: 1904
- Original concept painting and full blueprints preserved at the University of Illinois archives
Clergy and Staff
The pastoral team is led by the pastor of the Logan County Catholic Community cluster and includes a parochial vicar, a deacon, two Dominican sisters serving in liturgy and spiritual life, and lay staff coordinating religious education, the parish office, music, and cemetery care.
- Rev. Joseph Dondanville, Pastor
- Rev. Nicodemus Muithi, Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Wendell Lowry
- Sister Margaret Schreiber O.P., Spiritual Life Coordinator
- Sister Lori Kirchman O.P., Director of Music
- Britta Langley, Director of Religious Education
- Alicia Baker, Secretary
- Isabel Vidal, Secretary
- Kenneth 'Scott' Jones, Sexton (Holy Cross & St. Mary Cemeteries)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation at Holy Family spans every age. The parish CCD program (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) serves students in grades 1–8 and prepares them for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. Adult Faith Formation includes Bible Study, Cursillo, and the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA / RCIA). The parish also participates in the WATCH ('We Are The Church') parish renewal/discipleship process.
- CCD (Grades 1–8): Wednesdays 6:15–7:30 pm at Holy Family
- Director of Religious Education: Britta Langley — [email protected]
- High School youth ministry / Teens Encounter Christ
- ACT youth group
- Adult Faith Formation — Bible Study, Cursillo, OCIA/RCIA
- We Are The Church (WATCH) parish renewal
Carroll Catholic School
Carroll Catholic School, located at 111 4th Street in Lincoln, is the 'flourishing foundation' of children's religious education across the Logan County Catholic Community. The preschool through 8th-grade school welcomed an enrollment increase after its recent capital campaign paid for new doors and windows.
- Preschool through 8th grade
- Address: 111 4th Street, Lincoln
- Phone: (217) 732-7518
- Website: www.carrollcatholicschool.com
- Principal: David Welch ([email protected])
- Secretary: Jennifer Craig ([email protected])
Liturgical Ministries
Parishioners serve one another as lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, servers/acolytes, ushers and greeters, and members of the Music Ministry. The parish also fields a Knights of Columbus Council (#1250) and Ladies Auxiliary, with the Ladies Auxiliary meeting on the third Wednesday of the month from March through November in the KOC Hall at 7:00 pm.
- Lector
- Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion
- Server / Acolyte
- Hospitality: Usher and Greeter
- Music Ministry (Sr. Lori Kirchman O.P., Director of Music)
- Knights of Columbus Council #1250
- Ladies Auxiliary — 3rd Wednesday, March–November, 7:00 pm, KOC Hall
Logan County Catholic Community Cluster
Since 2013 Holy Family has shared pastoral and administrative resources with three nearby parishes and Carroll Catholic School. The cluster was formed under the Catholic Diocese of Peoria's Growing In Faith Together (G.I.F.T.) process and is guided by a vision of joyful worship, lifelong faith formation, effective pastoral leadership, and well-maintained facilities.
- Holy Family — 316 S. Logan St., Lincoln — Saturday 4:00 pm, Sunday 10:00 am
- St. Mary — 808 NW Pearl St., Atlanta — Sunday 8:30 am
- St. Patrick — 213 S. Bogardus St., Elkhart — Sunday 8:00 am
- St. Thomas Aquinas — 321 S. Lafayette St., Mt. Pulaski — Sunday 10:00 am
- Carroll Catholic School, Lincoln
- Formed 2013 through Diocese of Peoria G.I.F.T. process
Parish Office and Contact
The Logan County Parish Office shares the Holy Family building at 316 S. Logan Street in Lincoln and serves all four cluster parishes. Office hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00 am – 3:00 pm (closed Friday).
- Address: 316 S. Logan Street, Lincoln, IL 62656
- Phone: (217) 732-4019
- Pastor (Rev. Joseph Dondanville) cell: (217) 871-0266
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 8:00 am – 3:00 pm (closed Friday)
- Website: www.logancountycatholic.org
- Holy Cross & St. Mary Cemeteries: (217) 732-9694
Cemeteries
The cluster operates the Holy Cross and St. Mary Cemeteries, with Kenneth 'Scott' Jones serving as Sexton. The cemeteries are a continuing ministry of Holy Family Parish and a place of remembrance for Catholic families across Logan County.
- Holy Cross & St. Mary Cemeteries
- Phone: (217) 732-9694
- Sexton: Kenneth 'Scott' Jones
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Jeffrey G. Laible
Pastor — listed in parish bulletin of November 23, 2014 as pastor of Logan County Catholic Community
- Rev. Joseph Dondanville
Current pastor, pastor phone (217) 871-0266; listed in 2024–2025 bulletins