Holy Family

Welcome to Holy Family

Father Vincent Nguyen greets visitors with a 'welcome to the family' message, likening the parish's growth to the miracle of the loaves and fishes — five loaves offered in 1977 have, by God's grace, fed thousands. The welcome page celebrates '47 Years and Counting of God's Abundant Blessings' and invites newcomers to register, attend Mass, join a ministry, or set up online giving.

History of Holy Family Parish

A detailed chronological profile traces the parish from a 1977 mission of St. Anthony of Padua, through the 1980 founding under Monsignor Lawrence Hecker, the 1986 dedication of the Parish Center, the December 26, 1999 groundbreaking for the new church, the October 17, 2001 dedication by Archbishop Francis B. Schulte, and the 2021–2022 Life Center renovation. Family count grew from 520 in 1980 to 1,400 in 2023.

• 1977 – Born as a mission of St. Anthony Catholic Church
• October 19, 1980 – Became a parish with Monsignor Lawrence Hecker as 1st pastor
• 1983 – Father Patrick Keane became 2nd pastor
• September 20, 1986 – Parish Center dedicated
• December 1987 – Father John Finn assigned as 3rd pastor
• November 30, 1988 – Knights of Columbus Council 9933 formed
• 1988 – Busy Bees Senior Adult Group founded
• December 26, 1989 – Rectory becomes functional
• December 26, 1999 – Groundbreaking for new church (Feast of the Holy Family)
• October 17, 2001 – Dedication of new church by Archbishop Francis B. Schulte
• January 2004 – Father John Perino assigned as 4th pastor
• July 2018 – Father Stephen Dardis assigned as 5th pastor
• 2021–2022 – Life Center renovation
• July 2024 – Father Vincent Nguyen installed as 6th pastor

Meet Our Staff

The parish is served by a pastor, two permanent deacons, and a full lay staff handling development, secretarial, bookkeeping, communications/sacraments, maintenance, and religious-education coordination. Emails for staff members are published on the Meet Our Staff page (frvincentholyfamilyluling.org, jbinetarch-no.org, etc.).

• Father Vincent Nguyen — Pastor (frvincentholyfamilyluling.org)
• Deacon Coy Landry — Deacon
• Deacon Jason Binet — Deacon (jbinetarch-no.org)
• C. Chiasson — Development Manager (cchiassonholyfamilyluling.org)
• M. Beams — Secretary (mbeamsholyfamilyluling.org)
• Patsy Johnson — Bookkeeper (pjohnsonholyfamilyluling.org)
• Ariel Gray — Communications & Sacraments Coordinator (agrayholyfamilyluling.org)
• Thu Vo — Maintenance
• A. Damico — Logistical Coordinator of Religious Education, K–11 (adamicoholyfamilyluling.org)

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Holy Family's School of Religion serves more than 300 students in Kindergarten through 11th grade and is coordinated logistically by A. Damico. Adult faith formation follows the Symbolon series alongside the RCIA process, meeting Tuesdays from 6:30–8:00 PM in the Life Center beginning each September. Inquiries for RCIA/Adult Formation may be directed to Danny Levy at 985-308-0879.

• School of Religion (K–11): 300+ students
• RCIA / Adult Faith Formation (Symbolon): Tuesdays 6:30–8:00 PM, Life Center
• Contact for RCIA: Danny Levy, 985-308-0879
• Coordinator: A. Damico (adamicoholyfamilyluling.org)

Pre-School and Summer Camp

Holy Family has operated an on-site pre-school since the summer of 1987, originally under the direction of Mrs. Melissa Landry, with classes for 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds and a capacity of 54 children. A Summer Camp for ages 5–11 opened in 1995 and currently has a capacity of 75 campers.

• Pre-School (founded 1987) — 2's, 3's, 4's; capacity 54
• Summer Camp (founded 1995) — ages 5–11; capacity 75

Sacraments

The parish prepares the faithful for each of the seven sacraments. Weddings require meeting with the priest or deacon at least six to eight months in advance; in-home marriage prep with an experienced mentor couple is the parish's standard approach, and convalidations are welcome. Holy Orders inquiries route through the Archdiocese of New Orleans Vocation Office, while the Eucharist and Reconciliation are celebrated on the weekly schedule above.

• Eucharist — First Communion via School of Religion
• Confirmation — via School of Religion
• Reconciliation — Saturday, First Friday, or by appointment
• Holy Matrimony — 6–8 months prep; convalidations available
• Holy Orders — Archdiocese vocation referrals
• Anointing of the Sick — St. Anthony Healing Mass on parish calendar

Liturgy and Devotions

Alongside weekday and Sunday Masses, the parish calendar is rich with prayer and devotion: a St. Anthony Healing Mass, the Cenacle Prayer Group for Priests, the Ladies Rosary Group, a Men's Bible Study, and the Manna Choir all meet regularly. The parish's 'Mass Explained' video series walks through each part of the liturgy from the Gathering Procession through the Sign of the Cross, the Eucharistic Prayer, and the Closing Prayer.

• Mass Explained video series (9 segments)
• St. Anthony Healing Mass
• Cenacle Prayer Group for Priests
• Ladies Rosary Group / Ladies Rosary Group – Ashton
• Men's Monday Night Disciples
• Men's Bible Study
• Manna Choir Practice

Parish Ministries and Groups

Holy Family's ministries span formation, outreach, prayer, music, and fellowship. The Knights of Columbus Council 9933 (formed November 30, 1988) and the Busy Bees Senior Adult Group (formed 1988) are among the longest-running. The Social Concerns Committee organizes drives such as the School Supply Drive and operates a Social Concerns Committee meeting each month. Vacation Bible School is offered seasonally.

• Knights of Columbus Council 9933
• Busy Bees Senior Adults
• Social Concerns Committee (School Supply Drive, monthly meetings)
• Vacation Bible School (VBS)
• Join-a-Ministry directory on the parish website

Facilities and Campus

The Holy Family campus on Holy Family Lane was developed over four decades. The current church was dedicated in 2001; the Parish Center in 1986; the rectory in 1989. Parking was expanded in phases during the early 2000s. The original church building was converted in 2021–2022 into the Life Center with seven classrooms, two offices, a small kitchen, a storage closet, and a main gathering space.

• Parish Center — dedicated September 20, 1986
• Rectory — functional December 1989
• Current Church — dedicated October 17, 2001
• Life Center (renovated 2021–2022): 7 classrooms, 2 offices, kitchen, gathering space
• Parking: Lakewood lot paved 1990; Birch Street approach paved 1991; west-side lot paved May 2002; Lakewood addition paved October 2003

Online Giving and Parish Registration

Parishioners can register with Holy Family, set up online giving, and access their 'My Own Church' account through the parish website. The Tidbits sidebar on the homepage alerts returning online givers about the migration from the old giving system to the new one. Summer parish office hours are Monday–Thursday 8 AM–4 PM and Fridays 9 AM–noon (June 7 – July 26).

• Online giving (parish-registered 'My Own Church' accounts)
• Parish registration via website
• Summer Parish Office Hours: Mon–Thu 8 AM–4 PM; Fri 9 AM–noon

Communities Served

According to the parish's own history page, Holy Family is composed of many worshipping communities across the Luling area. The parish draws from these neighborhoods as it has grown through four-plus decades.

• Mimosa Park
• Lakewood
• Lakewood West
• Lakewood South
• Davis Plantation
• Willowdale
• Willowridge
• Lagatutta
• Primrose Estates
• Primrose 1
• Coronado Park