About Holy Family
Holy Family Parish is a Roman Catholic parish located at 370 Middleboro Avenue in East Taunton, Massachusetts, part of the Diocese of Fall River. The parish follows the example of the Holy Family — Jesus, Mary, and Joseph — as its guiding model, striving to be a loving, welcoming and forgiving community alive in the Spirit of God. The parish offers daily Mass, a robust weekly schedule of four Sunday Masses including a Spanish Mass, perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in its Parish Center chapel, the Sacrament of Reconciliation multiple times each week, and a network of ministries including St. Vincent de Paul, Knights of Columbus, Prayer Shawl, Holy Family Men's Group, and Peace thru Prayer. Its current Parochial Administrator, Father John Garabedian, was ordained a priest in 2023 and also serves as Chaplain of Our Lady of Lourdes School and Associate Vocations Director for the Diocese of Fall River.
- Established
- 1909
- Patron
- Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. John Garabedian (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River
Why belong here
Holy Family is a friendly, family-oriented parish in the Diocese of Fall River that makes the Eucharist and the Word of God the center of its life. It offers one of the busiest liturgical schedules in the diocese — daily Mass Monday through Saturday, four Sunday Masses including one in Spanish, weekly confession on multiple days, and nearly continuous Eucharistic Adoration in the Parish Center chapel (Monday–Friday 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM). New parishioners are warmly welcomed, and there is a network of active groups — St. Vincent de Paul Society, Knights of Columbus, Holy Family Men's Group, Prayer Shawl Ministry, Peace thru Prayer Ministry — for men, women, and outreach, as well as a vibrant music ministry and faith formation program. The parish's stated mission is to imitate the Holy Family by being a loving, welcoming, and forgiving community that teaches the Gospel to children, celebrates the Liturgy joyfully, prays as a family of faith, and embraces the sick and needy.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (at the church)
- Thursday: 8:45 AM to 9:15 AM (after the morning Mass)
- Saturday: 8:45 AM to 9:15 AM (after the morning Mass)
- Saturday: 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM (at the church)
Adoration times
- Monday–Friday: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM, in the Parish Center Chapel
About Holy Family Parish
Holy Family Parish is a Roman Catholic community of faith located at 370 Middleboro Avenue in East Taunton, Massachusetts, in the Diocese of Fall River. Following the example of the Holy Family — Jesus, Mary, and Joseph — the parish strives to be a loving, welcoming, and forgiving community, fully alive in the Spirit of God. Its mission is to teach children the Gospel way of life, celebrate the Liturgy joyfully, be a family of prayer, respect all life, and embrace the sick and needy.
History
The parish was founded in 1909 during the great wave of Catholic church-building in Taunton that also produced St. Paul's (1904), St. Jacques (1906), and Holy Rosary (1909). It was established to serve the East Taunton village community. Over more than a century it has been served by successive pastors, with recent leaders including Rev. Jay T. Maddock, Rev. Kevin A. Cook (named pastor July 14, 2010), Rev. Richard Wilson, Rev. Matthew Gill, and currently Rev. John Garabedian as Parochial Administrator.
- Founded: 1909
- 1909 — church built, one of several Catholic churches in Taunton of that era
- 2010 — Rev. Jay T. Maddock reassigned to Holy Name, Fall River; Rev. Kevin A. Cook named pastor
- 2023 — Rev. John Garabedian ordained a priest (June 3, 2023)
- Today — Father Garabedian serves as Parochial Administrator
Clergy & Staff
Holy Family is served by a Parochial Administrator, a visiting priest, and two permanent deacons (one retired), supported by a secretary, director of music ministry, organist, maintenance staff, sacristan, and Co-Directors of Religious Education.
- Rev. John Garabedian — Parochial Administrator
- Rev. David S. Marcham — Visiting Priest
- Rev. Mr. Kevin Gingras — Deacon
- Rev. Mr. John J. Fitzpatrick — Deacon (retired)
- JR Pimentel — Director of Music Ministry
- Mary C. Anderson — Organist
- Tracey Desmarais — Secretary
- Stephen Woolson & Shannon Doel — Co-Directors of Religious Education
- Sarah Parker — Sacristan & Rectory Assistant
- Dave LeClair — Maintenance
Devotions and Other Services
Alongside Mass and Adoration, the parish gathers regularly for the Rosary, including a weekly Vocations Rosary on Monday evenings.
- Rosary before daily Mass: 7:35 AM
- Vocations Rosary: Mondays 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM in the chapel
- That Man Is You! — men's faith program
- Summer parish Bible study (e.g., 'A Biblical Walk Through the Mass' by Edward Sri)
Sacraments
Information on how to schedule each of the sacraments is published in the parish bulletin.
- Baptism — by appointment; parents contact the Priest or Deacon
- Matrimony — contact the Priest or Deacon at least 8 months before the wedding
- Anointing of the Sick / Homebound Visitation — by request
- Reconciliation — see confession schedule
- Eucharist — daily Mass and perpetual weekday Adoration
Parish Ministries & Groups
The parish supports a wide array of ministries and parish organizations, covering men's spiritual life, charity, prayer, music, and parish governance.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — 2nd Wednesday at 7:00 PM; assists those struggling to make ends meet in East Taunton
- Knights of Columbus — 1st Wednesday at 7:00 PM
- Prayer Shawl Ministry — 2nd Wednesday of the month, 1:00 – 2:30 PM
- Holy Family Men's Group (Faith, Fellowship, and Fromage) — Thursdays 6:30 – 8:00 PM; first Thursdays road trip to Holy Cross Family Ministries for 'Brothers of the Carpenter'
- Peace thru Prayer Ministry — Thursdays 1:00 – 2:30 PM
- Music Ministry — JR Pimentel (Director), Mary C. Anderson (Organist)
- That Man Is You!
- Altar Society
- Pastoral Council
- Finance Council
- Faith Formation (Co-DREs Stephen Woolson & Shannon Doel)
Contact & Location
The parish complex includes the church at 370 Middleboro Avenue and the Parish Center at 438 Middleboro Avenue, both in East Taunton, Massachusetts.
- Church: 370 Middleboro Avenue, East Taunton, MA 02718
- Parish Center: 438 Middleboro Avenue, East Taunton, MA 02718
- Rectory: 508-824-5665
- Parish Center: 508-824-5707
- Faith Formation: 508-824-3578
- Fax: 508-822-2915
- Bulletin submissions: [email protected] (at least one week in advance)
- Website: http://www.hfparish.net/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Jay T. Maddockthrough July 2010
Reassigned to pastor of Holy Name Parish in Fall River, effective July 14, 2010.
- Rev. Kevin A. Cookfrom July 14, 2010
First pastorate; previously chaplain at Coyle and Cassidy High School and part-time chaplain at Morton Hospital; also served as assistant director of Vocations for the Diocese.
- Rev. Richard Wilson
Listed as Pastor in the April 4, 2021 parish bulletin ([email protected]).
- Rev. Matthew Gill
Predecessor to Father Garabedian; thanked by Father Garabedian for the 'incredible foundation' he laid for the parish.
- Rev. John Garabedianfrom 2023/2024 (Parochial Administrator)
Ordained June 3, 2023; first came to know Holy Family as a transitional deacon.