About Holy Family · Union City, New Jersey
Holy Family Catholic Parish is a bilingual Catholic community in Union City, New Jersey, in the Archdiocese of Newark. Founded in 1857 to serve German immigrants, it is one of the oldest parishes in the area and is notable for hosting the oldest Passion Play in the United States (since 1915). Today it is a multicultural, largely Hispanic community entrusted to the Augustinian Recollects since 1997, offering Mass in both English and Spanish and a wide range of ministries from faith formation to a youth-led Spanish Passion Play and Guadalupe reenactments.
- Established
- 1857
- Patron
- Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Eliseo Gonzalez, OAR
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Newark
Why belong here
Holy Family is one of Union City's oldest parishes and the home of the oldest Passion Play in the United States, so its calendar is rich with tradition — but it is also a living, bilingual community where English and Spanish-speaking families pray side by side. Under the Augustinian Recollects, the parish runs a family catechesis program, a youth group that performs the Passion of Christ in Spanish and enacts the Guadalupe Apparitions, the annual International Festival each September, and the Centro Guadalupe for Hispanic leadership formation. Whether you come for the daily Mass in the Monastery chapel, the Sunday Spanish Mass, Saturday confessions, or simply to take part in the September festival, there are many ways to belong.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM (Reconciliation / Confesiones)
- Second Saturday of each month 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- For any other day, call the rectory for an appointment
Parish History
Holy Family was founded in 1857 to serve German immigrants in Union City. The physical plant of the parish — church, school, Lyceum, and rectory — was built up under Father Joseph Grieff, who served as pastor from 1884 to 1941. He also built the Park Theater and in 1915 began the Holy Family Passion Play, which continues today and is recognized as the oldest Passion Play in the United States. In the 1960s, a wave of Cuban refugees reshaped the parish. The first Spanish Mass was celebrated here on October 7, 1973. Archbishop Theodore McCarrick entrusted the parish to the Augustinian Recollects in September 1997, with Fr. Antonio Lasheras, OAR as the first OAR pastor; he founded the International Festival now held each September. The Centro Guadalupe for Hispanic leadership formation in the Archdiocese of Newark was inaugurated in the former parochial school on December 12, 1998.
- Founded 1857 (German immigrant community)
- Father Joseph Grieff, pastor 1884–1941 — built church, school, Lyceum, rectory; built Park Theater; started the Passion Play in 1915
- First Spanish Mass: October 7, 1973
- Entrusted to the Augustinian Recollects (OAR) by Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, September 1997
- Centro Guadalupe inaugurated December 12, 1998
- Fr. Eliseo Gonzalez, OAR arrived as pastor September 1, 2023
Faith Formation & Family Catechesis
Under Fr. Eliseo Gonzalez, OAR, the parish has emphasized family catechesis as a way for whole households to grow in faith together. The parish continues the formation of Hispanic leaders through the Centro Guadalupe, inaugurated in the former parochial school in 1998.
- Family catechesis program
- Centro Guadalupe — formation of Hispanic leaders in the Archdiocese of Newark
Youth Ministry
The parish Youth Group carries on Holy Family's Passion Play tradition in Spanish — begun in 2006 — and also performs a reenactment of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Reenactment of the Passion of Christ in Spanish (since 2006)
- Reenactment of the Guadalupe Apparitions
Passion Play & Tradition
Holy Family is home to the oldest Passion Play in the United States, begun in 1915 under Father Joseph Grieff. What began more than a century ago continues today, including a Spanish-language version performed by the parish Youth Group since 2006.
- Original English-language Passion Play — 1915
- Spanish-language Passion Play — youth group, since 2006
International Festival
Each year on the third Sunday of September, the parish hosts an International Festival that reflects the multicultural character of Holy Family's community. The festival was started by Fr. Antonio Lasheras, OAR after the Augustinian Recollects arrived in 1997.
- Held annually on the third Sunday of September
- Founded by Fr. Antonio Lasheras, OAR
Contact & Visit
Holy Family's main church is at 530 35th Street in Union City. Daily Masses are celebrated in the Monastery chapel at 3201 Central Avenue. The parish can be reached by phone or email for appointments, sacramental preparation, and general inquiries.
- Main church: 530 35th Street, Union City, NJ 07087
- Monastery chapel (daily Mass): 3201 Central Ave., Union City, NJ 07087
- Phone: 201-867-6535
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://holyfamilyunioncitynj.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Joseph Grieff1884–1941
Long-serving pastor who built the church, school, Lyceum, and rectory; constructed the Park Theater; began the Holy Family Passion Play in 1915.
- Fr. Antonio Lasheras, OAR1997–(approx. 2023)
First Augustinian Recollect pastor of Holy Family after Archbishop Theodore McCarrick entrusted the parish to the OAR in September 1997; founded the International Festival (third Sunday of September).
- Fr. Eliseo Gonzalez, OAR2023–present
Arrived September 1, 2023; has emphasized family catechesis and accompanied the youth's Spanish Passion Play and Guadalupe reenactments.