Holy Family Church recently broke ground for a new parish center after nearly three years of dedicated fundraising.

In the summer of 2004, a group of parishioners formed a steering committee to take the Holy Family Parish to the “next level.” The Building Faith, Family, Future campaign was born, and that October the church kicked off a three-year, pledge-driven program to raise over $3 million.

With nearly $2.5 million now raised, the official groundbreaking for the new parish center took place on Sept. 18, during the parish’s Fall Festival.

With pastor Father Willie Hickey leading the group, the shovels hit the dirt. Also attending were the parish’s parochial vicars, Father Darragh Griffith and Father Juan de la Cruz, as well as representatives from the building campaign committee, the parish development committee, the contractor, Lusk & Associates, and Catholic Construction Services.

The new building program is both comprehensive and far-reaching, setting the parish up for the future, while addressing immediate requirements. With the needs and wants of the parish whittled down and finally refined, a financially achievable plan was formulated.

The parish development committee created a master plan that includes a new two-story parish center to replace the current single-story one. The new building will include a new commercial kitchen facility, an administrative area, staff offices, a large conference-type room, and print shop. A playground will also be constructed at the rear of the building.

The total construction process, led by Lusk & Associates, is anticipated to take from nine to 12 months, with the new facilities scheduled for use in the summer of 2006.