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Parish History

Scroll through the timeline below to learn more about how Holy Family was established and where we are today.

On October 7, 1976, the Diocese of Charlotte purchased ten acres of land on Kinnamon Road and a home on Knob Hill Drive in Clemmons, North Carolina.  Established as “St. Leo’s West”, Holy Family installed Paulist Father Robert Scott as the first pastor in 1980 with 170 registered families.

1978

The first Mass was celebrated on July 15th at Clemmons Presbyterian Church.  Within two weeks, it became clear that the need for a larger worship space was necessary.

1978

The Elizabeth Ann Seton Guild was organized and became a significant factor in establishing a new parish. Saturday evening Mass and Religious Education were held at Clemmons Moravian Church. Sunday Mass was conducted at Voglers Funeral Home Chapel.

1980

Paulist Father Robert Scott was installed as the first pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church, which was then officially recognized by Bishop Michael Begley.  Saint Francis in Mocksville was designated as a mission under Holy Family’s patronage.

1980

The name Holy Family was selected from names proposed by the first parishioners and was based on the “Year of the Family”.  A building committee was established, and there were 170 registered families.

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1981

Following diocesan guidelines, six commissions were organized. Plans were underway to build a 9,200 square foot structure comprising of a worship area, reconciliation room, two offices, a nursery, and a concourse for social events. The original worship area and concourse was later named Bishop William G. Curlin Center.

1984

Bishop Michael Begley conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new church. New furniture arrived in December of 1984, and the first Mass was celebrated in the new building. At the time, there were 550 registered families.

1985

Bishop John F. Donoghue dedicated the newly completed Holy Family Catholic Church. Continued growth necessitated the building of a Parish Center of 14,200 square feet.  It included a large kitchen, nursery, offices., storage, and restrooms. Most importantly it had a social hall with a capacity of 350 persons and also converted into eight classrooms for Faith Formation students.

Between 1990 and 1995, Holy Family grew from 765 to 1100 families.  Donations allowed for the construction of our picnic shelter, which is located on four acres of land donated by the Amp Corporation.  A capital campaign was also begun to help pay for mortgage, expansion of the parking lot, roof repairs, and the purchase of playground equipment. 

2001-02

Holy Family Parish commissioned Sister Mary Southard, CSJ to create a sculpture of the Holy Family, which was placed in the center of the circle in front of the church. The Youth Center was constructed - Sunday evening Youth Ministry classes are conducted here, and Wednesday evenings are drop-in nights for our parish youth.

2002

Now with over 1,500 registered families, in September of 2002, we initiated a Capital Campaign in an effort to raise $3.2 million dollars to build a new 23,000 square foot church, which would seat at least 1,200 parishioners and open up space for our growing Faith Formation programs.

2004

On June 5th, we held a groundbreaking ceremony for our new sanctuary, which was designed to support the growth of our parish and ensure that we had adequate space for our worship and ministerial needs for many years to come. This became a reality thanks to the hard work and generosity of our parishioners.

2005

On November 27, 2005,  Bishop William G. Curlin and Bishop Peter J. Jugis held a Dedication Mass of the new Holy Family Catholic Church.  The existing church was renamed the Bishop William G. Curlin Faith Formation Center and was used to provide additional classroom space for the Faith Formation Program.

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2009

On September 5th, The Most Reverend Peter Jugis, J.C.D., Bishop of Charlotte, formally blessed our new cemetery and columbarium.

2012

On December 2nd, Bishop William G. Curlin was the principal celebrant at the
dedication Mass of the Elizabeth “Liz” Brooks Memorial Organ.  Liz had initiated a fund dedicated to the acquisition of a new organ for the church.  Following her untimely death in 2011, the adult choir continued to honor her memory by fulfilling that dream.

2017

On September 3rd, the statue of St. Theresa and the Celebration of Life memorial that was located in the front of the church were blessed by Father Michael J. Buttner. Deacon John Harrison and the Knights of Columbus led the establishment of this memorial, which was made possible by their fundraising efforts as well as several generous contributions from our parishioners.

June 2020 began the transformation of our Curlin Center. With this project, we added
The Holy Spirit Chapel which seats 135, a new library named after our previous pastor,
Father Michael J. Buttner, two additional meeting rooms, as well as new office space for
our Religious Education Team . On January 27th, Bishop Peter J. Jugis dedicated our
Holy Spirit Chapel and blessed the Catholic Memorial Gardens at Westlawn Cemetery.

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