LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / June 21, 2000

LULING – Construction is starting this week on a new church building at Holy Family Catholic Church on Lakewood Drive.

This landmark point was reached following more than five years of fund raising, with monthly donations made by church families.

It’s a long way for the church which began as a mission congregation of St.

Anthony of Padua in Luling, holding mass at nearby Mimosa Park Elementary School until their church was built.

The $2.29 million building will replace the one first blessed in 1980 witha 450-person seating capacity. The new church will seat 700 parishioners,including a 50-person choir area.

In the past 20 years the church has continued to grow to the present roster of 1,030 families.

The Rev. John Finn and Bishop Dominic Carmon, auxiliary bishop of NewOrleans, broke ground and consecrated the site Dec. 26. The church willface the present parking lot, across from the present church and parish center.

Rev. Finn said the present church will be converted into a classroombuilding for religion classes and also contain the church offices, moving them from a temporary metal building at the rear of the parish center which they now occupy.

The new church will have 16,590 square feet under roof, brick with a metal roof, including a porte cochere to drive under in the front and a bell tower to one side. The sanctuary itself will contain 15,241 square feet.Seating will be arranged in a semi-circle facing the altar, similar to parent church St. Anthony’s, along with a sacristy and a room for ushersand servers. Two restrooms and storage will also be included.Plans call for 14 stained glass Stations of the Cross adorning the sides. Inaddition, the church will have an abstract stained glass in the Eucharistic tower in the right rear of the building as well as a resurrection window behind the altar. Total price tag for the stained glass work alone is$100,000.

Additional parking will also be built between the church and Lakewood Drive, to the right of the driveway.

Contractor for the construction job is Garrity Construction Co. of Gretna,and the new church building is due to be completed in one year, according to the contract signed May 24.

“That’s depending on the weather, of course,” Rev. Finn said, adding itcould take as long as 18 months to complete but he hopes it won’t take that long.

It was designed by Argus Architecture/Engineering of New Orleans, with Andre Villere with the Archdiocese of New Orleans as consultant and Sister Theresa Falcon as liturgical consultant.

The church committee includes David Haydel, Rosemary Marchese, Henry Caire, George Williamson, Harriet Williamson, Hurschel Burleigh and Stanley Berard.

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