History :

Established as a Mission in 1890
The Jesuits with their experience as missionaries were needed to begin a church for the black tenant farmers. On Sunday, February 9, 1890, the 1,000 lb. cornerstone was laid which began the construction of the Holy Family Mission. It was completed about 1892.

Established as a Parish in 1938
Archbishop Curley of Baltimore and Washington apportioned about 50 square miles to the east of the Nation's Capital to the care of the Josephites. They were a more residential order, whose primary work was ministering to the black community and better suited to address their religious needs. This area included the Holy Family Mission. The population of the mission had grown so much that Holy Family was given resident parish status. The tenant farmers began to own their farms and settle the community.

Welcomed Diocesan Priests and Divided in 1972
The Josephite Society made the decision to withdraw from the parish since the new development in the area was a heavy concentration of middle and upper-middle class whites. They believed that the Archdiocese of Washington was in a better position to offer apostolate service to the people in the Mitchellville area. The Society reconfirmed its decision to work in the black community and among the poor. Rev. Robert T. Wummer's appointment as the first diocesan pastor of Holy Family coincided with establishment of St. Edward the Confessor Church at Pointer Ridge in Bowie. St. Edward's was carved from Holy Family Parish, St. Mary's in Upper Marlboro, and Sacred Heart in Bowie. Rev. Michael C. Kidd was appointed pastor of Holy Family Parish in June of 1982. He led Holy Family for 23 years until his retirement in 2005.


Designated as an Historic Landmark in 1984
The Prince George's Historic Preservation Commission designated Holy Family as an historic site. This decision was based on the following criteria: (1) it had value as part of the cultural characteristics of Prince George's County; (2) it exemplified the religious heritage of the County in the establishment of a rural Roman Catholic mission for the local black community; (3) it embodied the distinctive characteristics of late Victorian ecclesiastical architecture; and (4) it represented an established visual feature in its rural setting.