Bishop Joseph Strickland was in Canton, Texas October 2, 2022 and blessed the future home of Holy Family Academy of Van Zandt County. The school facility, which was formerly a Baptist church and education center, is currently undergoing major renovation in preparation for opening pre-K through 3rd grade classes in August 2023.  

The school is an independent Catholic school that is not operated by St. Therese Catholic Church in Canton. Rather, the school will be governed and operated by Holy Family Foundation of Van Zandt County, a nonprofit Texas corporation. Mr. Tim Michels, President of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, said they anticipate provisional accreditation by the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops Education Department, thereby ensuring Canonical vigilance by Bishop Strickland, as well as academic accountability. 

Michels further said the Foundation’s Directors have been meeting for the past 16 months, but there’s still lots of work to be done. The Holy Spirit has blessed the effort with a number of volunteers, both Catholic and Protestant, and excitement is starting to build. To learn more, visit holyfamilyvzc.org.