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Immaculate Heart of Mary church was built in the late 1940’s on the same site as the original church, San Isidro (St. Isidore). The name was later changed to Immaculate Heart of Mary. Immaculate Heart of Mary Church prior to the mid 1960’s was a parish in its own right, serving the villages of Chacon, upper and lower Holman, Tramperos, and Cleveland.


In 1958, Father James Flanagan became the pastor. He and Father John McHugh, who was then the pastor of Saint Gertrudes in Mora, founded a religious order of sisters named after the patroness of the church. Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters later became the S.O.L.T sisters (Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity). The order now consists of priests, brothers, and lay members. Immaculate Heart of Mary became the birthplace of the S.O.L.T order. The order now serves in over one hundred countries worldwide. The founders are both buried on the grounds near the church.


Father Flanagan, along with the sisters, established a school, grades first through sixth. Many of the Holman residents benefited from the school, as well as residents from the surrounding villages. Sadly, the school closed in the mid-1960’s. It is still near and dear to the hearts of many in the Holman community, and it is our hope to restore it to its former glory.

In 1970, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church made national news because of claims that many witnessed the face of Christ on the wall of the adjoining building. Busloads of people came to this site from all over the country in hopes of seeing the miraculous vision. People still stop by to take pictures and pray on the church grounds.


It is our desire that this holy site becomes a beacon of hope again, for ourselves and our future generations. We hope to build a shrine to our Holy Mother next to the church. We will begin by reinforcing the building which is cracked inside and out, replacing broken windows, and applying a stained glass film, stuccoing the building outside, addressing the cracks inside the building, refurbishing the entire inside.


The adjoining building is also in dire need of restoration. It needs a new roof, windows, and installing bathrooms. When completely remodeled, it can serve as a beautiful reception room for weddings and graduation parties, etc. The possibilities for this restoration project are endless.


Lastly, we need to landscape the entire grounds, and finish it off with a beautiful rod iron fence and gate.


The dreams for this little church are big, but not impossible to accomplish if the community comes together. This place if beautified can become a place of both spiritual and economic renewal for our community. Already, many generous people have come forth, and some improvements have been made. Please come and see, a lot remains to be done.

Our church is the most modern of all sixteen of the sister mission churches, and is built of cinder block; therefore it does not qualify for grant money for the restoration of old buildings. We are counting on you. Most importantly, we ask for your prayers, your time, your talent and treasure, so that we can bring this work to fruition.

Let us come together and leave our mark before we leave this earth. Making it a place where our children and grandchildren can come see our names on the building bricks and pray for our souls. These bricks with the names of our donors will adorn Our Lady’s grotto.

We thank you in advance for any help you can be to us in this venture.