LAFAYETTE PARISH — When Rogers Griffin first stepped into Holy Family Catholic School in 1999, he was given one mission: close the doors with dignity.
“The school had 75 students, the diocese was funding it, and they made a decision they were going to do one more year of subsidy,” Griffin said.
But what was meant to be a farewell became a beginning.
Griffin, along with a determined group of parents and community members, launched a grassroots effort to save Lafayette's oldest Black Catholic school. Those 75 parents found 50 more students. Enrollment jumped to 125. Tuition was raised, and with it came state funding. The school was saved.
That leap of faith would spark a legacy that spanned more than two decades.
On Tuesday, Holy Family Catholic School honored Griffin with a celebratory sendoff as he retires after 26 years as principal. Students, school administrators, alumni and families lined up to bid farewell with a parade and heartfelt tributes.
“He has literally touched thousands of children,” one staff member said. “He’s played a father role, a priest—just about any role possible to the children at our school.”
Under Griffin’s leadership, the school grew from a struggling institution on the verge of closure to a thriving campus serving more than 300 students. His impact stretched far beyond the classroom.
“It’s been a long journey, but it’s been a worthwhile journey,” Griffin said. “I believed in my faith that God would never leave us, and He told me in my prayers that He would always be there with us. It was just a leap of faith and a leap of journey.”
The school also recognized longtime assistant principal Melody Baham Waltaz, who is also stepping away from her role.
As for Griffin, he says retirement will be a time to “pour back into himself and his family” before exploring his next chapter. He leaves behind a legacy of resilience, leadership and faith—one that turned a mission to shut down a school into a decades-long commitment to lift it up.
“I’m happy to pass on the baton,” Griffin said.
That baton is now in the hands of Loretta Williams-Durand, who has been named the school’s new principal.
