Bishop Visits Second Station Church

By Clare MacDonnell
^{HERALD Staff Writer}

They were headed for Canada. They ended up in Fredericksburg. "They" were a group of Irish Catholics who, in 1845, began a Catholic community which would spread far and wide in the Arlington Diocese.

With its history, it is no surprise that St. Mary Church in Fredericksburg was chosen as the second station church in the diocese for the jubilee year. The station Mass was celebrated Feb. 13 by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde and concelebrated by Fathers Christopher Buckner, pastor; Edwin Tewes and Christoper Mould, parochial vicars; Jack Peterson, parochial vicar at St. Matthew Parish in Chancellorsville and chaplain at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg; and Msgr. Robert Evans, visiting from the Diocese of Providence, R.I.

Founded in 1858, St. Mary is a cornerstone of Catholicism for the southern part of the Arlington Diocese. Although originally part of the Diocese of Richmond, St. Mary has given birth to at least five other Arlington Diocesan parishes — St. Patrick in Fredericksburg; St. Matthew in Chancellorsville; St. William of York in Stafford; St. Francis de Sales in Kilmarnock; and St. Elizabeth in Colonial Beach.

Not only an important landmark in the history of the Church in Virginia, but in the interest of American history, the first St. Mary Church was dedicated in 1859 by Richmond Bishop John McGill. It was taken over in the Civil War, stripped of its pews and used as a military hospital. Miraculously, considering the extent of the damage in the Fredericksburg area, the church emerged from the war unharmed.

As the Catholic population grew in the area, most notably under Father James J. Widmer, from 350 parishioners in 1948 to 1,200 in 1958, the need for a new and larger church became evident. In 1971, the current church was completed and dedicated, exactly 100 years after the first resident pastor, Father Hugh J. McKeefrey, was appointed. In 1976, a parish activities building was opened.

In 1948, Father Widmer invited the Daughters of Wisdom to establish Montfort Academy, as the local Catholic school. Although the school closed at the end of the 1997-98 school year due to a lack of vocations and staff from the order, it gave way to the inter-parish Holy Cross Academy, which opened in 1998 and is staffed by the Oblates Sisters of St. Francis de Sales.

St. Mary Church currently serves 9,537 parishioners, many of whom, along with some visitors, filled the pews at St. Mary to attend the station Mass and listen to Bishop Loverde.

The bishop was pleased to see the crowd, taking the opportunity to remind people of the need to encourage vocations.

"Priests and religious will come from your families — your families," he said.

He told the people to pray every day that God may choose a member of their families as a priest or consecrated brother or sister. He pointed out the danger of becoming complacent since the diocese has had a strong history of supporting and producing vocations, adding that since the growth of the diocese has been so rapid, more priests are needed.

Certainly Tommy Sherman heard the bishop's words as he served as an altar boy at the Mass. The Sherman family — Tom and Sue and their two other children, Brendan and Caitlin — came to the Mass because they wanted to be part of the jubilee year pilgrimage.

The Shermans were aware of the significance of the station Mass and the ability to gain an indulgence through their participation. As part of the jubilee year celebrations, the pope has declared that the faithful can receive a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, for visiting the appointed station churches any day this year.

Tommy's father said, for Tommy especially, it was a "great opportunity" to serve the parish and the bishop.

The Sherman's were most impressed with the bishop's explanation of the concept of the holy door and its jubilee imagery, during the homily.

"To have him explain the significance of the door meant a lot," said Tom. "We would definitely go to another Station Mass."

Charles and Shirley O'Rourke, parishioners at St. Mary for 10 years, also found the bishop's homily helpful.

"He made it easy for everyone to understand," said Shirley.

She was "honored" that the second station Mass was celebrated at her parish but was not surprised considering the parish history, especially its role in the Civil War. She was especially excited to talk to the bishop since they grew up in the same diocese in Norwich, Conn., and her niece and nephew had known him as their high school chaplain.

The bishop will visit six more pilgrimage churches this year, including St. Joseph Church in Alexandria, March 5; St. Agnes Church in Arlington, April 30; Sacred Heart Church in Winchester, June 18; Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Aug. 13; Poor Clare Monastery, Oct. 1; St. Mary of Sorrows Church in Fairfax Station, Nov. 26.

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