Ashburn Parishioners Turn Their Sadness into Joy

By Michael Flach
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 6/27/02)

ASHBURN — On a hot summer day when there was much to be sad about, parishioners at St. Theresa Church in Ashburn turned their sorrow into joy.

Msgr. James W. McMurtrie’s farewell Mass June 23 at the parish he has called home for 11 years was combined with the blessing of a new parish shrine to St. Therese of Lisieux and the burning of the school mortgage.

The shrine’s construction was designed and supervised by parishioner Sean Verfurth as part of his Eagle Scout service project.

Father Bill LaFratta, a retired priest from the Richmond Diocese and a longtime friend of Msgr. McMurtrie, and Father Richard A. Mullins, parochial vicar, concelebrated the Mass.

A standing-room only crowd, the majority of whom were young children, joined in the celebration to honor the only pastor they have ever known. Msgr. McMurtrie was appointed the founding pastor of St. Theresa Parish in 1991 by former Arlington Bishop John R. Keating.

The first thing he did was build St. Theresa School, the only Catholic elementary school in Loudoun County. The parish, which used to celebrate Mass at nearby Broad Run High School, now has more than 6,300 registered parishioners. Principal Jacqueline MacKenzie reports that school enrollment now stands at 465 students.

Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde appointed Msgr. McMurtrie pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Arlington, a post he assumed on June 26. He is being replaced at St. Theresa Parish by Father Richard Guest, former parochial vicar of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Great Falls.

In his homily, Msgr. McMurtrie joked that he felt like he was at his own wake service. He thanked his parishioners for making his time in Ashburn a special experience and he urged them to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life, with special emphasis on promoting religious vocations from within their own families.

Among the many gifts he received was a sign, "Reserved Parking for Redskins Fans Only," a reference to Msgr. McMurtrie’s well-known loyalty to the hometown team.

The farewell ceremony in Ashburn was repeated at numerous other parishes across Northern Virginia last weekend. Parishioners at St. Bernadette Church in Springfield gathered June 21 to pay tribute to their retiring pastor, Father John Hughes, who celebrated his last Mass at the church on June 23. Missionhurst Father John Morel, pastor of Our Lady of the Blue Ridge in Madison, also retired from active ministry last weekend.

Parishioners gathered at St. Philip Church in Falls Church on Sunday to honor their former administrator, Father Daniel Spychala, who has been appointed assistant chaplain at nearby Fairfax Hospital.

Allis Hanley and students from the Early Childhood Center serenaded Father Spychala with their unique rendition of "Father Spychala Had a School," with apologies to "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."

Copyright ©2002 Arlington Catholic Herald.  All rights reserved.