Bishop Dedicates St. Thomas a Becket Parish Center

By Michael F. Flach
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 9/12/02)

RESTON — After nearly 20 years of numerous false starts and frustrating delays, the new parish center at St. Thomas a Becket Church in Reston was dedicated Sept. 7 by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde.

The bishop was celebrant and homilist at the dedication Mass. Among the priests joining the bishop in concelebrating the Mass were Father Kevin Larsen, parish administrator, and Father Patrick Holroyd, pastor of St. Thomas a Becket Parish from 1987-2000.

Father Larsen thanked numerous individuals for their diligence and patience in guiding the construction effort to completion, especially the contributions of Otto and Rosemarie Tubito.

St. Thomas a Becket Church has served as both a church and parish hall since it was dedicated on Sept. 9, 1973. The local Reston community, including the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation, has used the building for a variety of interfaith activities.

The need for a new parish center originally was discussed in1983. A set of sketches and plans for the project were developed in 1985, but conceptual differences arose, and fundraising efforts were suspended in 1986.

The question of a new building surfaced again in 1991. After receiving approval from the bishop, the $2 million fundraising effort got underway. Groundbreaking for the parish center took place in September 1999, but a series of construction and zoning delays increased the project’s cost to over $3 million.

The new facility offers the parish classrooms for CCD instruction, a choir room, office space, meeting rooms and a social hall (Findlay Hall) with a commercial kitchen for wedding receptions, dinners and lectures.

Every family has a home where they grow in love and understanding, Bishop Loverde said. "This community is truly a family. This parish church is your home. Here, you gather every week to be fed and nourished."

The parish center is an extension of your home, the bishop said. "It is a place where parishioners will gather for catechetical instruction and social interaction.

"As we gather here, we rejoice in the accomplishments of this addition to our parish home," Bishop Loverde said. He encouraged the congregation to be "pillars of light in the darkness."

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