With the aftermath of the Southeast Asia tsunamis, the death of Pope John Paul II, the election of Pope Benedict XVI, and the punches of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma all hovering in the not-so-distant past, it’s easy to overlook noteworthy accomplishments and events that have graced the diocesan community throughout the last 12 months. During the last year, the Diocese of Arlington has been blessed with growth; thriving education and catechesis; generosity; change; honors and achievements; and life.

Throughout 2005, the diocese had many ministries to celebrate, especially those marking landmark anniversaries and others only just beginning.

In February, the Office of Resettlement celebrated 30 years of service to refugees and asylum-seekers in Northern Virginia with an open house.

In March, the Don Bosco Center, for at-risk Hispanic youths, opened in Manassas by the Youth Apostles. St. John Parish in McLean completed renovations of the sanctuary and installed a new tabernacle.

In May, under the leadership of Father José Eugenio Hoyos, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Dale City, the MAPAVI Youth Center @hi mart opened to help Hispanic youths involved in gang activities or at risk of being recruited by gangs.

St. Ann Parish in Arlington blessed its new church after six years of planning and two of construction. St. Ann School also dedicated a rosary garden.

Also in May, after a year of planning, the Guadalupe Free Medical Clinic opened adjacent to St. Elizabeth Church in Colonial Beach. In August, in only its fourth month of operation, the clinic received the International Community Action Award, the highest award given by the Knights of Columbus for community service projects. The clinic was officially blessed by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde in September.

In June, Bishop Loverde ordained six men — Jamie Workman, Joseph Vu, Charles Smith, Kevin Fimian, Bjorn Lundberg and Gregory Thompson — to the transitional deaconate. A week later, he ordained four men to the priesthood: Fathers Ramón Báez, Dan Hanley, James Searby and Andrew Heintz. The bishop also announced the formation of two new missions and a new parish. St. Peter Mission in Washington, Va., was elevated to parish status, and missions were created in Bull Run (St. Katharine Drexel) and South Riding (Corpus Christi) within the boundaries of St. Stephen the Martyr Parish in Middleburg.

In July, Theology on Tap celebrated its fifth anniversary as a diocesan outreach to young adults. Former diocesan resident Sister Patricia Anne Coogan joined the Poor Clare Sisters at a ceremony in Maryland.

In August, the diocese celebrated its 31st anniversary. Sister Marie Celine made her perpetual profession of vows as a Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville, Tenn.

In September, the bishop officially blessed Catholic Charities’ Sterling office at Christ the Redeemer Parish and the St. Vincent de Paul Society reopened its thrift store in Fredericksburg after closing down three years ago due to escalating rent. St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Falls Church opened a community peace garden.

In October, the bishop welcomed 11 new religious to the diocese: Sisters Laura Downeng, Francisca Grace, Margaret Paul, John Joseph, Denise Benjamin, Cathy Hill, Jane Frances, Anne Joackim, Delfina Gomez, Rebecca Hoffart and Anna Troung.

Bishop Loverde celebrated his 40th anniversary in the priesthood on Dec. 18.

In January, through the School Connectivity project, a CRS-sponsored program, five teachers from the Balkans spent three weeks at Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax.

Schools and churches across the diocese began raising money to help those affected by the tsunamis.

Just before German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected as the new pope in April, students at All Saints School in Manassas held a conclave and elected Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze to be Pope John Paul III.

In May, St. Theresa School in Ashburn said goodbye to their founding principal Jacqueline MacKenzie. Also retiring were principals Christine Wells from St. John School in McLean, Virginia Connell from St. Ambrose School in Annandale and Sally Berra from St. Ann School in Arlington. Principal Sister Maureen Vellon, R.S.H.M., of St. Bernadette School was reassigned to a school outside the diocese and Claire Dougherty, principal of St. William of York School in Stafford stepped down as principal in order to become a kindergarten teacher at Holy Cross Academy in Fredericksburg.

In June, the St. Joseph Day Nursery and Kindergarten in Falls Church said goodbye to the sisters of the Servants of St. Joseph who ran the center for nearly 50 years. Meanwhile, St. Mark School in Vienna held its first graduation ceremony for 20 students who completed the eighth grade. And following a senior prank, the administration at Oakcrest School in McLean canceled graduation.

August brought the opening of Our Lady of Hope School in Potomac Falls, the second Catholic school in Loudon County. With the new school year also came seven new principals, including Carol H. Krichbaum at St. Theresa School in Ashburn; Sister Lisa Lorenz, F.M.I.J., at St. William of York School in Stafford; Sister Elizabeth Ann McGuire, O.S.F., at St. Ann School in Arlington; Joseph N. Orandello at Our Lady of Hope School in Potomac Falls; Peter F. Schultz at St. John School in McLean; Sister Marie Sopr, D.W., at St. Bernadette School in Springfield; and Joanne Yates at St. Ambrose School in Annandale.

Bishop O’Connell High School rising senior Kate Ziegler won two gold medals at her first world championship in Montreal.

In September, St. James School in Falls Church celebrated its 100-year anniversary. Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Vienna was named a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

In October, Queen of Apostles School in Alexandria kicked off its yearlong 40th anniversary celebration.

In November, Alliance of Holy Mary Sister Angela, from Portugal, brought the Fatima message to Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington.

With the New Year came the largest diocesan-wide second collection in history. Parishioners generously gave a $1.84 million donation to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for its work in tsunami-worn Southeast Asia. After individual and school donations were added, the total for the diocese reached close to $4 million, according to CRS.

When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in late August, parishioners again rallied with overwhelming generosity. By September, a Diocesan Disaster Relief Team drafted "Partners in New Hope," a document to best advise pastors and parishioners of ways they could assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. Bishop Loverde offered a Mass for victims of the Category 5 storm at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington.

In October, St. Peter Parish in Washington, Va., established a sister parish relationship with St. Ann Parish and St. John Mission in Lakeshore, Miss., both of which were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Churches welcomed displaced families and schools took in displaced children.

Parishioners in the diocese also graciously supported a Colombian family with blind triplets. Because of the monetary donations, in November, Nicolás Argel underwent successful surgery to repair his eyesight.

In February, Father Robert J. Rippy, then-diocesan chancellor, was named rector of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington.

In March, Bishop Loverde named two new vicars general to join Msgr. R. Roy Cosby, Vicar General. Citing unprecedented growth, the bishop appointed Father Mark Mealy, O.S.F.S., Vicar General for Administration, and Father Ready, Vicar General for Pastoral Services.

Also in March, Father Hoyos was named director of the Spanish Apostolate, replacing Father Ovidio Pecharromán.

In June, Mark Herrmann joined the diocese serving as its general counsel. In August, he assumed the role of chancellor, the first layman to hold this position in diocesan history. Once the transition was complete in late August, Father Rippy retired as chancellor of the diocese, a position he held for 13 years.

In November, Bob Laird, former director of the diocesan Office for Family Life, was named executive director of Tepeyac Family Center in Fairfax. Sabina Boet joined the Office of Youth Ministry as the coordinator of diocesan Hispanic youth ministry.

In December, Pat Mudd, member of Catholic Charities staff for 32 years, retired from the agency to work full-time as Victim Assistance Coordinator for the diocese.

In January, La Salette Sister Connie Parcasio was chosen by the White House to sit with Laura Bush during the State of the Union address. Sister Connie was invited to represent faith-based communities and honored because of her work with prison inmates as the director of prison ministry for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington.

Also in January, more than 1,000 faithful packed into Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria to listen to a talk by Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., who had escaped death only a year earlier following a car accident.

Bishop Loverde and Retired Bishop Joseph Madera concelebrated Palm Sunday Mass in March at the first Catholic Summit in Washington, which was attended by more than 6,000 Catholics. Meanwhile, Jimmy Lang, member of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Great Falls and graduate of Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, appeared in the new NBC series "The Contender."

Father Frank Ready, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Annandale, celebrated the gift he "had no right to expect" at his retirement from the active priesthood in June.

Under the hot July sun, Arlington seminarians won the third annual Softball Challenge, recapturing the official Potomac Cup, now proudly displayed outside the Office of Vocations, from the Archdiocese of Washington.

In December, Father Richard Martin, pastor of Nativity Church in Burke, gave the invocation at the White House’s Christmas Pageant of Peace in the presence of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Also in December, Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolaños Geyer celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Arlington.

In July, in a last minute decision for life, the Supreme Court stayed the execution of Robin Lovitt, a death row inmate convicted of killing the manager of an Arlington pool hall during a 1998 robbery. Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, citing insufficient evidence, then granted clemency to Lovitt on the eve of his second scheduled execution in December.

A memorial Mass was held in March at St. Thomas à Becket Parish in Reston for Notre Dame Sister Dorothy Stang after she was murdered in Brazil for her work with human rights in the Amazon. The memorial Mass was organized by Education for Parish Service, which was founded by Notre Dame Sisters. Marguerite Hohm, sister of Sister Dorothy, lives in the diocese.

The year also was marked with the sadness of death, but also with the hope of eternal life. Deacon James Ambury, 89, permanent deacon at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Arlington for 20 years, died on Feb. 7.

Carol Tuttle, 67, former bookkeeper, advertising assistant and proofreader for the HERALD, died on Feb. 7.

Retired Front Royal Permanent Deacon Paul Rees, 90, died on March 7.Jack Sullivan, 74, member of St. Agnes Church in Arlington and longtime volunteer, died on March 10. Patricia Sullivan, 72, parishioner and former secretary at St. Agnes Church in Arlington, followed her husband in death five months later on Aug. 10.

Oblate Deacon Eric Laudeman, 34, died in a car accident on March 10.

Following the death of Terri Schindler Schiavo in March, there was a significant increase of requests flowing in to the diocesan Office of Family Life for Advance Medical Directives.

In April, parishioners across the diocese grieved the death of Pope John Paul II. Father Phillip Majka, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Fredericksburg remembered the pope, his fellow Pole, as a friend. Seminarians and priests who had studied in Rome remembered the many times they encountered the pontiff. Father Dennis Kleinmann, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Alexandria, and 11 eighth-graders were in Rome when the pope died and shared their experiences when they returned. Parishes across the diocese held holy hours and Masses in remembrance of the Holy Father.

On April 4, Msgr. Thomas Scannell, 95, the oldest priest in the diocese, died. He was remembered by Msgr. John T. Cilinski as always having "a twinkle in his eye and a rosary wrapped around his fingers."

In May, Susan Torres, an Arlington resident, was rushed to the hospital after she collapsed from brain cancer. Doctors would have taken her off of life support except that she was pregnant and her family wished to keep her alive for the sake of her unborn child. On Aug. 2, Susan Anne Catherine Torres was born via caesarian section weighing 1 pound 13 ounces. The same day, her mother was taken off life support and died. Baby Susan died 5 weeks later of heart failure following surgery for a perforated intestine at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington.

In June, Alexandria Attorney William A. Rowan, 81, member of Queen of Apostles Church in Alexandria, died.

On July 19, former Arlington pastor Father Charles W. Gerloff, 89, died while preparing for Mass at St. Gregory Church in Virginia Beach. Father Gerloff worked at four parishes in the Arlington Diocese during his long life of service.

On Nov. 20, Thomas C. Lawler, co-author and co-editor of The Teaching of Christ, died. He was 84.