By Mary Frances McCarthy
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 10/3/02)
Father Martin J. Harrison, pastor of St. Mary of Sorrows Parish in the 1950s said of the church, "Of all the parishes I served in, I liked St. Mary’s best. It is a small country parish but there is a wonderful spirit of love and good will between the people and the pastor."
St. Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax Station is no longer small, or considered to be in the country, but the spirit of love and good will still live in its current pastors and parishioners.
Father Donald C. Greenhalgh, pastor, was assigned to the parish in 1995. He is originally from a town outside Philadelphia. He was ordained in 1984. He describes his parish as an "extremely active place." With over 98 different organizations, Father Greenhalgh says, "If you can’t find it at St. Mary’s, it probably doesn’t exist."
The parish focuses a lot of its efforts on social action ministry. There are numerous groups that not only raise funds to help those in need, but also volunteer their time and their skills to help others.
At Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter there are numerous drives for food and gifts to benefit not only local shelters and programs in Fairfax County, but also several missions and sister parishes across the country, and the world.
From young to old, St. Mary of Sorrows has programs for everyone.
St. Mary’s Preschool is available for three- and four-year-old children. The preschool is open five days a week, but most children only attend either two or three days a week for a half day. Father Greenhalgh sees the preschool not only as a way to teach the children and make them more aware of God’s presence in their lives, but also to teach the parents through their children.
The senior group at St. Mary of Sorrows is involved with several other churches. The group is not exclusively Catholic. The members participate in social events and in social outreach.
The Knights of Columbus Council No. 8600 provides many services to the community. It delivers food to families in need twice a week and sponsors blood drives, spaghetti dinners and pancake breakfasts. The Knights pay the mortgage, insurance and maintenance costs for the Marian House for developmentally disabled adults.
Also active in church and community service activities are the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians. The Irish were very instrumental in the formation of St. Mary of Sorrows, and the Hibernians try to add to this legacy. They support the parish and community through several fundraising events; the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner/Dance, the Spring Card Party and the Seamus Kennedy Show. The divisions also participate in the fall Parish Awareness Day and the Labor Day Picnic.
Members of St. Mary of Sorrows Parish have been generous from the start. Even before there was a church, the Catholic community in Fairfax Station was willing to give time and money to support the Catholic Church.
In 1838, two Irish-Catholic families, the Hamills and the Cunninghams, donated land in Fairfax to the Diocese of Richmond hoping to have a church built and a cemetery consecrated. The cemetery was immediately consecrated, but the church would not be built for some time.
In the 1850s, construction of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad drew a large number of Irish immigrants to the area. The pastor of St. Mary Parish in Alexandria saw to the spiritual needs of the growing number of Catholics in Fairfax County by offering Mass in the boxcars that stood at the rail station. Names of the railroad workers, and the counties in Ireland from which they emigrated, can be read today on the tombstones in St. Mary of Sorrow Cemetery.
The historic St. Mary of Sorrows Church, the first Catholic church in Fairfax County, and only the second church in what is now the Diocese of Arlington, was dedicated in 1860.
The following years were eventful for the nation and the parish. The church and its grounds were used as a hospital following the second battle of Manassas and Chantilly. Because of its proximity to the railroad, wounded soldiers were laid out on the hill stretching away from the church and cared for until they could be sent to hospitals in Washington. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, spent three days there, and because of this, the agency declared the church a site that was significant to its development.
During the Civil War, the church pews were destroyed and burned as firewood. After the war, President Grant commissioned new pews to be made for the church—they are still used today.
The 1870s saw the development of what is now considered the oldest outdoor social function in Fairfax County. What began as a July 4th celebration, developed into the St. Mary’s Labor Day Picnic sometime after 1894.
Due to the rapid growth in Fairfax Station, a building fund was established in 1974 to build a parish center. It was built in 1979.
After the parish center was built, St. Mary of Sorrows parish went to work restoring the historic church. On July 3, 1988, former Arlington Bishop John R. Keating blessed the historic church for the second time in its 130 year history. On this occasion, Bishop Keating said, "the parish has served as a beautiful living symbol of a very strong faith."
St. Mary of Sorrows is one of the larger parishes in the diocese with 3,600 families. Although the parish center was built only a little over 30 years ago, it is no longer large enough to accommodate the parishioners and their needs. Ten acres adjacent to the parish center have recently been purchased and a building fund has been established for the construction of a new church. Once the new church is built, the worship area in the parish center will be converted into offices and classrooms.
At a Glance
Saint Mary of Sorrows
5222 Sideburn Rd.
Fairfax, VA 22032
703/978-4141
Rectory 11112 Fairfax Station Rd.
Fairfax Station, VA 22039
Website: www.stmaryofsorrows.org
Historic Church
Fairfax Station Rd. & Rt. 123, Fairfax Station
Pastor: Fr. Donald C. Greenhalgh
Parochial Vicars: Fr. Stephen Holmes, Fr. Michael D. Weston
In residence: Fr. David A. Whitestone
Deacons: Jack M. Ligon
Mass Schedule
Saturday: (Church) 9:15 a.m.; 5, 6:30 p.m. (Vigil Masses)
Sunday: (Church) 7:30, 9, 11 a.m.; 12:30 p.m.; Youth Mass (1st and 3rd week) 7 p.m. (Sept. – May); (Historic Church) 8:45, 10:45 a.m.
Weekdays: (Church) 9:15 a.m.; (Historic Church) 7 p.m.
Holy Days: (Church) 8 p.m. (Vigil Mass), 6:15, 9:15 a.m.; 6:30, 8 p.m.
Confession: (Church) Saturday: 3:30-4:45 p.m.; Monday: 10-10:30 a.m.; (Historic Church) Wednesday: 6:30-7 p.m.
Preschool
5222 Sideburn Rd., 22032
703/978-9656
Director: Elena Quartuccio
Ages: 3-4 years
Students: 76
DRE: Margaret Talesca
YM: William Gavin
Parishioners: 12,700
Boundaries: Beginning at George Mason University (which is part of the parish) – East on Braddock Rd. to Twinbrook Rd. – Southwest on Twinbrook to Burke Rd. – South on Burke to Southern RR tracks – West on tracks to Roberts Pkwy. – South on Roberts Pkwy. To Pohick Rd. – East on Pohick to Burke Lake Rd. – West on Burke Lake to Ox Rd. (Rt. 123) – South on Ox to Occoquan River – Northwest on River to Wolf Run Creek – North on Wolf Run to Maple Branch Creek – East to exclude Amkin development and north on Clifton Rd. – West on Clifton Rd. to Wolf Run Creek – North on Wolf Run Creek to Yates Ford Rd. – Northwest from Yates Ford by Stream and Glencove Rd. to Southern RR – East on Southern RR to Popes Head Creek which joins Piney Branch at Fairfax Station Rd. – North on Piney Branch to Braddock Rd. east on Braddock Rd. to George Mason University.
Copyright ©2002 Arlington Catholic Herald. All rights reserved.
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