St. Mark Parish in Vienna Ready for New Era

By Alfonso Aguilar
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 2/6/03)

"The construction project will be substantially completed by Aug. 19 and finished next September," said Father Patrick Holroyd, pastor of St. Mark Parish in Vienna, whose new endeavor will add an elementary school for 400 students and a Christian Formation Center to respond to the needs of the parish’s many groups and committees.

Father Holroyd was appointed pastor of this parish in June 2001. He is the former pastor of St. Thomas a Becket Parish in Reston. At St. Mark's he succeeded the late Father Stewart Culkin.

The new St. Mark Parish Calendar lists exactly 53 committees, from Adult Religious Education to the Marian Society, from Children’s Liturgy to Welcoming Newcomers. In addition, there is the Pastoral Council and a wide variety of commissions –education, youth, community and worship, among others.

The $9 million project, of which half still needs to be raised in the months ahead, is the result of what Father Holroyd called the three "Ts" that have historically characterized the parish: "Time, Talent and Treasure."

"Since its inception, this parish has been very involved in the community and parishioners very involved in the parish’s activities," said Father Holroyd.

The recently published book Walking in Faith:The First 25 Years: A History of the Diocese of Arlington states that since the early years, its first pastor, Father Robert J. Walsh, established in St. Mark a "neighboring group structure" to pass on information as well as get feedback on what parishioners were thinking.

"There has always been a very good communication between the parish and the congregation, inside and outside the parish," said founding parishioner Paul Lyons, a sort of living memory of the history of this parish of 9,925 parishioners.

"This is and has been a parish in constant motion, very strong in faith, loyal and committed to outreaching the community," Lyons added while showing an impressive purple folder with more than 20 documents about St. Mark, including the St. Mark calendar with many pictures of the different activities that enlighten the life of this parish.

The history of St. Mark Parish, "a Catholic Christian community dedicated to proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ through service to our brothers and sisters," dates back to the early 1960s when the diocese acquired 20 acres of farmland in the west section of Vienna, north of Oakton, on Vale Road.

Officially, it was established in 1965, with Father Walsh as its founding pastor. "Before the announcement of the establishment of a new parish in Vienna, many parishioners like me and my wife belonged to Our Lady of Good Council," remembers Lyons, whose long list of religious service includes the post of chairman of the building fund of this parish in the mid-50s. Our Lady of Good Council, also in Vienna, was established in 1955.

The first Masses were celebrated at James Madison High School. Dedication of the original church took place in 1968. Office Manager Claire Fountaine, parishioner at the time of the dedication, estimated that the new parish had 400 families and probably 10 committees. Currently the parish has more than 2,600 families and has had a steady increase of approximately 200 every year.

Under the direction of Msgr. Thomas J. Cassidy, second pastor from 1983 to 1989, the church was rebuilt as it appear today, with its two tall crosses to the right of the main entrance. In 1984 Bishop John R. Keating dedicated the new church.

The main part of the parish has a seating capacity for 1,000, in such a form "to suggest the act of gathering, so as we come together for worship, we may recall that Christ is first of all presents in the assembly of God’s people," according to a brochure with many details of how the current church is structured interiorly and exteriorly.

Additional information mentions all the numerous religious and social programs that keep St. Mark "in constant motion," said Lyon. It is difficult to imagine a sector of the population or a social need not included in St. Mark’s concerns.

The faith and will of this parish outreach homeless, AIDS patients, pregnant women experiencing crisis, sick persons either in hospitals or recently discharged; elderly in need of transportation; inmates and the hungry, among other groups.

Some programs, such the Catholic Jail Ministries, have been active since the 1970s, and others like The Lamb Center, a daytime drop-in center form the homeless "offers unique services such as showers, laundry, mail boxes and storage for personal items; devotion, prayer and Bible study twice daily, access to telephones, computers and fax machines to gain employment and referral for social services and assistance in a safe, loving, and Christian environment."

Many other programs invite participation in building houses for the poor or collecting furniture to deliver to those in need, or involvement in the Social Action Linking Together to influence legislation of behalf of those less fortunate or whose voices frequently go unheard.

"The new facilities won’t change these programs," said Father Holroyd. "But will enhance them and offer the space needed by our groups."

Parishioners like Lyons believe that the new Christian Formation Center, and especially the elementary school, will nurture in the student what it is not encouraged in public school –the vocations.

At a Glance

St. Mark Church

9970 Vale Rd.

Vienna, VA 22181-4005

703/281-9100

703/281-9102 (fax)

Website: www.stmark.org

Pastor: Father Patrick Holroyd

Parochial Vicar: Father Geronimo A. Magat

Deacon: Lawrence L. Ziemianski

Mass Schedule:

Saturday: 8 a.m.; 5:30 p.m. (Vigil Mass)

Sunday: 8:15, 10, 11:45 a.m.

Weekdays: Monday-Friday: 9:15 a.m.; Friday: 6:15 a.m. Monday: 7:30 p.m.

Religious Education:

DRE(s): Sister Anne Jordan, O.S.F., Pat Wheatley

YM: Brian Abrams, Tom Yehl

Parishioners: 9,925

Boundaries: Beginning at Cedar Ln. and I-66—West on I-66 to Rte.50—Northwest on 50 to West Ox Rd.—North on West Ox to Bennett Rd.—East on Bennett to Fox Mill—South on Fox Mill to Stuart Mill—East on Stuart Mill to Difficult Run—East on Difficult Run to the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad (bike trail) —Southeast to Maple Ave. —West to Center St. —Southeast on Center St. to Moore Ave. —Southwest on Moore to Cottage St. —Southeast on Cottage to Cedar Ln. —South on Cedar Ln. to I-66.

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