Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” rose up to the rafters of a packed St. William of York Church the morning of June 7, signaling the start of Mass marking the 70th anniversary of the Stafford parish.
“How appropriate to begin with that song since I see so much joy in you today,” said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, who celebrated Mass.
“How blessed are we to celebrate your 70th anniversary as the universal church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, for the Eucharist is the source and summit of parish life and our own spiritual lives,” said Bishop Burbidge during the homily. “Pray for the grace to maintain what St. John Paul II, referred to as ‘Eucharistic wonder and awe.’ We will if we are mindful of the actual gift we receive.”
After Mass, Bishop Burbidge, along with Father Robert J. DeMartino, pastor, and Fathers Will Nyce and Alfredo Tuesta, parochial vicars, led more than 900 parishioners in a Corpus Christi procession around the parish grounds. The procession ended at an outdoor altar beneath a statue of Jesus.
Also present during the procession were perpetual pilgrims on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. The group left St. Augustine, Fla., in May and is making its way up the East Coast to Philadelphia to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary. This is Capuchin Franciscan Father Michael Herlihey’s second year as a chaplain of the eucharistic pilgrimage. He said he has enjoyed seeing the excitement of the people when they arrive at different locations.
“This parish really showed up today,” said Father Herlihey. “When you have an overflow chapel of people and to see all the celebrations, you can feel the joy and the energy from the ordinations this weekend with the seven priests being ordained. So, you can really feel a lot of the joy of all these celebrations coming together, along with Corpus Christi. It’s also been neat seeing the universal church here with the different cultures coming together.”
Parishioners and guests were invited to attend a parish festival with colorful inflatables, rides and games for the kids, along with live music, and vendor booths.
“Celebrations like this build community,” said Father DeMartino. “For me, I can see how people so willingly volunteered and came together to do this. It was so easy. And it shows their love of their home here at St. William of York. When I first came here, I said that your two places of activity should be your home, your family home, and this should be your second home. And you can see that when we’re here today.”
One of the highlights of the festival was the ribbon-cutting for the Heritage tent, which housed posters documenting the history of the Catholic community dating back to the Brent family who fled religious persecution in Maryland and established the first Catholic community in Virginia in 1649.
According to Father DeMartino, wartime caused an increase in military operations at nearby Quantico Marine Corps Base, which brought more people and Catholics to the area. The parish began in 1956 on property owned by the Brent family. The tent also featured a video with recorded messages from past pastors and parishioners. One couple, Bob and Maureen Waller, have been members of St. William of York since 1979.
“One of my favorite memories is when I came into the church in 1998,” said Bob. ”I would come to church with the family, you know, I used to usher and everything, but I wasn’t a ‘card-carrying’ Catholic.
“I was doing the shifts at the hospital and he would pick the kids up and take them to church on Sunday,” said Maureen. “And finally, somebody said, ‘Why don’t you ask him if he wants to be Catholic?’ I didn’t want him to feel like he was being pressured.”
“So, I tell everybody, I was the honor graduate of the RCIA,” Bob said with a laugh.
Another parishioner, Tom Faha, joined the parish with his family in 1994. “The parish means everything,” he said. “The school was just opening here, and this is where we could afford a bigger house so that’s where we headed. The greatest years were when all four of the boys were serving on the altar together, as altar boys. In many ways, the parish is another family member for us and helps us in our faith like a family member would.”
The festival included musical performances by the St. William of York Youth Ensemble, founded by Father Nyce, the Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School Jazz Band and a new youth ensemble that includes members with special needs and those learning English for the first time.
According to organizers, none of the festivities would have been possible without the more than 250 volunteers who worked on the event for months. Two of the parish’s longest-serving volunteers, Joy Heidmouf and Joan Nebel, could be found taking sign-ups for a commemorative parish rosary. The two are part of a group that makes and sells wax angels from the used votive candles in the church. Despite the 94-degree heat of the day, the 95-year-old Nebel was determined to stay at her post for one simple reason — she loves her parish.
Kassock is a freelance writer in Fredericksburg.
