Every morning, when the weather’s fine, Father Terry Staples
sits on the front porch of the rectory of St.
Isidore the Farmer Church in Orange and prays. His view
is the small brick church, of which he has been pastor since
fall 2009, and acre upon acre of rolling farmland.
“It’s almost like a retreat house,” said Father Staples of
the spiritual home of 230 parishioners in Orange County.
Located 87.2 miles southwest of the Chancery in Arlington,
St. Isidore was established in 2001and dedicated in 2002 as a
result of a merger between St. Mark Parish in Gordonsville,
built in the late 1800s, and St. John Parish in Orange, built
in the 1940s. (See video
profile on the parish here.)
Missionhurst priests staffed the two parishes until diocesan
priest Father David Martin was appointed pastor of both by
the late Arlington Bishop John R. Keating in 1995. Father
Martin, now pastor of St. Jude Parish in Fredericksburg,
oversaw the suppression of the two parishes and the
subsequent formation of St. Isidore, aptly named after the
patron saint of farmers and rural communities.
(See
story on the dedication of St. Isidore.)
The church’s quiet, peaceful setting – located off of Route
15 on St. Isidore Way – is a reflection of the parish’s
community and culture.
“There’s a love of nature and love of simplicity,” Father
Staples said. “It’s a simpler way of life in general compared
to Northern Virginia.”
Tom Fursman, originally a parishioner of St. Mark and now
office manager, musician, sacristan and permanent
deacon-in-formation at St. Isidore, said the parish’s small
size means each parishioner has a “uniqueness.”
“You’re a name, not a number,” he said. “You have a real
community here because everybody knows everybody. You have a
much closer personal relationship than if you’re going to
Mass and there are 2,000 people there.”
The people of St. Isidore live out the call in St. John’s
Gospel to serve one another, Fursman said.
“People know each other very familiarly and fraternally,” he
said. “It’s very difficult to have somebody slip under the
cracks.”
If someone misses Mass for one week, people wonder why; two
weeks and they’re taking action.
“Since that bond is so tight … there is a tremendous
outreach to help those in need,” he said. “It’s a family.”
Inside the church, walls of windows looking out on the
surrounding vistas let in abundant light. The Stations of the
Cross and tabernacle are originals from St. John and the
statues of Mary and St. Joseph are from St. Mark. The 19 rows
of pews are centered in front of a vibrant triangle
stained-glass window depicting the life of St. Isidore, and
16 phrases in praise of the patron saint hang on the wall in
the back of the church.
St. Isidore is the perfect patron saint for the small parish
in which, as Father Staples said, everyone grows something.
Even Father Staples has a garden, tilled for him behind the
rectory by a handful of parishioners.
Father Staples, whose previous assignment was at St. Louis
Parish in Alexandria, said he’s developed a deeper connection
with nature since moving to Orange.
“I’m so much more tuned into the weather and all the
different moods of the climates,” he said. “I wake up and
look out the window and it’s like a postcard.”
Quick facts
St. Isidore the Farmer Parish
14414 St. Isidore Way
Orange, Va. 22960
540/672-4933
Pastor: Fr. Terrence R. Staples
Mass Schedule:
Sat.: 5 p.m.
Sun.: 8, 10:30 a.m.
Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri.: 12:15 p.m.
Parishioners: 330
