The piety at St. Lawrence “is
very striking,” said Mary Ann Hartzell, director of religious
education at the Alexandria parish for the past four years.
“What struck me my first year here, when visiting the church
once a day, was that it was never empty.”
(See video
profile on the parish here.)
A recent Thursday morning at the parish affirmed Hartzell’s
observation. Once the 9 a.m. daily Mass-goers finished
chatting in the parking lot and left to start their days, a
steady stream of parishioners quietly entered the church to
pray; as one left, another entered mere minutes later.
Father Christopher J. Mould, a Bishop O’Connell High School
grad who served as administrator of the parish for two years
before being named pastor in 2004, believes St. Lawrence is a
“noticeably prayerful parish” because a large number of
parishioners take their spiritual life seriously. “They are
willing to put time and effort into prayer,” he said.
Vibrant spirituality has characterized the parish since it
was established in 1967 by Richmond Bishop John Russell, and
this vibrancy has been enhanced by its pastors. Starting with
Msgr. Frank E. Mahler, each pastor “has tried to be faithful
to the sacred liturgy, the fullness of the Faith,” said
Father Mould.
Mary Flaherty, a parishioner since 1992 who taught religious
education for several years and is active in the parish
pro-life group, said Father Mould has continued the efforts
of his predecessors. “Father Mould is so shepherding,” she
said. Assisted by Father Tomasz Medrek, in residence, he
“really promotes the spiritual life of the parish,” said
Flaherty. Father James G. Mercer, also in residence, works as
a defender of the bond in marriage nullity trials for the
Tribunal, and Father Gerard A. Petta, a visiting priest,
assists with weekend Masses.
For the first three and a half years after the parish was
founded, the St. Lawrence community celebrated Mass at Edison
High School, about a mile and a half up Franconia Road from
were the church was built in 1970.
Along with the church, the 12 acres of parish property
include a rectory, renovated 20 years ago, and parish hall,
eventually named after Father Henry Hammond, the third
pastor. Father Franklin M. McAfee, the fourth pastor, oversaw
a renovation of the church in 1992, and his successor, Father
William Erbacher, added the tabernacle and altar rail.
Along with St. Lawrence pastors, the many devotions at the
church help cultivate piety. Regular devotions include a
novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Mondays; exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesdays, which begins after
the 9 a.m. Mass and includes an Our Lady of Fatima Prayer
Cell, Divine Mercy prayers, a Holy Hour and Benediction; and
First Saturday devotions.
The sustenance parishioners receive from prayer supports
energetic service to those in and outside the parish. The St.
Lawrence bereavement group has “a profound and lasting impact
on families” who have lost a loved one, said Father Mould.
The 12 or so members “show up, prepare a meal, express
sympathy.” Northern Virginia is a transient place and people
often do not feel rooted, he said. When the bereaved receive
empathy from people who may not even know them, they feel
more grounded in the parish, he said. “It has a very
important effect.”
St. Lawrence also has an active pro-life group, which
regularly prays the rosary at an abortion clinic on Duke
Street in Alexandria; active Knights of Columbus, who hold a
newcomers breakfast the first Sunday of the month; a Council
of Catholic Women (CCW), with outreach to Christ House and
Carpenter Shelter in Alexandria; and a rosary makers group
that sends its handmade devotionals to missionaries and
hospitals.
The impetus to serve led the parish to join Koinonia, an
ecumenical alliance of churches that provides short-term
emergency assistance, including food and financial aid and
advice, to the needy in Fairfax County.
And as further testament to parishioners’ strong devotional
life is the “abundant vocations” that have emerged from St.
Lawrence, said Father Mould. During his nearly 10 years at
the parish, he has seen three former parishioners ordained:
Father Ramon A. Baez in 2005, Father Anthony J. Killian in
2008 and Father Robert T. Wagner in 2009.
The zeal for the religious life seems contagious at the
parish. In an interview with the Catholic Herald prior to his
ordination, then-Deacon Killian said he was inspired by the
example of his onetime fellow St. Lawrence parishioner,
Father Baez, who Killian called “a man of deep faith.”
From service to fellow parishioners and the needy to the call
to the religious life, the faithful at St. Lawrence are
sustained not only by prayer and devotions, but also through
their emphasis on community.
According to Elisabeth Horswell, CCW president, the parish
has a familial feel.
“Before anybody even knew who I was, I felt like, OK, now I’m
home,” said Horswell, who also serves as an extraordinary
minister of holy Communion and regularly visits Sunrise
Nursing Home in Springfield, where she prays with residents,
reads the Sunday Gospel and provides Communion. “People are
very warm and welcoming,” she said.
Within this church that is rarely empty, parishioners find a
nourishing spiritual home.
Quick facts
St. Lawrence Parish
6222 Franconia Rd.
Alexandria, Va. 22310
703/971-4378
Pastor: Fr. Christopher J. Mould
In residence: Frs. James G. Mercer and Tomasz Medrek
DRE: Mary Ann Hartzell
Mass Schedule:
Sat.: 9 a.m., 5 p.m. vigil
Sun: 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (extraordinary
form of the Roman rite)
Weekdays: 9 a.m.
Parishioners: 3,950
