In order to fully understand All Saints Parish in Manassas,
one must attend a Sunday Mass, insists Father Robert C.
Cilinski, pastor for the past 12 years.
The largest parish in the diocese, All Saints has more than
21,000 registered parishioners from 5,800 families. The new
church, which was built last summer to replace one built in
1974, seats 1,500.
According to Father Cilinski, those seats are often full,
with nearly that many people coming to each of the seven
Sunday Masses. It’s a powerful sight – more than a thousand
Catholics, of different ages, backgrounds and walks of life,
all united together in prayer.
Of course, it wasn’t always this way. The parish had humble
beginnings back in 1879. Built literally upon rubble from the
Civil War, the parish was founded by Catholic immigrants who
came to the area to find work on the nearby railroad. The
original church, located in what is now Old Town Manassas,
sat fewer than 100, but served as the only Catholic church
for hundreds of square miles, with boundaries extending to
Woodbridge, Triangle and the Bull Run Mountains. For years,
visiting priests would come from Warrenton to celebrate Mass.
When All Saints was named a parish in 1929, its first
resident priest and pastor was Father Michael Cannon. From
1942 to 1993, the parish was under the pastoral care of the
Stigmatine priests. Since their departure, the parish has
been staffed by diocesan priests.
As the years passed, All Saints split into six parishes: St.
Francis of Assisi in Triangle, Our Lady of Angels in
Woodbridge, St. Timothy in Centreville, Holy Family in Dale
City, Sacred Heart in Manassas and Holy Trinity in
Gainesville.
“This very large family was once a mustard seed,” Father
Cilinski said. “Since then, it has grown into a very fruitful
vine.”
While the parish has grown tremendously over the years,
Father Cilinski says it still holds on to that same strong
faith from its earliest years, a bond that ties all
parishioners together.
“Just the other day I was reflecting on how, many have
planted and many have watered, but it’s God that has given
the growth, so thank you, God,” Father Cilinski said. “It’s
always God’s grace that helps it grow and it’s the grace of
God that unites us all together in the Church.”
The parish is home to many different ministries and
organizations, including a youth ministry, prayer groups, a
senior citizen group, and a highly active Knights of Columbus
with more than 600 members.
The parish places a strong importance on education. All
Saints School was founded in 1957 and originally staffed by
the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia. In 2009, the school
earned a Blue Ribbon designation and this year, the school
has its largest enrollment in history – 558 students in
pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. David Conroy has been
principal for 16 years.
“There’s a tremendous spirit that surrounds the school,”
Conroy said. “Our pastor has done a great job of helping
everyone feel united and one in this great community.”
All Saints is home to a large religious education program and
an active home-schooling group. The parish youth ministry
program is led by parishioner Rob Tessier. It includes a
theater ministry, which involves hundreds of young people
every year.
The parish focuses strongly on outreach locally through the
St. Vincent de Paul Society and internationally through
Medical Missionaries and All Saints’ work with their twin
parish, St. Thomas Parish in Thomassique, Haiti.
Father Juan Puigbo, parochial vicar, is a priest from the
diocese of Maturin in Venezuela. He has been at All Saints
for the past year and has spent much time working with the
Hispanic community.
He estimates that nearly 40 percent of parishioners are
Hispanic. The challenge that comes with such diversity is
keeping the parish united as one community, instead of a
group of several communities sharing a building.
“It’s a very diverse community in itself, so the challenge is
to show that we are one parish, that we are not two parishes
in one church,” he said. “We are one parish, one church
united in Christ, and of course we are diverse – in language,
in ministries and in needs.”
For Father Cilinski, the best thing about All Saints is its
strong basis in the faith. He enjoys celebrating the
sacraments and being with parishioners during some of the
most important moments of their lives.
“Being in the thick of life with the people of God and
celebrating God’s love for them in those moments – what a
privilege it is to be invited into those moments with so many
families,” he said.
He hopes that parishioners will be inspired by the parish
name to remember their ultimate goal – helping each other to
holiness and sainthood.
“We need all the saints praying for us because we are all
called to be saints, and the purpose of the parish is that we
can all join that great communion,” he said. “The beautiful
thing about the parish is that we are united in our
friendship with Christ. Therefore, the differences among us
don’t make any difference at all.”
Katie Bahr can be reached at [email protected].
Quick facts
All Saints Church
9610 Center St.
Manassas, Va. 20110
703/368-4500
Pastor: Fr. Robert C. Cilinski.
Parochial vicars: Fr. John A. Melmer,
Fr. Francisco Méndez de Dios,
Fr. Juan A. Puigbo and
Fr. Jeb S. Donelan
Deacons: John W. Eberlein and
Richard T. O’Connell
DRE: Samantha Welsh
School:
9294 Stonewall Rd.
Manassas, Va. 20110
703/368-4400
Principal: David Conroy Jr.
Students: 558
Mass schedule:
Sat.: 8 a.m., 5:30 p.m. vigil.
Sun.: 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11: 30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. (Spanish),
5:30 p.m., 7 p.m. (Spanish)
Weekdays: 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m.
Parishioners: 16,735
