A little-known knob in the tree of Virginia history lies at the end of a dirt
road in Aquia. Neighboring St. William of York Church in Stafford and flanked
by wooded swampland, the Brent Family Cemetery dates back to 1686, when King
James II of England granted George Brent a swath of 30,000 acres nestled
between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. With that grant, the king also
issued a royal mandate for the Brents to freely practice their Catholic
faith.
Brent was the nephew of Maryland Governor Giles Brent who, with
his better-known sister, Margaret – a businesswoman and the first American
woman to demand the right to vote – fled to Virginia in 1649 following attacks
led by Protestant ship captain Richard Ingle. Like many Catholic families after
the outbreak of the English Civil War, they no longer felt safe in Maryland.
Thus, the Brents became the first Catholic family to settle permanently in
Virginia.
This was the legacy observed at the Brent Family Cemetery Oct.
24, when the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Woman’s Club of Richmond, St.
William of York Church and other community members convened for a Field Mass.
The faithful worshipped to sunshine and birdsong among the graves, surrounded
by trees ablaze with the colors of Virginia autumn.
In his homily,
Father Anthony J. Killian, parochial vicar of St. William of York, called upon
those present to reflect on what he described as “transtemporal reality,” or
man’s ability to “reach across time.”
“Our faith assures us that death is not the end,” said
Father Killian. “Death does not obstruct our bond with those who died centuries
ago.”
He also mentioned the Brent family’s courage for observing their
faith during a challenging time in Catholic history.
“Think of what they
had to do,” he said. “It’s so easy for us now – now, but we have to prepare for
the future.”
The Mass featured a patriotic witness of the Knights Honor
Guard, a blessing of the wreath commissioned by the Catholic Woman’s Club and
“America the Beautiful” as the recessional hymn.
The Field Mass
tradition dates back to Oct. 6, 1929, which was a few years before the Catholic
Woman’s Club undertook cemetery preservation efforts. They cleared the land,
built the brick wall that now encircles the bulk of the burial ground and
erected the altar. In 1930, the Catholic Woman’s Club also had a crucifix
installed at the intersection of Route 1 and Telegraph Road near the cemetery.
The bronze monument – which was designed by sculptor Georg J. Lober, who
apprenticed under Mount Rushmore sculptor, Gutzon Borglum – commemorates the
Brent family and religious tolerance.
Today, the Catholic Woman’s Club
does not preserve Brent Family Cemetery in isolation. Other patrons include
Knights councils from Manassas, Stafford, Aquia, Quantico, Triangle and
Gainesville; Flaherty Ladies of the Fourth Degree; Ladies Auxiliary of George
Brent; and Margaret Ladies of Widmer Council.
Carrol J. Frederick is
chairman and William A. Edmond is co-chairman of the Brent Family Cemetery
Committee, which also includes Father Killian, James H. Everett, David S.
Hermann, Thomas G. Vetter, Daniel J. Sullivan and James A. Lowder. Among the
committee’s associate members are representatives from the Stafford County
Cemetery Committee and the Arlington Diocese, with Martha Williams serving as
the consulting archaeologist.
At a luncheon following this year’s Field
Mass, Holy Trinity Assembly No. 2520 made a presentation outlining current and
planned actions for the Brent Family Cemetery.
A developer who recently
purchased land near the cemetery, which qualifies as a Virginia Historical
Site, has promised a donation of $10,000 once its first subdivision plan is
approved. The developer also has agreed to improve the access road, resurvey
the property and help install an on-site power drop. The donation will be made
to the Arlington Diocese and then applied according to the committee’s
plans.
In addition to maintaining the grounds and fighting vandalism,
the committee hopes to identify the cemetery’s graves. Specifically, the
committee wants to pinpoint the burial locations of the aforementioned Margaret
Brent and her great-grandniece, Sarah Brent Mason. Mason was the second wife of
Founding Father George Mason, who drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
David Hermann contacted the National Geographic Society Oct. 3 for assistance
in the search, but has yet to receive a response.
These endeavors will
preserve the church’s legacy in Northern Virginia, while ensuring the site
remains a pleasant and safe place for worship.
“I come here every year
as a pilgrimage,” said Brenda Whitlock Latham, president of the Catholic
Woman’s Club of Richmond. “This is my Mecca.”
