A year and a half after presiding at the Rite of Dedication of the new Corpus Christi Church in Aldie in May 2021, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge returned to celebrate Mass and bless a second building on the growing campus: a rectory and parish offices adjacent to the church.
After the 11:30 a.m. Mass Jan. 22, he also blessed two new statues flanking the confessionals: one of the Blessed Virgin Mary and another of St. Padre Pio, canonized in 2002, who was said to have been able to see inside people’s hearts during confession.
Before Massgoers were invited to join a procession next door for the rectory blessing and a tour of their priests’ new home and parish offices, Father Michael G. Taylor, pastor, led the congregation in a prayer to St. Joseph. They have been reciting this prayer for “a church and stable home” since 2011.
The new rectory provides that home for clergy, with four priest suites upstairs and one handicapped suite on the main level, along with an open living-dining room with a fireplace, and a bright kitchen with a large center island. Parish offices will occupy the walkout basement level.
“We are extremely happy to have Bishop Burbidge here this Sunday to bless our new building. It is an honor to our parish,” Father Taylor said. “We are consolidating two locations into one. It will be a little bit of a tight fit, but that is outweighed by the benefits of having both the priests and staff on site.”
In his homily, Bishop Burbidge said Pope Francis had designated the day Sunday of the Word of God and spoke about what that means. “God’s word is alive — it speaks directly to us,” he said. He offered suggestions for listening to God’s word, such as having Bibles at home and preparing for Mass by reading the day’s Scripture readings and psalms in advance. Then focus on noticing “a little spark” when you hear certain words or phrases stand out for you during Mass, so you know “that’s what God wants me to hear today. He always wants to speak to our hearts.”
Bishop Burbidge also spoke about the national March for Life in Washington two days earlier. As chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-life Activities, he gave the opening invocation at the march.
“It was so inspiring Friday to see thousands and thousands, many of them young people, marching on behalf of human life,” he said. “God is calling us to be a light in the midst of the darkness.” But we must ask, “How can I do my part to unite and not divide? We must forgive those who offend us and find ways to engage with those who do not agree with us. We cannot attack, we must try to inspire,” he said. “We must not cancel, we must convert hearts and minds.”
Father Taylor said that for the rectory construction, the parish used a local builder, Castleman Carpentry of Berryville, which had done previous work at St. Bridget of Ireland Church in Berryville and St. Theresa Church in Ashburn.
The Corpus Christi community began gathering in 2000 when St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Middleburg started offering Masses in South Riding for Catholics who could not travel to Middleburg every week. In 2005, Bishop Paul S. Loverde declared Corpus Christi a mission of St. Stephen. Father Taylor was named parochial administrator in 2010 and the founding pastor of Corpus Christi Church when it was made a parish in 2014. The parish acquired 18 acres of land off Route 50 in Aldie and, after reaching its fundraising goal of $5 million, broke ground for the church in 2019.
The next phases planned include a parish hall, then later, possibly a school and gym.
