God’s handiwork is expressed in the groves of trees and
rolling hills surrounding the brick exterior of Catherine of Siena
Parish in Great Falls, while the dexterity of human hands
is evident in the icons and sculptures within. The beauty
inside and outside the church calls the 3,423 parishioners to
praise God, as does a parish culture that entreats each
person to embrace the Catholic Faith.
“When I come to Mass, I hear what I need to hear, not always
what I want to hear,” said Zita Desa, mother of four and
parishioner since 1999.
Parishioner Regina Sweeney, mother of seven, agrees. Father
Alexander R. Drummond, pastor, “intends what the magisterium
intends; we are not getting watered-down Catholicism,” she
said.
The St. Catherine community began in 1968 as a mission of St.
Luke Parish in McLean when a family in Great Falls sought
religious education for their children closer to home. A
mission church was established once the family secured 110
local faithful. In 1979, St. Catherine was established as a
parish, with Father Anton Justs – later installed as the
first bishop of Jelgava, Latvia – as pastor. The present
church was dedicated in 1981. Outdoor Stations of the Cross,
a Garden for the Unborn and two gardens eventually were added
to the parish property. Gregory, a 12-year-old Scottish
border collie, also is a fixture of St. Catherine. While his
original job was to guard the rose garden from deer, he is in
remission from lymphoma and now remains primarily indoors.
“We are good buddies,” said Father Drummond.
Along Springvale Road approaching the parish, older homes
rest on large lots. Father Drummond, who first served as
parochial vicar and administrator before he was appointed
pastor in 2006, said although most people think of Great
Falls as wealthy – and there are pockets of mansions – many
parishioners are retired and have lived in the area for 20 or
30 years, he said. “They bought the land when it was out in
the boondocks” and not as expensive.
For those who are well-off, much of their income supports
families of seven or more, which are common at St. Catherine,
said Father Drummond. The parish is comprised primarily of
retirees and families, although there are some singles who
regularly attend services.
Desa said it was tempting to move somewhere less expensive,
but the unique nature of the parish and its Montessori school
kept her and her husband, Colin, local.
Siena Academy, for children ages 2 and a half to 12, is the
only Arlington diocesan Montessori school.
Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Janet Siepker, head of
school, embraced the Montessori approach because “it is
centered in the Faith and picks up the potential of each
child as a child of God.”
“It’s also sequentially detailed; it calls forth the child’s
natural development,” she said.
The school, adjacent to Bishop Justs Hall and the church,
opened in 2004, with support from then-pastor Father Franklyn
M. McAfee. Students often go on to attend the all-girls
Oakcrest School in McLean or the all-boys The Heights School
in Potomac, Md.
Sweeney and her husband, Owen, who helped start the school,
registered at St. Catherine while living in Vienna. “The
Latin Mass initially drew us in,” said Sweeney.
The Sunday solemn high Mass using the Latin Novus Ordo rite
includes a professional resident choir of 10 that sings
Gregorian chant and traditional choral music.
Kimberly Hess, director of music at St. Catherine, is an
instructor of music theory at Marymount University in
Arlington and has an extensive background in music, including
a master’s in sacred music from the University of Notre Dame
and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in organ performance from
the University of Illinois.
She feels the professional choir adds to the devotional life
of the parish. “The music is very well done and polished – it
creates an atmosphere of prayer and beauty,” said Hess, who
also directs the youth choir. The 20 youths sing monthly at
the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass.
While the 10 a.m. Mass is one of the most well-attended
services, the Latin Mass is attracts “hard-core regulars,”
said Father Drummond.
“What I love about the Latin Mass is you get the culture, the
beauty of the Faith – and you know it’s universal,” said
Sweeney. Since Latin is the language of the Church, there’s a
sense of “connectedness to the whole Church, that mystical
body,” she said.
The Mass is “a piece of heaven,” added Desa.
The connectedness Sweeney spoke of is felt at the parish
level, as well. “For many, social life revolves around the
parish and people linger and socialize after services,” said
Father Drummond.
A number of parishioners are members of Opus Dei, which
sponsors monthly evenings of recollection for men and for
women. An Opus Dei priest hears confessions regularly. The
Knights of Columbus Padre Pio Council meets twice a month,
and there is an over-50 club and an active Catholic Youth
Organization, led by Anson Groves, director of religious
education.
The devout community has been cultivated through liturgies,
devotions and social activities, as well as St. Catherine’s
pastors.
Jess Goodwin, 23, the oldest of nine, has been a parishioner
with his family for more than 15 years. The priests he’s
known at St. Catherine reach out to parishioners. They “want
to know how you are doing, what’s going on in your life,” he
said. When Goodwin, a former altar server, was home on summer
break from college, Father Drummond made a point of asking
how he was, he said.
And Father Drummond “says it like it is,” said Goodwin,
echoing Desa. “I appreciate that.”
Quick facts
St. Catherine of Siena Parish
1020 Springvale Rd.
Great Falls, Va. 22066
703/759-4350
Pastor: Fr. Alexander R. Drummond
DRE: Anson Groves
Mass Schedule:
Sat.: 9 a.m., 5:30 p.m. vigil
Sun: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon (solemn high Mass, Latin Novus
Ordo)
Weekdays: 9 a.m.
Parishioners: 3,423
School: Siena Academy, Catholic Montessori
1020 Springvale Rd.
Great Falls, Va. 22066
703/759-4129
Head of school: Franciscan Sr. of the Eucharist Janet
Siepker
Students: 137
