What’s distinctive about your parish? What is your parish’s charism? In addition to a vibrant parish community, the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington is also the “mother church” of the diocese. As such, it is home for the countless number of faithful who come for diocesan events such as jubilee Masses, ordinations and other spiritual and sacramental occasions. The parish is proud of its Cathedral Choir, which for more than 50 years has sung joyfully unto the Lord. It also is especially proud that the St. Thomas More Cathedral School was one of the first in North Arlington to desegregate following the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case. Our Blue Ribbon School has a long history with children of military service personnel. In 2021, we were designated a Purple Star School honoring our outreach and support of military children.
What’s the one unique thing visitors to your parish should do or see while there? The cathedral has many important fixtures, most notably the cathedra, or chair of the bishop. It is here as well that the Chrism Mass is celebrated when the bishop blesses the holy oil used by all diocesan clergy for sacramental needs and rites.
Our architecture honors our patron, St. Thomas More. The stained-glass windows are the exact size of the windows found in the Tower of London where More was imprisoned. The ceiling is painted with images relating to More’s martyrdom, and throughout the cathedral are reminders of his office as chancellor of the exchequer, or treasury, and his affiliation with the House of Tudor (red roses can be found throughout).
What is a new ministry that you’ve started? Or, alternatively, share some recent activities of longstanding ministries. During the pandemic, we partnered with the Capital Area Food Bank to augment our already robust outreach ministry to the food insecure in our community. We recently partnered with So Others Might Eat in Washington to collect hundreds of pairs of socks for the homeless. We collected hundreds of coats for newly arrived Afghan refugees. Our collections for the St. Lucy Project and Christmas Dinner Boxes provide tens of thousands of pounds of food annually.
Is there a special way your parish encourages and supports faith formation? Perhaps it’s related to sacramental preparation and RCIA. Our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults coupled with our religious education program is pivotal in our formation ministry. We have provided opportunities to grow in one’s faith through reflection series and presentations. At the height of the pandemic, Father Kevin J. Dansereau, parochial vicar, began a virtual Bible study utilizing the popular podcast of Father Mike Schmidt’s “Bible in a Year” series. We also take advantage of our email platform provider, Flocknote, which partners with Father Robert Barron’s Word on Fire series to send evangelization and educational emails to parishioners. Most importantly, our faith formation is supported by the Gospel witness of our parish family and our clergy. We are blessed to have Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, whose pastoral care is keenly felt.
How are you supporting the faith journey of particular cultures represented in your parish? We have a vibrant and engaged Hispanic community that enriches our parish. Father Eliberto Garcia, parochial vicar, and his volunteers have enlarged celebrations such as the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Emmaus retreats, Los Posada celebrations at Christmas and blessing of cars in the summer in honor of the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
What would a visitor say about your parish, and how do new parishioners get involved? The cathedral is home not just to our parishioners, but to the entire diocesan community. Each finds a warm welcome from our staff and clergy. We have a Ministry Fair in the fall to encourage participation and volunteers can go to our website or call to find ways to share their gifts and talents.
What’s something we should know about your clergy? Our rector, Father Patrick L. Posey, who was baptized at the cathedral as an infant, was a missionary in the Dominican Republic for eight years. Serving the people of Banica, he helped to build roads and chapels for the faithful. Father Dansereau is an accomplished baseball player.
Is there a standout or longtime staff member or volunteer you’d like to tell us about? Larry Cerruti is one of our longest serving volunteers. A 1956 alumnus of the school, he has been a mainstay as an usher, lector, extraordinary minister of holy Communion, sacristan and Knight of Columbus (he was Grand Knight in the mid-1990s). Cerruti is always there to help with events large and small, from diocesan ordinations and Oktoberfest, to food and clothing drives. His cheerful demeanor and love of our parish is always on display.
Social media accounts:
facebook.com/CathedralSTMVA; https://twitter.com/CathedralSTMVA ; instagram.com/cathedralstmva/
3901 Cathedral Lane, Arlington
Cathedralstsm.org and stmschool.org
Mass times: Monday‐Friday, 7 a.m. and 12:05 p.m.; Tuesdays, 7 p.m. (Español); Saturdays, 9 a.m.
Saturday Vigil, 5 p.m.; Sundays, 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. (Español) and 7 p.m.
Federal holidays: 10 a.m. and livestreamed
Confession times: Thursday, 7-8 p.m.; Saturday, 3:30‐4:30 p.m., and by appointment; Sunday en Español: 12:15 p.m.-1 p.m.
Rector: Fr. Patrick L. Posey, V.F.
Year established: 1938
Total parishioners: 2,081
School
103 N. Thomas St.
Arlington
Principal: Catherine Adams Davis
Grades pre-K-eighth.
www.stmschool.org Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/stmschoolva/ https://www.facebook.com/stmschoolva https://twitter.com/STMSchoolVAUSA
