In 1972, more than 500 Sterling Catholics gathered for Sunday Mass in the cafeteria of Sterling Middle School. Seeing a need for a permanent church in the area, only months later Bishop John J. Russell established Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling for the community. The now 50-year-old parish with more than 11,000 parishioners celebrated its anniversary with several events and initiatives, including a bilingual Mass with Bishop Michael F. Burbidge May 1.
To further celebrate the anniversary, the parish held an International Festival of Food in the parking lot April 30. With the help of donors, the parish purchased hand-carved Italian statues of Mary and baby Jesus and of St. Joseph for the sanctuary. Later this year, they plan to renovate the basement food pantry, a part of LINK — an ecumenical food bank serving Herndon, Sterling and Ashburn. On the actual anniversary of the parish founding, June 1, there will be a Mass closing the parish’s Forty Hours Devotion.
At its founding, the parish was staffed by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, and its first pastor was Atonement Father Norman Boyd. In 1980, the first church was dedicated. In 2000, Atonement Fathers Donald Howard and Bill Schmidt oversaw construction of a new church that could seat 1,200 people and accommodate a religious education program. In 2018, diocesan priests assumed responsibility for staffing the parish.
Father J.D. Jaffe, pastor, says one of the great strengths of the parish is its caring spirit. “The real hallmark of the parish is its welcomeness and its generosity toward those who are in need, and that stems from the faith, the prayer life, the sacramental life (of the people),” he said. “There’s a great devotional life in the parish. Last year was the first time the parish had a Eucharistic procession for Corpus Christi and we had over 700 people who came. It was incredible. There’s great energy and desire for the faith, which leads into living it out.”
More than 60 percent of Christ the Redeemer parishioners are Hispanic and there are a number of Vietnamese and Filipino parishioners, too. The rosary is prayed daily in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Filipino and French. While there is great diversity in the parish, its unity comes from Christ, Father Jaffe said in his homily.
“We can have no better name for a parish than Christ the Redeemer,” he said. “It’s in his saving act of redemption that we find our joy. It’s in his suffering on the cross that we find our forgiveness and it’s his love that unites every single one of us to one another.” Father Mark E. Moretti, parochial vicar, and other members of the clergy concelebrated the Mass, including Atonement Father Brian Terry, who grew up at the parish and later joined the friars.
After the Mass, parishioners gathered in Atonement Hall, the original church building of the parish, for a reception. Parishioner Richard Perron first joined the parish when Sunday Mass was celebrated at the hall, and he appreciated how much he felt a part of the liturgy there. Over the years, he’s been an extraordinary minister of holy Communion, a lector, a member of the choir and a volunteer for LINK. “(I) like to be involved in what’s going on and not just sitting in the pew,” he said. “It’s all rewarding.”
Orlando Flores, who has been a parishioner with his wife Zonia for 40 years, helped organize the parish’s early Spanish-language Masses. “Twenty-five (people) was a lot in 1985,” said Flores. Now, of the seven Masses every weekend, four are English and three are Spanish, thanks to the parish’s growing Hispanic population.
“The church helped a lot of people through the pandemic and (it continues to), and that gets people coming (to church) not because of the help, but because of the kindness of the people who work at the church and Father Jaffe,” said Flores. “As time goes by, the Hispanic community seems to grow day by day and that’s because he’s very enthusiastic.”
“There’s just a lot of excitement here at Christ the Redeemer because we have so many activities (and) the population is growing so much,” said Maria Alvarez, who has been a parishioner for 35 years.
“You feel good going to Mass, you don’t feel like it’s an obligation, you just want to go because you want to hear the homily for that day,” said 20-year parishioner Yohyres Carrillo.
Gabriela Bohnett, who is part of the music ministry and a volunteer for WorkCamp, loves the parish priests, its international community and its active spirit. “My son is an altar boy because he was invited to be an altar boy by Father Moretti and he loves it. I’ve seen a big change in him being so immersed in the Mass, recognizing the importance of the Eucharist,” she said. “(At Christ the Redeemer), everybody feels that they fully belong. Everybody takes ownership for the church and it’s just a very vibrant, very lively community.”
