After years of steady growth, St. John the Evangelist Church in Warrenton took a major step to address a significant need Dec. 9.
Father Charles C. Smith, pastor, donned a hardhat and shovel, alongside fellow priests and parishioners, to break ground on a new $4.5 million parish administrative building.
“This is a big day in the life of any parish — when you’re building a major building — it shows the permanence of the parish,” said Father Smith. “It’s looking to the future. We want to build a building that will be usable for the next hundred years.”
Since Father Smith became pastor at St. John in 2019, the parish has grown from 1,700 families to more than 2,500. He estimates that 144 new families register every year. The office staff has been making do in the cramped 79-year-old cinder block building that has achieved legendary status for many Warrenton natives.
The barracks-like building that faces the main church was originally home to the Stuyvesant School for Boys, replacing a building that was destroyed by fire in 1946.
“That’s an ugly cinder block building,” joked Father Smith, while addressing a group of 40 parishioners attending the groundbreaking ceremony. “They built it like that because they didn’t want it to burn.”
It was a sentimental moment for Lydia Miller, CEO of MILLER Brothers Inc., the building contractors for the project. “I attended preschool here in the mid 1990s,” she said. “Returning now to help support the parish in its next chapter is truly an honor.”
After the old building is bulldozed, the new building will complement the Romanesque Revival stone church that was completed in 1964.
Architect David Norden said the office building will reflect the architecture of the church to pull the whole campus together. “We always hope that what we design will last for generations,” he said. “Unfortunately, so many buildings and houses that are being made today are more disposable than anything.”
It will have a main floor, basement and second floor with spacious offices and meeting spaces. “The layout will make more sense,” said Father Smith. “It will be 2,000 square feet larger than the existing building, and the best thing is, it has been designed by us. It is exactly what we wanted.”
Father Ramon A. Baez, pastor of Holy Family Church in Dale City and dean of Deanery Five, attended the groundbreaking. He said church building projects are a cause for celebration. “The beautiful thing about the Catholic faith is continuity, and people are going to remember this day and this great transformation of this parish,” he said. “It is a great joy to be with Father Smith and the people in this exciting moment.”
Parishioners who attended the 8:30 a.m. Mass and braved the sub-freezing temperatures to participate in the ceremony were overjoyed.
“This is a very special parish,” said Terri Morris. “I’m a cradle Catholic and I’ve never been to a church quite like this. This building means a great deal to the congregation.”
“There has been a lot of wonderful support from everyone,” said Norma Francis. “We know it’s gonna be a bit of a hardship during the building itself, but it’s something that will enhance the property and the facilities for those who work here.”
After the ceremony, Father Smith spoke with gratitude about the generosity of parishioners in making a commitment to the church and town of Warrenton. “We want to put up a building the town is proud of,” he said. “We are the beginning of the Old Town Historic District and we want people to have a sense that this really fits, that it belongs here, and that it has permanence.”
