Doing what others say is impossible is pretty special but beating the odds while wearing orange is even better. Such was the case for Father John P. Mosimann, pastor of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg, April 20. He donned a bright orange construction hat and made his gold-plated shovel eat dirt for the groundbreaking of the Holy Cross Academy expansion.
“Nothing is impossible with God, and he can use all of your gifts, even your childhood love of orange,” said Father Mosimann.
More than 1,500 people attended St. Mary’s parish picnic at Holy Cross Academy in Fredericksburg. This year’s picnic celebrated the 25th anniversary of Holy Cross Academy, which opened its doors Aug. 31, 1998, as well as the success of the “Growing Our Legacy of Faith” capital campaign.
The expansion for the school will include moving the St. Mary’s preschool to the Holy Cross Academy campus and adding a new middle school wing. It also includes new playgrounds for elementary and preschool students, a new chapel, and a dedicated space for a new cafeteria.
The chapel will be adorned with two new stained-glass windows from Lynchburg Stained Glass. The window depicting the Annunciation is currently on display inside the church, and the window depicting a scene of the Child Jesus in St. Joseph’s workshop is displayed as students enter Holy Cross Academy.
At the celebration, bouncy houses, face painting, cotton candy and the school playground delighted the youngsters while parents and older students enjoyed socializing under the food tents. Attendees of all ages eagerly awaited the evening fireworks display.
“The picnic today has been great,” said Whitney Tetor, who attended with his wife, Anne, and his two children. “It’s amazing how supportive the community is of the parish and how much St. Mary does for the community. It is refreshing to see how involved the priests are in the school, too. We are very grateful to live in such a great community of Catholic individuals.”
Hundreds of attendees surprised Father Mosimann by wearing bright orange t-shirts with his go-to quote during the 2022 Capital Campaign, which is also the parish and school theme, “Nothing is impossible with God.”
During the groundbreaking, Holy Cross Principal Stephen Fry thanked the many donors for their generosity and Father Mosimann for his dedication to the school.
“I hope you see the sea of orange here today is a testament to all that you and your priests do for our future saints, scholars and leaders,” said Fry.
According to capital campaign co-chairs Donna Harring and Mary Owen, after a period of discernment, the goal of the campaign was to raise money for parish and school renovations.
Expansion fundraising efforts for the school initially were spearheaded by the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales, but in 2014 it became apparent that traditional fundraising methods needed to catch up with skyrocketing construction prices. Father Mosimann and the building committee determined that a capital campaign was required to get the project going again. It was a venture that many deemed impossible.
Despite the odds stacked against them, the campaign exceeded its goal with $7.2 million pledged.
During Harring’s opening remarks, she recognized Dr. Leroy Essig, a local hematologist oncologist, who led a capital campaign more than 25 years ago to build Holy Cross Academy.
“We celebrate the milestone of 25 years of service that Holy Cross Academy has provided to our parish families and community,” said Harring. “Please join me in thanking Dr. Essig and those who gave of their time, talent and treasures, to build such an incredible foundation on which we, and generations to come, will continue to grow our legacy of faith.”
“It has been amazing to see how the community has rallied together,” said Fry. “I’m so excited to see our students in the new spaces.”
The school construction, led by Wack General Contractor, will commence after school lets out in June. A dedication is planned for 2025.
Kassock is a freelancer in Fredericksburg.
