The skies were gray and the streets wet with rain, but the weather did not dampen the spirits of the visitors and parishioners who packed the pews in St. John Bosco Church in Woodstock.
It was Dec. 3, the first Sunday of Advent, and all had gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the dedication of this thriving parish church, and the recent completion of a significant parish hall renovation.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated the Mass with Father Augustine Minh Hai Tran, pastor; Msgr. Seamus Horgan, first counselor at the apostolic nunciature in Washington; and Father Stephen M. Vaccaro, parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Church in Winchester.
In his homily, Bishop Burbidge said the celebration of the parish’s golden anniversary was appropriate as the Arlington diocese initiated its own Golden Jubilee year a week earlier. He then spoke of the themes of the last two preparatory years for the jubilee, “Remember” and “Rejoice.”
“We rejoice when we think upon the number of people who encountered God right here in this church,” Bishop Burbidge said. After thanking Father Tran and the parishioners for their great devotion to the Eucharist and encouraging them to continue to do so — “Make the Eucharist the source, the summit of everything you do as a parish community” — he also praised the parish for its long history of taking care of those in need.
At the end of Mass, Father Tran thanked the bishop and diocesan consultants for their assistance with the renovation of the parish hall, and the many parishioners who contributed their time and treasure to the project. Reminding the congregation of their own three-year parish jubilee journey that mirrored that of the diocese, he urged them to “remember the dead and the living of the parish,” to “recall the history of the parish by telling stories and keeping alive its memories,” and to “recommit to evangelization.”
Following Mass, Bishop Burbidge blessed the newly renovated Hanley Hall. Above the main door, a large sign with traditional artwork depicting St. Joseph, Mary and the child Jesus informs parishioners they are entering the Holy Family Center. A luncheon, supervised by Dianne Labadie, was held in the hall.
The new classrooms in the hall are named after saints. The St. Therese room is for first-year confirmation students and features a large wall display with the saint pictured on a cloud with handcrafted roses strewn at her feet.
In one of the classrooms, Monica and James Rossi, who work with the parish young adult group and have a toddler, distributed commemorative t-shirts and a 15-page history of the parish. The Rossi family moved to Woodstock from Northern Virginia about 18 months ago.
“One thing I like about the church is that it’s small,” said Monica. “It’s much easier to know people.” She also appreciates the hours of adoration and the fact “that the church is open every day for prayer.”
The many volunteers in action all day reflect the long parish tradition of hard work and involvement as described in the history pamphlet.
One passage notes that Father Tran’s “desire is that the children of the parish have a greatly improved setting for their studies and enjoyment so they are better able to learn the true meaning of God’s love for them.”
The attractive classrooms show that Father Tran and the parishioners more than fulfilled that desire.
Minick is a freelancer in Front Royal.
