Cows grazed in the neighboring pasture, geese honked as they flew overhead and the parishioners of St. Katharine Drexel Mission walked through the woods to a small clearing on a 28-acre parcel of land — the site of their future parish home. In the late afternoon March 3 — the feast day of their patroness — the community of St. Katharine Drexel Mission broke ground for a church off Waterfall Road in Haymarket. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge blessed the people and the land, and then he, Father Christopher D. Murphy, pastor, and others ceremonially dug their shovels into the earth.
“May this opening of ground receive the sacrifices we have offered so that an edifice of our sacrificial love may manifest Christ for all,” said Father Murphy.
The St. Katharine Drexel Mission began when Father Joseph P. Biniek, the now retired pastor of St. Stephen Martyr Church in Middleburg, recognized the growing need for a Catholic community in Haymarket, said parishioner John Stirrup, who was present at St. Katharine’s first Mass. At the time, few parishes were close by. “We moved here in 1999 and we were going to Warrenton to St. John’s or Middleburg or to All Saints (Catholic Church in Manassas) — miles away,” said Stirrup.
Though Sunday Mass was closer to home for Haymarket Catholics, it was still challenging not to have a permanent place of worship. Setting up and taking down all the requirements for Mass and other events became commonplace for the faith community.
“We first met at Pace West School in an old building, built in 1935,” said Stirrup. “We had Amish benches made so that people could sit. It was cold in the winter and hot in the summer, but we had a dedicated number of parishioners that would show up, hundreds on Sunday.” Over the years, the community has worshipped at Bull Run Middle School in Gainesville, in a parishioner’s barn and currently at Battlefield High School in Haymarket.
In 2005, Bishop Emeritus Paul S. Loverde named St. Katharine a mission. Ten years later, the Arlington diocese bought a plot of land for the church and other parish buildings. The mission currently has more than 1,000 parishioners and several ministries including religious education, youth ministry, Bible study, Legion of Mary and the Father Jon O’Brien Knights of Columbus Council.
Through capital campaigns, galas, bake sales and other fundraisers, the mission has raised half of the money needed to build, and the diocese has loaned them the other half, as is customary. They hope to raise even more money in the immediate future so they can add 40 more seats to the church before construction begins. Currently, the projected building cost is between $7.3 million and $8 million and the expected completion date is November 2023.
“It’s very exciting moving forward to the next stage,” said Stirrup. “It’ll give us our own home, so to speak, and also the ability to really expand on ministries and be able to do more in the community, not only in the Catholic community but the community at large. There’s just such pent up demand in the area and I think so many folks are looking for their own church in the Haymarket/Gainesville area.”
In his remarks, Father Murphy noted that the construction process has been guided by many, including the diocesan Office of Planning, Construction and Facilities, Prince William County board of supervisors, Whitener & Jackson Inc. contractors, Hetzel Design architects and the parish building committee.
“I’m confident we have heeded the proper due diligence from human sources and that we have not neglected reliance on divine faith-filled help,” he said. “The bricks that we lay have been kilned in faith and sacrifice and in turn are ready to be a proper sacramental. This will be a source of grace to the Catholics and non-Catholics in Haymarket for generations to come.”
Bishop Burbidge recalled that St. Katharine Drexel, an American heiress, a religious sister and an advocate for African Americans and Native Americans, often donated money to build churches or Catholic schools, including St. Joseph Church in Alexandria. “She would be known to unexpectedly show up to make sure that the funds were being used as designated and the work was actually being done,” he said. “So this is a warning to all of you that she wants this job to get done and she’ll be looking after us, but in a loving way. She’ll be there to intercede for us and to help us so we can go forward with great confidence.”
At the end of the ceremony, a few parishioners stayed behind to pack up the tent, chairs and everything else needed for the groundbreaking.
“One day, we won’t have to do this anymore,” one parishioner commented to another.
The other replied, “That day, I’m looking forward to.”
