It’s a common problem in Northern Virginia. People are so
busy with their own lives, commuting and working and
shuttling children around, that they rarely have time to get
involved in communities outside of work or family. That’s
something the parishioners of St. Andrew the Apostle Church
in Clifton are trying to change.
“In Northern Virginia, it’s easy to check in and check out,
but it’s hard to feel a part of something,” said Father John
D. Kelly, pastor.
That’s why he and the rest of the staff at the church are
working to make the parish feel like a home for local
Catholics, socially as well as spiritually.
St. Andrew the Apostle was founded in 1989 by the late
Arlington Bishop John R. Keating to be a home for Catholics
living in Clifton, an area that at that time was “pretty much
woods,” according to Father Kelly.
The church was built in 1993, around the same time that a
neighborhood called Little Rocky Run was being built and a
new influx of suburbanites were moving to the area.
(See a video profile on the parish here.)
Today, the busy parish is home to 9,051 parishioners, many of
whom work for the federal government or the military. For
those parishioners, the church offers many ministries and
organizations, including an active senior citizen group, a
Legion of Mary and junior Legion of Mary, prayer groups and
scripture studies, a Knights of Columbus council, Scouting,
several choirs, and a Schonstatt group.
There is an active pro-life community, which participates in
40 Days for Life, prays at an abortion clinic in Manassas and
holds monthly bake sales to raise money for pro-life
causes.
The parish outreach efforts include food collections for the
western Fairfax food bank and Our Lady of the Blue Ridge
Parish in Madison. The church is also home to an organization
called Angels of Mercy, which uses volunteers to fulfill
short-term needs for people in the community – whether
they’re pregnant and on bed rest or elderly and in need of a
ride to get prescriptions. Angels of Mercy volunteers provide
meals, transportation and companionship for those in
need.
Joan Crum, who organizes the Angels of Mercy, said the
ministry was started two and a half years ago as a way for
people in the parish to “be the hands and feet of Our Lord in
helping these people.” Since its inception, the ministry has
grown to include approximately 60 volunteers.
“It’s kind of like we’re in a little town,” Crum said. “These
are just some wonderful quiet people who would like to do
something to help. It’s a blessing for the people who do the
help and the people who get help.”
For young people, St. Andrew the Apostle has an active youth
ministry program of more than 30 teens. The ministry, run by
husband-and-wife team Derek and Bethany Rogers, provides
teens with social and spiritual nourishment, including
monthly worship music nights and activities like
paintballing.
In the past, teens have gone on service trips to the
Dominican Republic and a pilgrimage to Rome. During Lent, it
is a tradition for the teens to raise money for activities by
serving soup to parishioners during Friday night soup
suppers.
St. Andrew the Apostle School, which opened in 1993, has an
enrollment of 278 students from preschool to eighth grade.
The parish’s religious education program is booming, with an
enrollment of 700 students, and 130 people serving as
volunteers or catechists, according to Dolores Nelson,
director of religious education (DRE).
Nelson, who has been DRE for 14 years and a parishioner since
the parish’s founding, says St. Andrew the Apostle is special
because it feels like a second home.
“The thing I like about it the most, I would say, is the fact
that it’s an extension of my home. The many friends and
associates I have here are truly like family,” she said.
That familial vibe is the type of atmosphere Father Kelly
hopes will continue to flourish in the coming years. In the
past year, the parish has taken steps to foster that feeling,
including publishing a pictorial directory – with photos of
parish and school staff and parishioners – and holding its
first parishwide picnic. According to Father Kelly, about
1,200 parishioners attended the picnic. He hopes they can
make it an annual event.
“My greatest joy is the weekends when I have the opportunity
to interact and talk with my parishioners. On Sundays, my
biggest charge is getting to talk to them,” Father Kelly
said. “We’re a family of faith trying to get each other into
heaven.”
Quick facts
St. Andrew the Apostle Parish
6720 Union Mill Rd.
Clifton, Va. 20124
703/817-1776
Pastor: Fr. John D. Kelly
Parochial vicar: Fr. Mark Mullaney
In residence: Discalced Carmelite Fr. Russell Raj
Yesudhas
DRE: Delores
Nelson
Mass Schedule:
Sat.: 8:45 a.m., 5:30 p.m. vigil
Sun: 7:30 a.m., 8:45 a.m., 10:30 a.m. (Latin Novus Ordo),
12:30 p.m.
Mon., Wed., Fri.: 8:45 a.m.
Tue., Thur.: 6:30 a.m.
Thur.: 7 p.m. (Latin Novus Ordo)
Parishioners: 9,051
School: St. Andrew the Apostle School
6720 Union Mill Rd.
Clifton, Va. 20124
703/817-1774
Principal: Glenda Sigg
Students: 278
Quick links
Website: st-andrew.org
