A few hours outside the crowds and suburbs surrounding
Washington, D.C., is the Northern Neck, an area flanked by
the Potomac and Rappahanock rivers. Made up of Lancaster,
Westmoreland, Northumberland, Richmond and King George
counties, the area’s known history dates back to Colonial
times.
St.
Elizabeth Parish in Colonial Beach
was founded in 1905, only the second Catholic church to be
opened in the Northern Neck. The original church was built in
1906 and in the early years, the parish covered a territory
of more than 1,000 square miles. Diocesan priests would take
turns coming from Fredericksburg to visit local families and
celebrate Masses.
Since those early days, the parish became the mother church
for five Catholic churches – St. Anthony in King George, St.
Francis de Sales in Kilmarnock, St. Paul in Hague, St.
Timothy in Tappahanock and the Naval Chapel in Dahlgren.
Today, St. Francis de Sales in Kilmarnock is its own parish,
with St. Paul as a mission. St. Timothy is a part of the
Richmond Diocese and the Naval Chapel is part of the Military
Archdiocese. St. Anthony has been a mission of St. Elizabeth
since 1940.
Father Francis M. de Rosa has served as parochial
administrator of St. Elizabeth since 2010. He has enjoyed
learning about the history of the parish and the local
area.
“Within the boundaries of this parish are the birthplaces of
four great Americans: George Washington, Robert E. Lee, James
Monroe and James Madison,” he said. “This is the Northern
Neck – the cradle of the nation.”
From his office window, which looks over a public beach, he
can point out St. Clement’s Island on the other side of the
Potomac River, the site where the country’s first Catholics
arrived in the Colonies back in 1634.
Father de Rosa has spent much time overseeing repairs and
renovations for the historic buildings, starting with the
parish office, which dates back to the 1890s. He hopes to put
a new façade on the church, built in 1967, by next
year.
For him, one of the best things about St. Elizabeth is the
tight-knit atmosphere.
“This is a very small town. There are only 3,400 year-round
inhabitants,” he said. “I like the small-town parish feel. I
have an opportunity to know people better and I think that’s
a really big important thing.”
Though the local community is predominantly Baptist, Father
de Rosa says people are welcoming.
“This is really mission territory for the Catholic Church.
This is a heavily Baptist section of the state, but the
people down here are very respectful to the Catholic Church
by and large,” he said. “If I go to the grocery store,
there’s a pretty good chance someone is going to talk to me
about Jesus.”
The church sponsors a float in the July Fourth parade each
year, holds a rummage sale and bazaar, and provides music for
the locals watching fireworks on the beach.
(To read
about Father Jerome Magat’s time at St. Elizabeth, click
here.)
The parish helps the community with social needs as well.
“In Colonial Beach, we have a great outreach to the poor,”
Father de Rosa said. “We give away about $10,000 a year to
the poor. We also give away food on Wednesdays and
Saturdays.”
The parish is home to the Guadalupe Free Clinic that provides
services for anyone in need of health care in the local area.
Though the clinic is independent of the parish, the building
is owned by the church and many parishioners are involved
with operations.
(Click
here to read more about the Guadalupe Free Clinic.)
According to Father de Rosa, the parish community is small,
but devout.
He estimates that 200 people attend Sunday Mass at St.
Elizabeth. At St. Anthony, which has a younger population and
more families, another 500 usually attend. The daily Mass
attendance numbers at St. Elizabeth are usually 10 percent of
the Sunday congregation and sometimes double that.
This year, the attendance during Holy Week increased by 25
percent from the previous year. During the Easter Vigil, the
community welcomed five converts to the Faith.
The parish organizations include choirs, a youth group, a
Legion of Mary, a St. Joseph Covenant Keepers discussion
group for men and a Bible study group for women, as well as
the Knights of Columbus, an Altar and Rosary Society, and a
religious education program.
“We’re a humble parish with humble means, but I’d say that
the spiritual life is strong,” Father de Rosa said. “We can’t
manage as many activities as the bigger parishes, but that’s
not what it’s about. The activities are supposed to get
people to Mass, not the other way around.”
Quick Facts
St. Elizabeth Church
12 Lossing Ave.
Colonial Beach, Va. 22443
804/224-7221
Parochial administrator: Fr. Francis M. de Rosa
Parochial vicar: Fr. Vincent P. Bork
DRE: Sally Cullin
Mass Schedule:
Sat.: 8 a.m, 5 p.m. vigil
Sun.: 9 a.m., 11 a.m. (Spanish)
Weekdays: 8 a.m.
St. Anthony Mission
10299 Millbank Rd.
King George, Va. 22485
804/224-7221
Mass Schedule:
Sat.: 9 a.m., 7 p.m. vigil
Sun.: 8:15 a.m, 10:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m. (Tridentine)
Mon., Tues.: 7 a.m.
Wed.: 7 p.m.
Thurs., Fri.: 9 a.m.
Parishioners: 2,338
Website: elizant.org
