More than a century has passed since a small chapel was erected in a corner of rural El Nido, Va. The chapel originally served as a mission of St. James Church in Falls Church. Now, the vibrant parish community of St. John the Beloved Church celebrates its historic roots and 75 years of ministry as an independent parish.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated the parish’s diamond anniversary with a special Mass Oct. 25, concelebrated by pastor Father Christopher J. Pollard, current St. John the Beloved clergy, and former pastor Father Edward C. Hathaway, now rector of the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria.
Parish anniversaries are an opportunity for the faithful to do three things, Bishop Burbidge said: remember, rejoice and renew. “We rejoice in the blessings that God has showered upon this parish for 75 years, to what it is today — a faithful, vibrant, joyful parish, known for its love for the Lord and his church and one another,” he said. He invited parishioners to “renew our promises to be faithful disciples,” by living out their vocations worthily and evangelizing, “to invite others who maybe for one reason or another have wandered away from the church, to return, to come back home.”
Father Hathaway, who served as pastor from 2000-05, reflected on the parish’s history and the unique architecture of its church. The current octagonal church with its altar in the center was constructed in 1954 under the leadership of the parish’s first pastor, Missionhurst Father Paul R. Cauwe. “I’m reminded, standing here, of the words of Father (John) Heisler who said, ‘When walking into this pulpit, it’s like walking into a living room, because you’re only seven pews from the altar,’ ” said Father Hathaway, looking around him at the packed pews.
While unusual, the octagonal church resembles the architecture of traditional, eight-sided baptistries, he said. “In baptism, we pass through the water, we die with Christ and rise with him to a new eighth day. So, when you’re sitting in this church, you’re sitting inside a baptistry, inside a sign of heaven,” he said.
The church’s architecture has helped foster community in unique ways, he added. “I won’t claim to know the mind of the pastor or architect, but I noticed that he built a church where no one can sit alone. Everyone faces the altar, and everyone faces one another,” he said. “You can never sneak into St. John’s late, with everyone looking across at you,” he joked as parishioners laughed.
But the heart of parish life comes from the faith of its parishioners, lived both in the pew and in the world, Father Hathaway said. “The path to holiness for most of us runs through the kitchen, the carpool, the office, the sick room and the classroom,” he said. “For the next 75 years, I pray that you remain where you have been, a parish that faces the altar, without forgetting the faces of one another — a people baptized into the eighth day, sent out to love in the other seven, and a home where anyone can come through these doors.”
Following Mass, parishioners mingled at a reception in the parish school, with 75th anniversary banners decking the walls.
Angel and Mercedes Lopez were among the many young families that attended the Mass. “It’s a parish where if you become active, you can meet a lot of families and learn from each other. I’m a Knight of Columbus here,” said Angel, holding the couple’s three-month-old daughter, Monica. “As I married Angel and got to know this community, they’ve been very welcoming,” Mercedes added.
“It’s a very involved parish; it’s a great community,” said parishioner Michael Shannon. A fascination with the parish’s history 10 years ago led him to eventually serve as the parish’s unofficial historian. Shannon said that while he researches all aspects of the parish’s history, its early years as a mission church interest him the most.
The origins of St. John the Beloved date back to the late-19th and early-20th centuries, to a Catholic landowner named John Carlin, who dreamed of building a Catholic church on his property. After Carlin divided his land between his children, his oldest son, William, donated a portion of his inheritance to make his father’s dream a reality. In September 1913, Richmond Bishop Denis J. O’Connell laid the cornerstone of the chapel, and St. John Church became a mission of St. James Church. According to Shannon, the original chapel site is now occupied by the parish office.
Several decades later in October 1951, St. John the Beloved became its own parish and was served by the Missionhurst Fathers of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, based in Arlington. A surge in the local population during the postwar period necessitated a larger church and parish school. Construction on the octagonal church began in 1954 and was dedicated by Richmond Bishop Peter L. Ireton two years later. St. John’s Grade School opened in 1954, staffed by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary sisters, and an addition was constructed in 1956. In 1964, administration of the parish transitioned to diocesan clergy, with the appointment of Father Henry E. Hammond as pastor.
In 2006, the parish school was renamed St. John the Beloved Academy. Today, it enrolls more than 300 students pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
Father Pollard told the Catholic Herald that the parish plans to continue celebrating its diamond anniversary throughout the remainder of the year, even honoring the date of the first baptism and first wedding that took place at the parish. In honor of the anniversary, Father Pollard said the parish will create a 25-year “master plan” to revamp the parish campus and facilities.
“The focus always tends to be on 1913, when we became St. John Church as a mission of St. James,” he said. But celebrating the parish’s 1951 “liberation from St. James,” he joked, is even more important, as it prompts the parish to reflect, “What does it mean to be a parish?” he added.
Father Pollard said he looks back with appreciation on the generations of priests and parishioners who have come before: “There definitely is this feeling of a relationship with people whom we’ll meet only in heaven.”
Donofrio can be reached at anna.donofrio@catholicherald.com.
