Evening star., 1945-05-19
Alexandra Church
10 Mark Anniversary
OF Parish FOUNDING

st. Mary's parish in Alexandra
Will celebrate the 150th anniversary
OF its founding tomorrow when pom.
tiflcal high mass will be celebrated
at 12:10 pm. in st. Mary's Catholic
Church by the Most Rev. Peter L
Ireton, Bishop of Richmond.
Bishop Ireton will be assisted by
the Rev. John S. Igoe as arch priest
the Rev. Michael F. Igoe, deacon OF
the mass, and the Rev. Julius j
Cllinski as subdeacon. The deacons
OF honor to the bishop will be the
Rev. Arthur j. OLeary, S. j., OF
Georgetown Preparatory School
and former president of Georgetown
College, and the Rev. Paul McNally
S. j., vice president of Georgetown
The Rev. Francis j. Byrne, S. T. D.,
diocesan superintendent of schools,
will be master of ceremonies and
he will be assisted by John Cilinski
OF st. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore.
The Right Rev. Leo j. Ryan, S. T. D.,
V. G.. will deliver the sermon.
Memorial Mass Planned.
At $50 am. Monday, memorial
mass will be celebrated for all the
deceased clergy and members of
the parish. The Rev. Michael j.
Cannon, pastor of ST. Elizabeth's S
Church, Richmond, and former Gu
rate in st. Mary's, will be the cele-
brant. He will be assisted by the
Rev. Martin T. Quinn, pastor of
st. Johns Church in Front Royal,
and by the Very Rev. Thomas E.
Mitchell, D. D., dean of the School of
Social Action at Catholic University.
Both Fathers Quinn and Mitchell
have been curates at st. Mary's
Church.
At $50 am. Tuesday, solemn mass
will be celebrated in st. Mary's
Academy on Russell road for all
members of the congregation of the
Holy Cross who have taught in st.
Mary's parish. The celebrant will
be the Very Rev. Edward L. Ste
phens v. F., deacon; the Rev. Robert
F. Beattie and subdeacon, the Rev.
Joseph l.. Leitch.
Tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday
at pm. in the Lyceum, the chill
dren of the parish, under the direc-
tion of the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
will present a pageant. The Story
of St. Mary's." Admission will be
by ticket, which are obtainable
without charge at the rectory, 80
Duke street.
The parish of st. Mary has now
1880 persons cared for by the clergy
in st. Mary's Church, in St. Louis
Church, Groveton, and in Blessed
Sacrament Mission in darlington
There are $50 children attending the
parochial school in Alexandria
taught by the Sisters of the Holy
Cross.
Writes Brief History.
Commemorating the sesquicenten-
nial, Father Stephens, the pastor
has written a brief history of the
parish called "One Hundred and
Fifty Years for Christ" and SOU
.Venlr copies will be distributed to
members of the parish.
The history states that mass was
believed to have been said in a log
building at the corner of Royal and
Princess streets as early as 1772.
but the names of the congregation
and of the priests are unrecorded in
view of the penal laws which placed
Catholics beyond the pale of tolera-
ton or religious freedom at that
time.
On st. Patrick's Day 1778. Col.
John Fitzgerald entertained at a
dinner at his home on the site now
occupied by the Burke and Herbert
Bank and his guests were General
Washington. local politicians and
some Catholics from Maryland. 1t
was at this dinner that the need for
a Catholic church was discussed
and Robert T. Hooe, Protestant.
donated piece of land at the point
now known as Church and South
Washington streets. 1t was here
that the church was built in 1895,
Its prime movers were Col. Fitz-
gerald and the Rev. Francis