As St. Mary's prepares to celebrate its 95th anniversary, we are compiling and updating the parish history. Here are some of the highlights of the parish's first 80 years!
(An Excerpt from St. Mary's 80th Anniversary Booklet - 2005)
Since the beginning of our parish, we can take great pride in the accomplishments and achievements of our early founders and the present parishioners of St. Mary's Church.
In the past ten years, improvements to the church were many. The church has been repainted inside and out, including the Iconostas, tabernacle, and altar. The altar, which had its origin in England and which was donated by the John Hertnick family, has also been repainted. New carpeting was installed in the church and sacristy. An electric heating and air conditioning system was installed, as well as a bathroom. Most recently, the church parking lot was paved.
In addition to these improvements, parishioners of St. Mary's donated the following: Stations of the Cross by Catherine Kinnick; chandelier purchased in Athens, Greece, a new votive stand, and a holy water fontby Emma Marin; wedding crowns by Paul Terembes family; a complete fence with iron gates by Ann Slovensky; and donations to the church building fund by family and friends in memory of †Mary Wandrick and †George Cebula.
Parishioners of St. Mary's graciously donated a set of "Christian Books" to the Seminarians of St. Sophia's Cathedral in Rome for use in their studies.
The elevation of former Ukrainian Archbishop Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky to Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in Rome was both a joyous and sad occasion. Joyous because Cardinal Lubachivsky has faithfully served as pastor at St. Mary's in Manassas, as well as Richmond, Virginia, from 1968 to 1971; and sad because of the death of our beloved Cardinal Josyf Slipyj, a martyr who suffered for 17 years in a Soviet concentration camp.
(An Excerpt from St. Mary's 80th Anniversary Booklet - 2005)
In 1991, the church received stained glass windows from Old St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Baltimore, Maryland. The windows in the back of the church were commissioned by the parish council in 1999. The work was completed the same year by Higgins & Associates of Front Royal, Virginia.
The gospel stand is from the old St. Nicholas Church in Nanticoke, PA. Edward Schwartz had it professionally refurbished.
In 2005, Ron Bodnar managed a refurbishment of the church exterior which included building and replacing the cross on the church steeple.