“From the Archives” – 150th Anniversary Performance

1945 was a good year for Saint Mary parish. World War II ended and the parish celebrated its 150th anniversary. This milestone was observed in a number of ways, from a solemn liturgy to other, more social events.

One of the “fun” activities was a pageant, Behold the Tabernacle of God with Men, presented by the students and alumni of Saint Mary School and Saint Mary’s Academy, performed onstage in the parish Lyceum. Boys played the roles of former pastors and girls dressed as Holy Cross sisters. Through music and drama, assisted by the school choir, the pageant recreated the history of Saint Mary Church. A reception followed each performance. Monsignor Edward L. Stephens (pastor from 1943 to 1959) enjoyed it so much that he asked the ensemble to include an additional performance, so every parishioner would be able to see it.

Like most productions, things did not always go smoothly. Sister M. Beniti (Scanlon), a young teacher at the time, later recalled that she and Mrs. Peggy DeMarr, a parent, went into Washington, DC, to pick up all the period costumes in time for the dress rehearsal. Mrs. DeMarr’s car broke down and the two ladies had to “tote all the costumes back to Alexandria on the bus so the show could go on.”

— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2022. An archive of the features is located here.