Early Reminiscences

Saint Mary did not have a full-time, resident pastor for 23 years after its founding in 1795. Priests regularly came to Alexandria from Maryland, either from Georgetown (part of Maryland then) and Prince George’s County, in order to attend to the spiritual needs of Catholics in the area. Among the interesting things we have learned about those early years include the unusual places people received the sacraments.

When a priest came to town, word spread quickly among the small, close-knit Catholic community, possibly spread by the ferry boat crew who brought him across the Potomac River, some of whom were Catholics. Several accounts were recorded by Father Richard Carne in the 1870s. His mother, Cecelia Shakes Carne (1804-1891) was baptized in a house at 410-12 South Pitt Street. She was a wealthy Maryland lady, probably one of the two Rozier sisters from Oxon Hill who married Alexandrians, moved across the river and brought a large number of her household servants with her, along with her private chaplain, Father Joseph Eden. She rented the house on Pitt Street for him. Even though the tiny, original Saint Mary chapel had been build in the parish cemetery by then, Father Eden often offered Mass in the Pitt Street house because it was convenient.

Another parishioner recalled that a priest crossed the Potomac from Maryland to shop in a warehouse on the Alexandria waterfront. Learning the priest was there, her parents brought their baby to the warehouse to be baptized in the crowded store of imported goods. Several elderly parishioners spoke of going to confession to a priest who was visiting “Fishtown” (the harbor and adjacent warehouses and shops). Unlike Catholics who lived farther from town and had to make a long trek to attend Mass and receive the sacraments, Alexandrians were fortunate to have access to a priest and the sacraments rather frequently. – 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.