“From the Archives” — A New Cross for The Church

As construction work at the Basilica School of Saint Mary nears its conclusion, and the gilded cross for its new tower is blessed (see page 6 of the bulletin), we can recall that renovations and improvements have been a part of Saint Mary Church history since its earliest years. When Father Denis J. O’Kane arrived in 1872 (the last Jesuit pastor to serve our parish), he was known as a bricks-and-mortar priest. He discovered the church needed many renovations and improvements. The Alexandria Gazette provided detailed reports of each facet of the work that resulted. Two small articles from 1884 show how thoroughly the paper covered the church’s progress:

 February 11, 1884. An iron cross to weigh 600 lbs. is being cast at Mr. C. H. Collins foundry to take the place of the wooden one recently removed from Saint Mary’s Church steeple.

 April 8, 1884. Scaffolding around the steeple has been taken down… and the structure now presents a very handsome appearance. The iron cross has been gilded.

 When Father Henry J. Cutler, the first diocesan pastor, expanded the church to its present dimensions in 1895, he replaced the old central steeple with the present, tall bell tower, which is surmounted by the gilded cross (photo on the left).