“From the Archives” The 2011 Earthquake

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit Central and Northern Virginia at 1:51 pm on Tuesday, August 23, 2011. Saint Mary Church was among the structures damaged that day.

The quake’s epicenter was near Mineral, VA, 39 miles northwest of Richmond and 87 miles from Alexandria. Seismic waves radiated in all directions from four miles below the earth’s surface. The earthquake reportedly was the strongest recorded east of the Rocky Mountains since 1944 and the strongest ever recorded in Central Virginia. It was felt as far away as Atlanta to the south, Canada to the north and Illinois to the west. Fortunately, no injuries or deaths were reported.

Tremors were felt very strongly throughout our area, cracking the Washington Monument and causing $20 million in damage to the National Cathedral in DC. A pipe broke in the Pentagon, flooding two corridors. In Old Town Alexandria, historic Gadsby’s Tavern and City Hall sustained damage. Fallen or cracked chimneys could be seen on some mostly older homes throughout town.

Here at Saint Mary Church, the top of the inner wall at the back, or east side, of the church crumbled, sending bricks through the stained glass window above the tabernacle. The debris “took out the right arm of Jesus above the tabernacle,” then-pastor Father Dennis Kleinmann wrote in his September 4, 2011 bulletin column. The church had been filled with the usual complement of worshipers for the 12:10 pm Mass that day but was empty when the earthquake struck. What a blessing!

The rectory and Father Rankin House next door sustained minor damage. Damage at Saint Mary School was limited to a toppled statue of the Blessed Mother.

Thankfully, the church was still structurally sound. The back wall was shored up for repairs, requiring scaffolding in the church and a lot of noise during the day (work was stopped during Mass). The church was open throughout the process “but it may not be conducive to prayer,” warned Father Kleinmann.

The total cost of the repair work was in the $200,000 range. Because the Arlington Diocese wisely had earthquake insurance, the cost to the parish was the deductible of $1,000.

The arm of the corpus was shattered and beyond simple repair. The entire corpus was removed from the church so a new arm could be made. For weeks while that work was underway, the cross above the tabernacle was starkly bare. The repaired corpus finally was returned to its proper place in December 2011. “Jesus is back!” Father Kleinmann told parishioners. 

— Diane Maple, Bulletin Editor

Throughout 2020, the Basilica of Saint Mary will present “From the Archives.” It is a weekly feature online and in our bulletin spotlighting the history of the parish. All of our “From the Archives” features are located here.