“From the Archives” Saint Rita Mission

As Alexandria’s Catholic population grew in the early 20th century, Saint Mary’s pastor Father Henry J. Cutler saw the need for a church in the Mount Ida/Del Ray area of the city and established Saint Rita Mission. The first Mass was offered there on July 6, 1913 by Father J.J. Van Ingelgem, in a humble cobbler’s shop. The Ladies Seminarian Society and Sisters of the Holy Cross from Saint Mary taught Sunday school classes for children in the cobbler’ shop.

In 1914, Bishop Denis J. O’Connell gave permission to build a church. The name chosen was Saint Rita of Cascia, patroness of impossible causes, who became patroness of the new mission. The cornerstone was laid on May 17, 1914, and the mission church on Hickory Street was dedicated on October 18, 1914. The first Mass was celebrated by Father Cutler. Mass was offered at 9 a.m. by Saint Mary priests until 1924. Often a priest also would lead the people of Saint Rita in Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent and provide 40 Hours services. For Holy Week, parishioners of Saint Rita would come to Saint Mary Church.

Every May 22, Saint Rita parish celebrated its patron saint’s feast day with the blessing of the “Roses of Saint Rita of Cascia.” Social life remained at Saint Mary, where young adults from Mount Ida and Del Ray participated in plays, musical shows and sports events. In 1925, Saint Rita started its own drama club. Educational life at Saint Mary’s parochial school, the Xaverian Brothers’ School and Saint Mary’s Academy also attracted young people from Saint Rita.

Saint Rita became a separate parish in 1924 with Father Leonard Koster as its first pastor. By 1940, a larger church was needed, resulting in the present Gothic stone church on Russell Road, which was dedicated in 1949.

— 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 2021. An archive of the features is located here.