Welcome to the St. Mary Catholic Church website. St. Mary’s was established in 1795, and is the oldest Catholic parish in the Commonwealth of Virginia. To fund the church, Colonel John Fitzgerald, friend of George Washington and an early mayor of Alexandria, took up a collection. According to local tradition, Washington himself made the first donation. A chapel was built at the south end of the city, on land still used today as St. Mary’s Cemetery.
In 1810, St. Mary’s moved to its present location in the heart of the city – 310 South Royal Street. Throughout the 1800s, St. Mary’s played a crucial role in the growth of Catholicism in Virginia. The many mission churches which St. Mary’s established have gone on to become independent parishes within the Diocese of Arlington. Today St. Mary’s has more parishioners than Alexandria had residents when the city was founded. With this new website, St. Mary’s hopes to continue to build the Catholic community with faith, love and service.
When visiting Alexandria, please visit St. Mary’s and worship with us. You will find directions to Saint Mary’s here. If you have any questions regarding our parish, or if you live within our parish boundaries and wish to become a parishioner, please do not hesitate to contact the parish office.
The Boundaries of St. Mary Parish are as follows:
- Beginning at Fort Hunt Rd. and Morningside Ln.:
- East on Morningside to Potomac River
- North along river to Princess St. (in the city)
- West on Princess to Washington St.
- South on Washington to King St.
- West on King St to RF&P RR tracks
- North along tracks to Luray Ave.
- West on Luray to Braddock Rd.
- West on Braddock to Oakland Terrace
- South on Oakland Terrace to King St.
- West on King St. to Janneys Ln.
- continue West on Janneys Ln. to Quaker Ln.
- South along Quaker Ln. to Duke St.
- West on Duke to Holmes Run Pkwy.
- South on Pkwy. To RF&P RR tracks
- East along tracks to Telegraph Rd.
- South on Telegraph Rd. to North Kings Hwy.
- Southeast on N. Kings Hwy. to Fort Dr.
- follow Fort Dr. to Fairhaven Ave.
- cross US 1 and continue south on Quander Rd. to Beacon Hill Rd.
- East on Beacon Hill to Fort Hunt Rd.
- South on Fort Hunt to Morningside Ln.