St. William of York

Although St. William of York was established as an independent parish in 1971, the origins of the Catholic community in Stafford go back more than three centuries. The area around Aquia Harbor just north of the present church building was the site of the settlements of the first Catholic families in Virginia who came to the region around 1650. By the end of the seventeenth century, the Brents, the leading Catholic family of Virginia during colonial times, farmed several thousand acres and are buried not far from the parish in a cemetery now owned by the Arlington diocese. Despite the importance of the Brent family, the Catholic community in the area was never large, and as late as 1925 priests traveling up from Fredericksburg celebrated Mass in the homes of private families since the community was too small to maintain a regular church. 

Because of the military build-up which came with World War II, in 1943 the first Catholic church building came to Stafford County with the erection of St. Therese mission church at Midaway Island (near Quantico). St. Therese was establish principally to serve military personnel and their families. Again, priests from St. Mary in Fredericksburg visited regularly to celebrate the sacraments, but a  permanent church for the people of Stafford was to come soon. On May 6th, 1956, Bishop Ireton dedicated the present St. William of York church building, yet it remained a mission of St. Mary's.

When it finally established as a separate parish in 1971, only 25 families were officially registered. However, by the 1980's this number had increased to about 600. Because this growth included many families with young children, in 1992 the parish began operating a Catholic elementary school that by 2001 had an enrollment of 230 students. Unlike most Catholic schools or parishes, which today have few to no religious sisters present, St. William of York was blessed with the arrival of a new group of sisters who agreed to begin a ministry in the parish. In July 1998 three Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Infant Jesus began working in both the school and the religious education program. Their help had certainly been needed since the parish grew to more than 5,100 parishioners. 
Orginal Text and photos from:
Walking in the Faith: the First 25 Years
A History of the Diocese of Arlington
by Anthony D. Andreassi