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PARISH PROFILE
 St. Mary of the Annunciation, Ladysmith: Outreach ministries abound
By Steve Neill
Of The Catholic Virginian
When Ben and Toni Stinson became parishioners of St. Mary of the Annunciation in Caroline County six years ago, there were approximately 150 families.
Today the parish counts 262 registered families and the registration figures are continuing to rise as the once rural county (with a population of 27,000) sees more development.
Ben, a lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Marine Corps, is a member of the parish finance council and teaches a combined 5th and 6th grade religious education class.
Toni, editor of the Caroline Progress, a weekly county newspaper since 1919, pointed out that the parish is drawing newcomers from Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County, to the north, part of the Arlington Diocese, as well as those who live in Caroline County.
The church is located on a 21-acre wooded area 35 miles north of Richmond. Visitors find it easily after getting off at Exit 110 of Interstate 95 and heading two miles east on Ladysmith Road (Route 639).
 The church, built in 1996, has a design similar to the Slovak or eastern European style which reflects the early Czech parishioners of St. Mary’s which was established in 1914. Most of the original Czech settlers were farmers.
Bill Bolacek, who was born in 1914, is still an active member of the parish. He recalls the early days when the priest would arrive for Mass by train and walk from the tracks to the rural wood church which had no heat.
“When we were first at the old church we were mostly Slovak people who were farmers,” Mr. Bolacek said.
Much has changed since that time.
“We’re usually referred to as the parish north of Kings Dominion,” said Scott Kittle, a parishioner since 2000 and Grand Knight of the Joseph M. Johnson Council of the Knights of Columbus.
“We have 82 members and we serve both parishes of St. Mary’s and St. Ann’s in Ashland,” Mr. Kittle said.
“Most of the Knights are heavily involved in parish ministries,” he added. “That’s why we’re knights.”
 Father Christian Haydinger is pastor of St. Mary’s as well as St. Ann’s in Ashland. Mass is celebrated on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and on Saturday at 4 p.m. The pastor is normally not able to linger too much after Mass because he must travel 21 miles south for Mass in Ashland.
Deacon David J. Geary serves as parish administration and often preaches at Mass.
Msgr. Roy Cosby, a retired priest of the Diocese of Arlington who lives in Rockville, Hanover County, presides at the Saturday vigil Mass twice a month and helps with reconcilation.
“He’s been wonderful to me and to the church,” Father Haydinger said.
The addition of the parish hall in which religious education classes are held on Sunday mornings has helped boost parish registration, said Ron Wisniewski, chairman of the parish finance council and a parishioner since 1982. The facility was built in 2003.
“We’ve gotten more younger families recently,” he said.
“Before the parish hall we were doing religious ed somewhat helter skelter. We’d see young families come, but some would be gone in a few weeks because we didn’t have adequate facilities.”
The financial picture is good at St. Mary’s, Mr. Wisniewski said.
“People are generous in supporting the church and the various ministries,” he explained. “Usually if people identify a need like more food for the food pantry, they will respond by bringing in food items or providing money to purchase it.”
“The food pantry has been in existence about two years and is open Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.,” said Mary Seiler, one of the organizers of the ministry which started two years ago. She admitted that “when we first opened, business was slow,” but the food pantry is now sought out by many who need help.
 “Our clients fill out a minimal application, mainly to know how many children there are,” she continued.
“We see 15 to 25 families the nights we’re open. They come in with their children and some bring their neighbors because they don’t drive or have a car.
“It’s grown by word of mouth,” Mrs. Seiler said.
Three Eagle Scouts who are part of the parish family have each made a contribution to the parish as their project for the award.
Doug Smith planned and designed the outdoor trail of the Stations of the Cross in a wooded area.
Will Pickett raised funds and designed the picnic pavillion on the property. And Adam Smith built a sign which stands at the entrance to the church grounds.
St. Mary’s has a parish debt of a little more than $520,000 for construction of the parish hall. The church was paid off well ahead of schedule.
“We took a leap of faith to build the parish hall,” Mr. Wisniewski said, “because we knew we could not grow unless we had better facilities for religious ed and social events, a place for the community to come together.
“We’re centrally located and we have a good facility so we open it up to community-sponsored events,” he added, citing the Girl Scouts, Caroline County Meal Ministry and Caroline County Garden Club.
 Duke Storen and his wife, Barbara, and their four children who range in age from 8 to almost one, drive 20 miles from Spotsylvania to come to St. Mary’s.
“We feel really at home here,” Mr. Storen said. “It’s a very vibrant church and we feel very blessed to have found it.”
He is involved in MICAH, a new ecumenical ministry to the homeless. He spoke of a cold weather shelter at Bragg Hill in Fredericksburg when the temperature is predicted to fall below freezing.
“Different churches volunteer to bring the meal, help set up the cots and clean up after the meal,” Mr. Storen explained.
“The community is very focused on outreach and is open to new ideas and lay leadership.”
Parishioners of the Caroline County parish have created an active prison ministry at Peumansend Creek Regional Jail, about five miles north of Bowling Green on Route 301.
Bob Luiggi described the ministry which he shares with Jose Lugo, Debbie Simpson, Annette Wisniewski and Gloria Bolacek. The men go each Wednesday to visit the men prisoners and the women go on Sundays to visit women inmates. They go over the scriptures which will be part of the next Sunday’s liturgy.
“Currently we have about 25 total — men and women — but the numbers fluctuate because one, it’s a short-term facility,” Mr. Luiggi said.
 Among the inmates there is a large number of Hispanics who speak only Spanish.
“Jose and I are both bi-lingual so we minister in both languages by switching back and forth,” he said. “It’s always fascinating to do it in both languages. You’ll get one drift in English and another in Spanish.”
Father Haydinger presides once a month at Mass at the jail and hears confessions before Mass.
“It’s a great community,” said Frank Leaming, who chairs the parish pastoral council.
“We’re proud of our outreach and we have a good connection between the senior members of the parish and the younger members,” he added. “They really click.
“The barriers of age don’t seem to be there.”
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Copyright © 2008 The Catholic Virginian Press. Articles from Catholic News Services, including Fr. Dietzen’s column, may not be reproduced due to copyright considerations.
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