The D.C. area is already home to the country’s largest Catholic church, the dramatic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This certainly puts us on the map,” said Ken Wolfe, a parishioner at St. Mary. Father Andrew Haissig stands at the altar before people begin to arrive for a Sunday evening Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church. St. Mary is large for a U.S. Catholic church, with 7,500 members. According to the Arlington diocese, St. Mary was founded in 1795, the first Catholic parish in the commonwealth.

Source: Washington Post January 14, 2018 20:50 UTC