About Our Lady of Lourdes · Arlington, Virginia
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Catholic parish in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, just down the road from Reagan National Airport and within easy walking distance of Crystal City, Pentagon Row, and Potomac Yards. Founded in 1946 from a mission that dates back to 1927, the parish serves the 22202 ZIP code and part of 22206 and is part of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. Today it offers Mass in both English and Spanish, daily and weekend devotions, Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays, a Miraculous Medal Novena on Wednesdays, a Knights of Columbus council, a Legion of Mary praesidium, and a thriving young adults ministry called Spes Nostra — Our Hope.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Rector
- Rev. Frederick H. Edlefsen
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Arlington
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes is a walkable, urban parish minutes from the Pentagon, Reagan National Airport and the Crystal City Metro, so it's easy to fit into the rhythm of a busy life in National Landing. Weekday Mass is offered twice daily (6:45 AM and 12:00 PM), Saturday morning Mass at 9:00 AM, four Sunday English Masses plus a 5:00 PM Mass in Spanish, and Confessions six days a week. The parish nourishes devotion through a Miraculous Medal Novena on Wednesdays, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Divine Mercy Chaplet on Fridays, a daily Rosary, two Mary Grottos and an outdoor Pro-Life Memorial Garden with Stations of the Cross — and it puts that faith into action through a 30-plus-year Meals on Wheels ministry, a vibrant Legion of Mary praesidium, a Knights of Columbus council (#14516, St. Joseph the Worker), a Spanish Apostolate, a young adults group (Spes Nostra, ages 21–40), Religious Education for children, and seasonal outreach like hosting a Vietnamese refugee family in 1975.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday — 12:30 PM (after Noon Mass)
- Thursday — 12:30 PM (after Noon Mass)
- Friday — 12:30 PM (after Noon Mass)
- Saturday — 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- Sunday — 4:15 PM to 4:45 PM (in Spanish)
Adoration times
- Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: Fridays, 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM, concluding with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
- The church remains open until 5:00 PM on weekdays for prayer before the tabernacle and at the Marian Grotto
- Special Divine Mercy Exposition with Adoration, Chaplet and Confessions on Divine Mercy Sunday (April)
About the Parish
Our Lady of Lourdes is a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, located in the Aurora Highlands section of Arlington, Virginia. The parish covers the 22202 ZIP code and part of 22206, and is peacefully nestled in the historic Aurora Highlands neighborhood — just down the road from Reagan National Airport. The parish describes itself as easily accessible from several Metro stations, Reagan National Airport, Amtrak and many hotels, with walking-distance access to restaurants and shops along 23rd Street, Crystal City, Pentagon Row and Potomac Yards in what is now branded National Landing.
- Part of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington
- Serves ZIP codes 22202 and part of 22206
- Aurora Highlands / National Landing neighborhood
- Easy walk from Crystal City Metro
A Brief Parish History
The story of Our Lady of Lourdes begins in 1925, when Mr. Joseph Lash moved his family to the corner of 25th and Hayes Streets in Aurora Hills. Two years later, on September 11, 1927, Fr. Leonard Koster, pastor of St. Rita's in Alexandria, celebrated Mass at the Lash home for 24 adults and children — the first Mass in Aurora Hills. The congregation outgrew the home within months and moved to the Fire Hall at 23rd and Eads, with an additional Mass at the Mount Vernon Theater on Mount Vernon Avenue.
The Mission Church (1939) and the Basement Church
Coadjutor Bishop Peter L. Ireton approved the building of a mission church near 23rd and Hayes Streets. Fr. Koster obtained a permit from Arlington County on July 18, 1939, and within four months a basement church was built for $15,000. It was solemnly blessed on November 19, 1939 by Fr. Thomas Rankin, Vicar Forane of the Northern Virginia Deanery, with Fr. Koster and other priests present. Bishop Ireton placed the mission under the patronage of Our Lady of Lourdes. Two Sunday Masses were offered (7:30 AM and 11:00 AM), plus a Noon Mass at the Mount Vernon Theater. That original basement church is still in use today as the lower level of the parish's Parish Hall.
- Permit obtained July 18, 1939
- Basement church built for $15,000 in four months
- Blessed November 19, 1939 by Fr. Thomas Rankin
- Original building still stands as lower Parish Hall
From Mission to Parish (1946)
After World War II, Catholics poured into Northern Virginia, and Bishop Ireton established three parishes in the area in 1946 — Our Lady of Lourdes, Blessed Sacrament, and Our Lady Queen of Peace. Fr. Robert F. Beattie, then assistant pastor at St. Mary's in Alexandria, was installed as the first pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes on June 9, 1946. (His brother, Fr. Dixon Beattie, would go on to found St. Ann's in north Arlington in 1947.) A house at 758 23rd Street S. — where Keshet Preschool is now located — was purchased as the rectory, with CCD classes and meetings held in the garage; between 1946 and 1948 the parish acquired the rest of the block.
Building the Current Church (1954–1964)
Fr. Charles Comaskey became pastor in June 1954 and would serve for 18 years. He paid down a $100,000 parish debt by 1958, then commissioned plans for a new church. Construction began in the spring of 1963; the midnight Christmas Mass of 1963 was the first celebrated in the new building, and Bishop John J. Russell dedicated it on March 7, 1964 — headlined by The Catholic Virginian as 'Bishop Blesses Unusual Church.' The current rectory was built in 1970, the Lourdes Center (Parish Hall) was completed, and in 1987 Msgr. Richard Burke added the stained-glass windows.
The Diocese of Arlington Era (1974–Today)
On May 28, 1974, Pope Paul VI directed the establishment of the Diocese of Arlington, and Bishop Thomas J. Welsh was installed as its first bishop on August 13, 1974 — Msgr. Richard Burke (a future pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes) was the diocese's first Chancellor. Fr. John O'Connell was pastor at the time of the erection, and in 1975 the parish hosted a Catholic Vietnamese refugee family. Crystal City grew up around the parish in the 1960s, drawing many government workers into its pews. In 1999, Bishop Paul Loverde dedicated the Pro-Life Memorial Garden with its Stations of the Cross, and in 2021 the parish marked its 75th anniversary. Amazon's HQ2 is now rising within the parish boundaries.
Parish Staff and Administration
The parish is led by a pastor, parochial vicar and two priests in residence, supported by an Office Manager, Sacramental Records staff, Parish Assistants, a Director of Religious Education and a Director of Music / Choir Conductor.
- Rev. Frederick H. Edlefsen — Pastor
- Rev. Francis Peffley — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Noah C. Morey — In Residence; Director, Office of Vocations
- Rev. Bradley Lawrence — In Residence
- Stephanie Vindell — Office Manager
- Marie Macnamara — Sacramental Records
- Esperanza Miranda — Parish Assistant
- Maria A. González de Pastrán — Parish Assistant
- Alicia Hamar — Parish Assistant
- Leigh Hasson — Director of Religious Education (DRE)
- Kathryn (Kathy) Retta — Director of Religious Education (per contact page)
- Amanda Green — Music Director / Choir Conductor
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Our Lady of Lourdes Religious Education (CCD) meets Sunday mornings during the school year from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM, between the 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Sunday Masses. The program is growing and welcomes volunteer teachers and aides; candidates must be practicing Catholics faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium and willing to attend a four-hour Virtus training and certification through the Diocese of Arlington.
- CCD Sunday mornings 9:00–10:30 AM during the school year
- Volunteers must complete Virtus training
- Contact: Leigh Hasson, DRE — 703-359-8963
Parish Organizations & Ministries
Our Lady of Lourdes has a wide range of active organizations offering volunteer, fellowship, service and faith-practice opportunities. All parishioners are invited to join any or all of them; the Rectory Office (703-684-9261) can connect interested parishioners with the contact person for each group.
- Altar Guild — beautifies the church, cares for sanctuary, linens, vestments, flowers and the Marian Grotto
- Altar Boys — assists priests at Mass; for boys ages 10+ who have received First Communion
- Choir / Music Department — sings at the 10:00 AM Sunday Mass; rehearses Sundays 9:30 AM
- Lector Ministry — proclaims Scripture at Mass
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion — bring Communion to the homebound and nursing homes
- Ushers — greets, seats and takes up collections
- Legion of Mary — weekly prayer and service in pairs; works include evangelization, visitation of the sick, prison ministry and Pilgrim Virgin Statue rotations
- Knights of Columbus — St. Joseph the Worker Council #14516 (largest Catholic men's fraternal organization)
- Spes Nostra Our Hope — Young Adults Ministry for ages 21–40
- Spanish Apostolate / Apostolados en Español
- Pro-Life Group — Life Chain, March for Life, Spiritual Baby Adoption, Gabriel Project Giving Tree
- Meals on Wheels — parish has delivered in South Arlington for over 30 years (3rd Monday of the month)
- Nursing Home Volunteers — visits local nursing home on Thursdays
- Annual Bazaar fundraiser and Parish Picnic
Facilities & Grounds
The parish campus includes the 1963 church with its 1987 stained-glass windows, a Lourdes Center / Parish Hall (the lower level of which is the original 1939 basement church), the rectory built in 1970, indoor and outdoor Mary Grottos, and the Pro-Life Memorial Garden with Stations of the Cross dedicated by Bishop Paul Loverde in 1999. Parishioners are welcomed to enjoy the grounds for a picnic or to toss a ball in their free time.
- Current church — built 1963, dedicated 1964
- Stained-glass windows added 1987 (Msgr. Richard Burke)
- Rectory built 1970
- Lourdes Center / Parish Hall
- Original 1939 basement church still stands as lower Parish Hall
- Indoor and outdoor Marian Grottoes
- Pro-Life Memorial Garden with Stations of the Cross (dedicated 1999)
Sacraments
Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick and Funeral arrangements are coordinated through the Rectory Office. Mass Intentions may be requested — a Mass celebrated for a loved one or for the repose of the soul of a departed one. Homebound visits and Anointing of the Sick are arranged by contacting the Rectory.
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick — contact Rectory
- Homebound visits
- Funeral arrangements
- Mass Intentions — request through the Rectory
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Robert F. Beattie1946–1954
Founding pastor; installed June 9, 1946 by Msgr. Edward L. Stevens. Previously assistant pastor at St. Mary's, Alexandria. His brother Fr. Dixon Beattie founded St. Ann's in north Arlington in 1947.
- Rev. Charles Comaskey1954–~1972
Second pastor for 18 years; paid down a $100,000 parish debt by 1958 and commissioned the current church, first used at the midnight Christmas Mass of 1963.
- Msgr. Richard Burke
Later pastor who added the stained-glass windows in 1987; had previously served as the first Chancellor of the Diocese of Arlington when it was erected in 1974.
- Rev. John O'Connell
Pastor at the time the Diocese of Arlington was erected in 1974.
- Rev. Frederick H. Edlefsencurrent
Current pastor.