Bishop Burbidge to break ground for new chapel at Good Shepherd Catholic Church

Alexandria, Va. - On Sunday, April 23, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington will join with the Rev. Thomas Ferguson, pastor of Good Shepherd Catholic Church, in breaking ground for a new chapel and other multi-use facilities at the church, a growing Catholic parish south of Mount Vernon.

Bishop Burbidge will celebrate the 12 p.m. Mass at Good Shepherd along with Fr. Ferguson.  Following Mass, they will be joined by members of the parish community in breaking ground at approximately 1 p.m. for a project that is expected to be completed in Spring 2024.

Good Shepherd Catholic Church has more than 10,000 parishioners and is one of the largest parishes in the Diocese.

The project includes a new chapel, ideal for intimate weddings and funerals. It will have a seating capacity of 150. It will also expand the parish's ability to offer Eucharistic Adoration, and hold celebrations such as quinceñeras.

There will be new meeting spaces for various groups within the parish community to use, with an additional seating capacity of several hundred depending on room configuration. The church has many active ministries such as faith formation, Bible studies and tutoring programs using the existing classrooms, with space becoming increasingly limited.

The roof of the new building will be lower than the existing roof of the church. This lower roof will serve two purposes. It will allow for a bell tower to be prominently displayed and, because of the decreased height, it will be more energy efficient.

During construction, normal church activities will go on as planned with minimal disruption.

What:
Groundbreaking of new chapel and other facilities at Good Shepherd Catholic Church

When:
12 p.m. Mass followed by groundbreaking at approximately 1 p.m.

Where:
Good Shepherd Catholic Church
8710 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway
Alexandria, Va. 22309

Media interested in covering the event should contact Mary Shaffrey, director of media relations, at (703) 841-2517 or mary.shaffrey@arlingtondiocese.org.