As we celebrate the 150 years of the U.S. Spiritan Province, we remember that Black Catholics in Arlington, Virginia once had to travel to Alexandria or Washington, DC to attend mass. The community desired a church that they could attend in their neighborhood. In 1945, a group of devout and determined African Americans met with officials from the Diocese of Richmond with the hope of establishing a worship community in Arlington.

Alice Moorman, Joseph Bowman, Clarence Brown, Alice Butler, Irma Carter, Mary Fernandez, Edward Marshall, Sophia Terry, Lawrence and Jessie Butler, Hattie Ellis, Grace McQuinn, Constance Spencer, and Selena Brown were among the first group to meet about the founding of this parish. Thaddenia West with great distinction remained to share and hand on the tradition of the founding of this parish.

Bishop Ireton granted the request of Black Catholics to establish their own church in Arlington County and he invited the Spiritans to staff this new parish. On Pentecost Sunday, May 20, 1945, Fr. Joseph Hackett, C.S.Sp., became the first pastor of this new parish. This first mass was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Butler with 40 people in attendance. 

Families continued to gather and their numbers grew. After so many novenas and prayers had been said especially during the time of World War II, they decided to name the new parish, “Our Lady Queen of Peace.”

Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Brown along with Maurice Coates were granted permission for this growing community to use Dunbar Center in Green Valley for Sunday Mass. Mr. Solomon Thompson, a Black realtor, assisted in the purchase of the present property at 19th and South Edgewood Streets in Arlington.
Bishop Ireton approved the plans to begin the construction of a church building and on September 20, 1946, the groundbreaking ceremony was held with Fr. Hackett and Mrs. Alice Moorman turning the first shovel of dirt.

Parishioners invested much energy through dinners, bake sales, lawn parties, teas, and other efforts to raise monies to fund the construction of the church building. On Pentecost Sunday, June 15, 1947, Bishop Ireton returned to bless the new church. 

The African American origin of this parish is a testimony to the vibrant and energetic Black presence in the Catholic Church in the United States. In 1963, Our Lady of Peace parish was designated as a territorial parish embracing all Catholics within its boundaries regardless of race.

The pastoral leadership of Spiritans such as Frs. Joseph Hackett, C.S.Sp., Michael Kanda, C.S.Sp., Thomas Jones, C.S.Sp., James White, C.S.Sp., David Ray, C.S.Sp., James Healy, C.S.Sp., Jeff Duaime, C.S.Sp., Leonard Touzzolo, C.S.Sp., and Tim Hickey, C.S.Sp., has continued to make this multicultural parish, proud of its African American origins, one of the great Spiritan ministry in the Diocese of Arlington.

From the early dream and vision of sixteen Black Catholics, Our Lady Queen of Peace parish has grown and been transformed into a worshipping community of over 1,500 families representing Catholics from many nations, races, and cultures.