Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church held its first Mass in six months on Tuesday, Oct. 13, marking the end of a $12 million renovation that took four years to complete.
The church at 8601 Wolftrap Road, just outside Vienna's town limits, was nearly full as parishioners returned to the building, FFXnow first reported. The project launched in late 2022 and forced services into an adjacent chapel and fellowship hall after Easter.
Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington delivered the homily. "It's very proud day for all of you, and for our diocese, and at this mass, we give thanks to God, who blessed your work and brought us to this day," he told parishioners.
The renovation touched nearly every part of the building. Visible additions include a white Carrara marble baptismal font at the central entrance, a new organ, statues of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph at the front, a statue of St. Francis de Sales on the side, new pews, a relocated tabernacle and a tiered area for the choir. Stained glass was installed behind a new statue of the parish's namesake holding the baby Jesus.
Less visible work addressed aging infrastructure. Crews repaired the church's roof structures and HVAC systems, reinforced walls and fixed a cracking bell tower. The parish said the old systems could no longer be repaired, according to its project page.
The church also stretched its budget by reusing materials. A parishioner carved two eight-foot crosses from the old pews, and more of the wood became trays for liturgical items. Other old pews went to the Our Lady of Good Counsel School across the parking lot, the fellowship hall, another Fairfax County school and parishioners' homes.
Cassandre Durocher, the church's director of communications, told FFXnow the parish tried to salvage what it could rather than buy everything new, saying the goal was to steward the money properly.
The organ replacement came as an unplanned addition.
The church said its existing organ was failing with broken pieces and outdated technology. The parish launched a separate fundraising drive after receiving an initial $50,000 gift toward a $150,000 goal, according to its organ fund page.
Our Lady of Good Counsel serves about 3,000 households. Founded in 1955, the parish has been staffed by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales since 1956. The current church building was dedicated March 10, 1973, according to the church's history page.
The Rev. Mathias Kumar, the church's pastor, told parishioners during the Oct. 13 Mass that the completed renovation is not the end but the beginning. The parish's organ fund remains open at olgcva.org.
