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The Church of the Annunciation
Adapted from an
article originally published in The Leaves
November 1958
By Mrs. Roy H. Hoopes
The Very Reverend
Monsignor Russell A Phelan |
As the Parish of the Annunciation takes shape
around the familiar "little white church" on the
knoll of a triangle at Massachusetts Avenue at
39th Street, the Very Reverend Monsignor Russell
A. Phelan, the founding Pastor of the Parish,
sees the hopes and dreams of his youth come into
reality. When a young priest, assigned to a
parish in Westernport, Maryland and serving as
Chaplain of the C.C.C. Camps and Principal of
the High School, Father Phelan found ideas and
the desire to play a part in the education of
young people taking root.
"I knew then that I wanted to give children
something in the way of education," he said. It
was not just to be pastor of a well established
Parish with a fine school, a typical ambition of
youth, but something more, something which
embodies the work of bringing it into existence.
"I knew at that time," he said, "that I wanted
to see a school grow, help shape and direct its
development."
This, Father Phelan has experienced and so
too, has the community watched the Monsignor’s
dream come into reality as the Parish of the
Annunciation nears completion.
It was in May 1948 when Monsignor Phelan,
then serving as Assistant Pastor of the Church
of St. Ann, was made founder of the new Parish
of the Annunciation. In June of that year the
Parish took its place among the ecclesiastical
divisions of the Archdiocese of Washington, when
it was established by the Most Reverend Patrick
A. O’Boyle, first resident Archbishop of
Washington, not long after his installation in
his new See.
The Parish Hall, School, and Convent, as
they were in 1958 |
The history of religious worship on the site
at present occupied by the Church of the
Annunciation began on July 11, 1943 when the
first Mass was offered in the little white
church which attracted the eye of all with its
isolated and charming simplicity. By 1953, the
Parish was well established and plans were
underway for the construction of new buildings.
When Father Phelan first looked at the
property and considered the Parish school, he
was concerned about children playing so near the
busy thoroughfare. He solved the problem by
having the buildings grouped to surround the
outside recreation center of the school and
insure the safety of children at play.
In September 1954, when the school was ready
to open, two hundred children were registered
when the bell rang for the first time. Under the
guidance of the Sister of the Society of the
Holy Child Jesus, the enrollment has grown to
over 340 students.
The Reverend Mother
Mary Joan, SHCJ |
Guided by the director of the Reverend Mother
Mary Joan, SHCJ, who represents the only
foundation in this area of the Society, located
at Rosemont, Pennsylvania, the teaching staff of
nine Sisters live in the Convent adjacent to the
school. The quiet dignity of the Convent is
reflected in the words of the Reverend Mother
Mary Joan who says: "The spirit is good here –
our children love the school and take good care
of it." Many nationalities are represented in
the classrooms by the children of diplomats from
all over the world, which makes a part of the
enrollment transient. Among the others are the
children of community residents, some who
entered kindergarten and are well on their way
toward the eighth grade.
The joy Monsignor Phelan finds in his calling
and especially in the Parish School is reflected
by the results of his efforts. Following a visit
to the school, the Right Reverent Monsignor John
S. Spence, Director of Education, Archdiocese of
Washington, said: "There is no question it is
one of the finest in the entire archdiocese!"
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