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A history of a parish is not as much a chronology of buildings and tenures of pastors as it is a reflection on the activities of the generations of families and individuals who have been Baptized, Confirmed, married, regularly received the Eucharist, been anointed, received the grace and comfort of Reconciliation, and joined their fellow parishioners in activities of service to the parish and to one another. It is also a reflection of the times in which those people lived and the Universal Church of which each parish is a part.
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THE PARISH IS ESTABLISHED: 1910-1920
In 1910, William Howard Taft was in the White House, with the Sixteenth Amendment (allowing income taxes on individuals), which he proposed and supported, working its way through the process of ratification. The pope, Pius X (1903-1914), was noted for encouraging the reception of Communion by children upon attaining the age of reason (usually considered around seven), restoring Gregorian Chant to the liturgy, and a campaign against "modernism," a theological trend that attempted to include the thinking of recent philosophers such as Immanuel Kant into theology. Washington DC was part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, headed at that time by James Cardinal Gibbons, one of the most important and influential figures in the history of the American Church. Those Catholics living in Chevy Chase, MD and the Chevy Chase neighborhood of the district attended St. Ann's Parish at Tenley Circle.
1910
Cardinal Gibbons, asks Father Thomas Gibbons Smyth, pastor of St. Ann's Parish, Tenley Circle, to form a mission parish in nearby Chevy Chase.April 3, 1910
Mass is celebrated for the first time in the Chevy Chase Library in the Chevy Chase mission of St. Ann's Parish, Tenley Circle.July 2, 1911
First parish church is completed and dedicated by Archbishop Diomede Falconio, O.F.M., Apostolic Delegate to the United States. This date marks the formal beginning of Blessed Sacrament Parish. Smyth continues as pastor of both St. Ann's and Blessed Sacrament.1911
Seven baptisms and one marriage recorded in that first year.c. 1911-1920
Service organizations such as the Sanctuary Guild, Sodality, Holy Name Society and the St. Vincent DePaul Society, and the parish choir are formed in the earliest days of the parish.August 20, 1914
Pope Pius X dies. On September 3, the conclave elected Cardinal Giacomo della Chiesa, a long-time papal diplomat and Archbishop of Bologna, who took the name Pope Benedict XV.April 6, 1917
The United States enters World War I, bringing a surge in population to the capital city and its suburbs including Chevy Chase and Blessed Sacrament parish.c. 1918-1920
Father Smyth and parishioners recognize the need to separate from St. Ann's as both parishes are growing too large for one pastor. They take the first steps: raising the funds to build a rectory.April 24, 1920
Father Smyth takes up residence in a newly completed rectory at Blessed Sacrament, becoming pastor of Blessed Sacrament only, marking the formal separation of Blessed Sacrament from St. Ann's. -
BUILDING AND GROWTH: 1921-1952
In the year 1920 when Blessed Sacrament was formally separated from St. Ann’s, the country was in the first years of “Roaring Twenties” the decade of prosperity that came in the aftermath of World War I. Warren G. Harding was just beginning his soon-to-be scandal plagued administration after a campaign headed by the slogan “return to normalcy.” Pope Benedict XV was nearing the end of his relatively short (seven years and five months) pontificate, much of which he devoted to finding peace among warring nations, in society, and within the Church.
March 24, 1921
James Cardinal Gibbons, the archbishop of Baltimore who directed the start of the parish, and arguably one of the most influential prelates in the history of the American Church, dies at his residence in Baltimore.November 30, 1921
Michael Joseph Curley, the bishop of St. Augustine, FL, arrives in Baltimore as Gibbon’s successor. A native of Ireland, Curley was only 34 when made bishop of St. Augustine where one of his notable achievements was a fight against segregation in Catholic schools.January, 1922
Pope Benedict XV dies of pneumonia. The conclave elects Achille Ratti, archbishop of Milan, who takes the name Pius XI. Pius worked to make the Church influential in the world, writing encyclicals on marriage and labor, for example, and made great efforts at combating anti-Semitism and all forms of racism.c. 1922-1925
Continued growth of the parish necessitated planning for a permanent church and school. With the approval of Archbishop Curley, the church was to be the first project and fundraising began. At the end of 1923, with $55,000 raised, definite planning begins for the church.September 13, 1923
Blessed Sacrament school opens in temporary quarters, with 53 students, taught by three Sisters of the Holy Cross. Enrollment increased to 113 by the end of the year.November 1, 1925
Cornerstone of Blessed Sacrament Church is laid by Bishop Thomas Shahan, rector of the Catholic University of America.November 6, 1927
Blessed Sacrament Church is dedicated by Archbishop Curley. The church is designed by Maginiss & Walsh of Boston, architects of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, the St. Joseph Memorial Chapel at The College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, and several buildings at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN.August, 1929
Permanent school building is completed (at a cost of roughly $200,000) with the convent following four years later. The school enrollment is 240 students when the building opens in 1929.1930s
Events such as the annual May procession and Corpus Christi processions are established. The school produces an annual show, involving every student.March 4, 1933
Franklin Roosevelt is inaugurated as thirty-second President of the United States. Roosevelt’s depression-fighting policies attracted a great number of people to the capital with the result that Blessed Sacrament’s population more than doubled in the decade of the 1930s.1935
The Sanctuary Society and the Sodality merge to form the Sanctuary Sodality, which continues down through today. Operating in small groups, called units, this group serves the dual purpose of enriching members’ spiritual lives as well as being of service, both in the parish and in the broader community.1936
In a somewhat humorous event, chimes are added to the church tower, setting off litigation (eventually decided in favor of the parish) with neighbors unhappy at being awakened by the sounds of bells at an early hour of the morning.February 10, 1939
Pope Pius XI dies. On March 2, the conclave elects Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, a former papal diplomat, as his successor, who takes the name Pius XII.July 22, 1939
The Archdiocese of Washington is formally separated from Baltimore with Archbishop Curley named as archbishop of both Baltimore and Washington, a situation that continued until 1947 with the arrival of Patrick A. O’Boyle as the first resident archbishop of Washington.August, 1939
Father Smyth is named a domestic prelate with the title right reverend monsignor.December, 1941
The last of the parish debt on the various buildings is paid off and the current rectory (now the priest’s residence) at 6001 Western Ave. is acquired.December, 1941
Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States entry into World War II brought Blessed Sacrament fully into the war effort. Along with paper drives, bond sales, and the like came another influx of people.1942
School enrollment hits 701 (compared with approximately 410 today) in a building less than one-third the size of today’s Blessed Sacrament School.c. 1946-1949
The end of the war brought the realization that more space was needed. Fundraising and planning for a school addition begins.1947
House behind the church, where the parish center is now located, is purchased for extra classroom space.December 4, 1947
Msgr. Patrick A. O’Boyle of New York, who had served the New York archdiocese in a variety of posts including director of Catholic Charities and also the American Church as director of War Relief Services, is named the first resident archbishop of Washington. His installation at St. Matthew’s Cathedral on January 21, 1948 markes the final separation of Washington from the Baltimore archdiocese. It was O’Boyle who gave approval for a $300,000 addition to Blessed Sacrament school.1949-1951
Work begins on the addition to the school. Archbishop O’Boyle lays the cornerstone in 1951.
c. 1950
The Korean War breaks out in 1950 and lasts until 1953.May 19, 1951
Msgr. Smyth dies in the rectory.October 12, 1951
Father Edward Hayes Roach is appointed second pastor of Blessed Sacrament.August 24, 1952
School addition is dedicated by Archbishop O’Boyle. School enrollment reaches approximately 800. -
CONTINUED GROWTH 1954-1999
1954
Church is air conditioned this year and is the first church in the Archdiocese to have air conditioning.c. 1954-1960
In the 1954 Supreme Court decision (Brown v Board of Education), segregation is declared unconstitutional. With the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act in 1956, the Interstate highway system is inaugurated. The Soviet Union launches its first satellite into space, the Sputnik, in 1957. The remaining part of the decade is characterized by suburban growth, the standardization of black and white television and the beginning of “rock and roll” music”July 2, 1961
The church celebrates its 50th anniversary.c. 1962-1964
The Cuban missile crisis is in 1962, the civil rights march is in August 1963 and John F. Kennedy is assassinated on November 22, 1963. President Lyndon Johnson signs the historic Civil Rights (voting rights) Act in 1964 and Medicare Insurance Act the next year.1965
The final construction of the Gym and Religious Center (Msgr Roach Building) is completed, which is the final phase of the Msgr Smythe’s vision for the school, at a cost of $600,000. This phase of the project required relocating the existing alley.US military operations in Vietnam escalate significantly with the arrival of thousands of troops who were engaged in combat operations as opposition to the draft and war grows.
1966-1968
Both the war in Vietnam and the civil rights movement in the US grow. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King is assassinated and on June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated.1968
Msgr. W. Louis Quinn is named pastor of Blessed Sacrament. He stays at Blessed Sacrament until 1974 when he is named pastor of St. Matthew’s Cathedral.July 1969
The US puts the first man on the moon.1970-1973
The Envirnomental Protection Agency is established in 1970 and, under President Richard Nixon, the Paris peace accord ends the Vietnam War in 1973. In addition the draft ends and is replaced by an all volunteer army in 1973.1974
Due to the Arab oil embargo, there are long lines at gas stations and the Watergate scandal is at its peak. Richard Nixon resigns from the office of President of the United States and Gerald Ford becomes the first non-elected president of the country.1974
Msgr Joseph Corbett is named the fourth Pastor of Blessed Sacrament. However, due to a long illness, his tenure is short and Msgr. Corbett dies on February 19, 1981.1975-1980
In 1976, the US celebrates its 200th bicentennial and most homes have color television sets. President Carter is elected president in 1976. The revolution in Iran replaces the Shah with an Islamic Republic. In 1979, the US embassy personnel are taken hostage.May 28, 1981
Msgr. Thomas D. Duffy becomes the 5th Pastor of Blessed Sacrament, shortly after the Assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981.1981-1989
In January 1981, the hostages are freed from Iran. In March, President Reagan is wounded in an assassination attempt. AIDs is identified. Computers become common in offices and in homes. Home movies on VCRs are common place. Under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, communism soon changes in the Soviet Union and in 1989, the fall of the Berlin wall symbolizes the fall of communism and the end of the Cold War.1986
The church celebrates its 75th year. The school is still run by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and enrollment is 420. Msgr Duffy is the Pastor and there are 2,200 housholds registered in the parish.1990-2000
The first Gulf War is in 1991 where Iraq withdraws from Kuwait while CNN provides live coverage of the events of the war. Internet, fax machines, and cell phones change the way Americans live and do business. Microsoft operating systems gains monopoly control and business globalization changes the economy.1995
Mother Teresa visits the parish on June 19th .1998
The school celebrates its 75th year with a reunion party. -
2000-The Present
June 10, 2001
The groundbreaking for the Msgr Thomas Duffy Parish Center and school renovation.September 11, 2001
September 11 changes the way Americans live, travel and view the world. In October 2001 US and NATO forces begin military operations in Afghanistan. In March, 2003, military operations begin in Iraq.
2002
The parish center is dedicated.
June 2005
Msgr Duffy retires and Msgr John Enzler becomes Pastor.Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Financial crisis of 2008 were other major events of the decade.
November 4, 2008
The United States of America inaugurates its first African American President, Barrack Obama.June 2011
Fr. Ron Potts is installed as Pastor as Msgr John Enzler is named the new President and CEO of Catholic Charities.2011
The church celebrates its 100 birthday party in 2011 and a class reunion is held in October.2016
Donald J. Trump becomes the first president elected without any prior political experience.July 2017
Fr. William Foley is named the 8th Pastor of Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Foley grew up in the parish and graduated from Blessed Sacrament School.