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Construction of our Church . . .
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Ground breaking for the St John Neumann Church building took place on August 21, 1982 on land donated by the founders of Montgomery Village, the Kettler Brothers. At last, 16 months later, the parish had a permanent home. Our odyssey had ended! The new building consisted of a worship area and a yet-unfinished parish center. The worship area is beautified by a Bas-Relief that was once the liturgical screen behind the altar on the Washington Mall where His Holiness Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass on October 7, 1979. The sculpture, a creation of Miles Stafford Rolph, known professionally as Jarbo, is called "CHRIST AMONG THE NATIONS" and depicts Christ with people of different races and cultures. Not only does the sculpture beautify our church and remind us of our Holy Father's visit to our country, but it is a daily reminder to us all that our brothers and sisters are all of the people who inhabit His world. Fr. Torsiello celebrated the first Mass in the new church on December 18, 1983. Three months later, the Most Rev. James A Hickey celebrated Mass with us and blessed and dedicated the new Church.
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Parish Center and Rectory . . .
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By 1986 the parish had grown to 1.043 families, and plans to complete the unfinished space in the church building began. Soon a kitchen and six rooms for classes or meetings (convertible to one large room for social activities) were added. The increase space, finished in 1988, also expanded the seating capacity of the church's worship area.
Plans for the construction of a permanent rectory and office annex began in the fall of 1990. When completed, the office section of the building provided space for staff offices, a conference room, and meeting rooms. Fr. Torsiello moved into the new rectory in September 1993, along with the parish's first associate pastor, Rev. Joseph Zalotay, who came to the parish that same month. In 1994, Fr Zalotay was transferred, and the parish's second associate pastor, Rev. Paul Passamonti, arrived in August 1995.
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Catechetical Center . . .
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By 1997, the parish rolls listed 1.611 families. To meet the growing parish's needs for more space for religious formation classes, plans got underway to construct a catechetical center in a new wing of the church building. In April 1997, Fr. Passamonti was transferred, and one month later Fr. Torsiello, our pastor of 19 years was also transferred. Our second pastor, Rev. John T. Dakes, arrived on July 7, 1997, and on October 1 of that same year our current deacon, Rev. Mr. Robert Allen joined us. Construction on the catechetical center and remodeling of the worship space began in July 1998 and was completed in October 1999.
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Into The New Millenium . . .
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We welcomed our third pastor, Rev. Michael W. Fisher, in January 1999. That same year the St. John Neumann chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul society was formed. Our third parochial vicar, Rev. Paul Tam Tran, came to us in July of 2000 until July, 2002, when our current parochial vicar, Rev. Scott Woods, arrived.
In 2000 we increased Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament form once a week to Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and by July, 2002, we were ready to begin Perpetual Adoration. In February of 2001, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick celebrated Mass at St. John Neumann and bless the Adoration Chapel and Catechetical Center.
2003 was our 25th Anniversary year. We celebrated with two pilgrimages: the the Shrine of St John Neumann in Philadelphia and the Grotto of Lourdes at Emmitsburg; a dinner-dance; a concert presented by the St. John Neumann Choir and a picnic. Our founding pastor, Rev. Ralph C. Torsiello, returned to celebrate our Anniversary Mass with concelebrants Rev. Michael W. Fisher, Rev. Scott Woods, Rev. Paul Tam Tran and Rev. John McKay.
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