WHEREAS, for 50 years, Good Shepherd Catholic Church has provided spiritual leadership, opportunities for fellowship and worship, and generous outreach to the Alexandria community; and

WHEREAS, founded under the Diocese of Richmond in 1965, Good Shepherd Catholic Church tended to the spiritual needs of Fairfax County; the parish's first pastor, Joseph F. Schwartz, led an original congregation of 900 families, including 2,000 children; and

WHEREAS, in the 1970s, Good Shepherd Catholic Church established its longstanding International Festival, an annual tradition that has raised more than $500,000 to support charitable organizations; the church also welcomed numerous families from South Vietnam at this time; and

WHEREAS, Good Shepherd Catholic Church joined the Diocese of Arlington upon its creation in 1974; the church continued to grow throughout the 1970s and 1980s and completed a multipurpose community center in 1987 to better serve the congregation and local residents; and

WHEREAS, the Hispanic community also became an integral part of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church congregation in the 1980s and 1990s; the church began a monthly Spanish-language mass in 1984 and has employed at least one Spanish-speaking priest since 1995; and

WHEREAS, in 2015, Good Shepherd Catholic Church serves 3,000 families, including 57 original families, and works to strengthen and enhance the community with more than 100 active ministries; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Good Shepherd Catholic Church hereby be commended on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Father Tom Ferguson, pastor of Good Shepherd Catholic Church, as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the church's many contributions to the Alexandria community.