Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville, Virginia

The funeral Mass for Thomas Vander Woude, RIP, was held on Monday, 15 September, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Gainesville, Virginia, a stunning achievement for the pastor, Father Francis Peffley, and his people. The church was filled to overflowing with thousands of mourners, over 70 priests and the bishop of Arlington. The altar boys numbered at least 100, all vested in red and black cassocks with surplice.

The pattern of threes, number symbolic of the Holy Trinity, is repeated throughout the structure, from the facade with portico of three arches faced in brick and trimmed in gray stone to the fleur-de-lis arches that span the interior ceiling. The exterior also sports flying buttresses.

Holy Trinity will soon begin the weekly offering of the Extraordinary Form, or Usus Antiquior, of the Holy Mass.

Bravi!

For information and more photos visit the Holy Trinity Catholic Church website.

(Photos are by Jordan Koepke.)