There is a newness about the parish in Washington, Georgia. A rectory has been added and pastor Father John Fallon has moved in. “The quarters which I had,” says Father Fallon, “were a couple of rooms at the back of the church. I really needed a house and office. Besides, we needed a place to meet. Now the rooms at the church can be used for teaching religion and parish meetings.”

St. Joseph’s parish in Washington is a place full of Catholic history. For over 50 years the old St. Joseph’s orphanage was located there. The St. Joseph Sisters worked in the orphanage and also staffed an academy for girls for many years. The bell (above) of the old school still sits on the property where the sisters’ buildings stand. A Christian academy is now housed in those buildings.

A very historic cemetery is located in the heart of town. Many of the St. Joseph Sisters are buried there and tiny white crosses with names and dates of death tell their story. Once another parish church stood near the cemetery. That one was called St. Patrick'’ and was dedicated in the 1840s by the famous Bishop England of Charleston.

The new rectory sits on a beautiful piece of property which Father Fallon personally manicures and watches over. Dedication of his new home will take place on Sunday, April 13 at 10 a.m. The parishioners will turn out in style as Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan will bless the new home for this grand old parish.

Our photos show Father Fallon welcoming a friend, Dolores McNamara, to his new rectory and greeting some parishioners who came visiting on a beautiful afternoon in Washington.