The Italian Heritage Society of St. Mary of Sorrows Church

Co-founded by Lucio D’Andrea and Russell De Rose in February 2010 with the blessing of Father James Barkett.

Membership Information: Membership is open to anyone who is interested in Italian culture, history, language, and food. Our membership is made up of Italians, Italian Americans, those of Italian heritage, and other ethnic heritages.

Annual Dues: Single is $10.00 and Family is $15.00. (January 1 to December 31)

For more information contact officers:

IHS President
Julie Klosky
julieklosky@yahoo.com

IHS Vice-President
Vacant

IHS Membership
Caterina Strasburg
catstrasburg@gmail.com

IHS Secretary & Hospitality
Opening

IHS Treasurer
Charlie Reimer

IHS Church Liaison
Lucy Schleibaum
Lucy5959@yahoo.com
(703)323-0345

IHS Programs
Howard Marshall
Kurmen40@yahoo.com
Russell De Rose
Caterina Strasburg
Sharon Strauchs

IHS Genealogy
John Di Bella
jsdbla@gmail.com

Meeting Location and Dates: Meetings at 5222 Sideburn Rd. Fairfax, VA. Please sign in at the office area before attending meetings and get an IHS badge. If possible please bring a beverage or food item to share for the general monthly meetings.

Italian Heritage Society General Meetings are in St Mary of Sorrows parish center in Farrell Hall 

The IHS general monthly meetings in Farrell Hall of the SMOS parish center are scheduled as follows and please let me know if you would like to share some information and do a PowerPoint or similar presentation associated with Italian heritage topics:

2025 dates

  • Friday September 26 at 6:00-9pm Saints Carlo Acutis & Pier Giorgio
  • Friday October 24 at 6:00-8:30pm Italian American Heritage Month
  • Friday November 21 at 6:00-8:30pm Italian POWs built Italian chapel in Lamb Holm Orkney Scotland 1943-1944
  • Tuesday December 9 the Christmas Luncheon @Pazzo Pomodoro Vienna VA (RSVP) at 11:30am

2026 dates

  • Friday January 9  The Epiphany Celebration Pot luck at  6-8pm
  • Friday February 20  SMOS KofC Fish Fry at 5-7pm
  • Thurs. March 19th St.Joseph’s Day lunch Pazzo Pomodoro Vienna VA at 11:30am RSVP required
  • Friday April 17 at 6:00-8:30pm Meet and Greet Author Anthony DeSantis, The Stowaway in First Class at Old St. Mary Hall 11098 Fairfax Station Rd.
  • Saturday May 9 at 6:00-8:30pm Italian Movie Night at Farrell Hall
  • Friday June 26 at 6:00-9pm

The IHS Executive Board meetings at 5222 Sideburn Rd Fairfax VA are scheduled the first Wednesday of the month in Rm 8L of the SMOS parish center from 10am to Noon, space is allocated so occasional  extra general information sharing may be scheduled for the IHS membership.

  • 2025 dates
  • September 3
  • October 1 
  • November 5 Alyssa Ciccone discuss CiaoDC possible DC tours w/van/bus for IAMDC/Franciscan monastery/Italian restaurant
  • December 3

  • 2026 dates
  • January 7
  • February 4  rescheduled to February 11, in person or Zoom.
  • Monday March 2,  Zoom only.
  • April 1
  • May 6
  • June 3

Mission: The mission of the Italian Heritage Society is to promote the cultural, social and educational heritage of Italy and its regions, and to increase the awareness and appreciation of the contributions made by Italians, Italian Americans, and those of Italian heritage to the economic, social and cultural development of the United States. It also seeks to support the spiritual, social and cultural values of the community of St. Mary of Sorrows Church.

Activities: Includes but is not limited to the following activities.

    • Dinners at an Italian restaurant or pot-luck or catered lunch or dinner at St. Mary’s Church, especially around Christian Holy Days.
    • Italian games (i.e. briscola, scopa, etc.) or bocce.
    • Attend Italian cultural events in the Washington, D.C. area.
    • Italian regional cooking demonstrations.
    • Wine tastings and presentations.
    • Visit to Virginia Italian vineyards.
    • Olive oil tasting.
    • Italian movie night.
    • Coordination with other Italian Heritage groups in Virginia.
    • Genealogical research programs at the National Archives (NARA), Library of Congress, Family History Library, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and other sources.
    • Organized trips to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Embassy of Italy, Congress, Holy Rosary Church, Italian feasts in the area, and Ellis Island, etc.
    • Celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph in March and its traditions.
    • Recommend Italian language classes for beginners, intermediate, and advance students.
    • Arrange programs that highlight the social, economic and intellectual development by Italians in the USA.
    • Cooperate with other St. Mary Church organizations in promoting spiritual and cultural events of the Church, i.e. International Night.