Democratic members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors again blocked efforts on Tuesday (July 14) by Springfield District’s Pat Herrity to designate an autumn day as “Church Heritage Recognition Day.”
Herrity, the 10-member body’s lone Republican, failed to get the necessary seconding motion required to take up consideration of his proposal to recognize Nov. 21 as Fairfax County Church Heritage Recognition Day, which he has unsuccessfully championed for several years.
“I can’t understand why we can’t do this one,” Herrity said at the board meeting.
“There’s objection every year to this,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said during a brief back-and-forth on the topic.
McKay said a “much more appropriate recognition” was the broader religious freedom resolution that has been adopted by supervisors in the past.
Herrity said the intent of his resolution is not to divide, but to acknowledge the impact of local Christian churches on the county and beyond.
“The Christian church tradition and the many churches of Fairfax County which partake in that tradition play a vital role in shaping the cultural, social and moral landscape of the communities within Fairfax County, fostering the development of the arts, education and sciences,” Herrity said in proposing the resolution.
It was the latest round in a battle that dates back to 2024, when the conservative lobbying group Family Foundation of Virginia began calling for a Church Heritage Recognition Day proclamation in response to Fairfax County recognizing March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility — which happened to coincide with Easter that year.
That October, the Board of Supervisors rejected Herrity’s proposal for a Church Heritage Recognition Day resolution and instead adopted a broader measure in support of religious diversity and the role all faith communities play in the county.
Herrity, joined by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, unsuccessfully sought to have both resolutions adopted in tandem.
When that proposal failed, Herrity ended up supporting the alternate version, which had been proposed by then-Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw. Storck abstained from voting.
In place of a countywide resolution, Herrity created what he called a “Springfield District proclamation” on Church Heritage Recognition Day. He presented it at a ceremony held at Burke Community Church.
Herrity also tried to convince his colleagues to support a Church Heritage Recognition Day resolution in October 2025, but again was rebuffed.
