Opening near Washington D.C. ‘s Dupont Circle in 1959, Stonecrest has been around since the early days of Opus Dei’s activity in the United States. The founder of the prelature, St. Josemaria Escriva, mentioned Stonecrest during an interview in 1966. It was in that year that board member, Mary O’Keeffe, first came in contact with Stonecrest.
Mary’s daughter, Meg, was an eighth grade student at Blessed Sacrament school in Chevy Chase when she brought home a beautiful brochure for a sewing club for girls at Stonecrest. The women from the center had visited the school to make a presentation to the students earlier that day. Mary recalls being “so impressed with the charming brochure and the care that had been taken in painting the young lady with a parasol on each cover of the mimeographed flyer.” She signed her daughter up for the club at Stonecrest, which was at that time on Massachusetts Avenue.
Mary recalls attending her first retreat at the center in those early days. Eventually, Mary would join Opus Dei as a member. Over the years, Mrs. O’Keeffe has been on hand to see the work of the center expand. When Stonecrest made its first move in 1983 to the current residence on the corner of 43rd and Van Ness streets, Mary was part of the volunteer effort to get the new building ready in the months before opening. Decades later, Mary O’Keeffe is still contributing her time and work to help with the move to Virginia. She asserts, “It’s a supernatural endeavor, and yet it’s also very exciting on a human level to be part of something that will be beneficial for many women in so many ways.”