Catholic places of interest in Baltimore, Maryland
The Catholic history of Baltimore, Maryland:
In 1634 two ships carrying Catholic sailed from England on the feast of Saint Clement, the patron Saint of mariners on a voyage to what were then British colonies. They sailed on two ships: “The Ark” and “The Dove” and landed in what is now the city of Baltimore. Onboard with them was Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, who sought to establish a financially successful colony that would also provide religious liberty.
Two Jesuit priests on these ships celebrated the first Mass in American British colonies on Saint Clement’s Island in the Chesapeake Bay on March 25, 1634.
So Maryland..or Mary’s Land…was founded by Catholics, and yet they suffered from discrimination up until the American revolution. Under English rule, Roman Catholics could not vote or hold office and Mass was only allowed if celebrated in private homes.
Upon winning independence from Great Britain, the new United States had its first diocese…Baltimore, and its first Bishop…Fr. John Carroll in 1790.
According to the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s website, estimates vary on the number of Catholics in Maryland at the end of the Revolution, but the figure usually cited is 6,000. By the time of Bishop Carroll’s death, the Catholic population was 10,000. By the beginnings of the 21st Century, that number grew to an estimated 500,000.
On October 8, 1995, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in the Archdiocese at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and visited both the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption.
Catholic Shrines & Places of Interest in Baltimore & nearby towns:
City of Baltimore
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori (traditional Latin Rite parish & shrine)
Our Lady of Mount Providence Convent, School and Conference Center
Nottingham:
Reisterstown
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church
Traveling to Baltimore, Maryland:
Baltimore is served by Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) but also 43 miles from Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, DC. Amtrak has train service to Baltimore from Baltimore’s historic Penn Station.