Church of the Ascension - Halethorpe MD - Roman Catholic Churches on Waymarking.com

From the church website in part:

History of Ascension Parish 1913 ~ 2013
Researched and Written by Theresa Miller Spliedt
The early Roman Catholic residents of Halethorpe attended Mass and received sacraments in nearby parishes, such as Saint
Joseph’s Monastery on Frederick Avenue, Saint Clement’s in Lansdowne, Saint Benedict’s on Wilkens Avenue, or Saint Jerome’s on W. Hamburg Street. The growing number of Roman Catholic residents in Halethorpe created a need for a place to worship within the community.

In 1911, the Roman Catholic residents of Halethorpe approached Father John Sullivan, the pastor of Saint Clement parish,
with the request to create a mission parish in Halethorpe. Father Sullivan consented and corresponded with His Eminence James
Cardinal Gibbons to obtain permission. In his annual parish report of January 1, 1912, Father Sullivan noted that the Roman Catholic
residents of Halethorpe had been attending services at Saint Joseph’s Monastery because a car-line linked the two communities and commented that he planned to have a “self-supporting mission there (Halethorpe) before the end of the year” to facilitate the practice of their Roman Catholic faith.

The plans to create a mission parish in Halethorpe moved forward during 1912. A 100 foot by 120 foot parcel of land on
Fairview Avenue, at its intersection with Linden Avenue, was donated to the Archbishop of Baltimore for the purpose of providing a building site for a Catholic Church in Halethorpe. A loan, in the amount of $3,000, provided the funding necessary to commence construction. The expected completion date of the church in Halethorpe was May 1, 1913, which was Ascension Thursday that year. (January 1, 1913 annual report from Father Sullivan/ Ecclesiastical Calendar for A.D. 1913) The church was a wood-framed building with cedar shingles that had a seating capacity of 50 people. Beautifully crafted, stained-glass windows mounted on hinges provided ventilation for building. The church soon became known as “the church on the hill.” The cost of the altar, stained glass windows, pews and
Stations of the Cross for first Church of the Ascension totaled $800 per the January 1, 1914 parish report submitted by Father Sullivan.

The Biblical accounts of the ascension of Jesus into heaven recorded by Luke in his Gospel 24:50-51 and the Acts of the
Apostles 1:9-11 portrays Jesus being lifted up into the clouds from Mount Olive, which was a day’s journey from Jerusalem. While no written documentation has yet been discovered, one could conclude that the Church of the Ascension was given its name because it was built at the top of a hill in a community that is a suburb of Baltimore City and/or the first Mass in the church was planned for Ascension Thursday. Thus began Ascension Parish in Halethorpe as a mission to Saint Clement’s Parish with Father Sullivan assigned as its pastor. Twenty families were listed on the initial registry of the mission parish. Father Sullivan was given an automobile to facilitate his commute between Lansdowne and Halethorpe. (Father Spraker comments in the Ascension Church/School dedication book and the Baltimore American newspaper article)

After the celebration of the first Mass in the new Church of Ascension in Halethorpe on Ascension Thursday, May 1, 1913,
parishioners looked forward to the dedication of the building by His Eminence James Cardinal Gibbons. The dedication ceremony took
place at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 14, 1913 with Reverend Joseph P. Holden, rector of Saint Jerome Church, assisting
Cardinal Gibbons. Mass for Ascension parishioners and their guests followed immediately thereafter. Father Sullivan was the main
celebrant for the Mass and Reverend Thomas J. Kenny, rector of Saint Peter’s Church, delivered the sermon. Music for the occasion
was directed by Barbara Goeller (who later married and became Barbara Eichelman). Reverend Emory P. White, S.J., of Woodstock
College, celebrated Mass for the congregation of Saint Clement parish on behalf of Father Sullivan and then traveled to Halethorpe to attend the festivities held in conjunction with the dedication of the Church of the Ascension. (Monday, September 15, 1913 edition of the Baltimore American newspaper article.)
His Eminence James Cardinal Gibbons made a brief congratulatory address to the congregation of Ascension parish just prior
to the conclusion of Mass. In his remarks, Cardinal Gibbons complimented the parishioners on the fruits of their labor and expressed his pride in the monument that they had erected to honor our Heavenly Father. He concluded his remarks with a blessing that conveyed his belief that Ascension Parish would prosper, expand, and serve many faithful in the upcoming years- “May the blessing of Almighty God be upon you, and upon your church, so that in future years, when this community has grown and when a new and larger building stands in place of this one, you may look back upon the years of work well done.”(His Eminence James Cardinal Gibbons as quoted in the Monday, September 15, 1913 edition of the Baltimore American newspaper article)
Joshua S. Hull, one of the land speculators and realtors for the growing community of Halethorpe, and his wife, hosted a
reception in their home after Mass for the Cardinal and the priests that had joined him for the church dedication. Other dinner guests included Senator Carville D. Benson, M/M Charles W. Hull, M/M George Kostha, Mrs. Stanley Hooper, Della Dorsey, Myrtle Dorsey, John Schaub, and Alexander S Schaub.

Tragedy struck Ascension Parish on August 19, 1916. The church on the hill was consumed by fire. Fortunately, the building
was fully insured to enable the parish to quickly rebuild. (Father Sullivan’s statement in the Saint Clement Parish report dated January 1, 1917.) In the meantime, the Kilner family, who resided on the southeast corner of Linden and Woodside Avenues, offered the use their home to Father Sullivan as a place to say Mass for Ascension parishioners until the new building was completed.

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Fathers E. Gerard Huesman and John J. Mike were assigned to the Church of the Ascension in 1976 as pastor and assistant
pastor, respectively to succeed Father Spraker and Father Hlavac. Father Robert F. Lentz became the assistant pastor in 1981. The
reassignment of Father Lentz in 1983 created a void in Ascension Parish that reflected the shortage of priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. An assistant pastor was not assigned to Ascension Parish to replace Father Lentz, but instead, a new position, that of a Pastoral Associate was created. Betty VanOrder became the first Pastoral Associate of Ascension Parish.


In the early 1980’s, under the pastoral leadership of Father Huesman, the decision was made to build a church for Ascension
Parish to replace the temporary facility located in the basement of the school building. The property on Potomac Avenue between
Poplar and Maple Avenues, where the rectory and previous church-school buildings stood, was destined to become the site of the new
Ascension Church building. The final event held in the old church/school building was the 25th class reunion of the Ascension class of 1957 which took place on May 22, 1982.

The rectory and the church-school buildings were subsequently razed and ground was broken in September of 1984 for the
construction of a church. The new church would have a seating capacity of approximately 300 people. Ascension Church was
completed almost a year later and the first Mass was celebrated by Father Huesman in the new church on Thanksgiving Day,
November 28, 1985. The church was dedicated on February 16, 1986 by The Most Reverend William D. Borders, Archbishop of
Baltimore during a Mass which was celebrated by Father Huesman.

Type of Church: Church Status of Building: Actively in use for worship Date of organization: 01/01/1911 Date of building construction: 11/28/1985 Diocese: Archdiocese of Baltimore Maryland Address/Location: 4603 Poplar Ave Halethorpe, MD United States 21227 Relvant Web Site: [Web Link] Dominant Architectural Style: Not listed Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Not listed Archdiocese: Not listed

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