St. Paul Catholic Church - Ellicott City MD - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

From the church’s website:

Legacy of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church-Growth ....renovation ....expansion...restoration. These are familiar words to parishioners and staff at St. Paul Church. Sitting land-locked on a hill overlooking historic Ellicott City, St. Paul Church has been renovated, stretched, and increased in size to meet the changing needs of its growing community in eastern Howard County.
St. Paul Catholic Church is truly a landmark, and “a jewel in an exquisite setting”. Dedicated on December 13, 1838, St Paul Church was the only Catholic church between Baltimore and Frederick. The church was built on land acquired from George Ellicott, an early settler in the region. To date, St. Paul Church remains the oldest active parish between Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
The outside of the church was gray granite from a nearby quarry. The inside was plain and unpainted with large plain glass windows. Before the church was completed, the first pastor, Father Henry Coskery (1835-1839) celebrated Mass at Castle Angelo on the opposite hill. Father Coskery was also the sponsor of Christian Brothers in the United States.


During the Civil War, the basement of the church served as a hospital for all soldiers - both Northern and Southern. After the Civil War, a series of renovations began. Frescoed walls, a marble altar flanked by carved wooden angels, a silver crucifix, and elaborate German silver chandeliers were added to the church. Father Peter Tarro (1883-1907) rebuilt the main altar with Scotch marble and covered the tabernacle in white marble and a brass door. Other additions included tinted glass windows and two marble side altars. In 1896 the steeple topped by a Celtic cross was added. A parish hall (the current office building) was built to be used as a Sunday School and center for social activities.
In 1922, during the second pastorate of Father Michael Ryan (1907-1912, 1920-1947) the St. Paul parish school opened, and was staffed by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The school was housed in the former Patapsco National Bank building (which is now Dohony Hall). The Sisters first lived in the top two floors of this building, and later in the wood frame convent, now known as Croghan Hall. Father Ryan provided school in the parish hall for the black children of the parish. As the church and school continued to grow, Monsignor Nicholas Dohony (1962-1986) presided over building a new school on the outskirts of town. This school was completed in 1966 and was named St. Paul the Apostle School. In 1974, spurred by the continued growth in Howard County, the Church of the Resurrection was incorporated on the site. The school now operates as Resurrection -St. Paul School, an inter-parish school serving both parishes.


Monsignor Dohony also saw renovations to the parish facilities. In 1974, a new side entrance and vestibule were added. A wood carving of St. Paul, made in northern Italy, was installed in 1976. Father Donald Croghan (1986-1992) continued the improvements, renovating the rectory, remodeling the convent into classroom space (Croghan Hall), and began planning for a parking lot expansion.
Father Thomas J. Donaghy (1992-2003) continued the renewal of church properties. An initial restoration of the church interior was completed in 1992. The old stone school was completely renovated and restored, with an addition to provide classroom and meeting space, a large multi purpose room, and a kitchen. Continuing his work, Father Donaghy initiated a major expansion of the worship space. Under his direction, the ‘new’ church, in its cruciform shape, was rededicated January 6, 2001 by William Cardinal Keeler.


Father Michael Jendrek (2003-2008) meticulously cared for the parish facilities. Major maintenance projects included steeple painting, re-leading of stained glass windows, new carpet, and interior facility painting. With the changing population and growth in our parish community, service outreach, stewardship, community and family centered events are increasing. A master plan for continued improvements In 2005, the youth of the parish, led by an Eagle Scout, cleared and restored the St. Paul cemetery. Headstones were reset, gravesites cleaned, research documented. This cemetery, located on Frederick Road approximately 2 miles west of the church, is the restful site of early ancestors, many from Ireland. The Cemetery was used until 1968, with Clara Frey being the last interment on December 27, 1968. Our current pastor, Father Mathew Buening (2008-present), has continued to beautify the campus. He inherited the parish vision to begin construction on a new building to meet the needs of a growing parish. The “old brown house” was raised in 2010, allowing construction of “The Center for the New Evangelization” to begin on the site of that old brown house in April 2011, as a result of a significant capital campaign, initiated in 2007. Construction proceeded with relatively few hiccups---an unknown water main break, subcontractor squabbles, a few issues with hill typography--- setbacks that cost us some valuable time and incredible weather, but were adeptly handled by our General Contractor and architect. Construction continued through the summer and fall of 2011 and an amazingly mild winter of 2012. St. Paul’s was granted Use and Occupancy in late March 2012.


The Center for the New Evangelization building also has been designed to be ecologically and environmentally sensitive. It is one of the few structures in Howard County to have a “green roof” and its waste water management system is considered state of the art. The Center will provide generations of our faithful, young and old, with the blessings of education and faith formation and to inspire and nurture the mantle of discipleship handed to us by our patron, St. Paul.


St. Paul’s continues to be a beacon of light and hope to the Ellicott City community. The community values and respects St. Paul Church’s voice and presence for the marginalized and needy.

History (stpaulec.org)

I, Don Morfe was told by the docent at the Howard County Welcome Center, Ellicott City that George Herman (Babe) Ruth (famous Baseball Player) was married at St. Paul’s Catholic Church.

From Wikipedia in part: (visit link)
“The school’s (St. Mary’s Industrial School) influence remained with Ruth in other ways. He was a lifelong Catholic who would sometimes attend Mass after carousing all night, and he became a well-known member of the Knights of Columbus. He would visit orphanages, schools, and hospitals throughout his life, often avoiding publicity.----
Ruth joined the Grays on August 18, 1914. After Dunn's deals, the Baltimore Orioles managed to hold on to first place until August 15, after which they continued to fade, leaving the pennant race between Providence and Rochester.------ Once the season concluded, Ruth married Helen in Ellicott City, Maryland. Creamer speculated that they did not marry in Baltimore, where the newlyweds boarded with George Ruth Sr., to avoid possible interference from those at St. Mary's—both bride and groom were not yet of age and Ruth remained on parole from that institution until his 21st birthday.”

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 12/13/1838 Age of Church building determined by?: Church website If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Catholic If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 11:00 AM Street address of Church: 3749 St. Paul Street Ellicott City, MD United States 21043 Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
1) A photo of the church is required for visits to a waymark.

2) Please share some comments about your visit.

3) Additional photos are encouraged. If you can have information in addition to that already provided about this church, please share it with us.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   11/02/2021 wildernessmama visited it 08/27/2021 Don.Morfe visited it 08/08/2021 Searcher28 visited it

View all visits/logs