Reflecting the parish mergers and boundary changes that emerged from the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Seek the City to Come pastoral planning initiative, as well as other mergers that followed, Archbishop William E. Lori has regrouped parishes throughout the archdiocese into eight regions, replacing the previous 10.
The changes, made in consultation with the Presbyteral Council and regional vicars and delegates, took effect July 1.
The eight regions operate within the archdiocese’s broader vicariate system, which divides the Archdiocese of Baltimore into three larger areas: the western, eastern and urban vicariates. The system was established by Archbishop William D. Borders in the 1970s, dividing the archdiocese into three regions, each led by an auxiliary bishop or other appointee serving as the archbishop’s vicar or delegate.
The Presbyteral Council is an official body of priests that advises the archbishop on matters of governance and the pastoral needs of the archdiocese. The council and the regional vicars and delegates played a role in shaping the new regional groupings.
“The archbishop, vicars and delegates are interested in making sure that pastors in geographical proximity with one another and with common interests come together frequently to discuss different issues together,” said Dr. Diane Barr, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. She noted that the area groups had last been reorganized in 2010.
Presbyteral Council elections were recently held to reflect the new regional groupings, Barr said. The newly elected representatives will begin advising the archbishop in September.
Barr emphasized that the new boundaries “in no way” change where people may attend Mass.
“Sometimes folks think that they must attend Mass at a particular parish if they live in those boundaries,” she said. “It is certainly envisioned that folks would likely go to the nearest parish, but it is not required.”
Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
The new parish groups are:
Metro East
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Baynesville
Our Lady of Fatima, Baltimore
Our Lady of Hope, Dundalk
Our Lady of La Vang, Dundalk
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Essex
Sacred Heart of Jesus/St. Patrick/Holy Rosary, East Baltimore
St. Casimir, Canton
St. Francis Xavier, Baltimore
St. Isaac Jogues, Carney
St. Joseph, Fullerton
St. Leo, Little Italy
St. Matthew, Northwood
St. Michael the Archangel, Overlea
St. Ursula, Parkville
North West Metro
Holy Family, Randallstown
Immaculate Conception, Towson
Church of the Nativity, Timonium
Our Lady of Grace, Parkton
Sacred Heart, Glyndon
Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier, Hunt Valley
St. Gabriel, Woodlawn and St. Charles Borromeo, Pikesville
St. Joseph, Cockeysville
St. Mark, Catonsville
North East Metro
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Middle River
St. Francis de Sales, Abingdon
St. Ignatius, Hickory
St. Joan of Arc, Aberdeen and St. Patrick, Havre de Grace
St. John, Hydes
St. Margaret/St. Mary Magdalene Mission, Bel Air
St. Mark, Fallston
St. Mary, Pylesville
St. Stephen, Bradshaw/Holy Spirit, Joppa
Metro West
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Homeland
Catholic Community of South Baltimore
New All Saints, Liberty Heights
Our Lady of the Angels, Catonsville
Our Lady of Victory, Arbutus
Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Baltimore
Ss. Philip and James, Charles Village
St. Agnes, Catonsville
St. Ambrose, Park Heights
St. Athanasius, Curtis Bay
St. Bernardine, Baltimore
St. Ignatius, Baltimore
St. Veronica, Cherry Hill
Anne Arundel
Christ the King, Glen Burnie/St. Bernadette, Severn
Holy Family, Davidsonville
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Edgewater/Our Lady of Sorrows, West River
Our Lady of the Fields, Millersville
St. Andrew by the Bay, Annapolis
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Crofton
St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Pasadena/Our Lady of the Chesapeake, Lake Shore
St. John the Evangelist, Severna Park
St. Joseph, Odenton
St. Mary/St. John Neumann Mission, Annapolis
St. Philip Neri, Linthicum/St. Clement I, Lansdowne
Western
Divine Mercy, Frostburg
Our Lady of the Mountains, Cumberland
St. Peter, Hancock/St. Patrick Mission, Little Orleans
St. Peter, Oakland/St. Peter on the Lake Mission, McHenry
South Central
Catholic Community of Ascension, Halethorpe/St. Augustine, Elkridge
Holy Korean Martyrs, Baltimore
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Ellicott City
Resurrection, Laurel/St. Lawrence, Hanover
Resurrection/St. Paul, Ellicott City
St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, Woodstock
St. John, Columbia
St. Louis, Clarksville/St. Francis of Assisi, Fulton
St. Michael, Poplar Springs
Central
Holy Family, Middletown
St. Ann, Hagerstown
St. Bartholomew, Manchester
St. Ignatius, Ijamsville
St. John, Westminster/St. Joseph, Taneytown
St. John the Evangelist, Frederick/St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown
St. Joseph, Sykesville
St. Joseph, Emmitsburg/St. Anthony, Emmitsburg/Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Thurmont
St. Joseph, Hagerstown/St. James, Boonsboro/St. Augustine, Williamsport
St. Katharine Drexel, Frederick
St. Mary, Hagerstown/St. Michael Mission, Clear Spring
St. Peter the Apostle, Libertytown
St. Timothy, Walkersville
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