Ss. Philip and James doesn’t measure its last five years in numbers, its pastor says. But the numbers tell a story anyway: Mass attendance has more than doubled, young families are filling out its ministries and the historic Charles Village parish posts one of the highest attendance rates for a Catholic church in Baltimore City, with more than 600 people at Sunday Mass when The Johns Hopkins University is in session.
Parish leaders say the rebound reflects both recent efforts and a foundation built over years of Dominican ministry. The Order of Preachers arrived at Ss. Philip and James in 2010 and established a strong presence both at the parish and at Johns Hopkins, where the friars serve as Catholic chaplains.
Since becoming pastor in January 2022, Dominican Father Michael Weibley has worked to guide the parish through a period of gradual renewal following the coronavirus pandemic.
“The parish had been hit very hard,” said Father Weibley, referencing the years during and immediately following the coronavirus pandemic. “People were not coming to Mass. And there were some financial burdens.”
Rather than a single initiative, the parish’s resurgence has come through steady growth in worship, ministry and community life.
“Every year, there has been an organic growth,” he said. “More people are attending Mass regularly and more students from Johns Hopkins are actively involved.”
Father Weibley said his focus has been on strengthening the basics of parish life, including hospitality, communication and community-building opportunities. Among the improvements was a renovation of the parish hall three years ago that included new flooring, fresh paint and a modernized kitchen.
“This shows we care,” he said. “We emphasize that we have spaces of welcome for everyone.”
He also credits consistency and relationships.
“I am absolutely convinced the culture of a parish is driven by its pastor,” he said. “My people know I love them and I’m here.”
Six Dominican friars live at Ss. Philip and James, including three assigned directly to the parish and three who assist regularly.
“We have a beautiful liturgy, beautiful music and good preaching – and we have a lot of parties,” Father Weibley said. “The parishioners love to hear the friars preach.”
The friars also host weekly presentations on contemporary issues followed by a 45-minute question-and-answer session that regularly fills the parish hall.
“The topics resonate with people,” Father Weibley said. “It’s always a very lively discussion relevant to people’s lives.”
Hopkins connection
Located across from Johns Hopkins’ Homewood campus, the parish has become an important spiritual home for students.
Campus ministry, led by Dominican Father Jose Maria Guzmán-Domínguez, operates from a Newman Center in the rectory basement. Sunday evening Mass is followed by a dinner that regularly attracts 50 to 75 students.
“We’d love to continue that growth,” Father Weibley said.
Jack Pangaro, a 2025 Hopkins graduate, began attending the parish as a freshman and said it became central to his college experience.
“By the end of my sophomore year, I was part of the Catholic Community at Hopkins,” he said. “The following year, when Father Jose Maria started, it blew up. We would have 60 students who showed up for Sunday night dinners.”
He credits both the accessibility of the friars and the parish’s sacramental life.
“Father Michael is an excellent pastor, and he has been able to do a lot of projects,” Pangaro said. “He is a gifted administrator.”
Among those projects was a eucharistic adoration chapel established shortly after Father Weibley’s arrival, which is open daily beginning at 8 a.m.
“I think access to sacramental life at Ss. Philip and James is better than at any other church,” Pangaro said. “There is Mass daily and confession daily.”
Pangaro and his wife, Avie, remain in Baltimore and are now parishioners.
“Community is very important to us and that’s what keeps us around,” he said. “The Dominican community and friars are really excellent. They are plugged in and know all the parishioners.”
Finding a home
Young families have also become an increasingly visible part of parish life, often through ministries created by parishioners themselves.
Chelsea and Derek McAllister, who joined the parish in 2021 after converting to Catholicism, lead the couples and families ministry and serve on the parish council.
“What really keeps people in the pews is the kerygmatic homilies from our Dominican friars, reverent liturgies, beautiful sacramental life and amazingly humble, loving parishioners,” Chelsea McAllister said.
After their wedding, the couple asked Father Weibley how they could connect with other families. His advice, McAllister recalled, was simple: “Start a ministry.”
Four years later, the ministry is preparing for its first couples’ retreat.
McAllister said the parish’s growth stems from a shared commitment to the faith rather than any marketing strategy.
“We are not trying to be cool or edgy,” she said. “In typical Catholic fashion, we simply live our lives as faithfully and devoutly as we can, in a sort of ‘come-and-see’ model. And that just happens to be very attractive to others. Young people today want truth, goodness and beauty.”
The parish also has welcomed Catholics whose home churches have closed through the Seek the City to Come pastoral planning initiative.
“No parish merged with us, but we have found that a lot of people from closed parishes have come to us and love it here,” Father Weibley said.
Financially, the parish is on stronger footing. Offertory giving has increased and a parishioner’s gift established a $1.5 million endowment to help maintain the nearly century-old church and rectory. The parish recently hired a director of development and stewardship and is expanding space dedicated to campus ministry.
While challenges remain, including maintaining large historic buildings and sustaining growing ministries, Father Weibley said the parish’s focus remains on its mission.
“It’s not about the numbers,” he said. “But seeing more and more people coming back to Mass – seeing that increase continue for the next five years – would be a beautiful thing.”
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