In Independence Day Mass, Archbishop Lori calls for continued witness to human dignity

ANNAPOLIS – Archbishop William E. Lori said that when Redemptorist Father Patrick Woods invited him several months ago to celebrate an Independence Day Mass on the grounds of the Carroll House, “I knew this is the place I had to be on the Fourth of July.”

The Mass, originally planned to be held on the banks of Spa Creek (formerly Carroll Creek), had to be moved indoors to St. Mary’s Church next door due to a record heat wave. The Carroll House is the former estate of Charles Carroll of Carrolton, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Appropriately, about 250 people – many decked in patriotic colors of red, white and blue – attended the Mass July 4 for the nation’s 250th birthday.

Before the Mass began, scouts from St. Mary’s Troop 422 presented the colors and led the congregation in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the Star-Spangled Banner, before the opening hymn. 

Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737-1832) was born and lived on the property that now includes St. Mary’s Church plus a grade school and high school. His cousin, John Carroll (1735-1815) was the first Catholic bishop in the United States when the Diocese of Baltimore was established in 1789 as the only diocese in the United States, encompassing all of the land east of the Mississippi river.

In his homily, Archbishop Lori noted that faith and American history meet in a remarkable way at the site of the Carroll House.

“Here in Annapolis, long before religious liberty was secured, Catholic families persevered in their faith. Here, on this very property, generations prayed, worshipped and hoped for a country where faith would not be a barrier to citizenship,” he said.

He reflected that the reading proclaimed during the Mass, the Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew, “reminds us that the deepest measure of a nation is not its wealth, its military strength or its political achievements. The measure of a nation is the measure of its soul. And in today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a startling vision of what that soul should look like.”

Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the peacemakers,” the archbishop said.

“These are not the values that usually dominate political campaigns, social media feeds or cable news programs. The Beatitudes sound almost impractical. They seem too gentle for a harsh world. Yet Jesus insists that these are the people who inherit the Kingdom of God,” Archbishop Lori said. 

The Beatitudes provide “a vision of what humanity looks like when God is allowed to shape it. And they describe the kind of citizens every democracy desperately needs.”

He said a nation needs virtue, humility and mercy and “citizens willing to seek the truth, even when it is uncomfortable, and who love their neighbors, even when they disagree with them.”

He noted that renowned Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor understood that grace does not descend on perfect people but that “grace breaks into the lives of sinners. … She believed that before grace can heal us, it often has to humble us. Perhaps the same is true for nations,” he said.

Echoing some themes in his February 2026 pastoral letter, “In Charity and Truth: Toward a Renewed Political Culture,” the archbishop noted that patriotism around the country’s 250th birthday should not be self-congratulatory. 

“We have accomplished much, but we have also fallen short of our highest ideals. We have defended human dignity, yet at times we have failed to honor it,” he said. “We have expanded liberty, yet we continue to struggle with division, loneliness, violence, poverty and distrust.”

Christians neither deny such realities nor despair because of them. Hope and optimism are different because optimism says things will probably get better, he said, but “hope says God remains faithful even when things appear broken. 

“Hope is what sustained Catholics in colonial Maryland when they faced discrimination. Hope is what sustained the founders who risked everything for a future they could not see. Hope is what sustained those who fought for freedom from slavery. Hope is what sustained the saints through every age of turmoil and uncertainty. And hope is what sustains us now,” Archbishop Lori said. 

He noted that standing in the shadow of the Carroll House, it is clear that Catholics’ contribution to America has never been simply political, but also spiritual. 

“Catholics helped build this nation not only by signing documents or holding office, but (also) by building churches, founding schools, caring for the poor, welcoming immigrants and witnessing to the dignity of every human person, from the moment of conception until natural death. That mission remains ours,” he said.

In closing, the archbishop said, “We pray that America may become ever more worthy of the Beatitudes. For blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And blessed is any nation whose people continue to seek first the Kingdom of God.”

Julie Vartain, a parishioner of St. Andrew by the Bay in Cape St. Clair, said she was uplifted by the archbishop’s homily because there is so much polarization in the world today.

“We’re all different, but we’re all equal in dignity, no matter our differences, we’re all God’s children. And I’m someone who can definitely attest to this, being on the autism spectrum. And yet I have so many good uplifting Catholic friends and many young adult ministries around here in Anne Arundel County,” she said.

She said she does not believe the world will ever be truly healed until Jesus returns. “So, we always need a man like Archbishop Lori, giving such kindhearted, supportive, comforting advice and counsel. And in a way that really walks people to Jesus, not with prohibitions or reprimands, but with words of affirmation, encouragement, all that rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Vartain said.

She said she had attended the adoration and procession for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage at St. Mary’s a few weeks earlier and wanted to be at the July 4 Mass because the U.S. bishops recently consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “I’m really drawn to the idea of lifting up all relationships and all faith communities into Jesus’ Sacred Heart. He’s really the beginning and end of all things,” she said.

After Mass, Father Woods said it is important to connect the Carrolls to the history of St. Mary’s Church in Annapolis. A lot of the parts of the colonies in the 1770s were unfavorable to Catholics, he noted, and Charles Carroll was the only Catholic among the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Today, the Carroll House is under the direction of the Redemptorists who are also responsible for the parish. While it was at one time the residence for the Redemptorist seminary with 70 people living there, today the historic site offers tours and a couple of the floors are used for offices for the school and other purposes. “It has a lot of practical uses and a lot of history,” Father Woods said.

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