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Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Our Lady of Mount Carmel School President Lawrence Callahan, second from left, was among local community leaders who broke ground on a new athletic facility in Essex Nov. 7. (Courtesy Baltimore County Government)

Mount Carmel to benefit from renovations at Essex park


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Feature, Local News, News, Schools, Sports

As Our Lady of Mount Carmel School’s athletic program continues to grow, it will benefit from a unique relationship with a soon-to-be-built,, state-of-the-art facility.

Mount Carmel’s Athletic Director Alex Brylske and President Lawrence Callahan both said it is a perfect example of how the East Baltimore County school can flourish as part of a historic community through public-private partnerships.

School officials participated Nov. 7 in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation Youth Development Park at Essex’s Fields at Renaissance Park that is expected to be ready for use in fall 2023. Mount Carmel’s athletic teams will have access to the facility until 6 p.m. each day and for Friday night events once a memorandum of understanding is complete, according to Brylske.

Mount Carmel was instrumental in working with the state, Baltimore County and the Ripken Foundation to secure grants and funding for the $2.3 million project. Mount Carmel school board member Robert Romadka helped spearhead the efforts.

“Over the last several years as we’ve seen some small Catholic schools struggle or close, Mount Carmel has shown it can thrive,” said Brylske, who oversees a middle school and high school athletic program that features 11 teams with 190 students participating this fall. “This facility is going to be a huge benefit to not only our athletic community but also our community.”

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski along with the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce, and Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks were on hand to kick off construction of the facility.

The upgrades at the site include replacing the existing grass field with a synthetic turf field and plans to add an LED field lighting system, permanent seating stands, scoreboard and expanded sidewalk connections. 

Brylske, who said the seeds for the project were sown in 2018, noted that his alma mater has always taken pride in in its partnership with the Essex community. 

“This a model of public-private partnership,” he said. “Mount Carmel has been a proud member of the Essex-Stembridge Rec Council for over 30 years. We’ve been involved with the planning for Renaissance Park for more than 20 years. It speaks to Mount Carmel’s history of being a part of the Essex community.”

Brylske said the benefits to the Cougars’ athletic teams can’t be discounted, and he credited Callahan for his drive and vision.

“It’s a huge benefit for our athletic teams, but also the community,” he said. “To have a venue to host events on Friday nights is important. The whole Friday night lights thing is a big rallying point for any community and brings people together.”

The project is funded by Baltimore County, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, federal American Rescue Plan Act funding and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

“I’ve been to a lot of groundbreakings during my career,” said Callahan, who was honored in August for his more than 60 years as a Catholic educator, including as superintendent of schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Archdiocese of Washington. “I can tell you that this groundbreaking was really special because of its partnerships. This is going to be a tremendous asset, not only to Mount Carmel but the entire community.”

Callahan praised the state, Baltimore County and the Ripken Foundation for their collaboration.

“All communities benefit from having access to high-quality athletic fields, and the new Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation Youth Development Park will be a destination location, offering an enhanced experience for local athletes, visitors and spectators alike,” said Olszewski in a news release. “We are fully committed to the revitalization of Essex and grateful that our partners in this exciting project see the value of investing in the youth of Eastern Baltimore County.”

It will be the Ripken Foundation’s first Baltimore County project, adding to its 106 existing facilities in 26 states and the District of Columbia. 

“Baltimore County and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development are great partners and thanks to them we continue to make a positive change in the lives of kids,” said Steve Salem, president and CEO of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, in a news release. “We are thankful for their commitment to providing athletic resources for kids to inspire them to make healthy lifestyle choices, as well as create opportunities for them to grow and learn new things. We can’t wait to see the impact this park will have the children of Baltimore County.”

Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org

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