Pikesville parish celebrates legacy of resilience

To lead the committee planning its 175^th anniversary celebration, St. Charles Borromeo in Pikesville chose someone who’s been a member of the parish for only a year and a half. A bit surprising, until Pat McCusker shows a picture of his great-grandfather James White driving a wagon, hauling granite blocks used in the construction of the current church, which dates to 1898. His roots run deep.

The parish was founded in 1848 to serve a largely Irish congregation, many of whom had fled “The Great Hunger” in their homeland. They were joined by a smaller number of German immigrants, and by the early 1850s, many found work on the newly chartered Western Maryland Railway. Fittingly, the parish’s 16^th-century patron – a key figure in the  Counter-Reformation – was beloved as Archbishop of Milan for personally leading efforts to feed 60-70,000 people a day after crop failures led to famine.

Set to begin on St. Charles’s feast day, November 4, and last for a year, the anniversary celebration will have a homecoming theme, with the parish reaching out to former members and alumni of its now-closed school. Once boasting as many as 2,000 families at its peak in the 1950s and fostering St. Ambrose and Sacred Heart as mission churches, the parish lost members as formerly rural areas to the north and west became suburbanized. Today, membership has stabilized at nearly 520 families.

Known for encouraging lay ministry, St. Charles Borromeo was one of the first parishes at the time of the Second Vatican Council to have lay lectors and extraordinary ministers of holy Communion. It was also one of the first parishes of the Archdiocese of Baltimore to be administered by a pastoral life director.
Longtime members such as Pamela Wright (30+ years), a professional editor and de facto parish historian, and families like hers provide a sense of continuity and head up a broad array of ministries. They’ve been joined more recently by immigrants from as many as 20 countries, including Belize, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Its pastor, Father Canisius Tah, is from Cameroon. And there are a significant number of Hispanics who, in October, hold a lively celebration of the feast of El Senor del Milagros (“Lord of Miracles”).

Specific dates for events in the year-long celebration were still being firmed up as summer began, but the broad outlines are clear. Cantor Sandy Feulner is lining up concerts featuring, among others, a group of Cameroonian singers who rehearse at St. Charles. The number 175 will figure into many events, including a goal to collect 175 pounds of food for a nearby food pantry. Donors will receive a coupon redeemable after Mass for a snow cone, introducing some newcomers to a traditional Maryland treat. Wright will give lectures summing up the resilient parish’s history. “Whatever is thrown our way, we roll with the punches and keep our ministries going,” Wright said.

On Nov. 19, Archbishop Lori will celebrate Mass in an even more beautiful church. Renovations to the handsome Byzantine-inspired sanctuary funded by the sale of a disused school building began in June. The first phase includes repairs to the plaster and a fresh coat of paint, which will highlight an exceptional collection of Franz Mayer of Munich stained glass windows.

Pat McCusker’s great-grandfather would find himself right at home.

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