Tested by fire: Libertytown parish thrives for 200 years

Talk to anyone from St. Peter the Apostle in Libertytown about what they think is special about their parish, and inevitably you hear about the late Sebastian Grabenstein.

Grabenstein, a farmer from Frederick who died in April at 106, joined the parish in 1947, became a mainstay of its activities, and, unusually in a society where it’s common to move away from one’s roots, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren all live nearby and are still members.

That sense of continuity is what Ruth Riley, who joined with her husband and first two children in 1993, means when she says, “I still feel like a newcomer when speaking with parishioners who were baptized in this parish 70 or more years ago.”

The parish is planning a big celebration for its 200^th anniversary this fall. Beginning in 1821 with Masses celebrated in a private residence, the first house of worship, which seated just 50, was built two years later. That was replaced with a larger structure in 1873, considered the beginning of the parish’s growth.

“Before that, we were this little country parish,” said Father Charles Wible, pastor. “Now we were growing and established.”

But the real turning point was the June 2004 fire, begun when roofers accidentally set the steeple ablaze during a renovation. The building with its handcrafted German windows as well as the organ, altar and pews were destroyed.

In 2008, the current building, which can hold nearly 900 worshipers – more than twice the capacity of the former building – opened with a happy celebration after a total cost of $11.5 million, defrayed by two capital campaigns and $3.6 million in insurance money.

The destroyed steeple was restored, and the brick façade of the burned church was preserved to house a daily Mass chapel.

Today, the parish has 1,300 families for worship and activities on its 14-acre campus with eight buildings,  with the expectation that as surrounding farmland falls to developers for housing projects, it will continue to grow.

The parish, one block north of the intersection of Routes 26 and 75, has become slightly more diverse,  although Father Wible noted that there are not yet enough Hispanic families to justify a Spanish-language Mass.

Parishioners typically speak of the casual welcoming atmosphere they found. “We joined when we moved to Mount Airy from Timonium,” Riley said. “We had a choice of four parishes, all about the same distance from us. St. Peter’s was, in our opinion, the most welcoming.”

Alan Duke thought the same, when on his third visit in 1983, an usher, whom he’d not met before,  walked over to remind him, “We need someone to help pick up the collection.”

“It was a very good introduction to the parish,” he reflected.

Duke hopes to take that spirit into the effort to find new members. “We’re going to evangelize the new developments to see who we come up with.”

“One of the things that endeared me to St. Peter’s was the music that we have,” said Gloria Murray, who moved with her husband and son from California more than eight years ago. “I felt like I was still at home, even though that was 2,800 miles away. They made it very easy for us to fit in.”

“It has retained that old country parish feel,” Father Wible said. “People really know one another.”

Riley, volunteering as the parish archivist, “located precious photos from the parish’s early days and school records from Notre Dame Academy (the tiny school that operated from the 1890s to the 1970s) in the attic of the school – which is now the parish office building,” she said. “In fact, the only known surviving photo of the original church was located up there, nibbled on the corners by the mice.”

The historical committee plans to compile a book of parishioners’ memories, noting milestones. A bicentennial Mass on Sept. 24 will be celebrated by Archbishop William Lori.

The fall picnic was supposed to include a demonstration by members of the Maryland Jousting Association, since jousting was a regular part of parish events in the 19^th century. But Murray said there’s a conflict this time with one of the group’s scheduled tournaments.

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