Archdiocese of Washington Map of the Archdiocese of Washington Updated: 10/1/2020 Who We Are History of the Archdiocese of Washington The history of the Catholic Church can be traced became the sites of parishes that still exist today back to the first settlers of the colony of within the Archdiocese of Washington. Maryland. Jesuit Father Andrew White celebrated the first Mass held in the English- John Carroll, a Jesuit priest who was born in Upper Marlboro, was appointed the first Bishop speaking colonies, on the-shores of St. of Baltimore. Carroll also was the first Bishop of Clement’s Island, in modern day St Mary’s County, in 1634. Fr White and two companions the United States and initially oversaw all the Catholic priests and churches in the fledgling had traveled with the original founders of nation. In 1808 Pope Pius VII created the Maryland on the Ark and the Dove. Dioceses of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Maryland was founded by the Lords of Bardstown, Kentucky and at the same time Baltimore as a haven for religious toleration. In raised Baltimore to a metropolitan see with 1649, the Legislature passed the Maryland Carroll as Archbishop. More dioceses would be Toleration Act, the first legislation enacted for created throughout the nineteenth century as religious freedom in America. With the the United States expanded west. expulsion of King James II from England during the Glorious Revolution in 1689, all colonies in The Jesuits had five large estates in Maryland with four of the five located within the the New World came under the jurisdiction of boundaries of the Archdiocese of Washington. the crown. Religious freedom as it been in Maryland for most of the seventeenth century Three of these plantations are the sites of modern-day Archdiocesan parishes. It has been was abolished. Catholics were barred from estimated that the Jesuits owned as many as 500 public office and harassed by the courts and enslaved men, women and children in Maryland other legal authorities. In 1704, all Catholic by 1820 making them one of the largest chapels and schools were ordered closed by the slaveholders in the United States. The Manors Maryland Council. incurred increasing debt in the first quarter of Two years later in 1706 after lobbying from the nineteenth century and to counteract that prominent Catholics in England, Queen Anne financial loss, the Jesuits began to sell portions of gave permission for Mass to be offered in private lands and small groups of enslaved persons. homes in Maryland. This action allowed for the In 1838, the Maryland Province of the Society of continuance of the Catholic faith privately. The Jesus sold their remaining 272 enslaved men, use of private house chapels instead a women and children for $115,000. This equates freestanding churches defined the life of the to just under three million dollars today by one priests and lay people in Maryland for nearly a calculation. The money was used to settle the century. Commonly referred to as the circuit pension debt with the Archbishop of Baltimore, rides, priests would spend their time traveling between one or more private homes and who had received a stipend from the Manors since the time of John Carroll, pay off the debts chapels. Many of these private chapels incurred during a building campaign at continued to exist after the establishment of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1789 and several Georgetown University, and to support the training of new Jesuits. Page-1 10/1/2020 Who We Are The Archdiocese of Washington was created in 50 priests and theologians within the 1939 from part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Archdiocese with the canonical case that Originally encompassing only the City of affirmed O’Boyle’s handling of the matter only Washington. Michael Curley, the sitting resolved in 1971. O’Boyle retired in 1973. Archbishop of Baltimore became by decree of Pope Pius XII the Archbishop of Baltimore- Bishop William W. Baum, of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau succeeded Cardinal Washington in 1939. Eight years later after O’Boyle in 1973 and was names Cardinal in Curley’s death, then Msgr. Patrick A. O’Boyle was named the first resident Archbishop of 1976. Baum continued the social and racial justice efforts begun by creating the Secretariat Washington. At this time Calvert, Charles, of Black Catholic and the Secretariat of Spanish Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s Catholics in 1974 to look to the temporal and Counties, Maryland, joined the city of spiritual needs of these populations. He Washington to create the new archdiocese. welcomed Pope John Paul II on his first papal At the time of his appointment the new visit to the United States in 1979. Cardinal Archbishop O’Boyle, a native of Scranton, PA, Baum was transferred to the Roman Curia in had served as the Director of Catholic War 1980, where he served until retirement in 2001. Relief Services since 1941. He came to a new diocese with little administrative structure and James A. Hickey, a Michigan native who served as Rector of the North American College, was also built or established nearly 40 parishes in his appointed Archbishop of Washington in 1980 time as Archbishop. His first initiative was to and elevated to the College of Cardinals in desegregate all Catholic schools and parishes, 1988. Under Cardinal Hickey’s leadership the which he did quietly and persistently over eight internal structure of the Archdiocese was years. O’Boyle worked closely with the Catholic reorganized. He created the first formalized Interracial Council of Washington and in 1963 policies, most prominently the first policies for created the Office of Urban Renewal to assist in Child Protection and Safe Environment in 1986, justice work within the city. Because of his and established a permanent home for the work, he was invited to give the invocation at the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on offices of the Archdiocese on Eastern Avenue in Hyattsville. Washington. Patrick O’Boyle was elevated to All of the social services organizations in the the College of Cardinals in 1967. Archdiocese had been reorganized under the The turmoil that world saw in 1968 was umbrella of Associated Catholic Charities in particularly felt in the Archdiocese. The April 1978. Cardinal Hickey took advantage of this 4th assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. realignment to further expand services where was followed by days of rioting that left large the city needed them most. Hickey invited sections of the city of Washington destroyed. Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity Cardinal O’Boyle dedicated the whole of the to the Archdiocese where they founded Gift of Annual Archdiocesan Appeal for that year to Peace convent to care for terminal patients assist in rebuilding the city. On July 25th Pope with AIDS. In addition, Cardinal Hickey founded Paul VI promulgated his encyclical Humanae the Archdiocesan Health Care Network (1983) Vitae. The controversy that followed and Archdiocesan Legal Network (1989), which culminated in the open descent of more than provide access to legal and health services for Page 2 10/1/2020 Who We Are those in need. The archdiocese also grew in bishop of the Diocese of Belleville, IL, and diversity his tenure, with Mass celebrated in archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. over 20 languages, including Chinese, French, Archbishop Gregory has served in many leading Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and roles in the U.S. church, including president of Vietnamese. the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and as member of the USCCB’s In November 2000, Cardinal Hickey retired. His Executive and Administrative Committees, the successor, then-Newark Archbishop Theodore Administrative Board, the Committee on E. McCarrick, was installed in January 2001 and Doctrine, and the U.S. Catholic Conference served until his retirement in 2006. Committee on International Policy. He has In May 2006 Pope Benedict XVI appointed then- written extensively on church issues, including Pittsburgh Bishop Donald W. Wuerl as pastoral statements on the death penalty, Archbishop of Washington. Wuerl was known euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide and has for his catechetical and teaching ministry and published numerous articles on the subject of for his efforts to strengthen Catholic education. liturgy, particularly in the African-American He introduced a successful initiative on the community. Sacrament of Reconciliation, “The Light is On,” Today, the Archdiocese of Washington is home that quickly became a model for other dioceses. to over 655,000 Catholics. Its 92 Catholic He hosted Pope Benedict XVI during his historic schools educate approximately 27,000 children visit to Washington, D.C. in April 2008 where the while service agencies, including Catholic Holy Father celebrated Mass for nearly 50,000 Charities and Victory Housing, have made the people at Nationals Park. Two years later archdiocese one of the largest private social Archbishop Wuerl was created a cardinal. In service providers in the region. Catholics are 2011, Cardinal Wuerl opened the Saint John Paul finding new opportunities to deepen their faith II Seminary for the Archdiocese of Washington. through parish formation, evangelization In September 2015 Cardinal Wuerl hosted Pope efforts, and small faith communities. Although Francis during his apostolic visit to Washington. diverse in nationality, Catholics of the The Archdiocese of Washington marked its 75th Archdiocese of Washington share a common anniversary in 2014 and in the same year held faith and a commitment to reflect Christ in the its first Archdiocesan Synod. The statutes and world through prayer, education and service. recommendations were based on more than 15,000 suggestions collected from the faithful through the listening sessions. Anniversary celebrations also included a Mass on St.