About Christ the King · Glen Burnie, Maryland
Christ the King is a Roman Catholic parish in Glen Burnie, Maryland, in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Formed in 2017 through the merger of three Glen Burnie parishes — Holy Trinity, Church of the Crucifixion, and Church of the Good Shepherd — it now shares a pastorate with St. Bernadette Church in nearby Severn. The parish serves approximately 4,000 families from many cultural backgrounds, including a vibrant Hispanic community that makes up about 60% of the congregation. Mass is celebrated in English and Spanish at multiple worship sites, including the former Holy Trinity church and the auditorium of Monsignor Slade Catholic School. A long-term project is underway to consolidate worship into a single new church on Dorsey Road.
- Established
- 2017
- Patron
- Christ the King (Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe)
- Rector
- Rev. T. Austin Murphy Jr. (Father Austin Murphy)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
Christ the King is a large, multicultural Catholic family of roughly 4,000 households that welcomes worshippers in both English and Spanish at multiple daily and weekend Masses. The pastorate partners with Monsignor Slade Catholic School and offers faith formation for elementary, middle, and high school students, a vibrant youth ministry, Hispanic pastoral care, the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Rosary Guild, a Knights of Columbus council, St. Vincent de Paul outreach, and active liturgical ministries such as lectors and music. Joining the parish means becoming part of a community that is actively building one new shared church on Dorsey Road — a project the pastor has called 'a bridge' bringing the Hispanic and Anglo communities together under one roof.
Mass times at Christ the King
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM (in Spanish) — ends at 6:30 PM
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Adoration times
- First Friday Adoration (parish offices and events cancelled on July 3–4 noted on website; regular First Friday schedule implied)
About Christ the King Parish
Christ the King is a Roman Catholic parish in Glen Burnie, Maryland, in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. It was formed in 2017 by uniting three former Glen Burnie parishes — Holy Trinity, Church of the Crucifixion, and Church of the Good Shepherd — and today shares a pastorate with St. Bernadette Church in nearby Severn. The pastorate serves roughly 4,000 families across English- and Spanish-speaking communities, with Mass celebrated at the former Holy Trinity church, the Monsignor Slade Catholic School auditorium, and (through the pastorate) at St. Bernadette. The parish office and Parish Center are located at 126 Dorsey Road, Glen Burnie.
- Type: Roman Catholic Parish
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Baltimore
- Formed: 2017 (merger of Holy Trinity, Crucifixion, Good Shepherd)
- Pastorate partner: St. Bernadette, Severn (since 2021)
- Families served: ~4,000
- Hispanic community: ~60% of parish
History
The community's roots go back to Holy Trinity Parish in Glen Burnie, established in 1919. In the 1960s Monsignor Arthur Slade, then pastor of Holy Trinity, dreamed of building a bigger church; instead, in 1972 two new parishes — Church of the Good Shepherd and Church of the Crucifixion — were created from Holy Trinity to serve the growing area, along with St. Bernadette in Severn. Over the following decades attendance declined and the three parishes continued to share the parish school, which became Monsignor Slade Catholic School. In 2017 Archbishop William E. Lori merged the three Glen Burnie parishes into one and renamed it Christ the King, with the inaugural feast day celebrated on November 5.
- 1919 — Holy Trinity Parish established in Glen Burnie.
- 1960s — Monsignor Arthur Slade, then pastor of Holy Trinity, dreams of building a larger church.
- 1972 — Church of the Good Shepherd, Church of the Crucifixion, and St. Bernadette (Severn) are created out of Holy Trinity Parish.
- Holy Trinity's parish school eventually becomes Monsignor Slade Catholic School.
- June 2017 — Holy Trinity, Crucifixion, and Good Shepherd officially merged into Christ the King Parish.
- November 5, 2017 — Archbishop Lori celebrates inaugural feast day Mass at Monsignor Slade School gymnasium.
- July 1, 2021 — Christ the King enters a pastorate with St. Bernadette under one pastor.
Building a New Unified Church
Because the existing worship spaces — the former Holy Trinity church (about 225 seats), the Monsignor Slade School auditorium (about 500 seats), and the churches at Crucifixion and Good Shepherd — are aging and cannot accommodate the whole parish at once, parish leaders are moving forward with a project to build one new church on Dorsey Road near the Monsignor Slade campus. The new worship space is planned to seat 800 people in a predominantly modern style and to incorporate restored statues from the previous churches, with an image or statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe honoring the devotion of the Hispanic community. JRS Architects, Inc. of Baltimore is designing the building, which was estimated to cost about $8 million, with a planned opening around 2025. The parish intends to sell the Crucifixion, Good Shepherd, and former Holy Trinity buildings to help fund the project.
- Site: Dorsey Road, Glen Burnie (Monsignor Slade campus)
- Architect: JRS Architects, Inc., Baltimore
- Planned seating: 800
- Estimated cost: ~$8 million
- Planned features: restored statues from former churches, Our Lady of Guadalupe image/statue
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for children and teens is offered through the parish in partnership with the pastorate. Registration is published on the parish website for elementary, middle, and high school programs. Deacon Dan Miller serves as Director of Evangelization and Religious Education, and Pat Sprankle is Director of Youth Ministry.
- Elementary Faith Formation (registration online)
- Middle School Faith Formation (registration online)
- High School Faith Formation (registration online)
- Youth Ministry — including 'The Renew' youth group (led by Mauricio Ortiz, a high school student)
- Director of Evangelization/Religious Education: Dcn. Dan Miller
- Director of Youth Ministry: Pat Sprankle
Hispanic Ministry & Spanish-Language Life
Roughly 60% of the parish is Hispanic, and the parish maintains a strong Spanish-language liturgical and pastoral life. Spanish Mass is celebrated Saturday evening, Sunday late morning, and Wednesday evening, with a Saturday-morning Spanish lectors group. Hispanic Ministry is coordinated by Jorge Hernández, and Sacramental Coordination is supported by Airryn Sorto (habla Español). Father Diego Rivera, Associate Pastor, is bilingual.
- Spanish Vigil Mass — Saturday 7:00 PM at Christ the King
- Spanish Sunday Mass — 11:00 AM at Monsignor Slade Auditorium
- Spanish Weekday Mass — Wednesday 7:00 PM at Christ the King Church
- Spanish Confession — Wednesday 5:00–6:30 PM
- Spanish Lectors — meet 3rd Saturday of each month, 10:00 AM, Parish Center Lounge
- Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry: Jorge Hernández
- Hispanic Pastoral Care liaison in the Archdiocese: represented at the inaugural feast day liturgy
Liturgy, Music & Devotions
Christ the King maintains active liturgical ministries with two music directors — Scott Romanoski for Christ the King and Geoff Rohrbach for St. Bernadette — and dedicated lector groups in English and Spanish. The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary sponsors a yearly May Procession, an annual Living Rosary in October, Sodality Sundays at the 11:00 AM Mass, and a parish-wide Communion Breakfast. The Rosary Guild has distributed more than 174,000 handmade rosaries to missions worldwide and meets on the second Monday of each month at 1:30 PM in the Parish Center Lounge.
- CTK Music Director: Scott Romanoski
- StB Music Director: Geoff Rohrbach
- Lectors — English: meet 4th Wednesday of each month, 7:00 PM, Parish Center Lounge
- Lectors — Spanish: meet 3rd Saturday of each month, 10:00 AM, Parish Center Lounge
- Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Ladies Sodality)
- Rosary Guild — meets 2nd Monday at 1:30 PM, Parish Center Lounge
- Knights of Columbus — Archbishop Francis P. Keough Council #5263 (Odenton)
Outreach & Charity (St. Vincent de Paul)
The pastorate operates a St. Vincent de Paul Assistance Office that responds to requests for help from neighbors in need. Parishioners can submit an Assistance Request Form through the parish website, and the ministry also runs Food Distribution events. The parish also engages in neighborhood evangelization, sending bilingual teams of parishioners door-to-door to invite neighbors to Mass and parish life.
- St. Vincent de Paul / Assistance Office — online Assistance Request Form
- St. Vincent de Paul Food Distribution events
- Bilingual neighborhood evangelization visits (English and Spanish teams)
Sacraments
The parish prepares parishioners for the sacraments of initiation and the other sacraments of the Church. Sacramental coordination is led by Airryn Sorto (habla Español). Faith Formation prepares children for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation; adults typically prepare through RCIA under the Director of Evangelization and Religious Education.
- Baptism — Sacramental Coordinator: Airryn Sorto (habla Español)
- First Reconciliation / First Communion — via Faith Formation
- Confirmation — via Faith Formation
- Marriage Preparation — through the parish and Archdiocese of Baltimore
- Anointing of the Sick
- Confession / Reconciliation — Wednesday (Spanish) and Saturday (see Mass & Confession schedule)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Lou Martinat least 2017–c. 2021
Pastor who led the 2017 name-change process and inaugural feast day Mass on Nov. 5 with Archbishop William E. Lori.
- Rev. T. Austin Murphy Jr.from July 1, 2021
Appointed by Archbishop Lori as pastor of the new pastorate of Christ the King, Glen Burnie, and St. Bernadette, Severn. Originally named pastor of Christ the King before the 2021 pastorate merger.