About Our Lady of Perpetual Help · Edgewater, Maryland
Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) is a Roman Catholic parish serving the Edgewater and Mayo Peninsula communities in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The parish was established in 1939 as a mission of St. Mary's in Annapolis and grew into a standalone parish in 1976 under Redemptorist leadership, with the first Mass at its current Loch Haven Road location celebrated on Easter 1980. Since 2018 OLPH has been linked with nearby Our Lady of Sorrows in the Pastorate of Our Lady, sharing clergy, bulletins, and faith formation under a single pastor. The parish is bilingual (English and Spanish), sponsors a sister-parish relationship with St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Perodin, Haiti, and runs an active Charities Ministry, food pantry, and faith formation program.
- Established
- 1939 (mission); 1976 (parish established)
- Patron
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- Rector
- Rev. Zachary (Zack) Crowley
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
OLPH is a warm, bilingual Catholic community where English- and Spanish-speaking families worship side by side and grow together in faith. The parish offers daily and weekend Masses in both languages, bilingual Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, faith formation for children and adults, a vibrant Hispanic Music Ministry, and a Director of Faith Formation (Deacon Tim Mikules) ready to walk with families through OCIA, baptism, and sacramental preparation. Beyond worship, parishioners serve through a Charities Ministry food pantry, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, an Infant & Toddler Clothes Closet, a men's breakfast group, and a long-standing sister-parish relationship with St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Haiti — giving every member concrete ways to put faith into action.
Mass times at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 6:00 PM (bilingual: Spanish and English)
- Saturday 3:00 PM (English)
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:00 PM (Holy Hour, before the 7:00 PM Spanish Mass)
Parish Identity & Pastorate of Our Lady
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is one of two parishes that make up the Pastorate of Our Lady, joined with Our Lady of Sorrows in West River. The pastorate was announced in June 2018 as part of Archbishop William E. Lori's archdiocesan planning effort, 'Be Missionary Disciples,' and the two parishes now share a single pastor, a unified bulletin, a joint faith formation program, a single Easter Vigil, a strategic mission, and a pastorate charter. The community is guided by four principles: Faith, Courage, Truth, and Love, and by six mission priorities — Liturgy, Welcome, Encounter, Accompaniment, Sending, and Mission Support — drawn from the archbishop's pastoral letter 'A Light Brightly Visible.'
- Pastor's office: 515 Loch Haven Road, Edgewater, MD 21037
- Two parishes, one family — united under Rev. Zachary Crowley
- Bilingual (English and Spanish) worship and ministries
History of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The Catholic community that became OLPH traces its origins to 1939, when it was established as a mission of St. Mary's in Annapolis and met at Cape St. Rose in Beverly Beach. Summer Masses moved to the Old Woodland Beach House in the late 1940s, then to Old Lou's Woodland Beach Restaurant from 1950 until 1952, when the first church building opened at 211 Mayo Road in Woodland Beach. The parish was formally established in 1976 under Redemptorist leadership, and on Easter 1980 the first Mass was celebrated at the present-day church on Loch Haven Road. In 1996 OLPH became an archdiocesan parish of Baltimore, and in 2007 it began its transformative sister-parish relationship with St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Haiti.
- 1939 — Founded as a mission of St. Mary's, Annapolis (Cape St. Rose, Beverly Beach)
- Late 1940s — Summer Masses in the Old Woodland Beach House
- 1950–1952 — Masses in Old Lou's Woodland Beach Restaurant
- 1952 — First church building at 211 Mayo Road, Woodland Beach
- 1976 — Parish established under Redemptorist leadership
- 1980 (Easter) — First Mass at current Loch Haven Road church
- 1996 — Becomes an archdiocesan parish of Baltimore
- 2007 — Begins sister-parish partnership with St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Perodin, Haiti
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation for children and youth is led at the pastorate level by Deacon Tim Mikules, the Director of Faith Formation. Students gather for prayer, song, and an activity keyed to each Sunday's Gospel, then proclaim the Gospel together and learn related Church teaching and doctrine, with games, discussion, and take-home materials to involve parents. Sacramental preparation and the OCIA process for adults are coordinated through Deacon Mikules, who can be reached at the parish office.
- Faith Formation classes (children and youth)
- Sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) — year-round process beginning in autumn
- Growing with GOD: Safe and Sacred™ child safety and family-life program
- Adult Faith Formation offerings
Hispanic Ministry & Spanish-Language Life
OLPH has a large and growing Hispanic community that worships in Spanish at the Sunday 12:30 PM Mass and the Thursday 7:00 PM Mass, with bilingual Reconciliation on Thursday evenings. The Hispanic Music Ministry is featured prominently on the parish homepage, with videos of liturgical music and reflections, and Spanish baptism classes are held the second Saturday of each month at 7:00 PM. Spanish-language bulletins (Boletines dominicales) are posted weekly.
- Sunday 12:30 PM Misa en español
- Thursday 7:00 PM Misa en español
- Jueves 6:00 PM Reconciliación bilingüe
- Hispanic Music Ministry (videos on olph.net)
- Boletines dominicales (Spanish Sunday bulletins)
- Spanish Baptism Preparation — second Saturday, 7:00 PM
Sister Parish: St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Haiti
Since 2007 OLPH has been the sister parish of St. Elizabeth of Hungary in the mountain town of Perodin, Haiti — a remote community reachable only on foot. What began as a commitment to feed 240 students has grown into annual support of about $82,000 that now feeds 500 students, pays teacher salaries, and supplies classrooms, with additional projects for rain barrels, solar lanterns, a home economics program, and a planned second story on the newest school building. A parish Haiti Committee coordinates the relationship, and the story is told in the documentary 'What They Saw Up the Mountain,' directed by pastorate evangelization director Nick Garrett.
- Sister parish established 2007
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Perodin (mountain community, Diocese of Gonaïves)
- Sends roughly $82,000/year to feed 500 students and fund teachers
- Funded rain barrels, solar lanterns, home economics program, and a new school second story
- Documentary: 'What They Saw Up the Mountain' by Nick Garrett
Outreach & Charities
The Pastorate of Our Lady Charities Ministry, staffed by volunteers from OLPH, Our Lady of Sorrows, and Holy Family, operates a food pantry open Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon (with additional bilingual Friday-evening hours from 5:30–7:30 PM), offers limited financial assistance (with Community Action referrals for rent and energy), and provides Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner boxes for families in Southern Anne Arundel County. Seasonal programs include Giving Trees (Christmas gifts for children in need) and a Back to School Backpack Program. Requests for assistance can be made by calling (443) 203-1002 and choosing Option 9.
- Food Pantry — Wed & Fri 10:00 AM–12:00 noon; Fri 5:30–7:30 PM bilingual
- Financial assistance by appointment (rent/energy via Community Action referral)
- Infant & Toddler Clothes Closet — 3rd Saturday of each month, 2–4 PM
- Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner boxes
- Giving Trees (Christmas gifts for children)
- Back to School Backpack Program
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion), the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick. Child Baptism requires a Baptism Preparation Class — held the third Monday of the month at 7:00 PM at OLPH (Spanish classes the second Saturday at 7:00 PM) — and Baptisms are scheduled during any Sunday Mass, at 11:00 AM on Saturdays, or privately. Adult Baptism is prepared through the OCIA process directed by Deacon Tim Mikules. Godparents must meet the requirements outlined on the parish Godparent Registration Form.
- Baptism — infant, child, and adult (via OCIA)
- First Communion and Confirmation preparation
- Reconciliation — bilingual Thu 6 PM; English Sat 3 PM
- Marriage preparation — Archdiocese of Baltimore guidelines
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the parish office
Parish Staff & Leadership
The pastorate is led by Pastor Rev. Zachary 'Zack' Crowley, with faith formation directed by Deacon Tim Mikules and parish operations supported by Business Manager Eileen Thaden. The parish website regularly features messages from Fr. Richard Gray (former pastor of the pastorate, assigned September 1, 2020) and reflections from Sr. Kass. The Hispanic Music Ministry and a network of ministry leaders round out the parish team.
- Rev. Zachary (Zack) Crowley — Pastor
- Deacon Tim Mikules — Director of Faith Formation
- Eileen Thaden — Business Manager (ext. 4)
- Father Richard Gray — former pastor (assigned Sept. 1, 2020)
- Father Gonzalo — priest of the parish (15th anniversary, June 2024)
- Sr. Kass — contributor of parish reflections
Connect, Give & Stay Informed
Parishioners and visitors can stay connected through Sunday bulletins (English and Spanish), Flocknote email and text updates, the parish Facebook page, and YouTube videos of Sunday Masses posted to olph.net. Online giving is available through the parish website, and donations can be designated to the Haiti sister parish feeding and education program or to the Charities Ministry food pantry.
- Website: olph.net and pastorateofourlady.org
- Online giving available through olph.net
- Sunday bulletins in English and Spanish posted weekly
- Parish Facebook page and Flocknote
- YouTube: recorded Sunday Masses and Hispanic Music Ministry videos
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Redemptorist Fathers1976–1996
Religious order that led the parish from its formal establishment in 1976 until it became an archdiocesan parish.
- Father Richard Gray2020–
Assigned September 1, 2020 to lead the new Pastorate of Our Lady; unified bulletins, faith formation, and Easter Vigil.
- Rev. Zachary 'Zack' Crowleypresent
Current pastor of the Pastorate of Our Lady; quoted in Catholic Review on the Haiti partnership.