About Our Lady of Pompei · Baltimore, Maryland
Our Lady of Pompei was a Roman Catholic parish in the Highlandtown neighborhood of southeast Baltimore, founded in 1923 by the Vincentian Fathers (Congregation of the Mission) to minister to the city's Italian immigrants. It is the only church in Baltimore founded and built by Italian immigrants, with its cornerstone laid at Conkling and Claremont Streets on January 16, 1923, and its first Mass celebrated on June 1, 1924. Over 101 years the parish grew from an Italian-American anchor of the neighborhood into a thriving tri-cultural, bilingual (English and Spanish) faith community served successively by Italian Vincentian Fathers and then by priests of the Italian-led mission group Operazione Mato Grosso (OMG). In June 2024, as part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Seek the City to Come initiative, the parish was closed and merged into Our Lady of Fatima, with final farewell Masses celebrated on November 23 and 24, 2024.
- Established
- 1923
- Patron
- Our Lady of Pompei (the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Pompeii)
- Rector
- Fr. Claudio Piccolongo, O.M.G. (last pastor, 2022–2024; parish merged into Our Lady of Fatima effective July 1, 2024)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
Our Lady of Pompei was a multicultural, intergenerational Catholic community — Italian, American, and Latino worshiping side by side — and the only church in Baltimore founded and built by Italian immigrants. For 101 years it served Highlandtown as both a spiritual home and a neighborhood anchor, offering bilingual (English and Spanish) Masses, a Catholic K–12 school, an annual feast day in October, a beloved bull roast, and street carnivals that drew the wider community. Through its partnership with the Italian-led mission group Operazione Mato Grosso, the parish linked Baltimore's immigrant Catholics with missionary work in Peru, forming young people in charity and service. Although the church building itself has closed and the parish has merged with Our Lady of Fatima, the Pompei legacy continues through that merged parish and through the Preservation Society keeping its story alive.
Mass times at Our Lady of Pompei
Weekly Mass schedule
Identity and Origin: A Highlandtown Parish Since 1923
Our Lady of Pompei was founded as a Roman Catholic parish in 1923 to minister to Baltimore's Italian immigrant community in the Highlandtown neighborhood of southeast Baltimore. It is the only church in the city founded and built by Italian immigrants. The parish began as a missionary church of the Vincentian Fathers (Congregation of the Mission) from Naples, and its cornerstone was laid on January 16, 1923 at Conkling and Claremont Streets. Construction took just over a year, and the first Mass was celebrated inside the new church on June 1, 1924. The parish's feast day was kept on the first weekend in October, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of Pompeii.
- Founded 1923; first Mass June 1, 1924
- Only Catholic church in Baltimore founded and built by Italian immigrants
- Feast of Our Lady of Pompei: first weekend in October
- Corner of Conkling and Claremont Streets, Highlandtown
- Part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore
History
The parish's first pastor, Fr. Luigi Scialdone, C.M., came to Highlandtown after 17 years of Vincentian missionary work in China. Archbishop Michael J. Curley sent him to unite a scattered Italian flock, writing in 1934 that 'the Italian flock was scattered' and 'very little attention had been paid to them.' Over the next half century Our Lady of Pompei became a neighborhood anchor: it built a K–12 school staffed by the Religious Teachers Filippini (first grade class graduating in 1929, high school opening in 1959), a two-story school building in the 1950s, and a gymnasium in the 1960s. Parishioners gathered for the October feast day, the annual bull roast, and summer street carnivals famous for their fried dough.
- 1923: parish founded; cornerstone Jan 16, 1923
- 1924: first Mass celebrated June 1, 1924
- 1929: first graduating elementary class (7 pupils)
- 1950s: new two-story school building; high school added 1959
- 1960s: gymnasium built
- 1991: Vincentians withdraw; Fr. Lou Esposito incardinated into Archdiocese of Baltimore
- 2008: Spanish-language Mass added with arrival of Fr. Luis Cremis (OMG)
- 2014: Pompei school building sold
- 2024: closed and merged into Our Lady of Fatima
The Italian Heritage and the Highlandtown Neighborhood
Press coverage describes the area around Our Lady of Pompei as a southeast Baltimore 'little' Little Italy, distinguishing it from the original Little Italy closer to the Inner Harbor. Through the 20th century, Our Lady of Pompei anchored that immigrant community with the feast day procession, the bull roast, and the summer carnival, and at least one local family remained connected to the parish for five generations running.
- Sometimes called 'little Little Italy' in regional press
- Feast day procession in early October
- Annual bull roast fundraiser
- Summer street carnival with fried dough
The Hispanic Ministry and Operazione Mato Grosso (OMG)
Beginning in the early 2000s, Our Lady of Pompei partnered with Fr. Ugo De Cenzi and Operazione Mato Grosso (Operation Mato Grosso, OMG), an Italian-led missionary group working in Peru. OMG's mission is to educate and involve young people in charity for those in need. In 2008 the parish added a Spanish-language Mass, Fr. Luis Cremis came from OMG's Peru mission to help with Hispanic ministry, and volunteers were organized across the Baltimore area. The OMG Baltimore hub was housed at Our Lady of Pompei and later also established a presence at St. Philip Neri in Linthicum.
- Partnership with Fr. Ugo De Cenzi and OMG since the early 2000s
- Spanish-language Mass added 2008
- Fr. Luis Cremis (OMG, Peru) joined for Hispanic ministry
- Parishioners formed volunteer groups across Baltimore
- Fair-trade mission sales via Artesanos Don Bosco
Parish School and Faith Formation
Our Lady of Pompei once operated a K–12 Catholic school. The first elementary class graduated in 1929 with seven pupils; a high school was added in 1959. Both schools were founded and staffed by the Religious Teachers Filippini. In the late 2000s the parish school was combined with the parish school of St. Elizabeth of Hungary to form Archbishop Borders School, which was then moved to the renovated building of Sacred Heart of Jesus just up the block. The Pompei school building was sold in August 2014.
- K–12 parish school founded by the Religious Teachers Filippini
- First elementary class of 7 students graduated in 1929
- High school opened in 1959
- Merged into Archbishop Borders School, later relocated to Sacred Heart building
- Pompei school building sold August 2014
Architecture and the Historic Building
The 1924 church is an elaborate basilica-plan structure built of diamond-patterned brick and dominated by large round-arch windows; the round-arch motif is repeated in the belt course and cornice. The convent was formed from three rowhouses reworked into a single building, and the 1951/1965 school building continues the diamond-patterned brick, accented by concrete buttresses. A typed list in the Baldwin family papers credits the church and school to the Baltimore architect Francis J. Baldwin (1874–1963), a Mount St. Mary's College and University of Pennsylvania graduate whose other Catholic commissions in the city included Holy Rosary Church, Our Lady of Lourdes Church and School, Holy Rosary School and Rectory, Holy Rosary Convent, St. Martin's Academy, Mount St. Agnes High School, St. Elizabeth's Home, and LeClerc Hall at Notre Dame College. The complex is documented on the National Register of Historic Places as 'Our Lady of Pompeii Roman Catholic Church.'
- Church and convent 1924; school 1951 (expanded 1965)
- Basilica-plan, diamond-patterned brick, large round-arch windows
- Designer: Francis J. Baldwin (per Baldwin family papers)
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Stylistic features: round-arch belt course and cornice; convent formed from rowhouses
100th Anniversary (2023–2024)
Parishioners began the 100th-anniversary year with a bull and shrimp feast in November 2022, the anniversary of the January 16, 1923 cornerstone. The official closing celebration was a Mass on June 2, 2024 — 100 years and one day after the very first Mass — celebrated by Archbishop William E. Lori, followed by fellowship. Just weeks later, the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced the closure of Our Lady of Pompei, overshadowing the centennial with grief.
- November 2022: bull and shrimp feast kick-off
- June 2, 2024: 100th-anniversary Mass with Archbishop Lori
- Mass celebrated 100 years + 1 day after the first Mass on June 1, 1924
Seek the City to Come and the Closure of 2024
In 2022 the Archdiocese of Baltimore launched 'Seek the City to Come,' a two-year pastoral-planning initiative reviewing all 61 parishes in Baltimore City and bordering Baltimore County (Dundalk, Essex, North Point). The recommendations, released in May 2024 and finalized in June 2024, closed approximately 40 of those 61 parishes. Our Lady of Pompei was originally slated to merge with Sacred Heart of Jesus but, after parishioner feedback, was redirected to merge with Our Lady of Fatima. Effective July 1, 2024, weekend Masses at Pompei were cut to two — one English, one Spanish — plus one weekday English Mass; the church remained open for sacraments, weddings, and funerals. Appeals to keep the building open as a worship site of the merged parish were rejected, and final farewell Masses were celebrated on Saturday, November 23, 2024 (in English) and Sunday, November 24, 2024 (in Spanish). By July 1, 2025, only 23 parishes remained in the city/bordering-county area.
- Initiative launched 2022; recommendations May 2024; final decision June 2024
- Pompei originally to merge with Sacred Heart of Jesus; revised to merge with Our Lady of Fatima
- Effective July 1, 2024: schedule reduced to 2 weekend Masses + 1 weekday Mass
- Final Masses: Nov 23 (English) and Nov 24 (Spanish), 2024
- By July 1, 2025: only 23 of 61 Baltimore-area parishes remained
Preservation Society and Continuing Community
After closure, the olpmd.org website continues as a private project of the Our Lady of Pompei Preservation Society, with the stated mission 'to retain the history of the church as well as provide information regarding the new merged parish at Our Lady of Fatima.' The site hosts homily links, anniversary articles, and pointers for former parishioners still seeking sacraments, while encouraging them to officially register at Our Lady of Fatima.
- olpmd.org maintained by the Our Lady of Pompei Preservation Society
- Links to Archbishop Lori's 100th-anniversary homily
- Directs new registrants to Our Lady of Fatima at 410-624-7727
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Luigi Scialdone, C.M.1923–
Founding pastor; Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission); spent 17 years in missionary work in China before coming to Highlandtown.
- Rev. Giuseppe Tomaselli, C.M.
Vincentian pastor of Our Lady of Pompei.
- Rev. Roberto Petti, C.M.
Vincentian pastor of Our Lady of Pompei.
- Rev. Luigi 'Lou' Esposito, C.M.1984–2018
First assigned to Pompei in 1964; in 1991 secured a dispensation from his Vincentian vows and was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Baltimore so he could continue to lead the parish through difficult years; celebrated 50 years of priesthood and 50 years at Pompei in 2014.
- Rev. Giuliano Gargiulo, O.M.G.2018–2022
Administrator (parish priest); arrived earlier in 2016; Italian priest who speaks Spanish and Italian, learning English; sent by Operazione Mato Grosso.
- Rev. Claudio Piccolongo, O.M.G.2022–2024
Final pastor before closure and merger with Our Lady of Fatima; appointed pastor of the merged parish effective July 1, 2024.