About Our Lady of the Angels · Catonsville, Maryland
Our Lady of the Angels is a Roman Catholic parish in Catonsville, Maryland, listed in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and located at 711 Maiden Choice Lane on the grounds of the Charlestown Retirement Community. The parish shares its home with a stunning Italian Renaissance-style chapel built in 1913–1915 by the Sulpician Fathers as part of St. Charles College, whose successor building was converted into senior housing after 1983. Today Father Leo J. Larrivee, P.S.S., leads a community of roughly 600 worshippers, primarily residents of Charlestown, supported by a pastoral associate, a deacon, a music director, and pastoral interns from St. Mary's Seminary.
- Established
- 1866
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Angels
- Rector
- Rev. Leo J. Larrivee, P.S.S.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Angels is a full, vibrant Catholic community of about 600 members serving the residents of Charlestown and the wider Catonsville area, with a pastor, a pastoral associate, a deacon, and pastoral interns from St. Mary's Seminary on staff. Liturgical and pastoral life is rich — daily Mass in a marble-clad Italian Renaissance chapel, weekly Communion to the sick, a communal Anointing of the Sick each Advent and Lent, and active committees for liturgy, hospitality to newcomers, Eucharistic ministers, and Peace and Justice. Members also gather for Morning Praise, 'Sixty-Minutes' visits to neighbors, and regular service at the Our Daily Bread soup kitchen in Baltimore, with more than half of parishioners active on at least one committee.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Angels
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesdays at 3:00 PM in the Jenkins Room
- By request at other times
Adoration times
- The chapel is open 24 hours a day for prayer and meditation
History of Our Lady of the Angels
The story of Our Lady of the Angels is inseparable from the Sulpician Fathers' presence in Maryland and from St. Charles College. Founded in Ellicott City in 1848 and equipped with a first chapel in 1866, St. Charles College burned on March 16, 1911, and the Sulpicians rebuilt both the college and a new Our Lady of the Angels chapel on a 100-acre Catonsville farm they had been using as a summer retreat since 1889. Cardinal James Gibbons laid the cornerstone on St. Charles Day, November 4, 1913, and dedicated the building in 1915. WWI shortages delayed the marble interior until the 1920s, and three rose windows were completed as late as the 1950s. After St. Charles College closed in 1977, the campus became the Charlestown Retirement Community in 1983, while the Sulpicians and St. Mary's Seminary retained ownership of the chapel and resumed its life as a parish church for Charlestown's Catholic community.
From St. Charles College to Charlestown
The 105-acre campus that once educated generations of seminarians is now a vibrant retirement community. The Sulpicians retained the chapel when they sold the rest of the property and have continued investing in its upkeep, including more than $1 million in renovations noted in the 1990s. The transition from college chapel to senior-residence parish has shaped Our Lady of the Angels' pastoral character: nearly all of its 600 members live on the Charlestown campus, while visitors are warmly welcomed to Mass.
Parish Clergy, Staff and Governance
The parish is led by Rev. Leo J. Larrivee, P.S.S., a priest of the Sulpician community, and is supported by a small but dedicated staff. Pastoral interns from St. Mary's Seminary help supplement ministry throughout the year. Governance follows a collegial model through regular meetings of the Parish Council, which incorporates the voice of parishioners into important decisions; over half of members serve on at least one committee.
- Rev. Leo J. Larrivee, P.S.S. — Pastor
- Sr. Eileen McKeever, S.S.N.D. — Pastoral Associate
- Deacon Jack Coster
- Mrs. Brenda Doetzer — Music Director
- Mrs. Tammy Collier — Office Manager
The Chapel Building
Our Lady of the Angels Chapel is widely described as a hidden architectural treasure on a hilltop overlooking Baltimore. Its Italian Renaissance design — by an architect inspired by cathedrals Robert and Elizabeth Jenkins saw in France and Italy — features an entire interior of book-matched Carrara marble, mosaic work by Bancel La Farge, stained glass (including three rose windows) by Charles J. Connick, and a 3,100-pipe Casavant organ well suited to Romantic repertoire. The chapel is open twenty-four hours a day for prayer and meditation, and Mass is broadcast to Charlestown residents unable to attend in person.
- Italian Renaissance basilica plan — 55 ft × 140 ft, nave ceiling 48 ft, dome 68 ft, seats 300
- Carrara marble walls and floor; marble altar and baldachin inlaid with precious stones
- Exterior in limestone and terra cotta
- Three rose windows (Connick); final window installed in the 1950s
- 3,100-pipe Casavant organ installed 1920
- Open 24 hours a day for prayer and meditation
Devotions and Pastoral Prayer
Beyond the Mass schedule, Our Lady of the Angels maintains a steady calendar of devotions and pastoral gatherings that build community among Charlestown residents. The chapel itself is open twenty-four hours a day for personal prayer and meditation.
- Morning Praise — Thursdays 9:45 AM at the Renaissance Gardens Terrace
- 'Sixty-Minutes' Visitors — first and third Mondays, 2:00–3:00 PM, Renaissance Gardens Terrace
- Open chapel: 24 hours daily for prayer and meditation
Ministries and Outreach
Parish committees serve worship and pastoral needs, with more than half of parishioners active on at least one committee. Outreach is supported by Charlestown's Catholic and Protestant congregations working together, and includes regular service to Our Daily Bread soup kitchen in Baltimore.
- Parish Council
- Liturgy Committee
- Eucharistic Ministers to the Sick
- Hospitality to Newcomers
- Peace and Justice Committee
- Our Daily Bread — fourth Friday of each month
- Joint celebrations with Charlestown Protestant congregation
Contact, Visiting, and Pastoral Care
The Church and Pastoral Care office is the hub for arranging sacraments, weddings, funerals, and pastoral visits. Residents of Charlestown's Renaissance Gardens, Assisted Living, and Independent Living may request pastoral services through Sr. Eileen McKeever or the Pastoral Care office.
- Parish phone: (410) 247-4779
- Pastoral Care office: (410) 737-8838, ext. 8530
- Information line: (410) 737-8900
- Fax: (410) 737-8826
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 711 Maiden Choice Lane, Catonsville, MD 21228
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Leo J. Larrivee, P.S.S.Current pastor (as of 2015 brochure and recent Archdiocese of Baltimore listing)
Sulpician priest who serves as pastor and primary voice of Our Lady of the Angels.