About Our Lady Queen of Peace · Baltimore, Maryland
Our Lady, Queen of Peace is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Baltimore serving the Middle River community in eastern Baltimore County, Maryland. Located at 10003 Bird River Road, the parish welcomes families of all backgrounds to its weekend and daily Masses in English (with a monthly English-and-Tagalog Mass on the first Sunday). The parish is shepherded by Rev. Patrick Besel (Pastor) and Rev. Ernest Udoh (Associate Pastor) and is known for its warm, multi-generational community, active ministries, and tradition of lay generosity — most visibly demonstrated when parishioners funded major roof and ceiling repairs in 2016–2017 after 13 months of worshipping in the parish hall.
- Established
- Mid-1950s (parish structure predates 1958; sanctuary adapted from an original gymnasium design)
- Patron
- Our Lady, Queen of Peace (Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady Queen of Peace)
- Rector
- Rev. Patrick Besel
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore (Metropolitan Archdiocese)
Why belong here
Our Lady, Queen of Peace is a welcoming Middle River parish where weekday and weekend Masses are easy to attend, with a monthly English-and-Tagalog Mass reflecting the diversity of the surrounding community. The parish is active across the life of the Church — Faith Formation for children, First Communion and Confirmation preparation, the Sodality, Knights of Columbus Pope John Paul the Great Council, Cub Scout Pack 355 and Troop 355, plus devotional groups like the Flame of Love and Divine Holy Face prayer groups. It is also a parish with a track record of stewardship: when the sanctuary needed a new roof and ceiling, the community personally funded more than $400,000 of the work.
Mass times at Our Lady Queen of Peace
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
- First Saturday 8:00 AM
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration: Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM (in the Chapel, before the Vigil Mass)
- Divine Holy Face Adoration: Every Tuesday in the Chapel (Blessed Sacrament displayed for adoration)
- First Friday: Adoration at 7:00 PM
About Our Lady, Queen of Peace
Our Lady, Queen of Peace is a Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore serving the Middle River community in eastern Baltimore County. The parish identifies itself as a community that 'struggles and hurts' alongside its neighbors and welcomes anyone seeking a church home. Weekend and daily Masses are celebrated in English, with a monthly English-and-Tagalog Mass on the first Sunday. The parish is led by Rev. Patrick Besel (Pastor) and Rev. Ernest Udoh (Associate Pastor).
- Roman Catholic parish, Archdiocese of Baltimore
- Located in Middle River, MD (eastern Baltimore County)
- Pastored by Rev. Patrick Besel with Rev. Ernest Udoh as Associate Pastor
- Phone: (410) 686-3085 • Email: [email protected]
Parish History & the 2015–2017 Sanctuary Restoration
The sanctuary that houses the parish today was originally designed in the mid-1950s as a gymnasium before being adapted for Catholic worship. The defining chapter of the parish's recent history began on Christmas Eve 2015, when falling plaster revealed serious structural and roofing defects. For more than 13 months every Mass was celebrated in a 100-by-32-foot parish hall, with weekend attendance still reaching 750–800 people. The Archdiocese of Baltimore covered roughly $500,000 in interior repairs through insurance, while the parish itself raised more than $400,000 for the new roof — including a triple-the-goal response to the 2016 Annual Appeal and a separate $160,000 in direct gifts. On Easter Sunday 2017, parishioners processed back into a sanctuary with a new ceiling of white and deep gold accented with true gold-leaf striping.
- Falling plaster on Christmas Eve 2015 first revealed structural problems
- Worship moved to the parish hall for 13+ months
- Knights of Columbus donated flat-screen TVs for overflow classrooms
- Parish raised $96,000 against a $44,000 Annual Appeal goal in 2016
- Easter Sunday 2017 marked the return to the restored sanctuary
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Faith Formation classes for children, plus First Holy Communion and Confirmation preparation (for teens and adults), are ongoing programs of the parish. The parish supports the Archdiocese of Baltimore's OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) process for adults seeking Baptism, Eucharist, or Confirmation, culminating at the Easter Vigil. Sacramental information is shared through the parish bulletin; during the 2015–2017 hall period most baptisms were performed in the side chapel.
- Faith Formation classes for children
- First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation (teen and adult)
- OCIA / RCIA for adult initiation
- Marriage preparation (via the Archdiocese)
Parish Ministries & Groups
The parish invites members to join any of its committees and ministries, describing them as 'a vital part of our church.' Active groups include the Sodality (women's parish fellowship), the Knights of Columbus Pope John Paul the Great Council, Cub Scout Pack 355, Boy Scout Troop 355, and prayer groups including the Flame of Love and the Divine Holy Face Prayer Group. A weekly showing of 'The Chosen' meets Monday evenings at 6:30 PM in the parish hall.
- Sodality
- Knights of Columbus — Pope John Paul the Great Council
- Cub Scout Pack 355 (K–5) and Troop 355 (11–18) — Wednesdays 7:00–8:30 PM
- Flame of Love Prayer Group
- Divine Holy Face Prayer Group
- Pastoral Council / Stewardship of Time and Talent
Bulletin, News & Communications
The parish publishes a weekly bulletin that is the primary channel for Mass intentions, ministry news, and event announcements. During the 2015–2017 restoration Father Mueller kept parishioners informed with work-in-progress photos and progress meetings — a communication approach that was credited by observers as a model of pastoral leadership during a long disruption.
- Weekly parish bulletin available online
- Parish Office open Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Jason Worley2004–2009
Served as Pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Middle River; later pastor of St. Peter the Apostle (Libertytown), St. Ursula (Parkville), and St. John the Evangelist (Hydes); ordained 1999; active Knights of Columbus chaplain.
- Fr. Kevin A. Mueller2010–c.2019
Led the parish through the 2015–2017 sanctuary restoration; parishioners credited his communication and leadership during the 13 months of worship in the parish hall.
- Rev. Patrick BeselCurrent pastor per Archdiocese of Baltimore directory