About Patronage of the Mother of God · Baltimore, Maryland
Patronage of the Mother of God is a Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic mission church located in the Arbutus/Halethorpe area of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1966–67 by a small group of families who wanted Eastern Catholic worship in the Baltimore region, the community was formally named in 1969 by Bishop Michael J. Dudick after the Feast of the Patronage (Protection) of the Mother of God — celebrated each year on October 1. It belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic and serves as the parent parish for two mission communities in Hagerstown and Abingdon, Maryland. The parish invites all who are drawn to the spirituality, iconography, and liturgical chant of the Eastern Church to worship with them.
- Established
- 1966
- Patron
- The Mother of God, under the title of the Patronage (Protection) of the Theotokos
- Rector
- Very Reverend Vasyl Symyon
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Ruthenian, suffragan of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh)
Why belong here
Patronage offers Byzantine Catholics in the Baltimore region a faithful home where the ancient Eastern liturgical tradition — with its sung Divine Liturgy, icon screen, and Carpatho-Rusyn plainchant — is celebrated every Sunday morning. As the parent community for mission stations in Hagerstown and Abingdon, it reaches Byzantine Catholics across central Maryland, and it welcomes newcomers drawn to the spirituality, theology, and music of the Eastern Church. Active formation (an Eastern Catholic Formation program for children), annual feast-day potlucks, and women's prayer breakfasts give the small parish a warm, family-style community life.
Mass times at Patronage of the Mother of God
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM (before Divine Liturgy)
About Patronage
Patronage of the Mother of God is a Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic community in the Arbutus/Halethorpe area of Baltimore, Maryland. The parish is part of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, an Eastern Catholic diocese of the Ruthenian tradition that is in full communion with Rome. Visitors are always welcome at the Sunday Divine Liturgy.
- Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic mission church
- Located in Arbutus/Halethorpe, southwest Baltimore County
- Suffragan community of the Eparchy of Passaic
Our History
The community's story began on October 2, 1966, the day after the Feast of the Patronage of the Mother of God, when a small group of Byzantine Catholic families gathered for the first Divine Liturgy in the Baltimore area at St. Joseph Passionist Monastery in Catonsville. Bishop Stephen Kocisko blessed the mission at Christmas 1966, and over the following years the community worshipped in a succession of borrowed spaces before purchasing the former Nativity Lutheran Church in Arbutus in 1972–73. The church was dedicated on October 7, 1973, and a major 1993 renovation added the parish's distinctive gold dome.
- First Liturgy: October 2, 1966, at St. Joseph Passionist Monastery, Catonsville
- Named by Bishop Michael J. Dudick in 1969
- Building purchased from Nativity Lutheran Church, Arbutus; contract April 17, 1972; settlement January 30, 1973
- Church formally dedicated October 7, 1973
- Major 1993 renovation: elevator, chapel, meeting areas, gold dome, kitchen and hall expansion
Liturgy and Sacraments
The parish celebrates the Byzantine Divine Liturgy every Sunday morning and on Holy Days. Confessions are heard before Liturgy. Schedules for Holy Days and special services are posted in the bulletin and on the Welcome page of the parish website.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 9:00 AM
- Confession — Sunday 8:00–8:45 AM
- Holy Day and special Liturgies — see bulletin for times
- Special intention requests accepted via the website
Liturgical Music and Chant
Patronage values the Prostopinije — the Subcarpathian plainchant tradition historically sung by the Carpatho-Rusyn faithful. The parish encourages full congregational singing of the Liturgy in this Eastern chant style, treating the music as a 'lifeline to the past.' Past initiatives of the parish have included online chant resources for congregational use in modern English.
- Prostopinije / Subcarpathian plainchant tradition
- Full congregational singing of the Divine Liturgy
- English-language chant resources developed for parish use
Parish Feast and Fellowship
October 1 is the parish feast day, observed each year with a traditional potluck luncheon in the parish hall following the Divine Liturgy. The parish also hosts women's prayer breakfasts and other fellowship events that draw both members and visitors into the life of the community.
- Feast of the Patronage of the Mother of God — October 1
- Traditional potluck luncheon after Liturgy
- Women's Prayer Breakfast (annual)
Faith Formation
The parish runs an Eastern Catholic Formation (ECF) program for the religious education of its children, drawing on the Byzantine Catholic tradition. The program closes the school year with a community cookout on the parish grounds.
- Eastern Catholic Formation (ECF) Program
- Year-end community cookout for ECF families
- Volunteer catechists from the parish
Missions and Outreach
Patronage of the Mother of God is the parent parish for two Byzantine Catholic mission stations that extend its ministry across central Maryland: a mission in Hagerstown and the Patronage Mission at St. Francis de Sales in Abingdon, where Divine Liturgy is celebrated on alternating Sundays.
- Patronage Mission, Hagerstown, MD
- Patronage Mission at St. Francis de Sales, 1450 Abingdon Road, Abingdon, MD — Divine Liturgy every other Sunday at 3:00 PM in the stone chapel
- Hagerstown contact: Adam — (301) 791-0930
Contact and Visit
The parish welcomes visitors to its Sunday Divine Liturgy. The rectory can be reached by phone during parish hours, and the bulletin on the parish website carries the latest schedule and announcements.
- Church address: 1265 Linden Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21227
- Mailing address: 1260 Stevens Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21227
- Rectory phone: 410-247-4936
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.patronagechurch.com/
- Facebook: facebook.com/patronagechurch
The Eparchy of Passaic
Patronage belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic, established in 1963 to serve Byzantine Catholics along the East Coast. The eparchy is part of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, and its faithful are Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine tradition rooted historically in the Carpatho-Rusyn, Slovak, Hungarian, Croatian, and related Greek Catholic communities of Central and Eastern Europe.
- Established July 31, 1963; cathedral at St. Michael the Archangel, Passaic, NJ
- First Eparch: Bishop Stephen J. Kocisko
- Second Eparch: Bishop Michael J. Dudick (named Patronage in 1969)
- Current (fifth) Eparch: Bishop Kurt R. Burnette, appointed 2013
- Suffragan of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh