About Sisters of Bon Secours Chapel · Marriottsville, Maryland
The Sisters of Bon Secours Chapel is the worship heart of the Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center, a 313-acre wooded ministry of the Sisters of Bon Secours in Marriottsville, Maryland, in the Howard County countryside about 20 miles from Baltimore City. The chapel is set inside the Center's distinctive cross-shaped building and is celebrated for its wood and stone interior, pipe organ, and elegant stained glass windows. Catholic Mass is offered most days of the week and is open to the local community as well as retreat guests and resident Sisters. The chapel is part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and is hosted by the Sisters of Bon Secours, the international Catholic congregation of women religious founded in Paris in 1824 whose ministry of "good help" has reached Marriottsville since the early 1960s.
- Established
- 1968
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
The Sisters of Bon Secours Chapel offers Catholics in the Marriottsville, western Howard County, and greater Baltimore area a beautiful, welcoming place to worship almost every day of the week in a setting unlike any typical parish church. Mass is celebrated in a chapel rich with wood, stone, stained glass, and a pipe organ, on a peaceful 313-acre wooded campus with a prayer labyrinth, Peace Garden, reflecting pond, and walking trails. Whether you are a neighbor looking for daily Mass and Sunday Eucharist, a couple planning a marriage retreat, or an individual seeking a quiet spiritual direction appointment, the chapel and the Sisters' ministry of "good help" offer hospitality, beauty, and prayer rooted in nearly 200 years of Bon Secours tradition.
Mass times at Sisters of Bon Secours Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
About the Sisters of Bon Secours Chapel
The Sisters of Bon Secours Chapel is the worship space inside the Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center in Marriottsville, Maryland. It is described by the Center as having a beautiful wood and stone interior, a pipe organ, and elegant stained glass windows, and the chapel wing seats up to 250. Catholic Mass is celebrated most days of the week, and the local community is welcomed alongside retreat guests and the resident Sisters.
- Wood and stone interior
- Pipe organ
- Elegant stained glass windows
- Seating for up to 250
- Recognized in the Cardinal Lencaro Architectural Competition
History of the Center and Chapel
The Sisters of Bon Secours were founded in Paris in 1824 to provide home healthcare and care of the sick and dying. After arriving in the United States in 1881 at the invitation of Archbishop (later Cardinal) James Gibbons, the Sisters grew beyond their West Baltimore motherhouse and novitiate (in use from 1883 to 1959). In 1962 they purchased property in Marriottsville and built a cross-shaped Provincial House, the Sisters' infirmary (Marian Hall), and a Novitiate. Bishop T. Austin Murphy dedicated the property in 1965. After the Second Vatican Council and a period of declining vocations, the Sisters opened the Marriottsville Spiritual Center in 1968 under Sr. Mary Margaret Burger. The center was renamed the Bon Secours Spiritual Center in 1981 and the Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center in 2012. Its 50th anniversary was marked in 2018 with a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Archbishop William Lori.
- Sisters of Bon Secours founded in Paris, 1824
- Arrived in the United States, May 24, 1881
- Marriottsville property purchased, 1962
- Site dedicated by Bishop T. Austin Murphy, 1965
- Marriottsville Spiritual Center opened, 1968
- Renamed Bon Secours Spiritual Center, 1981
- Renamed Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center, 2012
- 50th Anniversary Mass celebrated by Archbishop William Lori, 2018
Staff and Spiritual Leadership
The chapel and conference center are led by a small dedicated staff, with the Sisters of Bon Secours providing spiritual leadership. Sister Bernadette, who holds a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Washington Theological Union and has been with the Center since 2011, offers spiritual direction and spiritual companionship and guides contemplative retreats; she also serves as the Sisters of Bon Secours Director of Formation.
- Kevin Cassidy — Director of Operations
- Rob Bellew — Manager of Maintenance / Care and Mission
- Sister Bernadette — Spiritual Direction and Contemplative Retreats; Sisters of Bon Secours Director of Formation
Our Grounds — Peace, Prayer, and Nature
The Center's 313 acres of woodland and farmland offer extensive outdoor prayer spaces. A prayer Labyrinth, created with the TKF Foundation, invites walking meditation; the Centennial Peace Garden is a Japanese-style Zen garden with a Peace Pole as part of a worldwide peace project; and a reflecting pond with a Japanese footbridge and short nature trail encourage quiet time outdoors.
- Prayer Labyrinth (added 1999, created with TKF Foundation)
- Centennial Peace Garden with Peace Pole (added 2003)
- Reflecting pond with Japanese footbridge
- Short nature trail
- Swimming pool available during summer months
Retreats and Conferences
What began with Friends Day of Prayer retreats once per month has grown to roughly 10 retreats per month on average, plus a full calendar of conferences hosted by outside non-profits, businesses, churches, and families. Each year the Center hosts approximately 150 retreats it sponsors and 300 conferences by outside organizations. Programs are interfaith in scope while reflecting the values of the Roman Catholic faith of the resident Sisters.
- Ignatian retreats (e.g., 3-Night Ignatian Retreat with presenter Paul Gallagher)
- Contemplative retreats guided by Sister Bernadette
- Friends Day of Prayer
- Outside conferences for non-profits, businesses, churches, and families
- Spiritual direction appointments with recommended directors
- Private individual retreats (room and board, no structured programming)
Visiting, Staying, and Getting Involved
Day visitors are welcome to attend Mass, walk the grounds, and spend time in the chapel and Welcome Center. Overnight guests can reserve a private room with bath and meals included. The cross-shaped building also offers a dining hall, gift shop, bookstore, fitness center, Wi-Fi, open-air and enclosed porches, and 70 guest rooms. The Welcome Center is staffed daily from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; outside those hours a security guard can be reached at 443-510-0505.
- Day visitors welcome for Mass, grounds, and chapel
- Private retreat reservations include lodging and meals
- 70 overnight guest rooms, each with private bath
- Dining hall, gift shop, bookstore, fitness center, Wi-Fi
- Welcome Center: 7:00 a.m.–9:30 p.m. daily
- After-hours security: 443-510-0505
- Contact: 410-442-3120; [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Sr. Mary Margaret Burger1968–1977
First director of the Marriottsville Spiritual Center, opened the cross-shaped building to outside groups after Vatican II.
- Sr. Nancy Glynn1977–
Succeeded Sr. Mary Margaret; oversaw the 1981 renaming to the Bon Secours Spiritual Center.
- Sr. Gemma Neville
Later director of the Center.
- Shirley Hawes
Later director of the Center.
- Sr. Carol Marozzi, SSJ
Later director of the Center.
- Thomas Little
Later director of the Center.
- Larry Kaskel
Later director of the Center.
- Kevin Cassidy
Director of Operations; oversees the multiple departments that keep the Center functioning; long-time employee of Bon Secours.