About St. Clare · Baltimore, Maryland
St. Clare is a Roman Catholic parish in Essex, a community in eastern Baltimore County, Maryland, within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Founded in 1956 and led for decades by its founding pastor, Monsignor Albert T. Stallings, the parish grew rapidly on a 10-plus-acre campus at 714 Myrth Avenue and once had a parish school that topped 700 students in its heyday. After the school closed in 2010, Sunday Mass has been celebrated in a renovated basement-level worship space in the former school building. As part of the Archdiocese's 'Seek the City to Come' pastoral planning, St. Clare was merged into Our Lady of Mount Carmel effective December 1, 2024, though the historic St. Clare campus continues to serve the Essex community with daily and weekend Masses in English and Spanish.
- Established
- 1956
- Patron
- St. Clare of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. John Streifel (parish administrator, effective July 1, 2023, following the Archdiocese's 'Seek the City to Come' reorganization; parish merged into Our Lady of Mount Carmel effective December 1, 2024)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
St. Clare has welcomed generations of Essex families since 1956 and remains a tight-knit bilingual Catholic community. Weekend Mass is offered in English (Sunday 10 a.m.) and Spanish (Sunday noon), with a Saturday vigil and daily Mass in the rectory chapel; parishioners can also join the Monday evening Padre Pio Rosary, serve as altar servers, lectors or Eucharistic ministers, support the parish food pantry, or volunteer with the Ministry of the 14th Station of the Cross, which buries cremated remains each November in the parish cemetery. Above all, parishioners describe St. Clare as a faithful, family institution — a place where involvement lasts for decades.
Mass times at St. Clare
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday at 3:00 PM at St. Clare's Church (per parish website). Appointments for a different time may be arranged by emailing Fr. John at [email protected].
Parish Identity & History
St. Clare was founded in 1956 in Essex, Maryland, in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Monsignor Albert T. Stallings, the founding pastor, famously petitioned religious orders across the United States and Ireland to staff the new parish school and received the acceptance telegram from the Sisters of Mercy of Kells, Ireland, on Holy Thursday 1957, immediately after a novena to the Holy Spirit. The parish grew rapidly on its 10-plus-acre Myrth Avenue campus and reached an enrollment of more than 700 students in the 1960s.
- Founded 1956 in Essex, eastern Baltimore County
- Founding pastor: Monsignor Albert T. Stallings
- School staffed by Sisters of Mercy of Kells, Ireland, into the mid-1980s
- School Sisters of Notre Dame and Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore also served on the faculty
- Parish school closed in 2010
Architecture & Campus
Sunday worship currently takes place in a renovated basement-level space inside the former school building — a school hall with a 12-foot ceiling that received a roughly $300,000 beautification in 2016. The wider campus spans more than 10 acres and includes a rectory, convent and former school building. A new statue of St. Clare was unveiled in summer 2024 at the entrance to the rectory. Because of the age of the buildings (and the heating costs of the main structure), the parish converted part of the rectory into a chapel where daily Mass is now celebrated.
- Basement worship space with 12-foot ceilings, $300K renovation in 2016
- Daily Mass held in the Rectory Chapel
- Statue of St. Clare unveiled at the rectory entrance, summer 2024
Mass & Sacramental Schedule
St. Clare offers a robust weekday and weekend schedule. The Saturday vigil and Sunday morning Mass are celebrated in English, with a Sunday noon Mass celebrated in Spanish. Daily Mass on Monday through Friday is offered in the Rectory Chapel.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 p.m. (English)
- Sunday: 10:00 a.m. (English)
- Sunday: 12:00 p.m. (Spanish)
- Monday–Friday: 8:00 a.m. in the Rectory Chapel (English)
Faith Formation & RCIA
The parish runs the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) jointly with neighboring Our Lady of Mount Carmel for adults seeking Baptism, First Eucharist, Reconciliation or Confirmation. Those interested are invited to contact the Parish Office or attend the first joint meeting of the cycle.
- RCIA: inquiry and full initiation for unbaptized adults and those completing sacraments
- Joint St. Clare/OLMC RCIA meetings held at OLMC Parish Center Classroom
Liturgical Ministries
St. Clare welcomes trained and aspiring liturgical ministers of all ages. Those who have served as altar servers, or who wish to begin, can contact the parish office for training and scheduling; new servers are trained and placed by parish volunteers Mr. Dwyane and Mrs. Fran. The parish is also recruiting additional ushers, sacristans, lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (Eucharistic Ministers), including for weekday funeral liturgies. All adult volunteers who work with minors must complete VIRTUS training through the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
- Altar Servers — training coordinated by Mr. Dwyane and Mrs. Fran
- Lectors
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (Eucharistic Ministers)
- Sacristans and Ushers (including funeral ministry)
- VIRTUS safe-environment training required for those working with minors
Parish Food Pantry
St. Clare's Food Pantry is one of the parish's main outreach ministries and serves low-income families, single parents, seniors, unemployed individuals, disabled veterans, the working poor and anyone else in need of assistance. The pantry regularly publishes donation needs on the parish website, with drop-off containers located by the main entrance of the church.
- Food donations accepted at containers by the main entrance
- Listed in the Johns Hopkins Community Resources network
Ministry of the 14th Station of the Cross (Burial of Ashes)
This distinctive parish ministry provides a sacred, perpetual resting place for the cremated remains of the deceased — including those of the recently deceased and the long-departed whose urns may otherwise be lost or forgotten in family homes. Burial takes place annually in November, the Month of All Souls, with a minimal fee of $350. Inquiries are directed to the Archdiocese's Office of Cemetery Management.
- Annual burial in November
- Minimal fee: $350
- Includes provision for the recently deceased and historic remains
- Cemetery inquiries through the Office of Cemetery Management
St. Clare Sodality
The St. Clare Sodality is the parish women's devotional fellowship, rooted in the theme 'All for Jesus Through Mary.' Members gather for 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass beginning October 1 and meet in the parish hall afterward.
- Theme: 'All for Jesus Through Mary'
- Sunday 10:00 a.m. Mass followed by a meeting in the Hall
Pastoral Leadership
St. Clare has been led in recent years by pastors appointed through the Archdiocese of Baltimore's priest personnel process. Father Hector Mateus-Ariza was appointed pastor on September 1, 2020 and was reassigned effective July 1, 2023; he was succeeded by Father John Streifel as administrator. Both worked alongside the pastorate of nearby Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the 'Seek the City to Come' planning process.
- Rev. Hector Mateus-Ariza — pastor, September 1, 2020 – July 1, 2023
- Rev. John Streifel — administrator from July 1, 2023 (transitioned with the December 1, 2024 merger into OLMC)
- Vicki DeRuggiero — parish VIRTUS Screening Coordinator
Merger into Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Seek the City to Come)
Following the Archdiocese of Baltimore's 'Seek the City to Come' pastoral planning initiative, Archbishop William E. Lori issued an official decree in late September 2024 merging St. Clare into Our Lady of Mount Carmel effective December 1, 2024. Parishes at the time were also being grouped into pastorates — including St. Michael the Archangel in Overlea, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer in Rosedale, and the Church of the Annunciation in Rosedale, to which Father Mateus-Ariza was named pastor.
- Decree issued by Archbishop William E. Lori on September 28, 2024
- Canonical appeal window through October 11, 2024
- Merger effective December 1, 2024
- OLMC–St. Clare joint Mass and confession schedule posted at olmc-stclare.org
Visiting, Office & Contact
The Parish Office is at 714 Myrth Avenue and is normally open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Call (410) 687-6011 (extension 103 for many parish questions) or email [email protected]. Newcomers are warmly invited to register with the parish and to enroll in faith-formation, liturgical or outreach ministries.
- Parish Office hours: Mon–Thu, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Phone: (410) 687-6011
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish registration forms available on the website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Albert T. Stallings1956 – (founding pastor)
Founding pastor of St. Clare; approached 85 U.S. religious orders and 18 Irish orders to staff the school and received the acceptance telegram from the Sisters of Mercy of Kells, Ireland, on Holy Thursday 1957, immediately after a novena to the Holy Spirit.
- Rev. Hector Mateus-Ariza2020 – 2023
Appointed pastor September 1, 2020; reassigned effective July 1, 2023, to the St. Michael the Archangel pastorate in Overlea/Rosedale. Led the parish through the post-pandemic years and the early 'Seek the City' discussions.
- Rev. John Streifel2023 – 2024 (administrator)
Came from St. John the Evangelist, Frederick, and St. Joseph, Buckeystown; oversaw continuing pastoral care and campus planning, with the merger into Our Lady of Mount Carmel taking effect December 1, 2024.