About St. Edward · Baltimore, Maryland
St. Edward Roman Catholic Church was a parish of the Archdiocese of Baltimore located at 901 Poplar Grove Street in the city's Calverton/West Baltimore neighborhood. Organized in 1878 as a mission of St. Peter the Apostle under Fr. Owen B. Corrigan and built its first church in 1880, the parish grew to a peak congregation of roughly 5,000 faithful and dedicated its current building in 1941. It was long served by the Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Ghost) and most recently pastored by Spiritan Fr. Uju Patrick Okeahialam. Following the Archdiocese of Baltimore's 'Seek the City to Come' pastoral planning process, Archbishop William E. Lori decreed that St. Edward be merged into St. Bernardine Church effective December 1, 2024, ending more than 145 years of parish life at Poplar Grove Street.
- Established
- 1878
- Patron
- St. Edward (the Confessor)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Uju Patrick Okeahialam, C.S.Sp. (Spiritan) — pastor at time of 2024 merger
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore (Metropolitan Archdiocese)
Why belong here
St. Edward was a neighborhood-rooted West Baltimore parish with deep roots in the Calverton/Gwynns Falls Valley community, founded to serve Catholic factory workers and sustained for generations by the Sisters of the Holy Union of Sacred Hearts and, later, the Spiritans. Even at its height it retained the character of a working-class parish where nine Sunday Masses were needed to accommodate the faithful, and where the parish school, convent, rectory, and 1941 church were all built by the hands and gifts of those same families. Following the December 1, 2024 merger, St. Edward's parishioners were welcomed into the combined St. Bernardine community — itself a long-standing West Baltimore parish — continuing the same neighborhood ministries, Catholic identity, and Sacramental life.
Mass times at St. Edward
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History
St. Edward Parish traces its origin to 1878, when it was organized as a mission of St. Peter the Apostle in the Calverton neighborhood on the far western edge of Baltimore. Founded to serve Catholic factory workers of the Gwynns Falls Valley, the mission built its first church in 1880 and grew steadily through the early 20th century. A new school, convent, and rectory followed in 1923, and the present-day church at 901 Poplar Grove Street was dedicated in 1941. The parish remained a fixture of West Baltimore Catholic life for more than a century before being merged into St. Bernardine effective December 1, 2024.
- Founded 1878 as a mission of St. Peter the Apostle by Fr. Owen B. Corrigan
- First church opened September 19, 1880
- Father Elias McKenzie became first resident pastor in 1886
- Parish school established 1882 in a house on Franklintown Road
- New school, rectory, and convent built 1923
- Five Sisters of the Holy Union of Sacred Hearts arrived August 22, 1923
- Congregation grew to ~5,000 with nine Sunday Masses
- Present church dedicated March 9, 1941 by Bishop John M. McNamara
- Merged into St. Bernardine Church effective December 1, 2024
Architecture & Campus
The parish campus at 901 Poplar Grove Street was built up across multiple generations. The first modest mission church of 1880 was replaced by the present church in 1941 after a building campaign launched in 1938 to accommodate the rapidly growing congregation. Over the years the parish also maintained a school building, a convent, and a rectory — most of which were added in the 1923 expansion that brought the Holy Union Sisters to staff the school.
- Current church dedicated March 9, 1941
- School, rectory, and convent built 1923
- Located in West Baltimore's Calverton neighborhood
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
At the time of the 2024 merger, St. Edward was pastored by Spiritan Father Uju Patrick Okeahialam, C.S.Sp. — a native of Nigeria and a lifelong soccer fan who has spoken publicly about how the sport helped draw him to the seminary. The parish had a long history of being served by the Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers), and the founding missioner, Fr. Owen B. Corrigan, later became an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Following the December 1, 2024 merger, sacramental and pastoral care for the former St. Edward community was entrusted to St. Bernardine Church, pastored by Rev. Msgr. Richard J. Bozzelli.
- Rev. Fr. Uju Patrick Okeahialam, C.S.Sp. (Spiritan) — pastor at time of 2024 merger
- Fr. Owen B. Corrigan — founding missioner (later auxiliary bishop)
- Fr. Thomas E. Stapleton and Fr. Elias McKenzie — alternating care 1881–1886
- Fr. Elias McKenzie — first resident pastor (1886)
- Parish served by the Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers)
Mass & Sacraments
Prior to the 2024 merger, St. Edward's published Mass schedule (per third-party Mass-time directories and the parish's archived information) included a Saturday Vigil Mass, two Sunday morning Masses, and one weekday Mass. Confession and Eucharistic Adoration times may have been listed on the parish's bulletin or website but are not confirmed in the sources I found.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 pm
- Sunday: 8:00 am and 10:00 am
- Thursday: 9:00 am
Parish School & Religious Education
Catholic education was central to St. Edward's identity from its earliest years. Father Elias McKenzie started the parish school in 1882 in a house on Franklintown Road. A purpose-built school opened in 1923 along with a new convent, and five Sisters of the Holy Union of Sacred Hearts arrived on August 22, 1923, to take over instruction. In 1967 the school merged with St. Bernardine School under the title John XXIII Center; three years later that center was absorbed into the Father Charles A. Hall Cluster School. In the early 1980s, five Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore served as instructors and administrators of the St. Edward Day Care Center.
- Parish school founded 1882 on Franklintown Road
- New school built 1923
- Holy Union Sisters staffed the school from August 22, 1923
- School merged with St. Bernardine in 1967 as John XXIII Center
- Absorbed into Father Charles A. Hall Cluster School in 1970
- St. Edward Day Care Center staffed by Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore (early 1980s)
Religious Communities Serving the Parish
St. Edward was shaped by several Catholic religious communities over its history. The Sisters of the Holy Union of Sacred Hearts arrived in 1923 to staff the parish school and continued teaching in West Baltimore through the 1970s — in 1973, five Holy Union Sisters resided at St. Edward while teaching at St. Ambrose School. The Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore served the parish's day care mission in the early 1980s. Pastoral care was entrusted for many years to the Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers).
- Sisters of the Holy Union of Sacred Hearts (from 1923; active through 1970s)
- Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore (early 1980s, St. Edward Day Care Center)
- Spiritans / Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers (clergy)
2024 Merger with St. Bernardine
On September 28, 2024, Archbishop William E. Lori wrote to the St. Edward community announcing that, after consulting the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council and publishing the 'Seek the City to Come' comprehensive plan, he was issuing an official decree merging St. Edward into St. Bernardine Church effective December 1, 2024. The decree was published online on Sunday evening, September 29, 2024, with parishioners given a window through October 11, 2024, to appeal. St. Edward's faithful were directed to Mass and sacramental life at the St. Bernardine campus (3800 Edmondson Avenue) and the Historic St. Peter Claver campus (1546 N. Fremont Avenue), with St. Bernardine staffed by Msgr. Richard J. Bozzelli as pastor.
- Decree announced by Archbishop William E. Lori, September 28, 2024
- Merger effective December 1, 2024
- St. Bernardine campus: 3800 Edmondson Avenue, 21229 (410-362-8664)
- Historic St. Peter Claver campus: 1546 N. Fremont Avenue, 21217
- St. Bernardine pastor: Rev. Msgr. Richard J. Bozzelli
- Part of the Archdiocese's 'Seek the City to Come' pastoral plan
Contact & Visit
The parish office was located at 901 Poplar Grove Street, Baltimore, MD 21216. The official parish phone number was (410) 362-2000, with email listed as [email protected] and the website at http://www.stedwardchurchmd.com/. After the December 1, 2024 merger, parishioners and visitors are directed to St. Bernardine Church (3800 Edmondson Avenue, 410-362-8664, [email protected], http://www.stbernardinechurch.org/) for ongoing Mass, sacraments, and parish life.
- Address: 901 Poplar Grove Street, Baltimore, MD 21216
- Phone: (410) 362-2000
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stedwardchurchmd.com/
- Successor parish: St. Bernardine Church with Historic St. Peter Claver
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. Owen B. Corrigan1878–1881 (founding missioner; later became an auxiliary bishop)
Established the mission of St. Peter the Apostle that became St. Edward; supervised the building of the first church in 1880.
- Rev. Fr. Thomas E. Stapleton (and Fr. Elias McKenzie)1881–1886 (alternating care from St. Agnes, Catonsville)
Tended the mission from St. Agnes Parish until a rectory was built at St. Edward in 1886.
- Rev. Fr. Elias McKenzie1886 (first resident pastor)
Had previously established the parish school in a house on Franklintown Road in 1882.