About St. Francis Xavier · Piney Point, Maryland
St. Francis Xavier is a small mission chapel of St. George Catholic Church in Valley Lee, Maryland, located on St. George Island in Piney Point, St. Mary's County. The wood-frame chapel, whose front doors face the Potomac River, has served as a place of worship for island residents and Piney Point neighbors for more than a century and is now formally a mission of the Archdiocese of Washington, sharing St. George's pastor, Rev. John T. Nguyen, and staff. Mass is offered at the chapel seasonally — Saturday evenings from Memorial Day through Labor Day — and the parish as a whole celebrates Mass in English and in Vietnamese, with First Friday/Saturday devotions, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, and the parish Novena of Grace.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- St. Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Jesuit missionary to Asia and co-founder of the Society of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. John T. Nguyen
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
St. Francis Xavier brings something rare: a small, wood-frame chapel on the Potomac where Mass is celebrated in summer on the island it was built to serve. As a mission of St. George Catholic Church in Valley Lee, the chapel shares the larger parish's full sacramental life — daily Mass, First Friday and First Saturday devotions, Eucharistic Adoration, the Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier (March 4–12), and Confession — and worships in both English and Vietnamese. It's an ideal home for island and Piney Point Catholics who want the intimacy of a seasonal chapel backed by the ministries of a historic parish.
Mass times at St. Francis Xavier
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 7:00 AM – 7:30 AM (30 min. before all Masses at St. George)
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
- Saturday: 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (or by appointment)
- 1st Friday: 9:45 AM – 10:30 AM
- 1st Saturday: 9:45 AM – 10:30 AM
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
- 1st Friday: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
- 1st Saturday: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
St. Francis Xavier Mission Chapel
St. Francis Xavier is a mission chapel of St. George Catholic Church, located on St. George Island in Piney Point, Maryland. The all-wood chapel, more than a century old, has its front doors facing the Potomac River and has long served island residents and Piney Point neighbors. It became a mission of St. George in 1893, was closed in 1974 due to deterioration, and was restored and reopened in 1987. Mass is offered seasonally — Saturday evenings from Memorial Day through Labor Day — and again at Christmas and New Year's.
- Established as a mission in 1893
- Closed for unsafe condition in 1974
- Restored in 1987 as a mission of St. George Church
- Bell tower reconstructed after lightning strike in the 1950s
- Saturday 7:00 PM Mass, Memorial Day – Labor Day
About the Parent Parish — St. George Catholic Church
St. George Catholic Church in Valley Lee, Maryland, was established in 1851 and was staffed by the Jesuit Community of Fathers for over one hundred years before being served by Archdiocesan priests. The present church was built in 1959, and the rectory in 1992. The St. George Community Center Building was erected in 1984, replacing the old church hall, and houses six classrooms, parish offices, a hall (seating 250), and a large kitchen used for major fundraisers — including the famous third-Sunday-in-August crab-cake dinner and the third-Sunday-in-October stuffed-ham dinner. The parish mission statement reads: 'The Gospel calls all people to holiness of life. St. George Catholic Church is a family of faith, committing ourselves as a welcoming Catholic community to worship God in Word and in Sacrament; to live and to share our faith; to serve the poor, the vulnerable, and those in need; and to reconcile ourselves with God and one another.'
- Established 1851; present church built 1959
- Staffed by Jesuits for 100+ years, then by Archdiocesan priests
- Community Center built 1984 (six classrooms, hall, kitchen)
- Present rectory built 1992
- Address: 19199 St. George's Church Road, Valley Lee, MD 20692
Parish Staff
St. George Catholic Church and its mission chapel, St. Francis Xavier, are served by a small staff that includes clergy, faith formation, and administrative roles.
- Pastor: Rev. John T. Nguyen
- Deacon: Deacon Joel P. Carpenter
- Business Manager: Barbara Carpenter
- Secretary: Divine Stachowski
- Bookkeeper: Laura Lancaster
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Ms. Therese Thacker (301-994-0737, ReligiousEdstgeorgercc.org)
- Secretary: Mrs. Tricia Thacker (301-994-0607, secretarystgeorgercc.org)
- Facilities & Maintenance Supervisor: Mr. Rico Romero
Parish Devotions
The parish keeps a rich devotional life, with particular devotion to St. Francis Xavier — the chapel's patron — through the traditional Novena of Grace. The parish history page quotes the origin of the novena: in December 1633, St. Francis Xavier appeared to the dying Father Mastrilli and promised that all who made a novena in his honor, invoking the Passion of the Savior and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, confessing and receiving Holy Communion on one of the days of the novena (especially March 4–12), would feel the effect of his intercession. The parish celebrates First Friday and First Saturday Masses each month, followed by devotions, and keeps a Vietnamese Catholic community with its own liturgical celebrations.
- Novena of Grace (March 4–12) honoring St. Francis Xavier
- First Friday Mass at 9:00 AM, followed by Devotions
- First Saturday Mass at 9:00 AM, followed by Devotions
- Stations of the Cross during Lent at 7:00 PM, with Holy Hour and Confession to follow
Ministries & Organizations
Parish ministries span faith formation, outreach, and community life. The parish also partners with the Knights of Columbus, who host the well-known Friday Lenten fish dinners (4:00–6:45 PM) in the Community Center, and welcomes a Cub Scout Pack and Boy Scout Troop that meet in the building.
- Care Ministry
- Giving Tree Project (outreach to those in need)
- Finance Committee
- Youth Group
- September Dinner
- Buildings and Grounds
- Bible Study (Friday mornings)
- Children's Religion Classes (K–8)
- Adult Religious Education / OCIA
- Knights of Columbus (Lenten Fish Dinners)
- Cub Scout Pack and Boy Scout Troop
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious Education for parish children (grades K–8) and adult formation (OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) are coordinated through the parish office. Registration for the 24/25 year was announced on the parish website, with contact via Therese Thacker at 301-994-0737 or [email protected]. Classes meet in the six classrooms of the St. George Community Center Building.
- Children's Religion Classes K–8
- OCIA (Adult Religious Education)
- Bible Study (Friday mornings with Joyce Blackwell)
- Youth Group
Outreach & Community Life
The parish has a long tradition of community outreach and neighborly service. Members deliver lunches to the homebound, bake desserts for senior citizens' monthly parties, support voter registration drives, provide Christmas gifts and food baskets for the needy, participate in Lobby Night in Annapolis, and take part in Christmas in April. The Community Center hosts parish festivals, funeral luncheons, wedding receptions, and other socials, and is a venue for Scout meetings.
- Giving Tree Project (Christmas outreach)
- Lunches to the homebound
- Senior citizens' monthly parties
- Voter registration drives
- Christmas gifts and food baskets for the needy
- Lobby Night in Annapolis
- Christmas in April
- Community Center festivals (August crab-cake dinner; October stuffed-ham dinner)