About St. Ignatius · Fort Washington, Maryland
St. Ignatius is a historic Catholic parish located at 2315 Brinkley Road in the Fort Washington area (Oxon Hill postal community) of Prince George's County, Maryland. Founded in 1849 as a Jesuit mission by Father Giuseppe Maria Finotti and canonically established as a parish of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1948, the present Victorian-era church was built in 1890–91 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Since September 2019 the historic church has been shared with St. Luke's Ordinariate Parish under a unique arrangement between the Archdiocese of Washington and the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter: most Masses are now celebrated in the Ordinariate's Divine Worship: The Missal form, with the principal Sunday liturgy using that Anglican Use rite. The parish marked its 175th anniversary in 2024 with an exterior restoration and a Mass celebrated by Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory.
- Established
- 1849
- Patron
- St. Ignatius of Loyola
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher Woodall (Parochial Administrator, since July 2023)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
St. Ignatius welcomes Catholics and seekers into one of the oldest parish communities in Prince George's County, where Sunday Mass and weekday liturgies are offered both in the Ordinary Roman form and in the Ordinariate's Divine Worship: The Missal — a rare opportunity in the Washington area to worship in the Anglican Use tradition within an archdiocesan parish. The parish is historically African American, with a culturally rich and diverse congregation that today includes African, Latino, and Filipino families, and the restored 1891 Victorian church offers an intimate, beautifully maintained setting for prayer. Faith formation, reconciliation, daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, and a warm, close-knit community all accompany this unique shared arrangement with St. Luke's Ordinariate Parish.
Mass times at St. Ignatius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:45–8:15 AM (in the church, before the 8:30 AM Mass)
- Sunday 10:15–10:45 AM (in the church, before the 11:00 AM Mass)
- Monday–Friday 8:15–8:45 AM (in the chapel, before daily Mass)
- Tuesday 7:00–7:30 PM (in the chapel)
- Saturday 9:00–9:45 AM (in the chapel; in the church on 1st Saturdays)
- Saturday 3:30–4:15 PM (in the church, before the 4:30 PM vigil Mass)
- 1st Saturday 9:00–9:45 AM (in the church, followed by the 10:00 AM Mass)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 9:45–10:30 AM (in the chapel, following the 9 AM Mass)
- 1st Saturday 9:00–10:00 AM (in the church, followed by the 10 AM Mass)
Parish Identity & Location
St. Ignatius Parish is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Washington located at 2315 Brinkley Road in the Fort Washington / Oxon Hill community of Prince George's County, Maryland. Canonically established in 1849 and made an independent parish in 1948, it shares its historic 1891 church with the Ordinariate community of St. Luke's. Wheelchair accessible.
- Archdiocese of Washington parish
- Address: 2315 Brinkley Road, Fort Washington, MD 20744
- Phone: 301-567-4740
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: saint-ig.org
History of St. Ignatius
St. Ignatius was founded in 1849 by the Jesuit Father Giuseppe Maria Finotti as a mission of St. Mary's Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Over the next century it was cared for successively by the Jesuits, Carmelites, Dominicans, and Josephites before being made an independent parish of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1948.
- 1849 — Mission founded by Father Giuseppe Maria Finotti, S.J., on land donated by local Episcopalian gentlemen
- Original wooden church built with funds solicited by Mrs. Christina Spaulding Kerby Edelen and Mrs. Mary Eugenia Surratt
- Served by Jesuits (Fathers Finotti, Bixio, Vigilanti, Kroes, De Necker), Carmelites, Dominicans (Fathers Rocheford, Dwyer), and Josephites (Fathers Green, Walsh, Hooman)
- 1883 — Rev. Thomas B. Hughes placed in charge of St. Ignatius and St. Theresa's, Anacostia
- 1890–91 — Present Queen Anne / Shingle-style church built; cornerstone laid by Father Hughes; consecrated October 21, 1891 by Cardinal James Gibbons
- 1948 — Canonically erected as an independent parish of the Archdiocese of Washington
- 1948–49 — Parish house built across Brinkley Road
- 1966 — St. Ignatius School built next to the church (now closed)
- September 2019 — Shared community arrangement with St. Luke's Ordinariate Parish begins
- July 28, 2024 — 175th anniversary Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory
The 1891 Historic Church Building
The present church was designed by Charles Beers of Anacostia, D.C., and constructed in 1890–91 for about $5,000. It is a 1½-story wood-frame building in an Eclectic style blending Queen Anne and Shingle elements, with an 80-foot front belfry tower and spire. The exterior was repainted and the steeple and steeple cross restored in 2023–24, and the building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since June 27, 1974.
- Architect / builder: Charles Beers, Anacostia, D.C.
- Style: Queen Anne / Shingle Style (Eclectic), wood-frame with clapboard and imbricated shingles
- Tower: 80-foot projecting front belfry with spire and louvered openings; McShane bell tuned to C (~730 lb)
- Stained-glass cathedral windows donated by parish families and Fathers De Wulf, Cunnane, and Clark
- NRHP #74002201, added June 27, 1974
- Exterior restoration completed in 2023–24 for the 175th anniversary
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Since July 2023 the parish has been led as Parochial Administrator by Rev. Christopher Woodall, a priest of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter who also serves as pastor of St. Luke's Ordinariate Parish. Father Woodall is also listed by the Archdiocese of Washington as Coordinator of Religious Education at St. Ignatius.
- Parochial Administrator: Rev. Christopher Woodall (Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter)
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Rev. Christopher Woodall
- Sister-parish pastor: St. Luke's Ordinariate Parish (shared since 2019)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education at St. Ignatius is coordinated by Rev. Christopher Woodall, the parish's parochial administrator, working in conjunction with the sister Ordinariate community of St. Luke's. Initiation into the Catholic faith and preparation for the sacraments is offered through the parish's faith-formation program.
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Rev. Christopher Woodall
- Sacramental preparation in both the Roman Rite and Divine Worship: Occasional Services forms
The Ordinariate Partnership & Divine Worship
Since September 2019 St. Ignatius has shared its church with St. Luke's Catholic Church (Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter) under an arrangement between the Archdiocese of Washington and the Personal Ordinariate. Under this arrangement, the pastor of St. Luke's also serves as parochial administrator of St. Ignatius, and the principal Sunday Mass as well as weekday Masses are celebrated in the Ordinariate's Anglican Use liturgy, Divine Worship: The Missal. Masses on Saturday evening and early Sunday morning continue in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Missal.
- Shared community arrangement between the Archdiocese of Washington and the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter (effective September 2019)
- Principal Sunday Mass and most weekday Masses celebrated in Divine Worship: The Missal
- Saturday vigil (4:30 PM) and Sunday 8:30 AM continue in the Roman Missal (Ordinary Form)
- Sister-parish site: stlukesordinariate.com
Parish Community & Anniversaries
St. Ignatius is a close-knit, culturally diverse parish — historically African American, with a current congregation that Father Christopher Woodall has described as including African Americans, Africans, Latinos, and Filipinos. The community marks anniversaries together: on July 28, 2024 Cardinal Wilton Gregory celebrated a 175th anniversary Mass followed by a parish luncheon in the building that once housed St. Ignatius School, and the same year the parish held a cake sale and silent auction to support ongoing church renovations.
- 175th anniversary Mass — July 28, 2024, celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory
- Coffee hours after Sunday Mass; parish luncheon after the 11 AM Mass
- Cake sales and silent auctions to support ongoing restoration of the 1891 church
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Giuseppe Maria Finotti, S.J.1849–
Jesuit founder of the mission; described as the first Catholic anthologist in the United States.
- Fathers Bixio, Vigilanti, Kroes, De Necker, S.J.
Successor Jesuit priests noted in the early mission record.
- Carmelite Fathers
Pastoral care passed to the Carmelite order while their headquarters were in the area.
- Father Rocheford, O.P. (and Father Dwyer, O.P.)
Dominican pastors; Father Rocheford was a former Dominican provincial and uncle of the architect of the present church.
- Fathers Green, Walsh, Hooman (Josephites)
St. Ignatius passed next to the Josephites, whose society ministered with African Americans.
- Fathers De Wulf, Cunnane, Clark
Secular clergy who donated stained-glass windows to the present building.
- Rev. Thomas B. Hughes1883–
Laid the 1890 cornerstone of the present church; oversaw the parish jointly with St. Theresa's, Anacostia.
- Rev. Christopher Woodall2023–
Priest of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter; parochial administrator of St. Ignatius and St. Luke's since July 2023; concelebrated the 175th anniversary Mass in July 2024.