About St. Ignatius of Loyola · Ijamsville, Maryland
St. Ignatius of Loyola is a vibrant Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, located in Ijamsville, Maryland, in the rapidly growing Urbana/Frederick area. The parish worships at two locations: the main church built in 2000 at 4103 Prices Distillery Road in Ijamsville, and the historic 1876 'Country Church' at 8817 Urbana Church Road in Frederick. With more than 1,750 registered families, St. Ignatius offers a full sacramental life including daily Mass, Sunday liturgy with sign-language interpretation for the Deaf community, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, OCIA, family faith formation for K-12, music and liturgical ministries, a Knights of Columbus council, and a sister-parish relationship with Immaculate Conception in Haiti.
- Established
- 1876
- Patron
- St. Ignatius of Loyola
- Rector
- Rev. Brian Nolan
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
St. Ignatius of Loyola welcomes individuals and families into a thriving Catholic community that worships at both a modern main church in Ijamsville and the historic 1876 Country Church in Urbana. The parish combines daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and a robust confession schedule with a full faith-formation program for children, youth, and adults (including the new K-5 Family Program launching Fall 2025 and OCIA for those discerning entry into the Church), a strong liturgical and music ministry, a Knights of Columbus council and Ladies Auxiliary, and a sister-parish relationship with Immaculate Conception in Haiti. Worshippers seeking a parish that is both rooted in 19th-century Catholic history in the Frederick County countryside and actively growing into the future will find a place here.
Mass times at St. Ignatius of Loyola
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 3:30 PM – 4:20 PM (Main Church)
- First Fridays 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM (Main Church)
- First Saturdays 9:40 AM (Main Church)
Adoration times
- Tuesdays 9:30 AM – 8:00 PM (Country Church)
- Thursdays 9:30 AM – 8:00 PM (Country Church)
- First Fridays 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM (Main Church)
Parish History
The parish traces its origins to 1876, when Father John B. Gaffney, S.J., pastor of St. Joseph on Carrollton Manor in Buckeystown, founded a small Catholic community in Urbana, Maryland. The original church — now known as the Country Church — was dedicated on July 15, 1876, and enlarged in 1886 under Father Stephen B. McCabe. After outgrowing the Country Church, the community celebrated Mass in the cafeteria of Urbana Elementary School beginning in the late 1970s, became an independent mission of St. Joseph's, Buckeystown in 1983 under Deacon Skip Manley, and was granted parish status in 1986 with Father Thomas T. Polk as its first pastor. The current Ijamsville church was dedicated by Cardinal William H. Keeler on September 15, 2000, and the parish has since grown from 250 families to more than 1,750.
- 1876 — Country Church dedicated in Urbana
- 1981 — 12-acre Ijamsville site purchased
- 1983 — Became independent mission of St. Joseph's, Buckeystown
- 1986 — Granted parish status; Father Thomas T. Polk named first pastor
- 2000 — New Ijamsville church dedicated by Cardinal Keeler
- 2010 — Multi-Purpose Center dedicated by Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien
Faith Formation
Faith Formation is offered to all parishioners from children to adults. For those discerning entry into the Church, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) provides a journey of faith and conversion. For those already initiated, the parish offers ChristLife, Called and Gifted, Aflame, and a variety of events and talks throughout the year. The parish celebrates the sacraments of Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation each year.
- OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults
- Elementary School (K-5): Sundays and Mondays
- Middle School: Wednesdays
- High School: Sunday evenings
- Family Program for K-5 launching Fall 2025
- ChristLife, Called and Gifted, and Aflame adult formation tracks
Liturgical & Music Ministries
The parish supports a wide range of liturgical and music ministries serving both the Main Church and the Country Church. Two music ministers — one for contemporary music and one for liturgical music — coordinate the parish's musical worship.
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Lectors
- Altar Servers
- Cross Bearers
- Ushers and Greeters
- Holy Dustbusters
- Contemporary Music Minister: Noemi Soto
- Liturgical Music Minister: Beth Monzon
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is served by a pastor, an associate pastor, several priests and deacons, and a staff of lay and music ministers. The Main Office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM.
- Rev. Brian Nolan — Pastor (x206, [email protected])
- Rev. Peter Kiamo-oh — Associate Pastor (x211, [email protected])
- Rev. Michael Depcik
- Deacon Jim Datovech
- Deacon Larry Matheny — Baptisms and Weddings (x204)
- Deacon John Schmidt — Baptisms and Weddings (x213)
- Hobbes Soto
- Randy Lapcevich
- Mary Assurian — General Office (x201)
- Barb Miller — Faith Formation Admin Coordinator (x203)
- Kristen Camp — Bulletin and Communications (x205)
- Lara Capone Schumacher — First Eucharist, Penance, Confirmation
- Kathy Snyder — VIRTUS Coordinator (x212)
- Noemi Soto — Contemporary Music Minister
- Beth Monzon — Liturgical Music Minister
Community Outreach & Sister Parish
St. Ignatius maintains an active outreach ministry serving Frederick County and beyond. Since 2010 the parish has been the sister parish of Immaculate Conception in Haiti, supporting daily prayers, donations of medicine, clothes, and shoes, school teachers' salaries, and two school lunch programs that together feed more than 300 students a day. Locally, the parish supports St. Vincent de Paul, Helping Hands Caring Hearts, an aluminum can recycling program that funds the parish Poor Box, and a clothing bin sponsored by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Frederick.
- Haiti Committee — sister parish of Immaculate Conception since 2010
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- Helping Hands Caring Hearts
- Aluminum Can Recycling (supports Poor Box)
- Clothing Bin sponsored by SVdP of Frederick
- Pregnancy Resources
Parish Organizations
The parish hosts a Council of the Knights of Columbus and its Ladies Auxiliary, both of which sponsor well-known parish events. Other parish organizations include the Scouts of America and American Heritage Girls.
- Knights of Columbus Council #11815 — Lenten Fish Frys, Chicken Dinners, Field of Honor, St. Nicholas breakfast
- Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary
- Scouts of America
- American Heritage Girls
- Welcome Committee
- Technology Ministry
Visiting & Contact
The Main Office is located at 4103 Prices Distillery Road, Ijamsville, MD 21754, and is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. The parish can be reached at (301) 695-8845 (fax 301-695-0259) or by email at [email protected]. Mass and services are livestreamed from the parish website for those who cannot attend in person.
- Main Office: 4103 Prices Distillery Rd, Ijamsville, MD 21754
- Country Church: 8817 Urbana Church Rd, Frederick, MD 21704
- Phone: (301) 695-8845
- Email: [email protected]
- Livestream available via parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John B. Gaffney, S.J.1865–
Pastor of St. Joseph on Carrollton Manor who in 1876 founded the Catholic community in Urbana that became St. Ignatius of Loyola; rode his pony 'Harry' between mission churches.
- Rev. Stephen B. McCabe
Enlarged the original Country Church in Urbana in 1886.
- Deacon Skip Manley1983–1986
Guided the community when it became an independent mission of St. Joseph's, Buckeystown.
- Rev. Thomas T. Polk1986–
First pastor when St. Ignatius was granted parish status in 1986; presided over the September 15, 2000 dedication of the new Ijamsville church by Cardinal Keeler.
- Rev. Brian Nolanpresent
Current pastor.