About St. Jerome · Hyattsville, Maryland
St. Jerome Catholic Parish is a historic Catholic parish in Hyattsville, Maryland, canonically established in 1886 when the area was still part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the city of Hyattsville itself was being born from farmland. Originally broken off from St. Mary of the Mills in Laurel, it served as the 'mother church' for what is now northern Prince George's County inside the Beltway, with many daughter parishes spun off over the decades. Today the parish serves roughly 700 enrolled households and is known both as the home of St. Jerome Academy — a nationally recognized classical Catholic K-8 school with a Montessori pre-K — and as an unusually diverse community that includes a flourishing Nigerian Catholic Community celebrating Mass in English on Sundays.
- Established
- 1886
- Patron
- St. Jerome
- Rector
- Rev. Scott R. Hahn
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
St. Jerome's welcomes parishioners into a parish that is both deeply rooted in local history and strikingly diverse in the present day — roughly 700 households, including three-generation Hyattsville families alongside newcomers from around the world, and a vibrant Nigerian Catholic Community. Worshippers can attend daily and Sunday Mass, take advantage of Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays and a monthly healing Mass, enroll children in a nationally recognized classical Catholic academy, and form them in faith through the parish Religious Education program and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium. It is a place that intentionally works to make every member feel equally at home.
Mass times at St. Jerome
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Adoration times
- Friday: After 8:00 AM Mass — Holy Hour of Devotion; Eucharistic Adoration continues until 3:00 PM
Parish History
St. Jerome's Parish was founded in 1886, the same year the city of Hyattsville was established, when the area was still part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and was being developed from farmland into a Washington suburb. The parish was carved out of St. Mary of the Mills in Laurel and at first covered most of what is today northern Prince George's County inside the Beltway. As the county grew, St. Jerome's served as the mother church for the region: daughter parishes were broken off from St. James in Mount Rainier (1908) through St. Mark's on the northern edge of Hyattsville (1957).
- 1886: Parish founded; carved from St. Mary of the Mills, Laurel
- 1888: First church completed (stood until 1957)
- 1925: Basement of a larger church dedicated
- 1943: Parish school opened, staffed by Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
- 1947: Permanent school building completed
- 1951: Convent built north of the school
- 1955–1957: Present church and rectory complex erected
- 1960: School additions completed the parish plant
- 1965: Large stained glass windows added
- 1985: Convent lower floors converted into St. Jerome's Child Center
Architecture & Sacred Art
The present church is one of the last houses of worship in the area built in a traditional style-modified Romanesque. Its large stained glass windows, added in 1965, are among its most striking features. The major upper windows — except those honoring the Blessed Mother and St. Jerome himself — each represent one of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy and also honor specific lay saints.
- Style: Traditional style-modified Romanesque
- Stained glass windows: added 1965
- Major upper windows depict the works of mercy and honor lay saints
- Dedicated windows for the Blessed Mother and St. Jerome
Clergy & Staff
St. Jerome's is currently served by a pastor, a deacon, and a priest in residence who also serves as chaplain of the Nigerian Catholic Community, supported by a small lay staff.
- Pastor: Rev. Scott R. Hahn (ordained 2003; arrived 2015)
- In Residence / Chaplain, Nigerian Catholic Community: Rev. Charles Edeh
- Deacon: Deacon Neal T. Conway
- Business Manager: Doreen Clower
- Administrative Assistant: Patricia Linares
- Director of Religious Education: Jolene Bowman
Religious Education & Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
The parish Religious Education program serves children in PreK through 8th grade who attend public or non-Catholic schools or who are homeschooled, with most classes meeting on Monday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, mid-September through mid-May. The program also runs a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) Atrium — a Catholic Montessori approach in a child-centered space where contemplation and wonder sit at the heart of formation.
- CGS Level 1 Atrium: Ages 3–Kindergarten
- CGS Level 2 Atrium: 1st–3rd grades
- CGS Level 3 Atrium: 4th–6th grades
- Faith and Life Curriculum: 4th–8th grades
- Class time: Mondays, 6:00–7:30 PM
- Contact: [email protected]
St. Jerome Academy
St. Jerome Academy (SJA) is the parish's K-8 classical Catholic school with a Montessori pre-K program, and the Archdiocese of Washington's designated classical school. The SJA Educational Plan was implemented in the 2010–2011 school year after years of declining enrollment; following several straight years of dramatic growth, the school is now at full enrollment and attracts 175–200 applicants per year.
- Classical liberal-arts K-8 with Montessori pre-K
- Distinctives: Trivium pedagogy (grammar, logic, rhetoric); integrated core curriculum; primary-source emphasis; Socratic dialogue; preference for analog over digital; teaching of the transcendentals and virtues; special-ed/resource program
- Address: 5207 42nd Place, Hyattsville, MD 20781
- Phone: 301-277-4568
- Pre-K and After-Care offered
- Founded by the parish; today at full enrollment with 175–200 applicants per year
St. Jerome's Child Center
In 1985 the lower floors of the parish convent were converted into St. Jerome's Child Center, which has offered day care services for infants and toddlers ever since.
- Day care for infants and toddlers
- Located in the lower floors of the parish convent (converted 1985)
Nigerian Catholic Community
St. Jerome's is home to a flourishing Nigerian Catholic Community, which celebrates the 12:30 PM Sunday Mass in English with their chaplain, Rev. Charles Edeh.
- Sunday Mass: 12:30 PM in English with the Nigerian Catholic Community
- Chaplain: Rev. Charles Edeh
Parish Identity & Welcome
The parish describes itself as 'an exceptionally diverse community' of roughly 700 enrolled households, including three-generation Hyattsville families alongside newcomers from many nations around the world. The parish explicitly strives to make everyone feel equally at home in its parish family.
- About 700 enrolled households
- Multi-generational and multi-national membership
- Stated mission to welcome everyone equally
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, email, or in person at the rectory. The office also handles Mass Card and prayer requests.
- Address: 5205 43rd Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781
- Phone: 301-927-6684
- Email: [email protected]
- Religious Education: [email protected]
- Wheelchair accessible
- Weekly bulletin and Mass intentions published online at stjeromes.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James M. Stack1998–2015
Second-longest serving pastor in parish history (17 years); arrived from the Church of the Annunciation in northwest Washington; previously served at St. Ambrose, Cheverly (1986–88) and Sacred Heart, Bowie (1988–93). Stabilized and revitalized St. Jerome Academy; instituted a monthly healing Mass on the first Sunday of each month beginning in 2007. Reassigned by Cardinal Wuerl to St. Anthony's in North Beach effective July 1, 2015.
- Rev. Joseph A. Ranieriuntil 1998
Predecessor to Fr. Stack. The parish had an aging population and was about to experience a steep decline in school enrollment at the time of the transition.
- Rev. Scott R. Hahn2015–present
Ordained in 2003 (Theological College, CUA); previously pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Burtonsville, before that pastor of St. Philip the Apostle in Camp Springs (2007–12), and earlier stationed at St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in Silver Spring. Previously taught elementary school in Washington, D.C., after earning a master's in education from CUA.