About St. Leo the Great · Baltimore, Maryland
St. Leo the Great Roman Catholic Church is a historic Italian national parish in Baltimore's Little Italy neighborhood at 227 South Exeter Street, founded in 1881 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. It was the first church in Maryland — and among the first in the United States — built specifically for Italian immigrants, and it has remained the spiritual, social and cultural anchor of Baltimore's Italian-American community for more than 140 years. Today the parish is pastored by Rev. Evan Ponton and is seated (merged) with its longtime neighbor St. Vincent de Paul on North Front Street under the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
- Established
- 1881
- Patron
- St. Leo the Great (Pope Leo I)
- Rector
- Rev. Evan Ponton
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
St. Leo's is the spiritual home of Baltimore's Little Italy — a small, historic parish where generations of the same families have been baptized, married and buried for more than 140 years. A parishioner finds a true Italian-American Catholic community with ongoing Italian cultural and language programming through the Pandola Learning Center, a robust social fabric anchored by the St. Anthony Society, St. Leo's Seniors, Knights of Columbus, Sodality of Our Lady and the Hands & Hearts outreach program, and a pastor (Rev. Evan Ponton) leading the parish into a new chapter after its 2025 merger with St. Vincent de Paul.
Mass times at St. Leo the Great
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (in the church)
- By appointment (contact the parish office or Father Ponton)
Our History — The First Italian Parish in Maryland
Saint Leo's Church traces its origins to 1879, when the Archdiocese of Baltimore approved construction of a church for the roughly 500 Italian immigrants living near what is now Little Italy. Archbishop James Gibbons purchased three lots at the corner of Stiles and Exeter Streets for $25,000 in June 1880; the cornerstone was laid on September 12, 1880, and the first Mass was celebrated in the unfinished basement in January 1881 using a monstrance sent by Pope Leo XIII. The church was officially dedicated in September 1881. For most Italian immigrants arriving in Baltimore, St. Leo's was the major institutional entry into American cultural, social, political and economic life — the natural home of mutual aid societies, citizenship classes, and social-service and civic organizations. The parish was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and, in 2025, was merged with St. Vincent de Paul under the Archdiocese's Seek the City to Come initiative.
- Founded 1881; first Italian national parish in Maryland
- Cornerstone laid September 12, 1880 by Archbishop Gibbons
- First pastor: Rev. Joseph Leo Andreis (Turin, Italy), served 22 years
- First Mass: January 1881 (unfinished basement)
- First children baptized: Leo Francis Bacigalupo and Eugene Leo Pessagno
- First organist: Mary 'Minnie' Malloy
- First Saint Anthony Festival: June 13, 1904
- First electric lamp installed: 1917
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places: 1983
- Merged with St. Vincent de Paul: 2025 (Seek the City to Come)
Architecture & Physical Features
St. Leo's is an unusual and striking example of High Victorian eclecticism, designed by E. Francis Baldwin — one of Baltimore's foremost late-19th-century architects. Its mix of Italianate, Romanesque and Classical elements presents a sharp contrast to Baldwin's better-known commercial and industrial work, and is considered an important example of his early ecclesiastical career.
- Architect: E. Francis Baldwin
- Style: High Victorian eclecticism — Italianate, Romanesque and Classical elements
- Bell tower houses a 2,000-pound bell, originally hoisted into place with pulleys, ropes and a team of horses
- Bell long served as the neighborhood's chief communication of funerals and weddings; today the Angelus bell chimes and plays automatically
Our Patron Saint — St. Leo the Great
St. Leo the Great (Pope Leo I, d. 461) is one of the great Doctor-Popes of the early Church, remembered for his defense of the faith against heresy and for meeting Attila the Hun at the gates of Rome. The parish's first pastor was so devoted to Pope Leo XIII that he named both the parish and its first altar after him, and the monstrance used at the very first Mass in January 1881 was a gift from Pope Leo XIII himself.
Ministries, Societies & Parish Life
St. Leo's small size is more than made up for by the density of parish life. Long-standing Italian-American societies keep the community close, while outreach ministries serve the wider Little Italy neighborhood. The Pandola Learning Center, housed in the former St. Leo's School, is an arm of the parish dedicated to keeping Italian language and culture alive for new generations.
- Hands & Hearts — outreach to those in need
- St. Leo's Seniors Group
- Knights of Columbus
- St. Anthony Society (rooted in the parish's first Saint Anthony Festival in 1904)
- Sodality of Our Lady
- Pandola Learning Center — Italian language and cultural classes
- Religious Education / Faith Formation (Maryellen 'Gia' Woodward)
- Parish Council (President: Maryellen 'Gia' Woodward)
Sacraments
In addition to the weekly Confession schedule, St. Leo's prepares children ages 7–10 for First Penance (contact Maryellen 'Gia' Woodward; a small fee covers books and materials). Other sacraments — Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick — are arranged through the parish office.
- First Penance preparation (ages 7–10)
- Confession: Saturdays 3:30–4:30 PM and by appointment
- Baptism, Marriage and other sacraments via the parish office
Faith Formation & St. Leo's School
Just a year after the parish was founded, Father Andreis opened St. Leo's School in September 1882 with three lay teachers. In 1883 the School Sisters of Notre Dame took charge under Sister Mary Margaret as Superioress, and the Sisters remained for generations, giving the children of St. Leo's a thorough Christian education. The school building today houses the Pandola Learning Center, which continues the parish's educational mission through Italian language and culture classes. Religious Education for parish children is coordinated by Maryellen 'Gia' Woodward.
- St. Leo's School opened September 1882
- School Sisters of Notre Dame took charge in 1883
- Pandola Learning Center — Italian language & culture classes (former school building)
- Religious Education Coordinator: Maryellen 'Gia' Woodward
Parish Staff & Contacts
The parish office is staffed Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Rev. Evan Ponton is Pastor. The team includes a music director, trustees, an administrative assistant, a facilities manager, an events/festival manager, and a bulletin editor who also manages the website and social media.
- Pastor: Rev. Evan Ponton
- Administrative Assistant: Tina Cricchio DeFranco
- Music Director: Kevin Cronin
- Trustees: Salliann Alborn, Joseph Welkie
- Parish Council President & Religious Education Coordinator: Maryellen 'Gia' Woodward
- Events/Festival Manager: Amy Lamberti
- Facilities Manager: Arthur Gentile
- Bulletin Editor / Website / Social Media: Suzanna Molino
- Parish Office: 227 South Exeter Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 — (410) 675-7275 — [email protected]
Merger with St. Vincent de Paul (2025)
As part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Seek the City to Come initiative, St. Leo the Great was merged with nearby St. Vincent de Paul (founded 1840, Baltimore's oldest continuously used Catholic church) into a single parish seated at St. Leo. Rev. Evan Ponton, who had been Administrator of St. Leo, was named Pastor of the unified parish effective July 1, 2025. Father Ray Chase (St. Vincent) and Father Bernie Carman (St. Leo) retired as part of the transition, and Father Nicholas Amato served as interim pastor. Both church buildings remain active, with separate finances and ministries for the time being, while parishioners work through an interparish committee to shape the new parish's future.
- Effective July 1, 2025: unified St. Vincent de Paul – St. Leo the Great parish, seated at St. Leo
- Pastor: Rev. Evan Ponton
- Initiative: Archdiocese of Baltimore's Seek the City to Come
- St. Vincent de Paul founded 1840 — oldest continuously used Catholic church in Baltimore
Annual Devotions & Traditions
The parish's Italian-American Catholic identity is kept alive through a small number of beloved annual traditions, most rooted in more than a century of devotion.
- Annual Outdoor Stations of the Cross with street procession
- Annual Saint Anthony Festival (since June 13, 1904) — Saint Anthony Society
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Leo Andreis1881–c.1903
Native of Turin, Italy. First pastor of St. Leo's; served 22 years. Celebrated the first Mass in January 1881 with a monstrance sent by Pope Leo XIII and founded St. Leo's School in 1882.
- Father Bernie Carman
Retired as pastor of St. Leo in early 2025 as part of the Seek the City to Come parish restructuring; celebrated the first-weekend-of-the-month Italian first readings and Eucharistic Prayer.
- Rev. Nicholas Amato2025
Served as interim pastor during the transition leading to the St. Vincent de Paul merger.
- Rev. Evan PontonFrom July 1, 2025
Previously Administrator of St. Leo Parish; previously associate pastor at St. Francis of Assisi. Named Pastor of the unified St. Vincent de Paul – St. Leo the Great parish effective July 1, 2025.