About St. Mary Refuge of Sinners · Cambridge, Maryland
St. Mary Refuge of Sinners is a Roman Catholic parish in Cambridge, Maryland, part of the Diocese of Wilmington and one of the oldest Catholic communities on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Today the parish is configured as 'one parish, two churches': the mother church in Cambridge (1515 Glasgow Street) and the mission church of St. Mary Star of the Sea at Golden Hill in Church Creek. The parish serves a bilingual congregation with Mass celebrated in both English and Spanish, runs a Religious Education program for children and adults, and is home to ministries including the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a parish choir, and a Hispanic Ministry.
- Established
- 1894
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Refuge of Sinners (Refugium Peccatorum)
- Rector
- Fr. Stephen Lonek
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wilmington
Why belong here
St. Mary Refuge of Sinners welcomes registered parishioners, returning Catholics, and visitors traveling through Maryland's Eastern Shore with open arms. The parish offers a bilingual worship life (English and Spanish Sunday Mass), a Religious Education program for children and adults, RCIA-style faith formation for those preparing to become Catholic, and active ministries such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the parish choir, and Nursing Home Ministries. With its linked mission church at Golden Hill — and its roots in 18th-century Dorchester County Catholicism — it is a small but historically grounded community anchored in Word, Worship, Community and Service.
Mass times at St. Mary Refuge of Sinners
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:15 AM – 8:45 AM (before 9:00 AM Mass)
- Saturday (Memorial Day–Labor Day, before anticipated Mass at Star of the Sea)
Parish History
St. Mary Refuge of Sinners in Cambridge, Maryland traces its foundation to the Tubman family and the early Catholic presence on the Eastern Shore. Dr. Robert Francis Tubman offered a chapel in his home at Glasgow Estate for Mass beginning in the 1840s, and Mass continued in the chapel-in-residence until the 1880s. A chapel was built on Gay Street in 1885, and the brick church of St. Mary Refuge of Sinners was completed in 1894, with the rectory following shortly afterward. Originally served as a mission of Easton, it became an independent parish in 1903.
- 1840s — Mass offered in Dr. Robert Francis Tubman's home chapel at Glasgow Estate
- 1885 — Chapel erected on Gay Street, Cambridge
- 1894 — Brick church of St. Mary Refuge of Sinners completed
- 1903 — Becomes an independent parish (previously a mission of Easton)
- 1963 — Parish split; Our Lady of Good Counsel (Secretary) becomes its own parish
- 1974 — New church, parish hall, and rectory built at the current Glasgow Street site
- 1995–96 — $375,000 repair and renovation project
- June 1, 1996 — Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli consecrates the new altar
- 2015 — Rectory destroyed by fire
Our Two Churches
The parish is configured as 'one parish, two churches.' The mother church of St. Mary Refuge of Sinners stands at 1515 Glasgow Street in Cambridge. The mission church of St. Mary Star of the Sea sits at 917 Hoopers Island Road (Route 335) in Church Creek at Golden Hill, on land associated with the Tubman family since 1767.
- St. Mary Refuge of Sinners — 1515 Glasgow Street, Cambridge, MD 21613
- St. Mary Star of the Sea (Mission) — 917 Hoopers Island Road, Church Creek, MD 21622
St. Mary Star of the Sea and the Tubman Chapel
Catholicism in Dorchester County reaches back to a 1706 census listing 79 Catholics. In 1767 Richard Tubman II donated land at Golden Hill, where the first church — now known as the Tubman Chapel, c. 1770 — was erected and used for 103 years. The present St. Mary Star of the Sea church was built in 1872, several times larger than the original and fitted with a bell tower, steeple, and Gothic Revival pointed-arch windows. The old chapel was sold to the school board, served as a public school into the 1920s, passed through private hands, and was reacquired and restored in the 1970s — principally through Annita Applegarth France — as a museum-type building alongside the church and its large cemetery with hundreds of stone grave markers.
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The Religious Education department is a subcommittee of the Christian Formation Committee (CFC) and works with the pastor to provide Catholic education formation programs for children, youth, and adults. Classes run on Sunday mornings from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM between the second Sunday of September and the first Sunday of May, meeting in the Parish Hall behind the church. A parallel Spanish-language schedule runs from 10:00 AM to 11:15 AM on Sundays. Adult Faith Formation offers Bible study and Scripture reading programs to help parishioners grow in their Catholic faith.
- Religious Education (children) — Sundays 10:00–11:30 AM, Sept through early May
- Clases de educación religiosa — domingos 10:00–11:15 AM
- Adult Faith Formation — Bible study and Scripture programs
- 2025–26 tuition: $30 (1 child) / $40 (2 children) / $50 (3 children)
- Director of Religious Education: Rosemary Robbins, 410-228-4770 x 103
Sacraments
St. Mary Refuge of Sinners prepares parishioners for the sacraments of Christian initiation and continues to support the faithful through Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick. Baptism is celebrated the first and third Sunday of the month during Mass and requires a preparation class for parents and godparents. First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are prepared in second grade, following at least one prior year of Religious Education, basic prayer formation, and participation in the worshipping life of the parish; parents are required to attend meetings, a retreat, and practices. Confirmation is prepared across 9th and 10th grade on a biennial cycle using a curriculum from the Diocese of Wilmington Office of Religious Education; candidates must have already received Baptism, Reconciliation, and First Communion.
- Baptism — 1st and 3rd Sundays during Mass; preparation class required
- First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion — 2nd grade
- Confirmation — 9th and 10th grade, biennial; diocesan curriculum
- Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) — see schedule
- OCIA — for adults becoming Catholic or returning to the faith
Becoming Catholic / Returning Catholics
The parish welcomes those who wish to become Catholic and returning Catholics after an extended time away from the Church. Programs to help on the faith journey are coordinated through the Religious Formation office (410-228-4770 x 103). The home page currently features the 2026 OCIA Candidates and 2026 First Holy Communion classes.
- Contact Rosemary Robbins, DRE, at 410-228-4770 x 103
Parish Ministries & Outreach
Sharing gifts through the parish's many ministries and organizations is a central way parishioners live out their faith through Word, Worship, Community, and Service. The parish supports a St. Vincent de Paul Society conference, a parish Choir, Nursing Home Ministries, and a Hispanic Ministry with a weekly Spanish Mass.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- Parish Choir
- Nursing Home Ministries
- Hispanic Ministry (Spanish Mass; coordinator position currently vacant — 443-521-3383)
- Minette Mills (Minnette Dick) Hall — parish hall for ministry and event use, managed by Denise Seebode
Parish Staff
Pastoral and administrative staff serving the parish.
- Fr. Stephen Lonek — Pastor
- Fr. Timothy Kruthaupt — Priest (associate ministry)
- Rosemary Robbins — Director of Religious Education
- Jackie Davis — Parish Secretary (ext. 100)
- Denise Seebode — Minette Mills Hall Manager (ext. 102)
- Hispanic Ministry Coordinator — currently vacant (443-521-3383)
Visit & Register
Newcomers and visitors are warmly welcomed. Whether local to the area or just passing through, all are invited to attend Mass and to consider becoming a registered member of the parish family. Registration can be completed by contacting the parish office by phone or email.
- Phone: 410-228-4770
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stmarycambridgemd.org
Office Hours
Parish office hours at 2000 Hambrooks Blvd., Cambridge, MD.
- Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Wednesday: Closed
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM