About St. Mary's Newport · Charlotte Hall, Maryland
St. Mary Catholic Church in Newport is the third-oldest continuously-open Catholic parish in the United States, established in 1674 by English Franciscan missionaries in rural Charles County, Maryland, and the only Franciscan-founded parish in the original thirteen colonies. Today the parish is part of the Archdiocese of Washington and serves as a small, close-knit country parish off the back roads of southern Maryland, where many of the same Catholic farm families (Boarmans, Neales, Brookes, Edelens, Simpsons, Wathens, Lancasters) have worshipped for generations. The parish is home to the first shrine to St. John Vianney in the United States, a historic 1840 Greek Revival chapel listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a current church built in 1954 that centers its life on the Eucharist and reverent celebration of the Mass.
- Established
- 1674
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Gregory S. Coan (Administrator, appointed 2024)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
St. Mary's is a small, country parish where generations of the same Catholic farm families still worship together, giving it a rare continuity and warmth that newer parishes rarely match. The parish centers its life on the reverent celebration of the Eucharist, offers a robust CCD program and Catholic Culture Wednesday nights for formation, runs the Good Shepherd Food Pantry as a corporal work of mercy, and gathers the community for events like the Epiphany-Christmas party, Oktoberfest and the St. Patrick's feast day. Add to that the unique spiritual heritage of the first U.S. Shrine of St. John Vianney, the historic 1840 chapel, and the quiet beauty of its rural Charles County setting, and St. Mary's offers both a grounding Catholic home and a place of pilgrimage.
Mass times at St. Mary's Newport
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
- Before and after every Mass
Adoration times
- First Friday of each month, 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM
- First Friday of each month, 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Parish History: 350 Years in the Maryland Countryside
St. Mary Parish in Newport is the third-oldest continuously-open Catholic parish in the United States, founded in 1674 by English Franciscan missionaries Fathers Basil Hobart and Polycarp Wickstead. It is the only Franciscan-founded parish in the thirteen original colonies and remains an anchor of Catholic life in rural Charles County more than 350 years later. The parish's history mirrors the larger story of Catholicism in early Maryland — penal laws, underground Masses in private homes, Jesuit missionaries, and the slow growth of public worship — and the same devoted farm families (Boarmans, Neales, Brookes, Edelens, Simpsons, Wathens, Lancasters) have shaped it across the centuries.
- 1674: Established by Franciscans Fr. Basil Hobart and Fr. Polycarp Wickstead.
- 1698: Care of the parish transferred to the Jesuits of St. Thomas Manor, Chapel Point.
- 1704: Fathers Hunter and Brooke called before the Maryland Council for 'saying Mass'; chapels ordered closed.
- 1784–1813: Jesuit Father Henry Pile serves the Newport and Cobb Neck missions for nearly thirty years.
- 1836–1840: Father Aloysius Mudd builds the present 1840 brick chapel in Greek Revival style.
- 1855: Father Bernardin Wiget builds the first permanent rectory.
- 1881: Jesuits withdraw; Fr. Joseph Cunnane becomes the first archdiocesan (Baltimore) priest.
- 1928–1947: Father William Baldus serves as pastor and in 1931 founds America's first Shrine of St. John Vianney.
- 1947: Parish becomes part of the newly created Archdiocese of Washington under Cardinal Patrick O'Boyle.
- 1954: The present church building is constructed on the historic tract.
- 2014: Cardinal Donald Wuerl rededicates the Shrine of St. John Vianney (Aug 3, 2014) and blesses Father Baldus's grave.
- 2024: Father Gregory S. Coan appointed Administrator (July 3, 2024); 350th anniversary Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory on September 7, 2024.
The 1840 Chapel and the Old Cemetery
The original brick church, finished in 1840, is a simple Greek Revival rectangle, four bays long and three bays wide, with a second-floor gallery and the largest surviving collection of pre-Civil War church painting and stenciling in southern Maryland. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, it is the oldest non-renovated pre-Civil War building in Maryland and is currently being renovated so the Shrine of St. John Vianney can be moved into it. The adjoining cemetery is the largest and most intact pre-Civil War Catholic cemetery in the country, with artistic monuments and a decorative mid-19th-century wrought-iron Brent-Merrick family enclosure.
- 1840 brick church in Greek Revival style — oldest non-renovated pre-Civil War building in Maryland.
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, May 30, 1991 (NRHP reference 91000603).
- Second-floor gallery and pre-Civil War painting and stenciling — largest such collection in southern Maryland.
- Currently being renovated; future home of the Shrine of St. John Vianney.
- Old cemetery cleared of overgrowth in the 1990s; stones date to the late 18th century.
- Notable burials: U.S. Senator William Merrick (1793–1857), Jane Matthews Merrick, George Brent, Confederate agents Thomas A. Jones and Col. Samuel Cox.
- Monuments signed by A. Geddes, founder of the long-active Baltimore monument firm (1822).
Shrine of St. John Vianney
In 1931, just five years after St. John Vianney was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925, pastor Father William Baldus established America's first public shrine to the Curé of Ars at St. Mary Newport. The shrine quickly became a regional pilgrimage destination: The Washington Times reported on August 30, 1934 that over a hundred physical cures had been reported and verified. It includes a near life-size statue of the saint donated by a New York benefactor and a first-class relic sent to Father Baldus by the then-pastor of Ars in France. The shrine was rededicated by Cardinal Donald Wuerl at a Mass on August 3, 2014.
- First public shrine to St. John Vianney in the United States, founded 1931 by Father William Baldus.
- Reported by The Washington Times in 1934 to be the site of over 100 verified physical cures.
- Houses a near life-size statue of the saint and a first-class relic of the Curé of Ars.
- Rededicated by His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, on August 3, 2014.
- Planned to be relocated to the renovated 1840 chapel in the future.
Parish Staff
The parish is led by an Administrator, supported by a parish secretary and a team of three Coordinators of Religious Education.
- Administrator: Rev. Gregory S. Coan (since July 3, 2024; previously parochial vicar, Sacred Heart, La Plata).
- Secretary: Angela Lindsay.
- Coordinators of Religious Education: Mary Ellen Heinze, Joann Lennon, and Terry Willet.
Faith Formation: CCD and Catholic Culture
St. Mary's Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) program provides religious education and sacramental preparation for children in grades 1 through 8. Classes meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:15 AM, between the two Sunday Masses, and follow a two-year rotating curriculum (Catechism & Lives of the Saints in year one, Bible story and prayer memorization in year two). 8th-grade Confirmation candidates meet directly with Father Coan. Adult formation continues through Catholic Culture Wednesday nights and separate men's and women's prayer groups.
- CCD for grades 1–7; 8th-grade Confirmation prep meets with Father Coan.
- Sunday classes 9:00–10:15 AM, between the 8:00 and 10:30 AM Masses.
- Two-year rotating curriculum: Catechism & Saints, then Bible & prayers.
- Registration fee: $40 for one child, $80 family maximum.
- Catholic Culture Wednesday nights (adult formation).
- Adult men's prayer group and adult women's prayer group.
Outreach: Good Shepherd Food Pantry
The Good Shepherd Food Pantry is a monthly corporal work of mercy serving local families in southern Charles County. Parishioners are encouraged to leave a grocery bag of non-perishable, non-glass food items in the vestibule tubs at the back of the church; donations may also be sent directly via Amazon to the parish address.
- Monthly food distribution to local families.
- Drop-off tubs located in the church vestibule.
- No perishable foods, no plastic-bagged items, glass discouraged.
- Amazon delivery accepted — use the parish address as the shipping address.
Parish Community Life
St. Mary's is known for its small-town country feel and tight community. Coffee and donuts on the front steps after Sunday Mass (in warmer weather) is a long-standing tradition, and the parish gathers throughout the year for seasonal celebrations.
- Coffee and donuts on the front steps after Mass (warm weather).
- Epiphany-Christmas party.
- Oktoberfest.
- St. Patrick's feast day celebration.
- Active Knights of Columbus Holy Ghost Council.
Visit, Contact and Directions
The parish is located at 11555 St. Marys Church Road in Charlotte Hall, Maryland, off the rural back roads of southern Charles County. It is the most rural parish in the Archdiocese of Washington, surrounded by farms, fields, woods and creeks, and is listed as wheelchair accessible in the Archdiocesan directory.
- Address: 11555 St. Marys Church Road, Charlotte Hall, MD 20622.
- Phone: 301-934-8825.
- Email: [email protected].
- Website: stmarychurchnewport.org.
- Wheelchair accessible per the Archdiocese of Washington directory.
- Jurisdiction: Metropolitan Archdiocese of Washington.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Basil Hobart, OFM1674–1698
English Franciscan founder of the parish; died in an epidemic and is believed buried here.
- Father Polycarp Wickstead, OFM1674 (arrival)
Co-founder with Fr. Hobart; the only Franciscan-founded parish in the 13 colonies.
- Father William Hunter, SJafter 1698
Early Jesuit pastor living at St. Thomas Manor, Chapel Point.
- Father Robert Brooke, SJearly 1700s
Jesuit successor called before the Maryland Council in 1704 for saying Mass.
- Father Henry Pile, SJ1784–1813
Born at Sarum Manor near Newport; served ~30 years over Newport and Cobb Neck missions.
- Father Aloysius Mudd1830s–1840s
Began construction of the 1840 brick church; cornerstone 1836.
- Father Bernardin Wiget1850s
Built the first permanent rectory in 1855.
- Father Joseph Cunnane1881–
First archdiocesan (Baltimore) priest when the Jesuits withdrew.
- Father William Baldus1928–1947
Founded the first U.S. Shrine of St. John Vianney in 1931; died 1947 and is buried in the parish cemetery.
- Father Keith A. WoodsOctober 2020
Administrator.
- Father Matthew Fish2021
Appointed pastor.
- Father Gregory S. Coan2024–present
Administrator since July 3, 2024; previously parochial vicar at Sacred Heart, La Plata.