About St. Mary's of Piscataway · Clinton, Maryland
St. Mary's Catholic Church of Piscataway, located at 13405 Piscataway Road in Clinton, Maryland, is a parish of the Archdiocese of Washington with deep roots in the earliest days of Catholicism in the English-speaking New World. The parish traces its beginning to July 5, 1640, when Jesuit Father Andrew White baptized Kittamaquund (Chitomachen), the Tayac or chief of the Piscataway Indians, and a number of tribal leaders — an event recognized as the first Catholic baptism of Native Americans in the original thirteen colonies. The parish is currently served by Father Samuel I. Plummer as pastor, with Father Conor E. Hardy as parochial vicar, and offers a full sacramental life, an active music and liturgy program, Eucharistic adoration, a pro-life ministry, a spirituality and evangelization committee, RCIA, and the parish school, St. Mary's School of Piscataway, which serves PreK through 8th grade on a 14-acre campus along Piscataway Creek.
- Established
- 1640 (parish traces its beginning to the 1640 baptism of the Piscataway Tayac; canonically established 1830; current church building erected 1904)
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary's)
- Rector
- Father Samuel I. Plummer
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
St. Mary's of Piscataway offers a deeply rooted Catholic community with a four-century heritage, a full weekly schedule of Masses (including a Saturday Vigil and three Sunday Masses), daily Rosary and weekday Mass in the historic Our Lady's Chapel, and two days of Eucharistic Adoration with Benediction. Parishioners can grow through the RCIA process, the Spirituality and Evangelization Committee, an active Music Ministry (St. Mary's Choir and the Men's Schola, which sings the proper and ordinary in Latin on solemnities), a year-round Pro-Life Ministry, the Knights of Columbus council in Accokeek, and the parish school, St. Mary's School of Piscataway (PreK–8), which sits on 14 wooded acres along Piscataway Creek.
Mass times at St. Mary's of Piscataway
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM (before 9:30 AM and 12 noon Masses, in Main Church)
- Tuesday–Friday: 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM (before & after Mass, in Our Lady's Chapel)
- Saturday: 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM (Main Church)
- By appointment with Father Plummer or Father Hardy (301-292-0527 x101 or x102)
Adoration times
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM in Our Lady's Chapel (Benediction prior to reposing of the Sacrament)
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM in Our Lady's Chapel (Benediction prior to reposing of the Sacrament)
- First Friday: 24-hour Eucharistic Exposition beginning with 8:15 AM Mass in Our Lady's Chapel
- First Saturday: 9:00 AM Mass with Devotions in Our Lady's Chapel
History & Heritage
St. Mary's of Piscataway is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in continuous existence in the United States, tracing its origin to the July 5, 1640 baptism of the Piscataway Tayac by Jesuit Father Andrew White. The parish is the fourth oldest in the Archdiocese of Washington and the second Catholic church built in Prince George's County (1838). The current brick Gothic Revival church was erected in 1904, with a stone plaque over the main entrance preserving the original 1838 dedication. A Henry Wingate painting above the baptistry depicts the 1640 baptism, and a 1637 Roman Missal and other colonial-era artifacts are on display. The 1904 church and its adjacent cemetery are part of the Piscataway Village Historic District.
- 1640: Father Andrew White, S.J., baptizes Kittamaquund, the Tayac of the Piscataway, on July 5.
- 1778: Catholic congregation at Piscataway documented, served by Jesuits from St. Ignatius at Chapel Point.
- 1838: First St. Mary's church built and dedicated by Rev. Edward McCotgan — second Catholic church in Prince George's County.
- 1874: Official parish register begins.
- 1904: Current Gothic Revival brick church erected on the same site.
- 1945: Administration passes to the newly created Archdiocese of Washington.
- 2015: Cardinal Donald Wuerl celebrates a Mass marking 375 years of Piscataway Catholicism.
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently served by Father Samuel I. Plummer as pastor, with Father Conor E. Hardy as parochial vicar and Deacon George B. Ames, Jr. (retired) assisting. The lay staff handles religious education, liturgy, music, administration, and facilities.
- Father Samuel I. Plummer — Pastor
- Father Conor E. Hardy — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon George B. Ames, Jr. — Retired
- Michele Fulk — Coordinator of Children's Religious Education & Administrative Assistant
- Claudette Kim — Bookkeeper
- Dr. Eran Lupu — Director of Liturgy & Music
- Larry Cruz — Facilities Manager
- Leon Santiago — Maintenance Personnel
Music & Liturgy
The parish's Music Ministry is led by Dr. Eran Lupu, Director of Music and Liturgy, and includes two vocal ensembles: St. Mary's Choir, which sings at the 9:30 AM Sunday Mass from Labor Day to Corpus Christi and on Solemnities (practices Sundays 10:45–11:45 AM), and St. Mary's Men's Schola, a smaller ensemble that sings the propers and ordinary in Latin and/or English on specific Solemnities, with practices scheduled as needed. The parish is blessed with two notable pipe organs: a C.E. Morey Opus 193 (1902) two-manual mechanical-action organ in Our Lady's Chapel, restored and enlarged in 2017 by David Wigton of Dryden, Michigan, and a Gress-Miles two-manual electro-pneumatic organ (1989) in the Main Church.
- Director of Music & Liturgy: Dr. Eran Lupu
- St. Mary's Choir — 9:30 AM Sunday Mass, Labor Day to Corpus Christi
- Men's Schola — Latin propers/ordinary on Solemnities
- OLC organ: C.E. Morey Opus 193 (1902), restored by Wigton Pipe Organs, 2017
- Main Church organ: Gress-Miles two-manual electro-pneumatic (1989)
Faith Formation & RCIA
The parish's Children's Religious Education program is coordinated by Michele Fulk and prepares children for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation. The parish also runs the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) for adults preparing to enter the Church, and the Spirituality and Evangelization Committee promotes ongoing adult formation through DVDs, literature, personal testimonies, prayer, adoration, encouragement of the sacraments, Life in the Spirit seminars, praise-and-worship events, parish use of FORMED, and Friday-evening faith-formation gatherings.
- Children's Religious Education (CCD) — Michele Fulk
- RCIA for adults
- Spirituality & Evangelization Committee
- FORMED Catholic-resource platform
- Friday-evening faith-formation fellowship & small-group discussions
St. Mary's School of Piscataway
St. Mary's School of Piscataway is a Catholic elementary school serving PreK through 8th grade, located on a 14-acre campus along the banks of Piscataway Creek in Clinton, between Clinton, Fort Washington, Accokeek, and Waldorf. The school promotes the spiritual, intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of each child and is recognized by the Renaissance Learning Company as a School of Excellence for its accelerated reading and math programs. The principal is Michelle Moreno-Ali; the school phone is 301-292-2522. Before- and after-care is offered.
- PreK – 8, Co-Ed, Catholic elementary school
- Principal: Michelle Moreno-Ali
- 14-acre campus on the banks of Piscataway Creek
- Recognized as a Renaissance School of Excellence
- Before-care and After-care available
- Student activities: Soccer (Catholic Youth Recreation League), National Junior Honor Society, Safety Patrol, Music Kids, Student Council, Altar Servers, mission outreach, HSPT prep
Pro-Life Ministry
St. Mary's Pro-Life Ministry promotes a Culture of Life from conception to natural death. Its scope includes supporting women in crisis pregnancies, those suffering post-abortion trauma (in connection with Project Rachel), and caregivers dealing with end-of-life issues; educating the faithful and broader community on Church teaching on life issues; and partnering with the Gabriel Network. The ministry is led by Coordinator Paola Addamiano-Carts and is supported by an Angel Friend helper team, a Spanish interpreter, and volunteer roles for speaker coordination, literature, information, recruiting, inventory, and events. Planning meetings are held the third Monday of each month from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, virtually or in a parish meeting room.
- Pro-Life Coordinator: Paola Addamiano-Carts
- Angel Friend helper team (Gabriel Network partnership)
- Spanish interpreter for Spanish-speaking mothers
- Project Rachel post-abortion healing referrals
- Monthly planning meetings: 3rd Monday, 7:00–8:00 PM
Sacraments
The parish celebrates all seven sacraments. Parents should contact the parish office to register for Baptism and Baptism Preparation. First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are normally celebrated in the second grade through the parish's Children's Religious Education program. Confirmation is celebrated in the spring for students in eighth grade and above with required prior catechesis. Matrimony requires at least one year's notice and participation in the Pre-Cana program; weddings are reserved for registered parishioners. The Anointing of the Sick is available by contacting the rectory, and the RCIA process welcomes adults preparing to become Catholic.
- Baptism — register through the parish office
- First Reconciliation & First Eucharist — typically 2nd grade
- Confirmation — typically 8th grade and older, spring
- Matrimony — one-year notice, Pre-Cana required
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the rectory
- RCIA — adult initiation
Facilities, Cemetery & Historic Grounds
The St. Mary's campus includes the 1904 Gothic Revival brick church, the adjoining cemetery (headstones 1841–1982), Our Lady's Chapel, the Main Church, the rectory, and the parish school — all on a large Archdiocese of Washington parcel. The historic 1904 church and cemetery are part of the Piscataway Village Historic District. A low brick wall with tall brick posts and an iron balustrade encloses the area immediately adjacent to the main entrance; similar posts connected by a chain fence enclose the cemetery along the east side and the access road to the north.
- 1904 Gothic Revival brick church (still used for special functions)
- Adjoining cemetery with gravestones from 1841 to 1982
- Our Lady's Chapel (with restored 1902 C.E. Morey organ)
- Main Church (with 1989 Gress-Miles organ)
- Rectory and parish school on the same property
- Wheelchair accessible per the Archdiocese of Washington listing
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Father Edward McCotgan1838 (dedication of first church)
Served as pastor when the first St. Mary's church was erected and dedicated in 1838 — the second Catholic church built in Prince George's County.
- Jesuit missionaries from St. Ignatius, Chapel Point (Port Tobacco)by 1778
Jesuit fathers from St. Ignatius at Chapel Point served the Piscataway Catholic congregation from at least 1778; earlier Piscataway-area priests came from the London/Wales vicariate apostolate (1645–1784), then the U.S. prefecture apostolate (1784–1789), then the Archdiocese of Baltimore (1789–1945).
- Archdiocese of Washington priests1945–present
Since 1945, when the parish fell under the newly created Archdiocese of Washington, it has been administered by Washington archdiocesan priests; currently Father Samuel I. Plummer as pastor.