About St. Peter Claver · Saint Inigoes, Maryland
St. Peter Claver Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish located in Saint Inigoes, in southern St. Mary's County, Maryland, canonically established in 1952 within the Archdiocese of Washington. It is the only predominantly African-American Catholic parish in St. Mary's County, with roots that reach back to the Jesuit St. Inigoes Mission that began with the 1634 landing of the Ark and the Dove. The parish serves its rural community with Sunday, weekday, and Holy Day Masses, the sacraments, Adoration, religious education, and outreach, and its complex includes the 1938 brick church (designed by Philip Hubert Frohman, architect of the Washington National Cathedral) and the former school building now known as McKenna Hall, which operates as a museum of local Black Catholic history.
- Established
- 1903
- Patron
- St. Peter Claver
- Rector
- Father Patrick S. Agustin (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
St. Peter Claver is a small, historically significant parish where the faith community is known for a spirit of welcome and a deep sense of heritage — its pastor has described it as "a vibrant, welcoming, spirited community where the joy of the Lord truly is their strength." Worship is offered several days a week with Mass on Sunday morning and during the week, Adoration and Reconciliation beforehand, and the rosary prayed in common. The parish runs ongoing religious education and shares its campus with McKenna Hall Museum, which keeps the story of Black Catholicism in southern Maryland alive for visitors and parishioners alike. For Catholics in St. Inigoes and the surrounding southern St. Mary's County countryside, it is a place to belong to a tight-knit community with more than a century of memory and witness.
Mass times at St. Peter Claver
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:00 AM until Mass
- Wednesday: 5:00 PM until Mass
- 1st Friday: 5:00 PM until Mass
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (before 6:00 PM Mass)
- 1st Friday: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (before 6:00 PM Mass)
- Saturday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (before 9:00 AM Mass)
Parish Identity and Mission
St. Peter Claver Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Washington serving the rural St. Inigoes community in southern St. Mary's County, Maryland. The parish is named for the 17th-century Spanish Jesuit St. Peter Claver, the patron saint of African Americans and enslaved peoples, and it carries forward the missionary legacy of the Jesuit St. Inigoes Mission that has been present in the area since 1634. Its current administrator, Father Patrick S. Agustin, has described the faith community as "a vibrant, welcoming, spirited community where the joy of the Lord truly is their strength."
- Patron: St. Peter Claver (feast day September 9)
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Washington
- Pastor/Administrator: Father Patrick S. Agustin
- Retired Deacon: Deacon Anthony J. Sweeney, III
- Secretary: Dr. Francine (Fran) Dove Hawkins
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Shelia Berlin
History of the Parish
The parish traces its origin to the Black Sodality of St. Peter Claver organized by Father William Tynan, S.J. at St. Michael's Church in Ridge, Maryland around 1900. After a Christmas 1902 dispute over the prominence of the Black choir, the Black congregation began celebrating Mass separately at the Sodality Hall on January 18, 1903. Land was purchased from the Biscoe family in 1913, Father Emerick laid the cornerstone in 1914, and the first church was dedicated on December 1, 1918. The parish was canonically erected in 1952.
- 1900: Black Sodality of St. Peter Claver organized by Father William Tynan, S.J.
- 1901: Sodality Hall (later nicknamed "Hilly Road") built
- January 18, 1903: First Mass for Black Catholics at St. Peter Claver Sodality Hall
- May 7, 1914: Father Emerick laid the cornerstone
- December 1, 1918: First St. Peter Claver Church dedicated (wood frame, 300 seats, stained-glass crucifix window)
- 1916: Parish school opened — first Catholic school for African-American children in St. Mary's County
- 1924: Oblate Sisters of Providence began staffing the school
- 1925: Convent and Boyle's Dormitory built
- 1928: Original school burned and rebuilt
- 1934: 1918 church burned
- 1938: Present church completed, designed by Philip Hubert Frohman
- 1952: Canonically established as a parish
- 1965/66: Elementary school closed
- June 21, 2024: State of Maryland roadside historical marker dedicated
McKenna Hall Museum and Heritage
The former parish school building, originally built in 1916 and rebuilt after the 1928 fire, was renamed McKenna Hall in honor of Jesuit Father Horace B. McKenna, who served at St. Peter Claver from 1931 to 1953 and worked for racial justice during the Jim Crow era. Today McKenna Hall houses a museum preserving the history of Black Catholicism in southern Maryland, including artifacts, photographs, and exhibits tying the parish to the broader Jesuit St. Inigoes Mission and the 1838 sale of enslaved people that became known as the Georgetown 272.
- Museum hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (call 301-872-5460 to confirm)
- Hosts parish social gatherings and heritage events
- Located on the historic St. Peter Claver Church Road complex
Mass and Worship Schedule
The parish offers Mass on Sunday morning, on Saturday morning, on Wednesday evening, on the first Friday of each month, and on Holy Days of Obligation. Each weekday Mass is preceded by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the opportunity for Confession, and the praying of the Rosary, giving parishioners a full devotional rhythm around the Eucharist.
- Sunday: 10:00 AM (Confessions heard beginning 8:00 AM)
- Saturday: 9:00 AM (Adoration and Confession 8:00 AM; Rosary 8:30 AM)
- Wednesday: 6:00 PM (Adoration and Confession 5:00 PM; Rosary 5:30 PM)
- 1st Friday: 6:00 PM (Adoration and Confession 5:00 PM; Rosary 5:30 PM)
- Holy Days of Obligation: 6:00 PM (preceded by Adoration, Confession, and Rosary at 5:00 PM)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish runs an ongoing religious education program (CCD) for children and youth, coordinated by Shelia Berlin. The parish also participates in Archdiocese of Washington youth and cultural-heritage events.
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Shelia Berlin
- Religious education classes for parish children and youth
- Participation in archdiocesan pilgrimages, youth rallies, and Black Catholic History Month events
Music and Liturgy
Music at St. Peter Claver is led by the parish's Gospel Choir, which has been a visible presence in the community's worship and heritage events. The choir notably led the congregation in the spiritual "We Have Come This Far by Faith" at the November 16, 2024 Black Catholic History Month Mass.
- St. Peter Claver Gospel Choir
- Gospel and traditional Catholic music in the liturgy
Parish Staff
The parish is led by a small staff of clergy and lay ministers, supported by parish volunteers. The administrator, Father Patrick S. Agustin, also serves nearby St. Cecilia Parish in St. Mary's City.
- Pastor/Administrator: Father Patrick S. Agustin
- Deacon (Retired): Deacon Anthony J. Sweeney, III
- Secretary: Fran Hawkins (Dr. Francine Dove Hawkins)
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Shelia Berlin
Visiting and Contact Information
The parish office can be reached by phone, fax, or email. The church and McKenna Hall Museum are open for parish services and by appointment; visitors and pilgrims are encouraged to call ahead.
- Physical address: 16922 St. Peter Claver Church Road, St. Inigoes, MD 20684
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 240, St. Inigoes, MD 20684
- Phone: 301-872-5460
- Fax: 301-872-5672
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stpeterclaverchurch.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Emerick, S.J.1914
Laid the cornerstone for the first St. Peter Claver Church on May 7, 1914
- Father William Tynan, S.J.c. 1900–1903
Organized the Black Sodality of St. Peter Claver at St. Michael's; the racial dispute of Christmas 1902 led to the founding of the separate parish
- Father Horace B. McKenna, S.J.1931–1953
Long-serving Jesuit pastor; worked for racial justice during the Jim Crow era; the former school building is named McKenna Hall in his honor
- Father Francis Walsh1970s–1980s
Jesuit priest stationed at St. Peter Claver; later reflected publicly on parish segregation in St. Mary's County