About St. Rose of Lima · Chesapeake City, Maryland
St. Rose of Lima is a Catholic mission church located in Chesapeake City, Maryland, in the historic Cecil County canal town near the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. It is administered as a mission of St. Joseph Parish in Middletown, Delaware, within the Diocese of Wilmington. The mission dates to 1874 and still serves its small community with multiple Sunday Masses, a Tuesday morning Mass, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Sunday Mass.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- St. Rose of Lima
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wilmington
Why belong here
St. Rose of Lima offers a small, historically rooted Catholic community in the heart of Chesapeake City with two Sunday Masses (8:00 and 9:30 a.m.) and a weekly Tuesday morning Mass. As a mission of St. Joseph Parish in Middletown, it draws on the parish staff and ministries of the larger church while preserving its own intimate worship life, Sunday Reconciliation, and a beloved tradition reaching back 150 years.
Mass times at St. Rose of Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:00 AM
About St. Rose of Lima Mission
St. Rose of Lima is a Catholic mission church serving the Cecil County town of Chesapeake City, Maryland, from its location at 301 Lock Street. The mission is administered by St. Joseph Parish in Middletown, Delaware, and falls within the Diocese of Wilmington. Visitors find a small, welcoming faith community rooted in 150 years of worship along the historic Chesapeake & Delaware Canal.
- Type: Mission (never an independent parish)
- Diocese: Diocese of Wilmington
- Mailing/Parish office: St. Joseph Parish, 371 E. Main Street, Middletown, DE 19709
- Main parish website: stjosephmiddletown.com
History
The mission dates to August 1874, when the cornerstone of St. Rose of Lima was blessed on the saint's feast day by Bishop Thomas A. Becker, first Bishop of Wilmington, before a crowd of 500. The land had been purchased in 1871 for $475, and the church was dedicated in June 1875. Originally a mission of St. Francis Xavier (Old Bohemia), St. Rose was later attached to Immaculate Conception in Elkton, had a brief period of independence, then returned to mission status before being transferred to St. Joseph Parish in Middletown, Delaware. In 1974 the church marked its centennial, and on June 30, 2024, Bishop Koenig celebrated a 4 p.m. Mass for the sesquicentennial.
- 1871 — One acre purchased in Chesapeake City for $475
- August 30, 1874 — Cornerstone blessed by Bishop Thomas A. Becker
- June 1875 — Church dedicated
- 1879–1894 — Brief period as an independent parish
- 1894–1905 — Returned to mission status under Immaculate Conception, Elkton
- 1974 — Centennial celebrated
- June 30, 2024 — Sesquicentennial Mass with Bishop Koenig
Ministries
Liturgical ministries at St. Rose of Lima are coordinated through St. Joseph Parish in Middletown. A downloadable ministry schedule (July–September PDF) is posted on the St. Joseph Parish website.
- St. Rose of Lima Ministry Schedule — quarterly liturgical assignments coordinated through St. Joseph Parish
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors reach the mission through the St. Joseph Parish office in Middletown, Delaware. The physical church building stands at 301 Lock Street in the Chesapeake City historic district.
- Phone: (302) 378-5800
- Physical address: 301 Lock Street, Chesapeake City, MD 21915
- Mailing address: 371 E. Main Street, Middletown, DE 19709
- Parent parish: St. Joseph Parish, Middletown, DE — stjosephmiddletown.com
Notable Parish Character
Families like the Ortts have worshipped at St. Rose for five generations, and many are buried in the cemetery behind the church — a tangible link to the mission's 150-year history along the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal.
- Fifth-generation parishioners still active in the community
- Parish cemetery behind the church houses generations of founding families
- Worship site for canal-era Catholic families since the steamship days