About St. Thomas Aquinas · Baltimore, Maryland
St. Thomas Aquinas is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood, founded in 1867 to serve the growing community of mill workers and their families. Its stone church, designed by noted Baltimore architect George Frederick, was dedicated in 1871 and remains a neighborhood landmark. For more than 150 years the parish was known for a tight-knit, volunteer spirit, outreach to local food pantries and pregnancy centers, and a Korean-language Mass community. In December 2024, St. Thomas Aquinas merged into the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen parish as part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Seek the City to Come pastoral plan, and regular Masses now follow the Cathedral schedule.
- Established
- 1867
- Patron
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- Rector
- Father Louis Bianco (administrator; rector of Cathedral of Mary Our Queen)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
St. Thomas Aquinas has long offered a warm, working-class faith family rooted in Hampden, with strong outreach to neighbors in need and a heritage of reverent worship in a historic church building.
History
St. Thomas Aquinas grew from a small Hampden Catholic community that first gathered in Martin Kelly’s home. With permission from Archbishop Martin John Spalding, Rev. Thomas Foley laid the cornerstone in 1867 and the George Frederick-designed church opened in 1871. The parish school opened in 1873, serving generations until its closure in 2016. In December 2024 the parish merged with Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.
Community Life and Ministries
The parish has been recognized for a strong volunteer culture and practical outreach in north Baltimore.
- Collection of baby clothes and supplies for the Center for Pregnancy Concerns
- Donations to a local food pantry serving north Baltimore
- Hosting Narcotics Anonymous meetings
- Korean-language Mass community
Education
St. Thomas Aquinas School was a cornerstone of the parish for nearly a century and a half.
- Parish school founded in 1873
- Current school building constructed in 1937
- Staffed for many years by the School Sisters of Notre Dame
- School closed by the Archdiocese in 2016
Clergy and Leadership
The parish has been served by dedicated diocesan priests across several generations. In its final independent years, Father Silvester Kim led the community and celebrated a Korean Mass; as the merger approached, Cathedral rector Father Louis Bianco served as administrator.
- Father Louis Bianco – administrator and rector of Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
- Father Silvester Kim – former pastor
- Monsignor James P. Farmer – pastor from 1992 to 2006
- Father Milton Hipsley – pastor from 1984 to 1992