About St. Wenceslaus · Baltimore, Maryland
St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church (Czech: Kostel sv. Václava) is a historic Roman Catholic parish in the Middle East neighborhood of East Baltimore, founded in November 1872 by Bohemian (Czech) immigrants who settled in an area then known as Little Bohemia. For 150 years the parish served the immigrant community and, as the neighborhood changed, became a largely African-American faith community with a growing Hispanic presence. Administered since 2018 by the Josephite Fathers (St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart), St. Wenceslaus was part of a tri-parish pastorate with St. Ann and historic St. Francis Xavier under Fr. Xavier Edet, SSJ, until it was canonically merged into St. Francis Xavier on December 1, 2024 under Archbishop William E. Lori's 'Seek the City to Come' pastoral plan.
- Established
- 1872
- Patron
- St. Wenceslaus (Duke of Bohemia, patron of the Czech lands)
- Rector
- Fr. Xavier Edet, SSJ (Josephite; pastor of the tri-parish pastorate of St. Wenceslaus, St. Ann, and St. Francis Xavier)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
St. Wenceslaus has been a welcoming, multicultural Catholic presence in East Baltimore for 150 years, rooted in a tradition of word, sacrament, and service. The parish combines a vibrant Gospel choir with the heritage of traditional Bohemian hymns, and is home to the Gift of Hope AIDS hospice run by the Missionaries of Charity (founded there by St. Teresa of Kolkata in 1992), an active food pantry, faith formation, and summer Bible camps for neighborhood children. Visitors traveling to The Johns Hopkins Hospital for medical care are especially welcomed to pray in the historic church, which stands as a quiet beacon of hope near the hospital.
Mass times at St. Wenceslaus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Weekdays before Mass (call the parish office to confirm)
History of St. Wenceslaus Parish
St. Wenceslaus was founded in November 1872 by Bohemian (Czech) Catholic immigrants who had settled in East Baltimore's 'Little Bohemia' neighborhood, many of them working in the city's can factories. Parish records beginning around May 1872 show that early members came largely from South Bohemia (around Milevsko) and the Plzeň Region south of Nepomuk, as well as Slovak faithful from Studienka, Švábovce, Lakšárska Nová Ves, and Horné Orešany. The parish grew rapidly, and by 1920 — with about 7,000 Bohemian Catholic members — it was the fourth-largest parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
- Founded November 1872 by Bohemian immigrants
- Staffed by the Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer) from 1872 to 1999
- Present granite church built 1914, dedicated 1915
- 150th anniversary celebrated September 25, 2022 with Archbishop William E. Lori
Architecture and Sacred Art
The present St. Wenceslaus church is the third building to serve the parish. The Italianate granite structure was built in 1914 and dedicated in 1915, with stained-glass windows crafted in Germany. Interiors reflect both the parish's Bohemian heritage and its contemporary multicultural identity, with shrines to saints of both the Czech and African-American Catholic traditions.
- Architectural style: Italianate (some sources describe interior as Roman-Byzantine)
- Built 1914; dedicated 1915
- Stained-glass windows crafted in Germany
- Shrine to the Infant of Prague
- Statue and relic of St. Wenceslaus
- Double statue of Ss. Cyril and Methodius (missionaries to Eastern Europe)
- Image of Our Lady of Africa, patroness of the African-American community
- Statue of St. Martin de Porres
Pastoral Team and Tri-Parish Pastorate
Fr. Xavier Edet, SSJ, a Nigerian-born Josephite priest ordained in the society since 2012, has served as pastor of St. Wenceslaus since 2018, leading the parish together with nearby St. Ann and historic St. Francis Xavier (the oldest African-American Catholic parish in the United States) as a single tri-parish pastorate in East Baltimore.
- Fr. Xavier Edet, SSJ — pastor
- Tri-parish cluster: St. Wenceslaus, St. Ann, and St. Francis Xavier
Parish Life and Community
Although most Czech-American families have moved to the suburbs over the decades, St. Wenceslaus remains a vibrant multicultural community. Sunday liturgy features a Gospel choir, and a visiting Czech choir still sings traditional Bohemian hymns on special occasions. More than 90 percent of the 60–70 Sunday Mass attendees drive in from other parts of the city — many traveling seven miles or more out of loyalty to the church. The parish also welcomes visitors who come to pray while they or their loved ones are receiving treatment at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, which sits in the neighborhood.
- Sunday Mass attendance: 60–70 people, ~90% driving in from across the city
- Gospel choir and visiting Czech choir
- Hospitality to visitors from The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Music and Liturgy
Parish liturgies are enriched by a vibrant Gospel choir that anchors the contemporary African-American Catholic worship style, while a visiting Czech choir preserves the parish's Bohemian musical heritage with traditional hymns on special occasions like the annual feast of St. Wenceslaus and the parish's anniversary.
- Gospel choir
- Visiting Czech choir (traditional Bohemian hymns)
Missionaries of Charity and Gift of Hope
Since 1992, the Missionaries of Charity founded by St. Teresa of Kolkata have lived on the parish grounds, operating the Gift of Hope hospice for men with chronic illnesses, particularly HIV/AIDS. Cardinal William H. Keeler personally urged the sisters to come to Baltimore and to convert the former convent — once home to the School Sisters of Notre Dame who ran the parish school until it closed in 1986 — into the home. Mother Teresa herself visited St. Wenceslaus twice, and her presence is still felt through photographs and the cup, plate, and flatware she used on opening day.
- Gift of Hope AIDS / chronic-illness hospice (opened 1992)
- Operated by the Missionaries of Charity
- St. Teresa of Kolkata (Mother Teresa) visited the parish twice
- Cardinal William H. Keeler helped establish the sisters' presence in Baltimore
Outreach and Charity
The Missionaries of Charity, alongside parish volunteers, run an extensive apostolate of mercy from the parish grounds. In addition to the Gift of Hope hospice, they organize a three-week summer Bible camp serving up to 60 neighborhood children ages 5–12, an after-school program for about 10 children during the academic year, weekly visits to death-row inmates, companionship to patients at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and residents at Ravenwood Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, and grocery delivery to homebound neighbors. The parish itself also operates a food pantry that was a vital lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Summer Bible camp for children (ages 5–12)
- After-school program for neighborhood children
- Visits to patients at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Ravenwood Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
- Weekly visits to death-row inmates
- Grocery delivery to homebound neighbors
- Parish food pantry (especially active during COVID-19)
Faith Formation
Faith formation at St. Wenceslaus is closely tied to the Missionaries of Charity's children's programs, including the summer Bible camp and the year-round after-school program, both of which teach catechesis alongside life skills such as cooking, manners, and hospitality.
- Summer Bible camp (Missionaries of Charity)
- After-school faith formation for neighborhood children
Visit, Location, and Parish Identity
The parish is located in the Middle East neighborhood of East Baltimore, in the shadow of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The historic church and grounds stand as a visible landmark of the former Little Bohemia district and a quiet place of prayer for the surrounding community and for visitors to the hospital.
- Address: 2111 Ashland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205
- Phone: (410) 675-7304
- Email: [email protected]
- Cross-streets: Collington and Ashland Avenues
- Adjacent to The Johns Hopkins Hospital
The Seek the City Merger (2024)
On September 28, 2024, Archbishop William E. Lori issued a canonical decree merging St. Wenceslaus into neighboring St. Francis Xavier, effective December 1, 2024, as part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore's 'Seek the City to Come' pastoral plan. The Archdiocese cited demographic shifts, the cost of maintaining the large historic building, and the long-standing tri-parish collaboration of St. Wenceslaus, St. Ann, and St. Francis Xavier. Parishioners had the right to appeal the decree in writing through October 11, 2024. The parish's website now directs visitors to historicfrancisxavier.org.
- Decree issued: September 28, 2024
- Effective merger date: December 1, 2024
- Receiving parish: St. Francis Xavier
- Archdiocese pastoral plan: Seek the City to Come
- Parish website redirects to historicfrancisxavier.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer)1872–1999
Founded and staffed the parish from its 1872 beginning; an Italian congregation founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori.
- Franciscan Friars Third Order Regular (TOR Franciscans)1999–
Took over leadership of the parish after the Redemptorists departed at the turn of the millennium.
- Conventual Franciscans
Succeeded the TOR Franciscans in the years that followed.
- Fr. Peter Lyons
Pastor mentioned in a 2007 Johns Hopkins News-Letter profile of the parish.
- Fr. Xavier Edet, SSJ2018–2024
Nigerian-born Josephite priest who also served as pastor of nearby St. Ann and historic St. Francis Xavier; led St. Wenceslaus' 150th anniversary Mass in 2022.