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WHO
WE ARE
Our History
It was in June of 1968
that Father Thomas J. Fannon, Pastor of St. Jane Frances de Chantel Parish
in Riviera Beach began offering Lake Shore residents the convenience of
summertime Masses closer to their homes, first at Lake Shore Elementary
School and later at the Long Point Hall. Less than a year later, the
Archdiocese of Baltimore, sensing the potential for growth in the area and
already committed to the idea of decentralizing many large parishes, began
investigating the possibility of purchasing land in the area. The 15-acre
parcel of land at Ventnor and Mountain Roads became the property of the
Archdiocese on August 22, 1969.
Religious education became
the next concern. With missionary zeal and unstinting effort, the School
Sisters of Notre Dame from St. Jane Frances carried out the directives of
their Pastor to conduct a census in the communities of the Lake Shore
peninsula and eventually to set up and implement a system of neighborhood,
home-based catechesis for the children of the area. First in the Long
Point community and soon thereafter in Candlewicke Park, Boulevard Park,
Ventnor, Cedarwood Cove, and Milburn, children were able to walk to CCD
classes near their own homes. Initially, the classes were taught by the
Sisters and lay teachers, with the assistance for two years by the novices
of St. Conrad’s Priory, a Capuchin house of formation in Annapolis. The
CCD program flourished under the direction of Sister Kathleen Kelly, SSND,
and, as lay teachers were trained, the sisters were able to turn over
their teaching responsibilities to them.
In August of 1975, a small
group of parishioners approached Monsignor Charles F. Muth, Pastor of St.
Jane Frances parish, and asked him to consider providing year-round Masses
in the Lake Shore area. Accommodations were
made available at the Bodkin Elementary School for use by the Catholic
Community and thus began "The Bodkin Era". Each weekend, a crew
of hardworking and faithful volunteers transformed the school
cafeteria/gymnasium into a worship space.
In the four years between
1974 and 1978, a strong group of determined people worked unceasingly to
convince the Archdiocese that there were, indeed, the raw materials for a
viable parish on the Lake Shore peninsula. On March 13, 1978, the
Archdiocese approved the establishment of an independent mission and after
a five month delay, the Archdiocese released Father Walter J. Paulits from
duty as Associate pastor at St. John’s Parish in Westminster to become
Pastor of the Independent Mission at Lake Shore. On September 10, 1978, he
and Msgr. Muth concelebrated its two opening Masses.
With the frequent generous
loan of facilities by the Mount Carmel Methodist and Galilee Lutheran
communities, the use of the daily chapel located in Fr. Walter’s
residence/parish center, and occasional forays to the Chesapeake High
School Auditorium, the liturgical and administrative life of the mission
was carried on uninterrupted. In April 1979, Archbishop William D. Borders
endorsed the choice of "Our Lady of the Chesapeake" as the name
of the mission.
On January 21, 1980,
Archbishop Borders wrote a letter stating that our mission showed
significant development and that he was pleased to elevate it to parish
status, naming Father Walter as our first pastor. The official public
celebration took place on Sunday, March 16, 1980 at the 11:00 mass with
Archbishop Borders presiding.
In May 1980, the first
announcement concerning the building of a church appeared in the parish
bulletin. By June of 1981, after a well thought out and executed building
fund campaign, a 
total of $360,000 had been pledged. In February 1984, a Memorial Fund
Drive was introduced with the purpose of providing funds to be used in
furnishing our church home. By October, all the items available for
memorialization had been spoken for.
The groundbreaking
ceremony for the church building took place on October 14, 1984.
Beginning in late spring, and continuing throughout the summer, autumn and
winter of 1985, parishioners donated their time and physical labor to
clear the property of underbrush.
The first concrete was
poured in June 1985, but there then followed months of slow and sometimes
unsteady progress.  January
and February of 1986 were characterized by guarded optimism that the new
church would soon be ready, for March 16th, the sixth
anniversary of the parish, had been set as the date for official
dedication ceremony. Until literally the last minute however, seemingly
insurmountable obstacles continued to plague the project.
By midday on Friday, March
14, sufficient progress had been made to allow the first liturgical
celebration to take place in the building. Through a dense fog and driving
rain, about 100 parishioners spontaneously came to gather for Mass,
preceded by Stations of the Cross. Here they heard the mandate from their
pastor: "Let us now begin our service to the Community from this
room."
On Sunday, March 16, 1986,
William D. Borders, thirteenth Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Baltimore
presided over the ancient rite of dedication of a church building.
It seems appropriate that
from its inception, the Parish of Our Lady of the Chesapeake has depended
upon the initiative, hard work and generosity of its people. This history
serves both as a record of this spirit and as a challenge for the future
generations of God’s people who will call the Parish of Our Lady of the
Chesapeake and the Roman Catholic Community at Lake Shore in Pasadena,
Maryland, their family and their home.
Our Mission
We:
The Catholic Community
of Our Lady of the Chesapeake, in union with the universal Church, our
Pastor and each other, are called by the Holy Spirit as family to
proclaim our intention to be a visible sign of God’s great love on
this peninsula. Conscious of our Baptismal vows, symbolized by the
surrounding waters of the Chesapeake, we offer our unique gifts as
servers and healers of each other and of all people in the larger
community.
We Are Committed:
To providing a welcoming
environment of hospitality
To joyful celebration of
the Word and Eucharist through active and meaningful Liturgies
To outreach to the poor,
the homeless, the physically and emotionally infirm, the alienated, and
all who cry out in need
To the total Christian
Formation of our people, both youth and adults, in accordance with the
principles of Vatican II
To growth in social
activities for building a stronger fellowship
To a continuing shared
responsibility through our varied lay ministries, guided by our
shepherd, priest, and pastoral teacher
We seek:
To intensify and expand
our Christian works of charity
To foster ongoing total
religious formation programs for our youth and to expand our programs
for adult education
To become a source of
fellowship and social exchange
To increase
participation in all of our lay ministries
To be open to the power
of the Holy Spirit who will enable us to rise above our limitations
To extend our welcome to
everyone to share in our Christ-oriented life and to join us in our
spiritual journey towards the heavenly kingdom
Our Parish Today
Today, Our Lady of the
Chesapeake Parish is a community of more than 4,400 individuals comprising
1,533
families. Of these families, 200 do not reside in Pasadena but come
to worship here with us from other towns and communities.
Over 50 people serve as
Eucharistic Ministers, 30 serve as Readers/Lectors, 29 are Ushers, and 25
provide musical support (vocal and instrumental) for our Eucharistic
Liturgies.
For the school year ending in May 2003, we
had 409 children enrolled in Religious Education Programs--248 in the Children's Religious Education
Program covering Kindergarten through Grade Six; 67 in the Junior High
Youth Ministry Program for Grades Seven and Eight; and 94 in the High School Youth Ministry Program.
Approximately 47 adults volunteered as teachers and assistants in these
programs.
Over the Fiscal Year 2002-2003,
101 families
registered as new members; there were 57 baptisms; 25 funerals; 16 weddings;
62 children received First Holy Communion; 29 received the Sacrament of
Reconciliation for the first time; and 28 were Confirmed in the Holy
Spirit.
The church building and all its facilities are wheelchair accessible and handicapped
friendly.
Pastoral Center 2002
In 2002, the new Pastoral Center was completed. Adjacent to the
church, this was a long-awaited and now much-appreciated addition to our
church facilities.
Click here to read about the
construction of the Pastoral Center in 2002 and see photos of its
construction.
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