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.

 

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.

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.

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 2,500 individuals comprising 900 families.  Many families come to worship here with us from other towns and communities outside of the Pasadena area.

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.

New Pastor 2018

Fr. Raff retired as the pastor of Our Lady of the Chesapeake, saying his last Mass at the parish on New Years Day jointly with Fr. Stephen Hook. Fr. Steve is excited to follow in Raff's footsteps, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the surrounding community.