Ken Stanek Ken Stanek Photography
“Here were held the great Provincial and Plenary Councils which guided the Church’s expansion as waves of immigrants came to these shores in search of a better life. Here in Baltimore, in 1884, the Bishops of the United States authorized the “Baltimore Catechism”, which formed the faith of tens of millions of Catholics for decades. In Baltimore, the country’s Catholic school system began under the leadership of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. The first Seminary in the United States was established here, under the protection of the Virgin Mother of God, as was America’s first Catholic College for women. Since those heroic beginnings, men and women of every race and social class have built the Catholic community we see in America today…”
-St. John Paul II, Homily in Baltimore, October 8, 1995
Baltimore is the cradle of Catholicism in America. It is a city rich in Church history, full of Catholic “firsts.” It is the oldest diocese in the United States, established on November 6, 1789 with the appointment of John Carroll as its first bishop and it later became the only archdiocese for the country between 1808 and 1846. The first seminary was opened in Baltimore in 1791, the first priestly ordination in the U.S. occurred in this city, and it is also where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton took her first vows in the city.
America’s first Cathedral
The Baltimore Basilica, also known as the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a major landmark in the city. Widely known as “America’s Cathedral,” the cornerstone was laid in 1806 by Bishop Carroll and the structure was completed in 1821, making it America’s oldest cathedral. Designed by Thomas Jefferson’s architect for the U.S. Capitol Building, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the church’s stunning rotunda is crowned with a dove depicting the Holy Spirit. Behind the high altar is a staircase leading down to the crypt, where most of Baltimore’s bishops are buried, including Bishop John Carroll, the first bishop of Baltimore and the founder of Georgetown University. Not only was he instrumental in guiding the Church through the throes of the American Revolution, but he was also responsible for the good relationship with the Protestant elites that helped to establish acceptance of the early Church in America. Also, at this same altar, in 1877, the Venerable Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, was ordained a priest.
Attached to the basilica is a small museum and the biblically-inspired St. John Paul II Prayer Garden. Laid out in the shape of a fish, the garden is a quiet oasis amid the bustle of downtown Baltimore’s busy streets.
Some of the most important meetings of U.S. bishops in the nineteenth century occurred in this venerable basilica. Three plenary councils met here between 1852 and 1884 to tackle issues such as the Church’s westward expansion on the continent, Catholic education in parishes, and the evangelization of Native Americans and African Americans. The Third Plenary Council – the largest gathering of bishops anywhere in the world since the Council of Trent that followed the Protestant Reformation – adopted the Baltimore Catechism, which taught the basics of the faith to generations of youngsters.
Baltimore’s Washington Monument
From the Basilica, it is a short walk up the gently ascending road to Mount Vernon Place. At the center of this elegant cobblestone traffic circle, interspersed with small parks, is the gleaming white column in honor of George Washington. Visitors can climb the winding 227 steps to ascend this 178 foot monument, which offers spectacular views over Baltimore. The cornerstone was laid on the Fourth of July in 1815 and it became the first public monument built anywhere in America to commemorate the nation’s first President, predating the more famous Washington Monument in D.C. by 55 years.
The Mount Vernon neighborhood is the city’s cultural district, lined with museums and galleries, set amid old brick row houses and the former homes of nineteenth century industrialists. Noteworthy attractions include the impressive Walters Art Gallery, with its collection of world art and ancient Greek and Roman artifacts and the Maryland Historical Society, with the original copy of the Star Spangled Banner poem written by Francis Scott Key. Another must-see in the neighborhood is the Peabody Library. One of the most impressive libraries in the world, it has grand staircases and five stories of wrought iron balcony lined book shelves rising above the massive atrium.
Return to the Baltimore Basilica and continue walking for another block and a half to Saratoga Street, to the National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Ligouri. This is the old Redemptorist church in Baltimore, now administered by the Priestly Society of St. Peter, offering daily mass in the extraordinary form. Although the church has an unassuming exterior, the interior is beautifully ornate, more suited to the foothills of the Austrian Alps than to downtown Baltimore. The shrine is noteworthy as both Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos and St. John Neumann were resident here together; Neumann as pastor and Xeelos as his associate. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos was an instrumental figure in the growth of the Redemptorist community in America. He was an energetic parish priest in newly established churches across the country in the mid nineteenth century from Baltimore to Pittsburgh to Detroit, ending up in New Orleans where he died from yellow fever while ministering to its victims.
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From the National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, it is a short drive to Paca Street to St. Mary’s Historic Site and Spiritual Center. St. Mary’s was the first Catholic seminary in the United States, established by the Sulpician Fathers, who arrived from France in 1791, fleeing the French Revolution. Not only can visitors see the house in which St. Elizabeth Ann Seton briefly lived, but they can also see the seminary chapel which is divided into upper and lower chapels.
The Upper Chapel served the seminary community. Many famous seminarians were formed in this chapel, including Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, and Demetreus Gallitzin, a Russian royal. Prince Demetreus, a fascinating and forgotten pioneer of the early American church, was the son of a German countess and Russian prince. He grew up among the aristocratic splendors of eighteenth century Europe and moved in royal circles. Although he converted to Catholicism while in Europe, he discerned his priestly vocation while on a study trip to the U.S. After completing his studies at St. Mary’s, he was ordained by Bishop Carroll and went on to become a great missionary, opening frontier missions in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. He was the first missionary priest west of the Allegheny Mountains and spent his priestly ministry, and a good portion of his inheritance, establishing Catholic churches in western Pennsylvania. His cause for canonization is currently being investigated.
The Lower Chapel served the largely French speaking immigrant community around St. Mary’s and it was where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton pronounced her private vows. Also in this chapel, another first for Baltimore occurred. A French Suplician organized a group of four Caribbean refugees, including the black Cuban exile Mary Lange, into what would become the world’s first Catholic religious order for women of African descent, called the Oblate Sisters of Providence. Since Mary Lange was already operating the country’s first free school for Catholic black children out of her home, the new order took on responsibility for providing education to the Catholic black community in Baltimore. They also opened up their chapel for the use of Baltimore’s black Catholics, providing an alternative to the segregation in Baltimore’s parish churches. Mary Lange’s cause for canonization is also being investigated.
A family friendly destination
Aside from the city’s rich Catholic heritage, Baltimore is a compact city filled with a wide array of affordable attractions that will please children of all ages.
The heart of the action is along the Inner Harbor, where a glorious and lively red brick promenade envelops the harbor waters, leading excited little feet from one attraction to another, such as the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, and the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum. The Inner Harbor is also home to historic tall ships and vessels that can be toured, including the USS Constellation, a civil war era battleship; a Coast Guard cutter which was the last vessel afloat to survive the Pearl Harbor attack; and a floating lighthouse ship. Two blocks from the harbor is the hands-on Port Discovery Children’s Museum. Located in a converted fish market, it is one of the top ranked children’s museums in the U.S. Take a water taxi across the harbor to Fell’s Point, a National Historic District dating from 1768, filled with pubs, restaurants, and shops. With 300 year old cobblestone streets and colorful storefronts, this community recalls the exciting times of Baltimore’s maritime past.
From the harbor, take a short drive along Conway Street to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, one of America’s storied baseball stadiums and home to the Baltimore Orioles. Tucked behind the stadium is the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, a must-see for baseball fans and a celebration of the life of one of the most famous Catholic baseball players (and a Knight of Columbus). Also in the vicinity is the B&O Railway Museum, America’s oldest rail station and roundhouse, and home to the country’s largest collection of nineteenth century steam locomotives and visitors can even take a ride on an old train.
The Star Spangled Banner
Last but not least, no trip to Baltimore would be complete without a stop at Fort McHenry National Historic Monument, located at the mouth of the Patapsco River just outside of downtown Baltimore. Designed in its star shaped pattern by French engineers following the American Revolution, it was a strategically important fortress for protecting Baltimore’s harbor. Popular activities include observing an artillery drill and the daily flag raising ceremony, since this was the fort that gave birth to the Star Spangled Banner. The fort famously came under attack by the British during the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key, who was temporarily taken prisoner aboard a British vessel in the bay, observed the British fleet bombarding the fortress over the course of almost 24 hours. When he fell asleep at night, he expected to awake to a flag of surrender or the Union Jack flying above the fort. Instead, to his utter amazement, he arose to find that the fort had withstood the overnight bombing and the stars and stripes were flying high and prominent. With emotion overflowing, he composed the poem that has since become the American national anthem.
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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