St. Vincent de Paul Church (Baltimore, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
St. Vincent de Paul Church is a is a historic Roman Catholic church
located at 120 N. Front Street, Baltimore
, Maryland
, United States
.
The history of St. Vincent is entwined with the history of Baltimore itself. It was founded in 1840 by Irish
workers who were building the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
. Fr. John Baptist Gildea was the first pastor when the building was opened in 1841 to parishioners. The Irish
immigrants working on these landmarks were a large part of the Catholic community, though membership included those from all social ranks, even slaves. It was the fifth Roman Catholic church constructed in Baltimore, and was built to serve the ever increasing, wealthy, English-speaking Catholics in the Gay and Pratt Street area. In 1875, the church was consecrated by Archbishop James Gibbons, one of four churches so recognized in America, which placed it under the direct protection of the Holy See. The parish’s most famous son was James Cardinal Gibbons (1834-1921).
In the 1960s the church was actively involved in movements against the Vietnam War
and social changes which helped to attract young activists to the parish and its causes. The church and its members are very proud of the wide variety of backgrounds and cultures that have accumulated over their long and diverse history. St. Vincent is still a growing and active church in 2007. The current pastor is Father Richard T. Lawrence.
with brick walls painted white to give it the appearance of wood. Inside there are cast iron columns for support. While the interior has been remodeled several times, the exterior of the church has never been altered.
The church features a slender Georgian
-style brick tower, painted white, which rises to a height of 150 feet above the narthex
and contrasts sharply with its surroundings. The tower rests on an octagonal base and supports three successive indented tiers (one octagonal and two cylindrical), capped by a copper-sheathed dome and twelve-foot cross.
St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974.
s. The church also offers a wide variety of religious education opportunities for children, teenagers, and adults including classes, retreats, camps, workshops, and discussion groups. St Vincent is also involved in local housing needs including replacing public housing projects with row home
s for families.The parish
of Saint Vincent de Paul allow homeless persons to set up camp on their side yard. The most recent project is located on Pratt Street. St. Vincent was an active participant in developing the Heritage Walk, a Baltimore project, and is one of the stops on the tour. Besides being involved in local communities of Baltimore, St. Vincent also has two sisters parishes that they work to help. One is located in Nicaragua
and the other in Lithuania
.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
located at 120 N. Front Street, Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The church was dedicated in 1841 and is "the oldest Catholic parish church in continuous use in Baltimore."The history of St. Vincent is entwined with the history of Baltimore itself. It was founded in 1840 by Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
workers who were building the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...
. Fr. John Baptist Gildea was the first pastor when the building was opened in 1841 to parishioners. The Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
immigrants working on these landmarks were a large part of the Catholic community, though membership included those from all social ranks, even slaves. It was the fifth Roman Catholic church constructed in Baltimore, and was built to serve the ever increasing, wealthy, English-speaking Catholics in the Gay and Pratt Street area. In 1875, the church was consecrated by Archbishop James Gibbons, one of four churches so recognized in America, which placed it under the direct protection of the Holy See. The parish’s most famous son was James Cardinal Gibbons (1834-1921).
In the 1960s the church was actively involved in movements against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and social changes which helped to attract young activists to the parish and its causes. The church and its members are very proud of the wide variety of backgrounds and cultures that have accumulated over their long and diverse history. St. Vincent is still a growing and active church in 2007. The current pastor is Father Richard T. Lawrence.
Structure
The church building itself is neoclassical styleNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
with brick walls painted white to give it the appearance of wood. Inside there are cast iron columns for support. While the interior has been remodeled several times, the exterior of the church has never been altered.
The church features a slender Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
-style brick tower, painted white, which rises to a height of 150 feet above the narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
and contrasts sharply with its surroundings. The tower rests on an octagonal base and supports three successive indented tiers (one octagonal and two cylindrical), capped by a copper-sheathed dome and twelve-foot cross.
St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974.
Community services
Besides holding masses for church members, St. Vincent is active in local Baltimore communities in many ways, providing a clothes closet and food pantry, as well as a program called "Friday Hot Meals" in which volunteers serve hot dinners to local homeless personHomelessness in the United States
Homelessness in the United States has continued to remain a focus area of concern of social service providers, government officials, and policy professionals since its resurgence among many types of individuals and families. The number of homeless people further grew in the 1980s, as housing and...
s. The church also offers a wide variety of religious education opportunities for children, teenagers, and adults including classes, retreats, camps, workshops, and discussion groups. St Vincent is also involved in local housing needs including replacing public housing projects with row home
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
s for families.The parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Saint Vincent de Paul allow homeless persons to set up camp on their side yard. The most recent project is located on Pratt Street. St. Vincent was an active participant in developing the Heritage Walk, a Baltimore project, and is one of the stops on the tour. Besides being involved in local communities of Baltimore, St. Vincent also has two sisters parishes that they work to help. One is located in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and the other in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
.
External links
- St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church, Baltimore City, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
- St. Vincent de Paul Church, Baltimore, Maryland official website