In American history, 1849 is most remembered as the year of the California gold rush, when 80,000 prospectors flooded that territory which became a state the next year, and almost a century later, they inspired the name of San Francisco’s National Football League team.
In 1849 in the quiet countryside of Prince George’s County, Maryland, St. Ignatius Church in Oxon Hill was founded by Jesuit Father Giuseppe Maria Finotti, as a mission of the priests serving across the Potomac River at St. Mary’s Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Oxon Hill is believed to have drawn its name from the Oxon Hill Manor estate built in the 17th century by a top aide to Lord Baltimore, whose family founded the Maryland colony.
Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory celebrated a 175th anniversary Mass for St. Ignatius Church in Oxon Hill on July 28, 2024 in the current church built in the Queen Anne Victorian architectural style that was consecrated in 1891 by Baltimore Cardinal James Gibbons, who called it “the prettiest little church in Southern Maryland.”
St. Ignatius Church, located at 2315 Brinkley Road, is in the county’s Fort Washington area, which is named for the site of a fort that President George Washington selected in 1794 to defend the new nation’s capital.
In his homily at the anniversary Mass, Cardinal Gregory praised the legacy of faith at St. Ignatius Church, where parishioners began worshipping 12 years before the Civil War erupted and have continued praying through the digital age.
“It is the longevity of the faith secured in the lives of the parishioners of St. Ignatius that we honor today. The faith of this community is far sturdier than the buildings that have welcomed and housed the parishioners over these past 175 years,” the cardinal said.
A crowded congregation of people, ranging from senior citizens to families with small children, filled the ornate church.
The anniversary Mass coincided with the July 31 feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the parish’s patron saint. While serving in the Spanish army in 1521, the future saint’s leg was broken by a cannon ball during a battle. While bedridden, he read a book on the life of Christ and biographies of saints, and that extended period of prayer inspired him to conceive of what later became his Spiritual Exercises. In 1534, he and six companions took vows and formed the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. He became the order’s first superior general, serving for 15 years as the society grew to more than 1,000 members and established Jesuit schools and churches throughout Europe, and its missionaries served from Brazil to Japan.
St. Ignatius died in 1556 and was canonized in 1622. Today the Jesuits are one of the largest religious orders of men in the world, with more than 14,000 priests, brothers, scholastics and novices. Pope Francis, a native of Argentina who became the first pontiff from Latin America in 2013, is a member of the Society of Jesus.
In The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, the Society of Jesus sponsors Georgetown University and Gonzaga College High School in the nation’s capital, and Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, and Jesuits staff Holy Trinity Parish in Georgetown and St. Ignatius Parish in Chapel Point, Maryland.
Cardinal Gregory in his homily said “it took St. Ignatius of Loyola a serious battle wound in order to find the time to reflect on where his life was taking him. This parish, named after St. Ignatius, has been the worship location where countless thousands of people have sought to find out what the Lord might be asking of them – and therein hopefully then finding the courage and the determination to follow the Lord’s plans for them.”
Washington’s archbishop emphasized that Jesus called His disciples to take up their own crosses and follow Him. “Moreover, it demands that we treat others with compassion, with civility, with mercy, with understanding and with respect. We must do those things, especially with those with whom we may disagree,” he said. “…Jesus establishes a standard of mercy and compassion that we are all called to follow. Ignatius of Loyola learned that faith lesson in prayer, and those who gather in this parish bearing his name must do the same.”
The cardinal noted that the mission of St. Ignatius in Oxon Hill was officially established as a parish in the new Archdiocese of Washington in 1948. After the St. Ignatius mission was originally cared for by the Jesuits, it was later served by Carmelites, Dominicans, Josephites and priests of the archdiocese. Since 2019, St. Ignatius has been under the pastoral care of priests of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, which the Vatican established in 2012 for people nurtured in the Anglican tradition who wished to become Catholic. That year, St. Luke’s Ordinariate Parish was established in the Archdiocese of Washington, and since 2019, its Masses have been celebrated at St. Ignatius Church.
Father Christopher Woodall, a priest of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter who since July 2023 has served as the parochial administrator of St. Ignatius Parish in Oxon Hill and St. Luke’s Ordinariate Parish, concelebrated the 175th anniversary Mass at St. Ignatius Church.
During the anniversary Mass, Cardinal Gregory offered a prayer for the safety of the athletes, coaches and staff gathered for the Summer Olympic Games underway in Paris.
After attending the Mass together, parishioners of St. Ignatius and St. Luke gathered for an anniversary luncheon in the building that once housed the now-closed St. Ignatius School. Keepsakes were sold, a silent auction was held and donations were sought for ongoing renovations of St. Ignatius Church. In an interview, Father Woodall explained that the church’s exterior had been repainted in different shades of white and grey to more closely reflect the original color scheme. The church’s bell tower, steeple and steeple cross were restored in recent years.
The priest noted how St. Ignatius Parish has a diverse population, with African Americans, Africans, Latinos, Filipinos and parishioners with European ancestry, some of whom live nearby, and others who travel a distance to the church that they consider home. “It’s their parish. They’re very faithful… It’s a beautiful congregation to go with a beautiful building,” Father Woodall said.
Rebecca Michalco, a longtime St. Ignatius parishioner who is retired from the U.S. Census Bureau, said the St. Luke’s parishioners have added vitality to the historic church. “Everybody’s welcome,” she said.
Luca Gattoni-Celli, a housing advocate who with his wife Laura and their three young children are part of the St. Luke’s Ordinariate Parish, noted that the people there gather together for a potluck every week after Mass. “The sense of community is just unbelievable here,” he said.
Next month, Rosemary Coller will mark her 50th year as a St. Ignatius parishioner. She too praised the sense of community there. “I love a small parish… That’s what keeps me here,” she said.
Coller’s late husband Russell served on the Parent Teacher Association for St. Ignatius School, which their three children attended. She has served on the St. Ignatius Parish Council and as a lector at Masses, and she brings Communion to sick or shut-in parishioners. She and fellow members of the Ladies of Charity hold food drives, collect school supplies for children, and knit and crochet items for nursing homes and pregnancy aid centers. A daily Mass-goer, she said that when she’s in that beautiful country church, “I have everything around me that reminds me why I’m there, to pray and to give glory to God.”
Several parishioners also praised the close-knit community at St. Ignatius. Fe Andaya, who works in finance and was attending the Mass and luncheon with her husband Cesar, said parishioners there “know each other, because it’s a small church… They know us by name.” She joins volunteers in cleaning the church.
Linda Wilkinson, a St. Ignatius parishioner for more than 40 years who coordinates the ministers of hospitality at the church and is a leader with the Ladies of Charity there, said, “This is my church family. This is my church home.” She added, “I love the size. You do feel you’re part of a Christian community. It’s very welcoming, and they feed my soul.”
That point was echoed by George Hendrix, who has attended St. Ignatius Parish for about 25 years and serves on its Finance Council. He compared the diverse parish to “one great big family… It makes me want to never leave here.” Hendrix, a Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus who retired after working as the chief of security at the D.C. Jail, now works in security for the Prince George’s County school system. He said when he attends Mass at St. Ignatius Church with fellow parishioners, “I can feel the Holy Spirit.”
Another member of the Finance Council at St. Ignatius, Butch Jackson, is a retired Xerox service manager and has been a member of the parish for about 20 years. “We’ve got folks from all over here. Everybody gets along,” he said. His wife Laticia Jackson, who for seven years taught religion at St. Ignatius School to pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students, said what keeps her coming to St. Ignatius Church are “the beautiful people (there)… It’s a family, one big family. Even if we don’t see each other all the time, when we get together, it’s a good time.”
The ushers at the anniversary Mass included Oliver Johnson, who has been attending St. Ignatius Parish for 45 years with his wife Barbara, and their daughter attended St. Ignatius school from kindergarten through the eighth grade. Oliver Johnson, who is retired after working in human resources for Giant Food, earlier played basketball for the University of San Francisco and in Europe, and he is now a member of the Knights of Malta.
The Fort Washington resident echoed his fellow parishioners and friends when he explained that St. Ignatius “is the home church” for him and his wife.
Related link:
St. Ignatius, Oxon Hill parish website
