About 50 parishioners and community members gathered at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in St. Inigoes, Maryland, on June 21st to bless and dedicate a new Maryland State Historic Marker commemorating the history of the St. Peter Claver complex. The Maryland Department of Transportation has placed historic markers along the state’s roadways since 1930. These markers draw attention to historic sites, notable people, communities and events in Maryland history. St. Peter Claver is only the second parish in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington to be honored with a historic marker, the first was St. Ignatius at Chapel Point.
The blessing ceremony began with an invocation by Josephite Father John Patrick Tindana, the administrator, pro-tempore of the parish. Dr. Francine Dove Hawkins emceed the joyous event, which was the culmination of a multi-year effort that began in 2019. After the initial prayers, the parish Children’s Choir sang “This Little Light of Mine” accompanied by the audience who sang and clapped along with the choir.
Several members of the committee who worked on the marker project for the last five years provided a retelling of St. Peter Claver’s history, which appears in a very abbreviated form on the marker, the text of which is below:
ST. PETER CLAVER CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX
This complex is part of the Jesuit St. Inigoes Mission and erupted out of the indignity of racial discrimination toward black parishioners. The complex included: Sodality Church and Hall (1901); St. Peter Claver Elementary School (1916); St. Peter Claver Church (1918); Cardinal Gibbons Institute (1924); and Convent and Boyle’s Dormitory (1925). The 1918 church burned in 1934. The current church (1938) was designed by Philip Frohman, Washington National Cathedral’s architect.
Maryland Department of Transportation
Maryland Historical Trust
The retelling of the history was the longest part of the program. The genesis of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church was the creation of a sodality for the African American members of St. Michael’s Church in Ridge that was dedicated to St. Peter Claver. A hall was built in 1901 for the St. Peter Claver Sodality on a parcel of land donated through the family of Benjamin Briscoe. Only a year later, at Christmas, St. Michael Church split after several racist incidents there directed against the African American Choir. The pastor at the time, Jesuit William J. Tynan, actually closed St. Michael’s Church and hung black crepe outside as a period of mourning for the breaking up of the parish. Mass was first said for the African American parishioners in the Sodality Hall on January 18, 1902. St. Peter Claver was officially established as a mission in 1907.
A new elementary school was built for the St. Peter Claver community in 1916 and a new church building was completed in 1918. In 1924, the Cardinal Gibbons Institute opened. The Institute was the first secondary school for Black students in Southern Maryland. Founded on the Tuskegee model, the school was coeducational and accepted students from as far away as Ohio. The only building left standing from the original Gibbons Institute is Boyle’s Dormitory, named in honor of Bishop Hugh Charles Boyle of Pittsburgh (1921-1950). The Catholics of Pittsburgh raised $25,000 for the construction of the dormitory, which was completed in 1925.
The Oblate Sisters of Providence came to oversee the elementary school in 1924 and influenced multiple generations of the parish’s children. A convent for them was built in 1925 but burned at the same time as the original school in 1926. The convent was soon rebuilt as was a larger elementary school building that housed all eight grades within the school.
The 1918 church burned in 1934 and a new church was completed in 1938. The 1938 church was designed by the principal architect for the Washington National Cathedral, Philip Frohman. His architectural drawing collection, including 77 drawings of St. Peter Claver, was donated to the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and can be viewed online, St. Peter Claver's Church - Drawing, Architectural | National Building Museum. The pews of the current 1938 church were donated by Elizabeth Drexel, the sister of St. Katharine Drexel.
St. Peter Claver was canonically established as a parish in 1952.
After the retelling of the history, St. Peter Claver Parish’s Adult Gospel Choir sang, “What a Mighty God We Serve.”
Dr. Stephanie A.T. Jacobe, the director of Archives for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, then spoke at the gathering. She quoted Cardinal Wilton Gregory remarking on the strong faith of the people of Southern Maryland in the face of suffering. Dr. Jacobe said that although St. Peter Claver Parish had been borne out of the suffering of racism and white supremacy, the parish became a beacon of light for the community and all of Southern Maryland. “For the archdiocese to grow we need to learn from your history,” Jacobe continued. She thanked those who had worked to preserve and commemorate the history of St. Peter Claver Parish.
Wendi Williams, the executive director of the archdiocese’s Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach, spoke about how important it was that St. Peter Claver Parish was honored with the historic marker, and now that history can be shared more widely.
Father Francis Walsh, who served as the pastor of St. Peter Claver from 1977 to 1986, spoke about the history of the early pastors who helped build the church and complex. Father Walsh’s book, The Story of St. Inigoes Mission 1634-1994 was recently published.
Eric Colvin, a member of the Board of Commissioners of St. Mary’s County, spoke about his love of the parish through hearing the Gospel Choir perform. Colvin presented Father Tindana with a proclamation from the St. Mary’s County Board of Commissioners celebrating the significant contribution of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church to the history of St. Mary’s County and the State of Maryland. After the presentation, the Gospel Choir sang, “The Lord is Blessing Me Right Now.”
The final presentation was from poet and parishioner Dr. Janice T. Walhour, who discussed the creation of the monument of the Cardinal Gibbons Institute and read a poem that she composed for the dedication of the monument in 1990. The ceremony in the church concluded with the choir and everyone present singing, “All These Blessings Come from God.”
The ceremony then continued about 1,500 feet down the road from the church at the corner of St. Peter Claver Road and Point Lookout Road, where the Maryland State Historic Marker had already been installed. Father Tindana blessed the marker as everyone gathered around. People cheered and applauded as the marker was unveiled.
The Archdiocesan Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach is currently planning for the archdiocesan commemoration of Black Catholic History Month to include a pilgrimage to Saint Peter Claver Catholic Church and Museum on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. The pilgrimage will conclude with a Vigil Mass. More details will be available in the coming months.
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