Cardinal Wuerl celebrated a Sept. 22 Mass for the 250th anniversary of St. Joseph Parish in Pomfret, which began in 1763, 13 years before the United States was established. The country church (left) was built in 1849 and rebuilt with the help of parishioners in the mid-1970s. In the photo above, Cardinal Wuerl receives the offertory gifts from longtime St. Joseph parishioner Viola Thompson. At right is Father Mark Smith, the parish’s pastor. In the photo below, Piscataway Indians helped welcome the Massgoers by chanting and playing a large drum. Their ancestors lived in that area, and members of that tribe have remained as faithful Catholics in Southern Maryland since colonial times. The Mass was followed by a parish picnic that included music, a moon bounce, games and a climbing wall. (CS photos by Michael Hoyt)