Province of WASHINGTON

Pope Pius XI established the Province of Washington in 1939.  The Province consists of the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  The Province has 669,000 Catholics, 22 percent of the total population.  In 2000, the Province had 540,000 Catholics or 22 percent of the total population.

Catholic History of Maryland and Washington, DC

Sir George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, converted to Catholicism in 1625.  He dreamed of an English colony in the New World where Catholics could practice their faith without hindrance.  He did not live to see it, but his son, Cecilius, the second Lord Baltimore, did.  King Charles I, a Protestant, granted Cecilius Calvert proprietorship of the Maryland colony—named after Charles’ Catholic queen, Henrietta Maria—in 1632.  (Or perhaps for the Blessed Mother, depending on who you ask.)  Calvert came to Maryland to secure his property, accompanied by Father Andrew White, who said the first Mass in Maryland on March 25, 1634.  The original colonists consisted of about 20 “gentlemen,” mostly Catholic, and about 250 craftsmen and laborers, mostly Protestant.  At a time when Catholics and Protestants in England rarely got along, this was a noble experiment.

The good will that existed in Maryland between the religions would wax and wane.  Virginia Protestants attacked St. Mary’s City, the Maryland capital, in 1644, forcing Calvert and many of his Catholic colonists to flee.  Calvert later regained control and in 1649, the Maryland legislature enacted the Act Concerning Religion, the first time a government had permitted freedom of worship.  The following year, Puritans, who had been allowed by the Maryland colony to escape persecution in Virginia and to establish a town (now Annapolis), gained control of Maryland and began to persecute Catholics and Anglicans.  The Puritan government, supported by Oliver Cromwell’s rule in England, repealed the Act Concerning Religion in 1654.  Lord Baltimore once again gained control of the colony in 1658 and the Act Concerning Religion was restored.

Maryland Catholics enjoyed religious freedom for the next four decades, but this ended in 1689 with the reign of William and Mary in England.  Laws were made that prohibited Catholics from voting, from holding public office, or practicing their Faith, and priests were not allowed to exercise their sacred duties, although these laws were not always enforced and Catholics were usually allowed to attend Mass in their homes or in homes owned by priests.  The Catholic population, served by a small number of Jesuit priests, increased from 5,000 in 1670 to 12,000 in 1770.  The American Revolution finally brought lasting freedom of religion for all Americans in the former English colonies.  John Carroll, a Maryland priest, was named by Pope Pius VI to be the first Bishop of Baltimore in 1789 and Pope Pius VII named Carroll the first U.S. archbishop in 1808.

Washington D.C. was created in 1790 from portions of Maryland.  The rich history of Catholicism in Maryland carried over to the new nation’s capital.  A large portion of the new District—including the location for the Capitol—was obtained from Daniel Carroll and Notley Young, relatives of Archbishop John Carroll.  Many of Washington’s early local leaders were Catholic, including Robert Brent, the first mayor, William Kilty, the first chief judge for the district court, Captain Thomas Tingey, the first commandant of the Navy Yard, and James Hoben, architect of the White House.

Many of these prominent Catholics were English and they mixed well with the Protestant gentry—many of the prominent Washington families had both Catholic and Protestant branches.  It was in part because of this good will that Washington did not experience the same problems that other cities did during the nativist reaction to increased immigration—especially from Ireland.  Washington had attracted a number of Irish and German immigrants in the decades leading up to the Civil War and a nativist party—the Know Nothings—did gain control of the local government during the 1850s.  But their time in power was brief.

Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown was the first parish in the District of Columbia—it was established in 1787--three years before the District was established.  St. Patrick’s Church was founded in 1794—the first Catholic church in Washington.  (Washington and Georgetown were separate towns at that time.)  During Washington’s early years, local Catholic leaders hoped that someday Washington would have its own bishop and a location was set aside in 1801—Cathedral Square (now the site of St. Vincent de Paul Church on South Capitol Street)—for a cathedral church.  This was carried further when a new church was dedicated in 1895 for St. Matthew’s parish—a building no doubt meant to be a cathedral for some future bishop.

Nevertheless, despite being the nation’s capital, Washington remained part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore until 1939 when the Archdiocese of Washington was created, originally consisting of only the District of Columbia.  The new Archbishop of Washington was Michael Curley, who was also the Archbishop of Baltimore.  St. Matthew’s became the Cathedral church for the new archdiocese.  Washington did not get its own Archbishop until Curley died in 1947 and Pope Pius XII appointed Patrick O’Boyle to be the first resident archbishop.  At that time, the Archdiocese assumed its present territory of the District of Columbia and five Maryland counties.  The Archdiocese of Washington is one of only four U.S. archdioceses established without first being a diocese.

Archdiocese of Washington

The Archdiocese of Washington consists of the District of Columbia and 5 counties in Maryland. The archdiocese has 639,000 Catholics (22 percent of the total population) in 139 parishes.

Map of the Archdiocese

Archbishops of Washington

Michael J. Curley (1879-1947), first and only Archbishop of Baltimore and Washington (1939-1947). 

·         Born in Ireland and ordained a priest for the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, in 1904.

·         Also served as Bishop of St. Augustine (1914-1921) and Archbishop of Baltimore (1921-1939).

Curley had led the Archdiocese of Baltimore for 18 years, when, in 1939, part of the Baltimore archdiocese was formed into the new Archdiocese of Washington, and Curley was made Archbishop of both Archdioceses.  He was never enthusiastic about this split, but he obeyed the decision of Pope Pius XII.  Archbishop Curley died in 1947.

Patrick A. O’Boyle (1896-1987), Archbishop of Washington (1948-1973). 

·         Born in Pennsylvania and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New York in 1921.

·         He was named a Cardinal by Pope Pius VI in 1967.

 Washington received its own Archbishop in the person of Patrick O’Boyle, who had directed the Catholic bishops’ war relief efforts during World War II.  This was a time of demographic change in the country and Cardinal O’Boyle established 50 new parishes to care for the large number of Catholics coming to the Washington area after the war and those moving from Washington to the suburbs.  He also opened facilities for the disadvantaged.  O’Boyle was not afraid to tackle difficult issues.  He began integration of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese well before the Supreme Court outlawed school segregation in 1954.  He also disciplined about 40 priests who disagreed with Pope Paul VI’s encyclical on birth control—some of whom left the priesthood.  He retired in 1973. 

William W. Baum (1926-2015), Archbishop of Washington (1973-1980). 

·         Born in Texas and ordained a priest in 1951 for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri.

·         Also served as Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri (1970-1973),  Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education (1980-1990), and the Vatican’s Major Penitentiary (1990-2001).  He was named a Cardinal in 1976 by Pope Paul VI. 

Cardinal Baum created archdiocesan secretariats for Black Catholics and Hispanic Catholics and established six suburban parishes.  He hosted Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Nation’s Capital in 1979.  He left Washington in 1980 to become the Vatican’s Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.  At that time, the Archdiocese had 396,000 Catholics.  

James A. Hickey (1920-2004), Archbishop of Washington (1980-2000). 

·       Born in Michigan, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan in1946.

·      Also served as auxiliary bishop of Saginaw, Michigan (1967-1969), rector for the North American College in Rome (1969-1974), and Bishop of Cleveland (1974-1980).  He was named a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1988. 

Cardinal Hickey was always concerned with the needs of the poor and disadvantaged.  He expanded Catholic Charities and established several new institutions to provide health care, legal aid, housing, and education to the poor—Catholic Charities became the region’s largest private provider of social services.  He also opened several new parishes and missions to serve new immigrant groups—at the time of his retirement, Masses were being celebrated in more than two dozen languages in the Archdiocese.  He also took early and effective action against priests involved in sexual abuse of minors.  Cardinal Hickey frequently testified before Congress on issues important to the Church, including nuclear disarmament and civil wars in Nicaragua and El Salvador. 

Theodore E. McCarrick (1930-    ), Archbishop of Washington (2000-2006). 

·         Born in New York City and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New York in 1958.

·         Also served in auxiliary bishop of New York (1977-1981), Bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey (1981-1986), and Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey (1986-2000).  He was named a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. 

Cardinal McCarrick began a successful endowment program to fund many of the Archdiocese’s needs.  Cardinal McCarrick also opened a new seminary for the Archdiocese as part of his emphasis on vocations—12 priests were ordained for the Archdiocese in 2006—the largest class in 30 years.  He also built a new high school that provides vocational training to moderate- and low-income students and supported scholarship programs for low-income students in the District of Columbia.  He traveled to many countries to assess human rights conditions and humanitarian needs.  Cardinal McCarrick retired in 2006. 

Current Bishop

Donald W. Wuerl was appointed Archbishop of Washington by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.  He was born in Pennsylvania in 1940 and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1966.  He previously served as auxiliary bishop of Seattle (1985-1988) and Bishop of Pittsburgh (1988-2006).  He was named a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

The Cathedral 

Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle

1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C.  20036 

St. Matthew was one of the twelve apostles and one of the four evangelists.  He was a tax collector, but little is known for sure of his life after the Resurrection.  He may have traveled to modern day Iran, Ethiopia, and Ireland.  It is thought that he was martyred by being stabbed with a sword.  He is patron saint of government workers, accountants, and of course, tax collectors.  His feast day is September 21. 

O Glorious Saint Matthew, in your Gospel You portray Jesus as the longed-for Messiah who fulfilled the Prophets of the Old Covenant and as the new Lawgiver who founded a Church of the New Covenant. Obtain for us the grace to see Jesus living In His Church and to follow His teachings in our lives on earth so that we may live forever with Him in heaven. Amen.

The parish of St. Matthew dates to 1840.  Its original church stood at 15^th and H Streets, N.W.  This Greek Revival structure saw many important events in early Washington Catholic history, including the baptism of President Tyler’s sister and the marriage of Senator Stephen Douglas.  The building was razed in 1910 and was replaced by the Southern Office Building.   

Construction on the current church began in 1893 and the first mass was said in 1895.  The Renaissance-style Cathedral was designed by Grant La Farge and is constructed with red brick and sandstone.  The building is in the form of a Latin cross 155 feet long and 136 feet wide at the transepts.  The Cathedral’s copper dome rises 200 above the ground and its main altar is made of white marble from India.

                          

Several beautiful mosaics by muralist Edwin Blashfield grace the Cathedral, including “Saint Matthew and the Angel” and “The Angels of the Crucifixion” above the main altar, the “Four Evangelists” on the four main pillars of the Cathedral, and the “Saintly and Eminent Personages of the Americas” over the entrance.  Side chapels are dedicated to our Blessed Mother, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, and the Holy Angels.  The organ was installed in 1995 and has 5,045 pipes.  St. Matthew’s, which became a Cathedral in 1939, seats 1,254, and has been the scene of many important liturgies, including a Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II in 1979, and the funeral Mass for President John F. Kennedy in 1963 (marked by a memorial).  The Cathedral underwent a major renovation that was completed in 2004 and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

The parish website, stmatthewscathedral.org, has an online tour of the cathedral.  You may also be interested in the Archdiocesan website at adw.org. 

The Cathedral is located in downtown Washington and has seven weekend masses, including one in Latin and one in Spanish, to serve about 1,500 parishioners and many visitors and downtown office workers.

All pictures were taken by me.

Also in Washington is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  The Shrine is dedicated to the Virgin Mary as Patroness of the United States.  Construction of the Byzantine-Romanesque church began in 1920 but was not completed until 1959.  It is the largest Catholic church in the Western Hemisphere, the eighth largest church in the world, but is only the second largest church in Washington, D.C.—the Washington National (Episcopal) Cathedral is slightly larger.  The Upper church can accommodate 6,000 people.  The Shrine features Byzantine mosaics and almost 60 chapels, many dedicated by various Catholic ethnic groups.  Pope John Paul II designated the Shrine as a basilica in 1990.  The Basilica Shrine is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.  The basilica’s website is nationalshrine.com.  The website has a virtual tour.

The first picture is from the basilica website and the second is from the internet.

The U.S. Virgin Islands

Catholic History of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Christopher Columbus was the first European to come to what are now the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1493.  He named them in honor of St. Ursula.  Many European nations claimed parts of the Virgin Islands until the Danish West Indian Company joined St. Croix to their existing colonies of St. Thomas and St. John in 1733.  The Danes sold the Islands to the United States in 1917.  Catholics are thought to have been in the Virgin Islands as early as the 17^th Century, but it was not until 1754 that the Danish government allowed Catholics to openly practice the Faith.  The following year, Holy Cross Church was established in Christiansted on St. Croix, and in 1773, Sts. Peter and Paul parish was established on St. Thomas.  Several religious orders ministered to the Virgin Island Catholics, including the Jesuits, Dominicans, and Redemptorists.  Pope John XXIII created the Territorial Prelature of the Virgin Islands in 1960 and Pope Paul VI created the Diocese of St. Thomas in 1977.

Map of the Diocese of St. Thomas 

Diocese of St. Thomas 

The diocese consists of U.S. Virgin Islands.  The diocese has 30,000 Catholics (28 percent of the total population) in 7 parishes.

Bishops of St. Thomas 

I have limited information the Bishops of St. Thomas. 

Edward J. Harper, C.SS.R (1910-1990), Territorial Prelate of the Virgin Islands (1960-1977) and first Bishop of St. Thomas (1977-1985). 

·         Born in New York and ordained a Redemptorist priest in 1939.

Bishop Harper retired in 1985.

Sean O’Malley, O.F.M.Cap. (1944-    ), Bishop of St. Thomas (1985-1992). 

• Born in Ohio and ordained a Capuchin priest in 1970.
• Also served as coadjutor bishop of St. Thomas (1984-1985), Bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts (1992-2002), Bishop of Palm Beach, Florida (2002-2003), and serves as Archbishop of Boston (since 2003).  Pope Benedict XVI named him a Cardinal in 2006. 

According to Wikipedia, Bishop O’Malley worked with the homeless and opened a home for AIDS victims.  Bishop O’Malley was named Bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1992.

Elliott G. Thomas (1926-    ), Bishop of St. Thomas (1993-1999). 

·         Born in Pennsylvania and ordained as a priest for the Diocese of St. Thomas in 1986.

Bishop Thomas retired in 1999. 
  

George V. Murry, S.J. (1948-    ), Bishop of St. Thomas (1999-2007). 

·         Born in New Jersey and ordained a Jesuit priest in 1979.

·         Also served as auxiliary bishop of Chicago (1995-1998), coadjutor bishop of St. Thomas (1998-1999), and serves as Bishop of Youngstown, Ohio (since 2007).

Murry converted to Catholicism as a child attending a Catholic school in Baltimore. Bishop Murry became the Bishop of Youngstown, Ohio, in 2007. 

Current Bishop 

Herbert A. Bevard was appointed Bishop of St. Thomas by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.  He was born in Maryland in 1946, converted to Catholicism in 1964, and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1972.  He previously served as a pastor in the Archdiocese.

The Cathedral 

Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral

2001 West End Avenue

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, V.I. 00803

St. Peter, originally known as Simon, was the first apostle chosen by Jesus.  Peter is frequently mentioned in the New Testament, and we know that he was a fisherman by trade, that he was married, that he was the leader of the apostles, and that he often tried the Lord’s patience.  After the Ascension of our Lord, Peter became the leader of the early church, eventually going to Rome to become the first Bishop of Rome, or Pope.  He was crucified there in approximately 64 A.D.  St. Paul, originally known as Saul, persecuted the early church, but was converted to Christianity by a vision of Jesus.  He spread the message of Christ to communities throughout much of the Roman Empire, becoming the Apostle to the Gentiles.  Many of his letters to early Christian communities have been retained in the New Testament.  He was beheaded in Rome either in 64 or 67 A.D.  The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is celebrated on June 29.

Defend, O Lord, thy servants, we beseech you, from all dangers both of body and soul; and, by the intercession of the blessed and glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, of blessed N., and of all your saints, mercifully grant us the blessings of peace and safety; that all adversities and errors being removed, your Church may freely and securely serve you; through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The first Catholic church in Charlotte Amalie was purchased in 1802, but burned in 1804.  The first Sts. Peter and Paul church was completed in 1806 and was destroyed by a hurricane in 1837.  The current building was completed in 1848.  From 1858 to 1889, the parish was staffed by Redemptorist priests.  Sts. Peter and Paul became the Cathedral for the Diocese of St. Thomas in 1977. 

The Cathedral is built in Spanish style and contains 12 ceiling murals depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments.  The Cathedral website is cathedralvi.com and the Diocesan website is catholicvi.com.

The Cathedral is located near downtown Charlotte Amalie and has five weekend masses, including one in Spanish.  The parish elementary school and high school has a combined enrollment of 100.

Both pictures are from the Cathedral website.