ELKTON, Md. — You only turn 175 once, and the folks at Immaculate Conception Parish in Elkton, Md., are celebrating in style.
On Dec. 7, Bishop Koenig will preside at Mass, a dinner will be held afterward, and parishioners past and present are invited.
Before the Mass, a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes will be unveiled in front of the church. Some may wonder why that statue was selected, said Mary Anne Smith, a member of the committee organizing the anniversary activities. In 1858, Mary appeared to Bernadette of Lourdes 18 times, and at the final apparition, Mary said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
The statue will be part of a memorial garden, and more than 400 bricks have been sold and will surround the statue.
“Many of them have bought them for themselves as well as people that may have been in the parish, or maybe just somebody they want to remember,” another member of the committee, Mary Ann Eurenius, said. She and her husband purchased bricks for each of their parents.
After the anniversary Mass, the location shifts to Newark Country Club just over the Delaware state line for a dinner. The parish is accepting reservations until space runs out. Those interested in attending should contact the parish office at (410) 398-1100. They may run into some familiar faces.
“The priests who are still alive have all been invited,” Eurenius said. “Not everyone is able to participate, but they have all been invited to come to the Mass and the dinner.”
The current church is not the original Immaculate Conception Church. The cornerstone of the original church was dedicated in 1849 on Bridge Street, and the site consisted of the church, rectory and small cemetery. A school and convent were added later. There is a larger cemetery on Route 213 near Mount Aviat Academy in Childs.
Father Francis Blake was the first resident pastor, arriving in 1868, the year the Diocese of Wilmington was formed. The parish grew, particularly during World War II and after, when engineering and chemical companies provided nearby employment, according to the parish.
A new school building designed to hold 500 students opened in 1956. By 1970, the original church was inadequate, and the current church and rectory were built in 1973. The McGlynn Parish Center was originally the convent for the Franciscan sisters who staffed the school; it was remodeled in 2002 into office space for the parish.
A mission church, St. Jude, opened in 1969 in nearby North East. Parishioners had their own location for Mass since 1957, meeting at the local fire hall, according to the parish.
The closing of the school in 2020 stung, Smith said. She worked there for a decade. But the parish rebounded and has a very positive vibe, she said.
“The school was closed in 2020 during the pandemic, and it was devastating,” she said. “We worried about the parish. I was on parish council at the time. Were we going to survive this? It took a while, but the parish is growing. It is thriving. There is an energy here.
“We’ve got children. After the school closed, it seemed there were very few children. The children are coming back.”
Paula Amberg, a member of the anniversary committee, said she is seeing more and more young families in attendance at Mass. Almost every bulletin announces a new family or a baptism.
“It’s really exciting to see,” said Amberg, who worked in the parish office for 25 years.
Immaculate Conception is a very active parish, she continued, with picnics, the Christmas bazaar, an annual golf outing and other activities that build the community. Last year, Father Richard Jasper arrived as the pastor, and this past summer, newly ordained Father James Gebhart was assigned there as associate pastor. Resident Oblate Father Gerry Dunne joins them.
“We’ve been blessed with wonderful priests here. They’re always there for you,” Amberg said.
A local Baptist church leases the first floor and the gymnasium at the school, with the parish religious education program using the second floor. The income generated has allowed the parish to do some necessary work around the campus, Smith said.
The women described Immaculate Conception as “home” and a “special community.”
Eurenius said she and her husband, Keith, were “roamin’ Catholics” for a while before discovering Immaculate Conception.
“We came to Mass one Sunday, and when we left, we said, ‘This is it.’ We roamed for a little while, but we came here one Sunday, and just thought Father Joe (Piekarski) was great. The community was very warm and welcoming,” she said. Father Piekarski was the pastor from 2002-13.
“It’s where we live our faith, and it’s been such an important part of our lives,” Amberg said.
