Redemptorist Residence Belonged to Member of the Continental Congress
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December 15, 2021The land on which Saint Mary’s Church, Rectory, and schools sits has a long, storied history. It had belonged to Charles Carroll, a delegate for the Colony of Maryland to the Continental Congress. He was the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence.
The property, together with one of Charles Carroll’s homes, was acquired by the Redemptorists in 1853 from relatives of Charles Carroll. It was to be used for “religious purposes.” Since that time, the Carroll House has been used as a residence of Redemptorist priests, a novitiate, an added year of training for our priests called the tirocinium, a place of meetings, and at the present time, as offices for the parish and school administration.
It is a historical monument. The property around the Carroll House is a wide arc on the shore of Spa Creek which empties into the nearby Chesapeake Bay. It is known as Carroll Gardens.
From the beginning of Redemptorist history in Annapolis, a Redemptorist cemetery was set apart. Dozens of Redemptorists are buried there, including the Redemptorist seminarians who drowned in a boating accident while enjoying a day of sailing.
In recent years the gravestones have been battered by the weather and storms. They were dirty, unreadable, with green moss growing on them.
This October 2021 the cemetery was power washed. October is also a time when the city of Annapolis celebrates a two-weekend “Boat Show.” Many who love sailing converge on Annapolis. These pictures reveal the beauty of this peaceful place of rest, overlooking the sailboats moored there.
Carroll Gardens has also been very useful as we move into a more normal school year. Most days, the high school students have picnic lunches on the lawns.
The parish has an outdoor Mass on Saturday at 5 p.m., which became very popular as we were cautiously returning to parish life, with many restrictions. Open-air Masses became popular. There is also another outdoor Mass at 9 a.m. on Sundays, on the grounds of Saint John Neumann Church, just outside of Seelos Hall.
