Corpus Christi Catholic Parish

110 W Lafayette Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21217
Phone: (410) 523-4161

2010s

In 2010, the Archdiocese decided that Rev. Bozzelli was needed to lead three parishes in Glen Burnie. His replacement was Rev. Martin Demek, from St. William of York parish. Since Father Marty’s arrival the parish has seen a few more changes, primarily due to fiscal constraints. After much discernment, the..Read More

2000s

The priest shortage was an even greater reality in the 21st century than when Sister Jane retired. Parishioners were fairly certain that a priest would not be assigned because the parish was now accustomed to not having a priest pastor. But a priest was assigned, one who had applied for..Read More

1990s

Sister Jane continued to oversee many repairs and renovations of parish property, especially the church. She sold the convent to raise money. She approved a survey of parishioner impressions about liturgy and a parish census. She encouraged the establishment of small Christian communities of about 8-10 individuals each, which met..Read More

1980s

With Rev. Sewell’s departure in 1980, the parish hired its first pastoral associate, Sister Jane Desmond. Joining her was Sister Jane Coyle, a Medical Mission sister, who assisted where needed. When Sister Desmond left in 1983, Sister Jane became pastoral associate and assumed responsibility for social outreach, adult education, and..Read More

1970s

Problems remained, as did impressions that the parish was insular. In 1971, the school closed its doors because of lack of enrollment. In 1976, Fr. Dougherty asked to be relieved of his pastoral duties. After a team of Jesuits met with parishioners, they sent recommendations to the Archdiocese about Corpus..Read More

1960s

Rev. Flanagan died in 1965. Corpus Christi’s sixth pastor was Rev. John Ballard, no stranger to the parish, having served at Corpus Christi from 1953 to 1964. Although he was overjoyed with this, his first pastorate, he was realistic enough to know that social forces – in the city and..Read More

1950s

In 1951, Rev. Leo Barley (formerly pastor of St. Andrew’s Church) was appointed as Corpus Christi’s fourth pastor. A musician, Rev. Barley seemingly had little interest in finances; collections continued to decrease, and by the end of his term, the budget had fallen by a third. Although parishioner numbers remained..Read More

1940s

By the year of his death (1943), Rev. Nolan had paid off the $75,000 debt for the new school. When he died, after 34 years as pastor, the parish – although struggling in terms of membership – had no debt. The first 63 years of Corpus Christi parish were led..Read More

1930s

As additional urban renewal squeezed parish boundaries even further, the Great Depression caused even greater restriction of funds available for the parish. Numbers of parishioners and children in the school continued to dwindle. Yet, Rev. Nolan did not incur any new debt, and he continued to pay off existing debt…Read More

1920s

The pastorate of Rev. Nolan continued. Bolton Hill saw some famous people take up (at least temporary) residence, such as Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and the famous Cone sisters, Claribel and Etta. Although in the 1920s Bolton Hill was still a grand place to live, the neighborhood..Read More