St. Francis Xavier Church, Newtowne, Maryland

St. Francis Xavier Church in Newtowne, Maryland, has the distinction of being the oldest continuously used Catholic church in the original thirteen colonies of America. The chapel was built by Jesuits in 1662 during a period when religious toleration was restored in the colony of Maryland. The acre and a half property was donated by William Bretton, who owned the 850 acres. The Society of Jesus bought his estate in 1668 to use as a farm and a base for evangelizing in other parts of the colony. Religious tolerance vanished again in the early 1700s, forcing the Jesuits to build a less obvious religious structure. As the War of Independence approached, religious intolerance waned. The Jesuits added a vestibule and choir loft on the entrance in 1767. Many exterior buildings came and went in the coming decades. In 1967, the Jesuits left and gave the land around the church to the Archdiocese of Washington. The Jesuits sold the rest of the property to the state and it became a park. The archdiocese recognized the importance of the church and the extant manor house and invested in restoration work. The church still has Mass regularly and has a Knights of Columbus Council.

Shaded exterior of St. Francis Xavier

The "new" vestibule has a statue of Saint Francis along with the baptismal font and the pascal candle.

St. Francis Xavier

Baptismal font and pascal candle

The nave is simple and has the old-style pews boxed off with doors.

Nave

The back pew

The main altar is also simple yet elegant with Saint Francis in the same pose as the statue above.

Main altar

Confessional/sacristy on the side

The statues are quite nice.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Saint Joseph

Saint Teresa of Avila

Blessed Virgin Mary

Outside, a stone commemorates the Jesuit pastors of the church.

History written in stone

Outdoor area dedicated to Mary

Saint Joseph

The manor house is still standing though not open for visitors. We saw one resident fly away, too fast to get a picture.

Needs stairs!

The back of the manor

Side view shows additions

The upstairs neighbor's place

One of the barns is still here!

Barn