Historical ‘mother parish’ seeks to shore up centuries-old foundations

A former Jesuit mission church that is considered the mother church of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware—and connects it with the histories of three neighboring American archdioceses—is in desperate need of support, both figuratively and literally.

St. Francis Xavier Shrine, which in a rural section of southern Cecil County, Maryland, is marking the 320th anniversary of its founding in 1704. Jesuits, who first served on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay (in the current Archdioceses of Washington and Baltimore), started their ministry on the Eastern Shore discreetly, as the practice of Catholicism was illegal.

Seeds that bore much fruit

The priests of the religious order purchased a plantation on the site as a means to hide their clandestine pastoral activities. The Jesuits would use “Old Bohemia,” which was the name of the plantation, as a base of operations for their ministry throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. They would initially build mission chapels as far away as southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware.

One such priest, who is buried in the still-active cemetery at St. Francis Xavier, was Fr. Joseph Greaton, S.J. He founded Old St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia in 1734—exactly 30 years after the arrival of the Jesuits at “Old Bohemia.” It was the first Catholic parish openly established in Pennsylvania.

The colonial government of Pennsylvania, dominated by Quakers—who had also been persecuted by British authorities—followed the tolerant principles of their founder, William Penn, in their decision to allow the practice of Catholicism. Once the Jesuits established roots in Philadelphia, they would send out mission priests as far away as New York City.

His brother priests in Maryland would also establish a short-lived school at “Old Bohemia.” Among the students were two prominent Catholics who were instrumental in the history of the United States—Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence; and his cousin, John Carroll, S.J., the first bishop in the United States, based out of Baltimore.

The current shrine church at “Old Bohemia” dates from 1797—just over 20 years after the Maryland state government restored religious freedom to the Catholic Church (the former colony had started as a place where English Catholics could escape persecution and worship openly). The Jesuits would offer the sacraments in this “new” church for 101 years, until they left in 1898. They donated the church and the surrounding property to the Diocese of Wilmington.

A decades-old battle for survival and restoration

St. Francis Xavier suffered at catastrophic fire in January 1912. All that remained were the brick walls. The then-bishop of Wilmington, John Monaghan, decided to rebuild the church. However, less than twenty years later, the church itself was abandoned during the Great Depression and it became vulnerable to looters and the elements.

Three Cecil County residents established the Old Bohemia Historical Society in 1953. Over the past 71 years, they have worked to preserve the historical church. Thirty years ago, they replaced the roof, which had been weakening the fire-damaged walls at the shrine. However, further signs of wear on the old structure emerged in recent years.

According to a July 2024 article in The Dialog, the Diocese of Wilmington’s newspaper, the shrine used to host First Saturday Masses, along with special events throughout the year. However, due to structural deterioration, all of those were suspended in 2022. The diocese and the historical society are working together to stabilize the church’s crumbling foundation stones; replace rotting wood; and repair cracks in the walls.

The main obstacle to this restoration project is the high cost. The historical society turned to a regional construction firm for an estimate. It would cost $810,000 to start work. The non-profit organization has nowhere near that amount, so they are turning to the public for help. Ginny Swyka, the president of Old Bohemia Historical Society, disclosed in The Dialog’s write up that once they raise the needed amount, restoration work would take six months to a year.

Swyka is a member of St. Basil’s parish in nearby Chesapeake City, Maryland, which also has longstanding ties to the shrine. Fifteen years ago, members of that parish—which is part of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Archeparchy of Philadelphia—paid for the guilding of the church steeple. A commemorative plaque in the shrine’s vestibule reads, in part, that the steeple restoration was “dedicated to all of the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholics that have worshipped here…through the years.”

Clarice Kwasnieski, a former board member of the historical society, stated that Ukrainian Catholic immigrants attended Sunday Mass with their Latin-Rite brethren for years during the latter part of the 19th century (during the final years of the Jesuit presence). Ultimately, the first bishop of the archeparchy, Soter Stephen Ortynsky, would set up St. Basil’s in the early 20th century to minister to the local Ukrainian community.

Besides the needed funds for the restoration, the members of the Old Bohemia Historical Society accept any inquiries into the history of the shrine. You can contact them at oldbohemiahs@gmail.com. Donations can be made here.

Postscript: This author visited the shrine in November 2022 to pray for the deceased members of his extended family who are buried in the cemetery. He received an unexpected tour of the church and neighboring buildings from members of the historical society. He is grateful for their long-term care of the shrine.