Our History

The first Byzantine Divine Liturgy in the Baltimore area was held at St. Joseph Passionist Monastery in Catonsville on October 2, 1966. Following the next Divine Liturgy was held on Christmas, December 25, 1966, Bishop Stephen Kocisko gave his blessing to the mission and the Divine Liturgy was celebrated each Sunday and holy day at St. Joseph Monastery.

The parish servers then moved to the chapel of the Polish Sisters of St. Joseph Nursing Home in Catonsville. The first Liturgy here was held June 9, 1966. Soon the parish grew and the chapel was too small. Liturgy was then held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish, in their old Woodlawn church. The parish was served by priests from St. Gregory Church in Washington during these early days. 

Bishop Michael Dudick titled the new congregation, Patronage of the Mother of God, because the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated on this Feast Day, and the group was located in the state of "Mary's Land."

In 1972, on the Tuesday of Holy Week, news reached the parish that Nativity Lutheran Church in Arbutus was considering selling their church. A standard contract of sale was signed on April 17, 1972, for the purchase of Holy Nativity. Through a generous invitation from the pastor of Holy Nativity, the church was shared by the Byzantines and Lutherans. On January 30, 1973 the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs, official settlement was made. Due to delays in the construction of the new Nativity, the Byzantines were not able to "take over" the church until the first Sunday of March 1973. The church was formally dedicated on October 7, 1973. 

The initial  concern was to make the interior of the church as liturgically suitable and artistically beautify as possible. With the installation of the icon screen, altars, and baldacchino the sanctuary was made into a setting of exalted grace.

The parish finished a large renovation program in 1993, including the construction of an interior elevator, chapel, meeting areas, an exterior gold dome, and an expanded church kitchen and hall.

The parish has active missions in Hagerstown, MD at St. Ann Catholic Church and in Abingdon, MD at St. Francis Catholic Church. The parish also runs adult education and youth formation programs.