"On 25 March, 1634, we celebrated Mass for the first time in the island (St. Clement's). This had never been done before in this part of the world," wrote Father Andrew White in his journal.

First Mass in Maryland

That first mass on St. Clement's island was the first mass in Maryland, and the first mass in the New World.

It was on St. Clement's Island, on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, that the Catholic community celebrated Mass for the first time. The governor, his men and the other Catholics shouldered a great cross they had fashioned out of a tree. Carrying it to the appointed place, they erected it as a trophy to Christ, the Savior. On bended knees they humbly recited the litanies of the Holy Cross with great devotion. The Indians and the Protestants witnessed this historic event.

 
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