St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church is a diverse, vibrant parish in the heart of downtown Frederick Maryland. The church dates back to 1763 and is the oldest catholic church in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Mass is held daily at 8am, Tuesday (en español) at 7:00pm, Saturday at 5:00pm and 7:00pm (en español), Sunday at 7:30, 9:00 and 11:00am and 1:00 pm. All are invited! Please visit our website www.stjohn-frederick.org. Lord Baltimore, who founded the colony of Maryland, first brought the Roman Catholic faith to this area in 1634 with the help of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits . During the mid-1700s, the Jesuits were largely responsible for carrying that faith inland from the shoreline territories. Because Roman Catholics were forbidden by the Crown’s Penal Laws to build churches or practice their religion openly, the first worship space was established in the spring of 1763 in Frederick, in a small brick home on the north side of Second Street owned by John Carey. The Penal Laws were repealed in 1776, and it wasn’t long before the Roman Catholic community outgrew the small home chapel. In 1789, Pope Pius VI created the first Roman Catholic Diocese in the United States, the Diocese of Baltimore. During the Jesuit suppression which began in 1773, Rev. John DuBois, was named pastor for the area that included all Catholics from Frederick, Maryland, to Saint Louis, Missouri. St. John’s, along with many other churches in Frederick, was used during the Civil War for purposes other than worship. Some churches served as makeshift hospitals (with planks laid over the pews for beds), but because of the height of its windows, St John’s held jailed Confederate soldiers. In 2013, St. John's celebrated its 250th Anniversary. The parish currently serves over 3,050 households.