Oldest Catholic Churches: St. Francis Xavier Church -- Leonardtown, Md.

(Observer screengrab/parish website)

Destination: This Maryland parish, which celebrated its 350th anniversary a few years ago, represents the arrival of the first English-speaking Catholics in the original colonies and the second oldest continuous parish in the U.S. 
Masses are offered Saturday at 4 p.m.; Sunday at 8 and 11 a.m.; Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8 a.m.
Photos: A photo of the parish in winter in 1962 (top) is credited to a priest on the parish website. An archaeological dig of the parish grounds (below)  took place in 2011.
Why to go: Catholicism in English-speaking America began in Maryland and most of the events of the intervening centuries have been witnessed by Newtowne, Md.  The St. Francis Xavier website explains Newtowne was the first settlement in the Maryland province after the original at St. Mary’s City. The church is within view of St. Clement’s Island where English colonists first landed in 1634. The Piscataway Indians and their forebearers occupied the site for many centuries before Europeans arrived.
The landowner, William Bretton, invited Jesuit priests to begin missionary activity in the area in 1640, but chapels and churches were not built so Catholics wouldn’t offend the English authorities.
Twice in the early years — in 1645 and 1655 — the Jesuit missionaries fled to avoid anti-Catholic activites, but returned each time.

(Observer screengrab/parish website)

When Charles II became king of England in 1660, the religious tolerance that had been the hallmark of the colony was re-established in Maryland.  In 1661 Bretton and his wife, Temperance, donated 1.5 acres of land so the Newtowne congregation could build a chapel and establish a cemetery. The chapel was built in 1662 and the cemetery is still in use.
In 2011, shortly before the parish celebrated its 350th anniversary, an archaeological dig of the grounds uncovered artifacts of both native American and English colonial settlement.
Accessibility: The website offers no information about accessiblity, but look for a virtual tour on the website to plan your trip.
(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.
Info: Address — St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 21370 Newtowne Neck Road, Leonardtown, MD  20650
Phone — 301-475-9885
Website — https://stfrancisxavierchurch.org/

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story 
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