Parish History
The story of St. Peter the Apostle Church in Libertytown begins in England with William Coale. Catholics in England suffered an unfavorable status and like many faithful Catholics, William set sail for the "New World" in hopes of religious freedom. William arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1608 as a Quaker. When Virginia began persecuting non-Anglicans, he arrives in Maryland before the landing in St. Mary's by the Calvert contingent. The family converted back to the Mother Church in the late 1600's and began a long association with Lord Baltimore and the Calvert family. Maryland that was founded by Lord Baltimore as a safe haven for Catholics.

From the 1720’s – 1730’s, large tracks of land were made available by Lord Baltimore’s family to have Catholics live is safety and to colonize the area near the disputed border with Pennsylvania. This was especially important as the Maryland province in 1718 enacted penal laws against Catholics. In 1754 John Young bought Duke’s Woods from the Arnold Livers estate. Jesuit priests, riding on horseback from Southern Maryland first served the Catholics in the area. Catholics built "Mass Houses" instead of churches, as they were not permitted by law to build a church.

In 1782, John Young renamed Duke’s Woods "Libertytown" in the fervor that followed the Revolutionary War victory. The town was laid out in lots for sale. The town’s population had grown to support a physician, businesses and a school. John Young had no family, so he left all the land and homes to Richard Coale, son of a third generation William Coale.

William and his wife, Katherine McSherry had Jesuit priests from Frederick or Conewago Chapel, near McSherrystown, come to celebrate mass in the second floor ballroom of their house. The "Coale House", built in 1783 is located at the intersection of Main Street and Walnut Avenues.

Ministry at St. Peter’s has its roots with the true pioneers of the Catholic Church in America. Father John DuBois, a Sulpucian, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, and Richard and Katherine Coale were all contemporaries 200 years ago.

The Coales donated the land and paid to have the first church, which was stone, built in Libertytown. The stone church stood where the present statue of St. Peter is erected, just outside the back of the church in the cemetery. Two of Richard and Katherine’s children, Sarah "Sallie" Coale and James McSherry Coale were great benefactors to St. Peter’s.

Sallie Coale, a devout Catholic, in 1814 married Col. Thomas Sappington, the Episcopalian son of Dr. Francis Brown Sappington. It is the children of Sallie and Thomas Sappington, Sarah "Sallie" Rebecca Sappington, Dr. Sidney Sappington, and a grandson, James M. Sappington who donated the land and built the school for St. Peter’s, the Notre Dame Academy.

Another child of Richard and Katherine Coale, James, donated $15,000 so that the new brick church could be built (present day church). The cornerstone was laid on May 23, 1869 and was dedicated on Sunday, July 2, 1871. When the original church was torn down in 1907, the stones were used in the foundation of the new community hall across the street from the church. The Parish Hall was completed in 1907.

St. Peter’s was under formal Jesuit supervision from 1821 to 1882. Father Eugene Gwynne began a campaign to build a rectory and approached Miss Sallie Sappington who lived in the Coale Mansion, inherited from her uncle, Gen. Coale. She guaranteed the funds for the rectory as a loan with no interest. The rectory was completed in 1888.

In 1889, then pastor, Father William Ironsides Reaney, approached Sallie Sappington about building a school. Sallie, her brother, Dr. Sidney Sappington, and nephew James M. Sappington, graciously agreed to donate the land and money for the Notre Dame Academy to educate boys and girls.

Fr. Reaney was followed as pastor by Fr. Thomas Montaverde.

In 1894, Fr. John Paul White, a former Jesuit, begins his pastorate. He had experience with working among the poor and did great work in Libertytown until 1898.

Fr. Don Luigi Sartori was then pastor for only nine months. At this time, Our Lady of Mount Carmel mission was given a pastor. This brought great joy to Libertytown as now, Mass would be celebrated every Sunday.

Fr. John Norton came in 1898 to replace Fr. Sartori. Fr. Norton was a scholar and a kind-hearted priest who took a great interest in the school. He was pastor at the turn of the century when there were 230 parishioners, a beautiful church, a school, a rectory, the old stone church that was being used as a hall, and the cemetery.

January 1902, Fr. Joseph Kavanaugh became pastor and the church was consecrated on September 8, 1903. Deeply interested in the spiritual welfare of the parish, Fr. Kavanaugh also beautified the church grounds to help stimulate the highest and noblest thoughts of the reverence of the parishioners for God. Aided by parishioners, Fr. Kavanaugh laid out the walks of the cemetery, planted trees, flowers and shrubs to make St. Peter’s Cemetery one of the most beautiful on the East Coast.

In 1908 new steps were added to the front of the church; in 1910 beautiful stained glass windows were imported from Germany and installed in the Church; in 1912 the new Calvary was erected as the first memorial to the ill-fated victims of the Titanic; in 1914 the peaceful Grotto of Lourdes was built behind the church; in 1916 the church was frescoed; and in 1918 a new marble altar and organ were installed.

St. Peter’s celebrated it’s centennial in 1921 and the Catholic Review, writing an article on the centennial stated, "The congregation of Libertytown, though small in numbers, is one of exceptional zeal. There is a fine parochial school and there always has been manifested by the people a real spirit of devotion." Fr. Kavanaugh died in April 1922 and was buried at the foot of the Blessed Mother’s statue in our cemetery.

Fr. Martin McNulty was appointed pastor in 1923 and saw the advent of electricity in Libertytown. The parish buildings were among the first to be connected to the public system.

Fr. Phillip Farrell became pastor in 1928 and served the parish for nine years. During this time, the School Sisters of Notre Dame opened a school for African-American children using the parish hall.

Fr. John Collins served as pastor from 1937 until 1943 when illness caused him to retire. Fr. Thomas Haggerty served as administrator until Fr. Michael Hyle was appointed as pastor in December 1943. Fr. Hyle was named Bishop of Wilmington, Delaware in 1950.

In 1946, Fr. Stephen Chylinski assumes the pastorate and helps to celebrate the 125^th anniversary of the parish in conjunction with a jousting tournament and picnic which was an annual event of St. Peter’s parish for over 50 years.

Fr. John Mountain came to St. Peter’s in 1952 and in 1958 Fr. Ed Sargus was appointed pastor. Fr. Sargus was in residence in Libertytown until November 11, 1961 when he was appointed to a post in Baltimore.

In 1961, Fr. Martin Flahaven was assigned to St. Peters. Fr. Flahaven appears in a Missal widely used in religious education for children showing him celebrating the new English Mass, right after the Second Vatican Council. Fr. Flahaven sold "gold bricks" to raise money to enclose the parish hall in a brick facade. He died December, 14, 1972.

Fr. Flahaven’s good friend, Fr. Francis Morrison became pastor in 1965 and we celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the present church. Sadly, St. Peter’s school, the Notre Dame Academy, closes its doors after 80 years of service to parish children.

In 1974 Fr. Paul Iaia was assigned to St. Peter’s. During his pastorate, the youth program, SPY (St. Peter’s Youth), began. In 1980, Fr. Iaia oversaw the total renovation of the interior of the church; addition of four classrooms to the basement of the old Academy building; and the installation of a handicap ramp behind the church. Fr. Iaia left St. Peter’s in 1984 to become pastor of St. Joseph-On-Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown.

Fr. Gene Nichol assumed the pastorate in April 1984 and the parish experienced tremendous growth from 350 families in 1984 to 900 families in 1992. Fr. Gene oversaw the restoring of the steeple in 1986; began a campaign for a new parish center along with parishioner/architect, Dan Sullivan in 1980. Dan was instrumental in planning, studies, and developmental phases of the building process, but died in May, 1990, months before the center’s construction. The banquet hall of the parish center was named "The Sullivan Room" with gratitude for Dan’s contribution. Ground for the parish center was broken in June 1990 and construction was completed in December 1991. The Parish Center seats 300 people and contains eight additional classrooms for religious education and parish meetings. The parish has been blessed by the ministries of Deacon Michael Misulia, ordained in 1978 and Deacon James Wright, a native son, ordained in 1977.

From 1992 to 1993, the parish had two priests as administrators, Frs. Joseph DePetris and Jack Ward until January 1994, when Fr. John Dietzenbach became pastor. The parish has flourished from 1100 families in 1994 to 1600 families in 1999. Fr. Dietzenbach promoted the Heritage of Hope Campaign for the purposes of constructing a maintenance building, the addition of much-needed parking, and the renovation of the Old Hall (Sappington Hall). In 1994, the exterior of the church was repainted, and in 1999 the front steps of the church were redone. In 1998, the parish built and dedicated the Memorial to the Unborn and Untombed which is located in the cemetery. In 1999, the front steps and railings of the church were replaced and updated.  

In 2001 Fr. John updated the church Rectory and Angel Hill.  With the help of many volunteers, Fr. John was able to renovate a property on Main Street into a much needed Thrift Shop.  In 2003, he conducted a campaign that would provide our church with a new roof and steeple.  This project was to be completed in Spring of 2004.

The present St. Peter's Church was destroyed by fire on June 3, 2004.  The fire occurred during the final phases of steeple reconstruction.  The fire spread quickly through the steeple and then throughout the church after the burning steeple collapsed onto the tar paper covered roof.  Thanks to the efforts of the many firefighters a portion of the old church was saved.  

Planning for a new church started soon after the fire.  With the help of Deacon Mike Misulia, it is determined that the site of the original stone church, marked by our statue of St. Peter and the existing church would provide enough space to build a new church.  The ever familiar St. Peter's front facade and Steeple will be retained and serve as the architectural model for the new St. Peter's Church.  In 2005, Fr. John began a capital campaign for our new church.  On April 21, 2006, Cardinal Keeler, Bishop Malooly and Fr. John hosted a ground breaking for St. Peter's with an anticipated completion date of Winter 2007.  During this momentous occasion, Cardinal Keeler announced that Fr. John would be elevated to Monsignor.  Fr. John's formal installation took place on June 25, 2006 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore, MD.

The damaged Rectory building is removed in August of 2006.  Construction on the new church was started in October 2006.  

Church Construction - Sept 2007 as viewed from entrance to the grotto (Photo:P. Burr)

Construction Update April 2008 -- Slide Show