About Our Parish

Transfiguration Catholic Community Parish was established by the recognition of the spiritual needs of a declining population of three urban parishes (St. Peter the Apostle, St. Martin of Tours and St. Jerome) in Southwest Baltimore. St. Peter the Apostle was founded in 1842 to minister to the Irish population at the corner of Hollins/Poppleton streets in West Baltimore. St. Martin of Tours was founded in 1865 in the Franklin Square community of West Baltimore to serve the Irish/German immigrants and their families; while St. Jerome was established in 1887 to serve the German immigrants in the Washington village or as it is popularly called Pig Town. St Jerome’s is located at the corner of Scott/Hamburg streets, three blocks from M&T Bank or the Ravens stadium.

The Tri-Parish Catholic Community of St. Jerome, St. Martin, and St. Peter the Apostle came together as one canonical and corporate entity with an aim to streamline both management and pastoral developments for strong and vibrant parish programs. These three parishes became the first in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to enjoy such a merger. The combined congregations merged formerly on July 1, 2004.

On August 29, 2004, after the 10:00 a.m. Mass at St. Martins of Tours, celebrated by Cardinal William H. Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore and concelebrated by Father John Harvey, O.F.M., Cap., the pastor, there was a procession with parishioners of the three parishes to St. Peter the Apostle at 13 Poppleton Street and finally arriving at St. Jerome’s Church at 1001 Scott Street, the new home of Transfiguration Catholic Community. This was a sad day for the parishioners, in that the three parishes lost their canonical identities but also a day of joy as they metamorphosed into a strong and vibrant parish with a new name and a new identity. This reminds us of the parable of Jesus, “Truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” Jn. 12:24.

Father John Harvey, O.F.M., Cap., pastor of St. Martin’s since 1978 and then of the Tri-Parishes, became the first pastor of the consolidated parish of Transfiguration in 2004. From 2005 through 2008 the administration of the parish as pastor was entrusted to Father Mark Carter, O.F.M., Cap. Father Roger White, O.F.M., Cap. was assigned to the parish in 2008. He was pastor until the Capuchin Franciscan Order exited the parish at the end of June 2010. Father Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP, a member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria, (the Missionaries of St. Paul, MSP) was appointed pastor on July 1, 2010.

Transfiguration Catholic Community is a small, close-knit and welcoming community. We are a corner stone of Catholicism in Southwest Baltimore and our mission is to promote spiritual and human growth through our word, works, sacrament and diversity. The parish offers Religious Education, Youth Ministry, and a variety of spiritual activities and ministries such as Ladies of Charity, Legion of Mary, Holy Name Society, Homebound and Senior Ministry, and the St. Vincent De Paul Society. We reach out to the community whenever possible, especially with our yearly Christmas Basket Project. We have worked hard to create our new parish family. We are proud and thankful to God for our past. We look forward in hope to the future. We are eager to welcome you to worship with us and become part of our parish family.

The parish corporation is the legal vehicle for managing the affairs of the parish and for establishing specific legal accountability for those affairs; therefore the corporators have a fiduciary responsibility for managing the assets of a parish. The Corporators are the Archbishop (President) Vicar Bishop (Vice President), Pastor (Secretary-Treasurer) and two qualified lay persons who are members of the parish, nominated by the Pastor, and approved by the Archbishop. The lay Corporators are appointed for a specific term, usually five years and may be reappointed for additional terms. The Corporators of the parish meet four times a year.

Our Corporators are:

Ms Betty Boritz: #410-379-8095; Email: bettyboritz@verizon.net
Mr. John Murphy: #410-625-4828; Email: jcmurphy@verizon.net

The Parish Pastoral Council is comprised of a body of parishioners who provide spiritual support to the pastor as well as discern the spiritual development and needs facing the parish community.

Membership: Any active registered parishioner in good standing over the age of 21 is eligible. They must be baptized, Roman Catholics, committed to prayer and formation, be passionate and take ownership of the parish, be a team player and use discernment process for decision-making.

Parish Council Chair: Ms Christiana Engerman. #410-685-1699: Email: cengerman@mris.com

The finance council is an advisory body whose membership should include individuals skilled in finance, civil law, construction/engineering or business. As a consultative body, the council assists the pastor in carrying out the common burden of the material administration of the parish. It assists the pastor in the preparation of the annual budget; in monitoring financial reports and the annual budget on an ongoing (at least quarterly) basis; assists in assuring that the financial statements are presented to the parish community (at least annually); assists in the implementation of acceptable internal control practices including reviewing and implementing diocesan policies, and; assists the pastor in evaluating the impact on parish finances and administration of leasing parish properties to an outside organization.

Council members are appointed by the pastor and serve a three-year term, which may be extended. The parish finance council meets at least four times a year. At every meeting, the council reviews and analyzes the financial activities of the parish, monitors compliance with the annual parish budget, reviews quarterly financial reports, and reviews the financial impact of the mission and ministry of the parish as established by the pastor.

Financial Council chair: Mr. James Peeble. #478-454-7003

“Christ is present in the liturgy through the Eucharist, the priest, and the assembly that prays and sings. He is also present in the Word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church” (Catechism, 1088, see also SC 7 and Mt. 18:20). Lectors are the Proclaimers of the Word. Since they bring the Word of God alive to the worshipping community, they have a genuine love of scripture and belief in the truths found in the Word.

Point of Contact: Trudy Scott. #410-462-0194

Our mission is to assist the priest in the distribution of Holy Communion to the people of God with great reverence, devotion and joy, and to keep the quality of our service at the highest possible level. We also bring Holy Communion to the sick and the homebound. By our ministry we bring the Church to those who are unable to go Church.

To serve as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, a person must be a practicing Catholic, distinguished in his/her Christian life, faith and morals; he/she must have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist; must demonstrate a deep reverence for and devotion to the Holy Eucharist; posses the requisite abilities and temperament to carry out his/her assigned duties.

After a brief period of training those selected are commissioned to serve at Masses in the parish and also to bring Holy Communion to the sick and homebound. Each member must be committed to a life of prayer and devotion to the Eucharist.

Discover how you can have a fulfilling liturgy on Sunday morning in Transfiguration parish. You have two choirs to select from – the Contemporary Choir or the Gospel Choir.

The Contemporary Choir

This group was born in 1992 with eight persons. Singing consisted of using the basic hymnal, Breaking Bread. Exploration began into singing different types of hymns written by contemporary composers. David Haas is one of our favorites. Singing is not the only object of our group. We go out socially on picnics, to different churches, and museums. We sing outside of our parish too. Some of our singing events were at the Holiday of Trees, The Baltimore Aquarium, The Oblate Sisters of Providence, and our sister parish St. Andrews-By-The-Bay. There are now 15 members in the choir. The group sings contemporary/traditional music. New members are needed to join this amazing team.

The Gospel Choir

Our Gospel Choir was formed in 1995. Since our church is very diverse the gospel choir appealed to those parishioners who loved to express their spirituality through music of this genre. Gospel music has a different beat from contemporary music. It is more upbeat or soulful. The gospel choir uses the Lead Me, Guide Me and American Heritage Hymnal for the church Mass. Although the contemporary choir uses the same hymnal, the style of music and how it is played distinguishes the groups every other Sunday. The group also socializes by doing things outside of Mass like out to a buffet dinner, picnicking with steam crabs, or having pizza after a rehearsal. The gospel choir has ministered to Mercy Hospital for a number of years to sing at the service for families who lost their babies at birth or soon after. Singing at this tragic and sad event helps these families to come to terms with their grief. Prayer breakfasts, birthday parties, revivals, and other various events have been a part of the gospel choir’s service for their church. Recruitment of new members is the goal of this choir.

Contemporary Choir Director: Nancy McCormick: # 410-294-1593
Gospel Choir Director: Mr. Jermaine Towns

“Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1Peter 4:9-10)

The ministers of hospitality are the Greeter and the Ushers. Their ministry involves meeting and greeting people as they come in for worship. They extend the welcoming atmosphere of the parish to both parishioners and those visiting for the first time. Once the Mass begins the ushers assist with seating latecomers when appropriate. The ushers also assist with collections and bringing the offerings of the people of God to the priest for the liturgy of the Eucharist.

Ministers of hospitality must be active and faithful men and women of the Church. They must be of good character and reputation and should respect others, practice discretion and show in their living the qualities of stewardship.

Contact persons: Tom Bell Phone: #443-728-7643

“I am among you as the one who serves.” (Luke 22:27)

The Altar Servers are to carry out various kinds of duties for liturgical celebrations. These include taking part in processions and ensuring that all items required for the celebration are available at the appropriate moments. As ministers of the liturgy, servers should participate in the celebration rather than observe it. Servers should listen, sing and pray attentively. They should dress appropriately for the occasion, even though they wear an alb over their clothes, to reflect the importance of the Mass.

Those aspiring to be servers should have been baptized and have received First Eucharist. Servers should also be mature enough to understand their ministry and to carry them out with appropriate reverence. They should perform their ministry in a spirit of prayer.

Contact person: Ms. Rebecca Blake

The Holy Name Society demonstrates its commitment in two main capacities—spiritually and dedication of service. The organization not only serves its parish, but members of the community by ensuring respect for the name of Jesus, monthly communion, monthly spiritual talks, annual retreats, and support of and participation in Liturgies. The Society’s ultimate goal is to help us become better Catholics, good neighbors and loyal citizens. The Holy Name Society is open to men and women age 21 and over. The meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month at 9:30AM in the lower hall.

Contact person: Melvin Wilson: #443-806-4140

The Ladies of Charity, a subsidiary of the Archdiocesan Ladies of Charity, perform multiple services in the Church by involving parishioners in arts, crafts and sewing. They also organize and operate a Flower Mart in the spring, a Christmas Bazaar in the fall, visit nursing homes to uplift residents’ spirit by acts of kindness. They also serve during parish social events. It is the ultimate goal of this organization to assure that works of charity are carried on according to the directives of the Founder – St. Vincent de Paul and in the spirit of St. Louise de Marillac and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, thus improving the quality of life of all people. The Ladies of Charity organization is open to women age 18 and over. The meetings are held on the last Sunday of each month after the 10:00 a.m. Mass in the basement of the rectory.

Contact person: Nancy McCormick #410-294-1593

Members of St. Vincent de Paul strive to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to individuals in need. We believe that we are truly Church if we share our blessings with others. We offer tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. We assist people with emergency situations such as utilities cut off, food drive for the poor and other emergency needs. St Vincent de Paul also creates a network of service centers whereby those in need may be directed to ensure that their needs are met. Due to the overwhelming needs of the people all over the city and our limited resources we are only able to service zip code 21230. Service to the community is rendered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We also provide food once a month through our food pantry program. The pantry is located at the rear of 765 W. Hamburg Street and is open on the third Saturday of each month, January to November from 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. Applications for Christmas Baskets are accepted the first Saturday of November each year in the lower hall at 765 W. Hamburg Street from 10:00 a.m. -12:00 noon.

Contact person – St. Vincent de Paul: Rochelle Butler: #410-685-5044 Ext. 1
Contact person – Christmas Baskets: Jane Buccheri: #410-685-5044 Ext. 5

Raven Parking is a major fundraiser for the parish. The approximately 100 spaces are rented for the season with 15 people on the waiting list hoping for a space. Parking for other major events held at M&T Bank Stadium is on first come first served basis. Cost varies with each event. The parking lot is also available to rent for community events and fundraisers. For additional information contact Ms Jane Buccheri: #410-685-5044 Ext 5

The Seniors Club is a social club for men and women who are 55 and older. The club meets on the second Tuesday of each month in the lower hall to share food, conversation and fellowship. They also plan outing to various restaurants and attractions.

Contact person: Ms Barbara Goodie: #410-783-1701