In the late summer of 1888, as the steel mill at Sparrow's Point was beginning production, the Catholic employees of the mill gathered in a local drugstore on Sundays and celebrated Mass with a priest who would travel there by ferry from Fells Point in Baltimore. Soon, a church was erected at the corner of Fifth and "D" Streets in the mill town. St. Luke's Church was a major part of the community from its beginning. As the mill grew, and the workers' families did as well, a mission church was established in Dundalk. By 1922, that mission had become so large that it was set up as the independent parish of St. Rita's.

 

The growth of industry and the needs of the nation during wartime helped the area continue to develop and grow. In 1944, two new parishes were established from St. Rita - St. Mildred and St. Adrian in Dundalk. In 1954, Our Lady of Hope School was established at the corner of Lynch Road and North Boundary Road, and families from Sts. Mildred and Adrian sent their children there for Catholic education. As these two small parishes grew, they combined to form Our Lady of Hope Parish in 1967, and the new church there was completed in 1970.

 

Meanwhile, as St. Luke continued to thrive, the parish erected a school in Edgemere on North Point Road. The school shared Catholic education with the community, and in 1973 the old church at "the Point" was torn down, and worship moved to the site of the school, where it continues today.  In the late 1980s, as the school struggled to remain open, the two schools of Our Lady of Hope and St. Luke decided to unite as "Our Lady of Hope/St. Luke School," and we remain open and serving today.

 

Our two parishes, while distinct, nevertheless share a rich and storied past. We are part of 125 years of Catholic presence here in Southeastern Baltimore County, and by God's grace, we will continue to announce the Good News of Jesus Christ to all who will listen!