Spiritual Resources: St. Michael's Catholic Church, Poplar Springs, MD

St. Michael's Catholic Church

Located in Howard County but servicing parishioners in thr tri-county area of Howard, Frederick, and Carroll, St. Michaels Catholic Church is a sprawling parish of some 1,000 families. St. Michaels sits at the intersection of St. Michaels Road and Hardy Road in the historic town of Poplar Springs. The mailing address of the church is 1125 St. Michaels Road, Mt. Airy, 21771.

St. Michaels was founded in 1879 when a mysterious man asked a Howard County resident for the use of his home to say Mass. The homeowner -- Mr. Lilbourne P. Kuhn -- who owned the land on what is now Hardy Road and St. Michaels Road, though not a Catholic, agreed to allow Mass to be said at his home. Although the mysterious Catholic priest was never heard from again after dining one night with the Kuhn family, Mr. Kuhn advertised that Mass would be said the next Sunday.

On two successive Sundays, 20 Catholics gathered, but the mysterious priest never returned. Mr. Kuhn contacted the bishop to see if a priest could be found to minister to this small "flock." A priest was dispatched to the home of Mr. Kuhn.

After Mr. Kuhn donated the land where the "small" church and cemetery are located, a cornerstone was laid on June 12, 1880. The first Mass was celebrated in October 1880.

In 1882, St. Michaels became a mission church of St. Josephs in Sykesville.

In 1964, after 82 years of being a mission church, the Archbishop of Baltimore established St. Michaels as a separate church. In 1966, the rectory was built and land was donated to the church. In 1974, a multipurpose building was erected on the land at the intersection of St. Michaels Road and Hardy Road. In 1979, St. Michaels celebrated 100 years as a parish.

And finally in 1982 the new church was opened where the new multipurpose building was located.

To learn more about St. Michaels Catholic Church in Poplar Springs, MD, click here.

Want to donate to St. Michael's? To sign up for online giving, visit our website at www.stmichaelspoplarsprings.org and click "online giving" to get started, or call the parish office at 410-489-7667.