St. Francis Xavier Old Bohemia, Warwick, MD

So, in 1704, Father Thomas Mansell, SJ acquired 488 acres of land on Little Bohemia Creek for the mission named Saint Xaverius in honor of the great Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier. From the outside, it resembled the plantations in the area, with a few notable differences: the proprietor of the land was a bachelor, he was seldom at home, and there was a chapel in the house. This did not escape the notice of their anti-Catholic neighbors who protested the boldness with which popery was being practiced.

The Jesuits also started an illegal Catholic academy at Old Bohemia, which is considered the beginnings of Georgetown University, Students of the school included the later Archbishop John Carroll and Charles Carroll, the sole Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence.

After the birth of the nation and the guarantee of religious freedom in the Bill of Rights, work began on a church building one that would not be hidden within the plantations' house/rectory. It was completed in 1797. One of its famous communicants was Kitty Knight, who danced with George Washington at a Philadelphia ball and helped save the town of Georgetown during the War of 1812. She is buried in the graveyard.

Call the Mother Church of the Diocese of Wilmington, its priests, first Jesuits and later diocesan, would found and serve many missions in Maryland, Delaware & Pennsylvania. Saint Rose of Lima in Chesapeake City was established as a mission of St. Francis Xavier in August of 1874, as was Saint Joseph in Middletown in November of 1883. In 1890, they reported a total of 350 registered Catholics, with a yearly income of $850. In 1898 the Jesuits turned the care of Old Bohemia over to the diocese along with its cemetery and 177 acres. In 1908, Saint Francis became a mission of Saint Joseph.

Tragedy struck on New Year's Day, 1912. The pastor was saying the early Mass at Saint Joseph when he received the alarming news that Saint Francis Xavier was on fire. Father and all at the Mass rushed to help save the building, but when they arrived the entire roof was on fire. A bucket-brigade was quickly formed, and men stationed themselves on the roof of the unoccupied rectory, and by pouring water on it, saved that building. The church was completely gutted and only the walls remained standing. Bishop Monaghan was determined that this cradle of Catholicism should be rebuilt. The church arose from its ashes and was rededicated by Bishop Monaghan on Thursday, October 24, 1912, less than a year after the fire!

In 1954 three men - a Catholic, a Quaker and a Methodist formed the Old Bohemia Historical Society. Recognizing the value of the place to the history of Christianity, they bought back 120 acres of land surrounding the church, farmhouse/rectory and barn that had been sold to raise money during the Great Depression. They inspired others from nearby Delaware and Maryland to help in the restoration of this national treasure. Since then, the Society has installed a new roof and ceiling, restored the interior, and renovated the bell tower. In 2002, the rectory was restored, adding a museum. The old barn, which has been there since the 1700s, belonged to the Jesuits when the owned the property, was restored in 2006.

Saint Francis Xavier observed its tercentenary in 2004, and Mass continues to be celebrated there three times throughout the year.