With Corpus Christi closing, what becomes of its priest and staff?

The conclaves are mostly over, although consideration of appeals continues, since the Archdiocese of Baltimore decreed that more than half of all of the Catholic parishes in the city will close and/or merge in the coming weeks. Bolton Hill’s 144-year-old Corpus Christi parish will be merged into the facilities and programs at the Basilica. But what will become of Corpus Christi’s staff and its historic building?

Father Marty Demek, 75, the Baltimore native who has pastored Corpus Christi since 2010, will retire. “Our last mass will be the end of November. Until then we are active, with weddings and other ceremonies scheduled until the end,” he said.

“I still expect to live in my apartment in Bolton Hill, but from Jan. 1 I will have no responsibilities for or engagement with the archdiocese or the parish,” he said recently. And like many who have spent decades in a professional career, he is a little uncertain as to what he will do next. He has had conversations with leaders of a parish elsewhere in the state about helping them in some part-time capacity. He would like to travel. He hopes to stay active.

He’s thinking of a trip to Rome, where he attended the Pontifical Gregorian University in the 1970s. “Not next year, but there is a 3 ½-month program in 2026 at the college where I studied that I’d like to attend,” and then perhaps take trains to visit France and England before returning home. Father Marty is a south Baltimore native who attended local Catholic schools. He has spent most of his life in Maryland. He was ordained in 1975.

While Corpus Christi is scheduled to become part of the Basilica’s parish programs, Father Marty says he think most parishioners who are active may opt instead to attend St. Ignatius, the Jesuit church in Mt. Vernon. He is perplexed by the decision to shut down the church in Bolton Hill, although he acknowledges that during and after the Covid pandemic, attendance has been light. “We’re small, not closely connected to the Basilica and the archdiocese. We are liberal in our beliefs and in our political views,” he said.

There is a difference between the merging of a parish and the closing of a church. Corpus Christi will remain open. It would require a separate decree to “relegate the church to profane use,” so that it could be sold or used for something other than worship, according to our neighbor Andrew Lacovara. He is a deacon of the archdiocese, assigned to St. Ignatius on Calvert St., and expects to be assigned concurrently to Corpus Christi/the Basilica.

Members of the Jenkins family who financed construction of the building in the 1880s are buried in the church, complicating its potential for transfer.

“There are two new approved ministries that will be based at Corpus Christi, run by another deacon and me: a student ministry for MICA, UB, and UMB students; and a marriage formation and enrichment program. The rector of the Basilica has announced his intention to have the parish’s Sunday evening Mass at Corpus Christi beginning in January, so Sunday liturgies will continue in that space,” Lacovara said.

Father Marty said other Corpus Christi staff are looking around for new work possibilities. Maggie Miller, who functions as the administrative manager, has worked for the archdiocese since 2013 and at Corpus Christi since 2019. Beth Steinrock, who coordinates food programs and activities with St. Francis Neighborhood Center, has been a part of Corpus Christi for 23 years. Kristen Bowden, who leads programs for children, has been there for 13 years. Daniel Meyer leads the music programs but has also been employed elsewhere.

“The long-term fate of the place, like so much, is to be determined, but in the midst of a lot of pain and loss, some new things might bloom,” Lacovara said.

–Bill Hamilton