Former parishioners of a historic Catholic church in Baltimore are working to buy back the property after it closed in 2024 amid declining Mass attendance, hoping to transform the site into a community center for the neighborhood.
According to WMAR 2, an ABC affiliate, the group is forming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to raise funds to purchase St. Ann Church, which had served the community for more than 150 years. The property is currently listed for $850,000.
Erich March, a former parishioner of St. Ann, told the outlet that community members fought to keep the church open before the Archdiocese of Baltimore ultimately closed it.
“[The archdiocese] hemmed and hawed and eventually said no,” March said. “And so we're saying that's not stopping us. We want to make sure this community is served.”
According to the outlet, the church closed in 2024 amid rising maintenance costs and declining Mass attendance after the parish was merged as part of a wider consolidation initiative.
Former parishioners leading the effort are appealing to the church’s wider alumni network to raise funds to buy back the property.
Parishioner Bobby Jackson told the outlet that broader financial support from such former community members could help sustain the church’s long-standing role in the neighborhood.
"I think that a nationwide drive would help us save this particular institution,” Jackson said, “and we can continue to help others in the community here.”