Who We Are
We are an official page dedicated to the Eastern Rite Catholic Church, tucked within beautiful Joppa, Maryland
A congregation led by Fr. Ivan Dornic for over 25 years
Services
Mass is celebrated at 9am every Sunday.
Special Services are held on “days of obligation” according to the church calendar. Our services are celebrated in a combination of English and the beautiful “Old Church Slavonic” language. As the priest and the congregation move between English and Old Slavonic the English words accompany the Old Slavanic side by side in the mass book so that the meanings can be clearly understood and appreciated.
What is Old Church Slavonic?
Old Church Slavonic (OCS) is the language of the oldest Slavic manuscripts; today, it is really found only in conservative ecclesiastical use. OCS is not identified with any particular nation; it is a supra-national language of Orthodox Slavs.
The first full-fledged writing system to represent Slavic languages was devised in the late 9th century by the monks Saints Cyril and Methodius; they were also the first missionaries to work among the Slavs. Surviving OCS documents are primarily ecclesiastical in nature: biblical texts, lives of saints, etc. In this, OCS is similar to Latin of the Middle Ages, although some scholars claim that OCS was more comprehensible to speakers of Old Russian than Latin was to speakers of Old French and other medieval forms of Romance languages.
Our Story
Rooted In History & Slavic Heritage
Our church structure was formerly the St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church in Fallston and rebuilt as St. Mary's nearly five years after the building was to be demolished. The church was relocated the way it would have been done in Eastern Europe -- board by board.
Annual Events
St. Mary's Assumption Eastern Rite Catholic Church hosts a multitude of events. We pride ourselves on being fun and family friendly!
Slavic Heritage Festival
At St. Mary's Assumption Eastern Rite Catholic Church, we hold our annual Slavic Heritage Festival in order to celebrate Slavic culture and unity. Expect fun and festivities as well as a showcase of vendors looking to show you many of their high quality goods. We invite you to learn more. Held every October!
Christmas Bazaar
With this festival, our goal is to promote merry energy through festival fun and games. Every year we have a huge turnout of people who come to experience winter wonder and celebration. Featuring more vendors, a nativity scene, and even a visit from St. Nicholas himself! Learn more about our festival by heading over to our dedicated site!
Contact St. Mary's Assumption Eastern Rite Catholic Church
2807 Mountain Road Joppa MD United States 21085
