Baltimore County is planning to buy the dormant St. Pius X Catholic Church and its grounds near Towson for use as park space.
State Delegate Cathi Forbes wrote on social media that the 10-acre property at 6428 York Road will be turned into a park with playing fields and green space.
“I am thrilled to share the good news that the St. Pius Catholic Church property on York Road, which has been for sale for more than two years, will soon belong to the people of Baltimore County!” Forbes wrote.
The church and grounds were put up for sale by the Archdiocese of Baltimore as part of its “Seek the City to Come” initiative to realign parishes and sell surplus properties. It’s adjacent to a smaller green space in Rodgers Forge called Forge Park. The sale price is $6 million.
When the church closed, Forbes wrote, she and Baltimore County Council member Mike Ertel held a community meeting that drew more than 100 residents, and they unanimously supported the idea of having local government acquire the property for public recreation.
Forbes, who represents the area in the General Assembly, said she secured $500,000 in state funding “to get the ball rolling,” while she and Ertel met with officials from the county and the Archdiocese.
“In meeting after meeting, we stressed the rare opportunity before us,” she wrote. “Finding 10 acres of new green space inside the Beltway is next to impossible.”
Forbes credited Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier for recognizing the value of the purchase and committing funds in the county budget. She also praised Bryan Sheppard, acting director of the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks, for seeing the property’s potential.
The plan was outlined at a county council work session on Tuesday. The seller is St. Pius X Roman Catholic Congregation Inc. The council is expected to vote on the sale contract next week.
Founded in 1958
St. Pius X Catholic Church was founded in 1958 by then-Archbishop Francis P. Keough to serve the Rodgers Forge area. The parish grew to roughly 1,325 registered families by its 50th anniversary in 2008 and became a community hub, known for its social justice initiatives, its Irish ceilidh gatherings and its Montessori school, the first of its kind in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The school closed in 2021 due to declining enrollment, and regular Masses there ended in December of 2024, after the congregation merged with the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on North Charles Street.
The property also includes a rectory, convent, parking lot and athletic fields.Many non-parishioners know the property because of the Christmas tree sale that has been held in front of the church over the years.
Assuming the council gives its approval, the sale is expected to close by early next year. The stone-clad church will remain, but exactly how it will be used is still being determined.
More changes along York Road
The sale of the church is one of several changes in recent months along the York Road corridor just north of the Baltimore City-Baltimore County line. Others include a branch of Trader Joe’s now under construction in the old Party City space at the Anneslie Shopping Center, practically across the street at 6401 York Road; a new dining spot in the old Purdum’s Pharmacy/Nana space at 6901 York Road, and the Peabody Preparatory’s move of its Towson location to another church property, First and St. Stephen’s United Church of Christ at 6915 York Road.
Forbes said that half of the funding for the purchase will come from Maryland’s Program Open Space, which was created to conserve areas such as the church property for public use.
“This has been a tremendous team effort, and I am grateful to everyone who played a part in seeing it through,” she wrote. “I’m particularly grateful for the leadership of Mike Ertel. We’ve been advocates together for more than 20 years, and I can’t think of a better partner to take on a project of this size. I also want to thank the Archdiocese for recognizing the community’s vision. We will be good stewards of this land.”
