History of The Church of the Redeemer

The Church of the Redeemer was started in 1855 by a group of Episcopal families who had country homes north of Baltimore. The present chapel was the first church building; it was erected in 1857-58 on land which was donated by a church member, David M. Perine. Mr. Perine's manor, Homeland, gave its name to the residential development which was later built on his lands. From his quarry on the corner of Charles Street and what is now Northern Parkway came the stone for the church and later for a rectory close by -- now gone. In 1870, the little church was enlarged to include the sanctuary, transepts and the lacy steeple.

The small church served well until after World War II; then, returning servicemen and their families began to move into the new homes north of the church and they came happily --with their children -- to the Church of the Redeemer. Communicant members soon numbered over 1,000; pews held about 215. The Church School echoed the problem; by 1954, there were 90 teachers and about 900 children registered. Triplicate services helped but the disparity between congregational size and church size continued. In 1955, the vestry voted to build a new church. After much discussion, the vestry accepted the plans of the internationally famous architect, Pietro Belluschi, plans which had been overwhelmingly approved by the congregation. The new church, administrative offices and the education building opened in December, 1958. Praise and awards for the structure arrived in the years following. Since 1958, the old church has been known as the chapel.

The courtyards which resulted from the architectural plan are named for the missions which had been nurtured by the rectors of the Church of the Redeemer: St. John's in Mt. Washington, Epiphany north of Waverly, St. Mary's in Hampden, Nativity in Cedarcroft, and St. Paul's, the most recent and the only one now discontinued, in Perry Hall. In recent years, the church has added an attractively landscaped columbarium on the north and south sides of the chapel.

Over its 140 years, the church has had nine rectors, one interim rector and dozens of assistant clergy. Two of its rectors have gone on to become bishops: Richard Baker and Bennett Sims. The church has become more formal in its practice in recent years; it was not until 1953 that there was even a processional cross. The music has changed from a quartet paid by the Woman's Council to a large and mostly volunteer choir, superbly directed and supported by splendid organs in chapel or church. Not until 1965 were the women of the congregation entitled to vote at congregational meetings; the first woman on the vestry was Rose Rumford. Now the average vestry makeup is half men, half women. The congregation has adapted to a world in which handicapped accessibility and parish outreach to the homeless and endorsement of civil rights seem normal and logical responses to the command "Love thy neighbor." From the days when one minister cared for a small congregation at Redeemer plus those at two other mission churches, to today when the staff includes three or four priests and a large lay staff, the Church of the Redeemer has consistently reached out to its community and welcomed those who chose to make it their church home.

Mary Bready