Our Diocesan Center

By Fran Brown, Diocesan Center Facilities Coordinator

“The Diocesan Center serves as a focal point for the support of the ministry of Christ in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, the ecumenical community, and the world around us. Located at the Diocesan Center are the offices for the bishops and the diocesan staff, the cathedral congregation, and Central Maryland Ecumenical Council. Together we provide worship and hospitality, that all who enter here may know the love of the Lord.”

Click here for directions to the Cathedral and Diocesan Center

When the bishop’s offices moved from 105 W. Monument St. to 4 E. University Parkway in September 1990, that mission statement expressed the vision of those who had planned this new center for many years. And it is fulfilled every day.

In 2006 the center hosted close to 900 events, not counting the cathedral services. The cathedral, the bishop’s seat, also hosts diocesan confirmations and ordinations, the renewal of vows, and other diocesan services. Integrity gathers for Holy Eucharist each month. And the cathedral maintains a columbarium that is available for the whole diocese. St. Bede’s Books and the Diocesan Resource Center are located here.

The center is the meeting place for many diocesan committee meetings, workshops and conferences: The Standing Committee, Program & Budget Committee, the Commission on Ministry and the Committee on the Environment meet monthly. A group of women, The Needles, gathers here to sew altar linens. Education for Ministry (EFM) gathers weekly. The Godly Play Conference and the Urban Missioners’ annual commissioning convene at the Center. Church vestries (and churches from other denominations as well) hold their retreats here. These are just a few examples from our diocesan family.

Outreach to the larger community is as important to the mission of the center as our support for the diocesan family. The University of Maryland Institute of Human Virology HIV/STD prevention workshops meet several times a year. The Johns Hopkins Center for Aging and Health uses the center as a base for Experience Corps, a project that trains senior citizens to volunteer in Baltimore City public schools; an enterprise that benefits both seniors and students. The Coalition for Homeless Families and Children, Baltimore Neighborhoods, The Women’s Giving Circle are among the many groups who expand the ministry of the diocese in the world around us.

The commitment of those early planners to a center of hospitality included a no-fee policy for the diocesan family. Contributions for coffee and increasing utility rates are always needed and appreciated, and a sliding scale fee policy exists for the larger community. That continuing commitment enables groups to create and implement their missions.

From letters reflecting appreciation of the Diocesan Center and its mission:

“I feel that this visible extension of your Christian ministry to the community has a positive impact on individuals, on the Greater Homewood community, and on ecumenical efforts…I leave with gratitude, admiration and a clear sense of your commitment to Christian community.” And from another, “The diocese…certainly provides a worthwhile public service in making such space available to community groups.” From a church, “We are most grateful for your generosity, grace, and hospitality in accommodating our youth group…”

“Together we provide worship and hospitality, that all who enter here may know the love of the Lord.”

Mission accomplished.

Fran Brown has been the Facilities Coordinator since 1991. She has been a member of the cathedral since the mid 1970s, and has served on the Cathedral Chapter and as junior warden, among other things. Contact fbrown@ang-md.org, 410-467-1399 to reserve space.