Page 51 - WILMINGTON

Saint miChael the arChangel
1856
GEORGETOWN
In 1910 Saint John the Apostle Parish in in Milford was established to serve the Catholic population in Sussex County Over the the the the the the the the the next decades Priests from Saint Saint John John would offer offer the the the the the the the the the Mass in in in Georgetown homes including the the home home of the the Conway’s In 1941 Georgetown became a a a a a military training site and Army chaplains offered Mass at at the the the Armory After the the the war Father Andrew White Pastor of of Saint John the the Apostle noticed that the the number of of Catholics in in in Georgetown was quickly increasing By 1949 Mass was said at the American Legion Hall which parishioners out tted as a a a a a a a chapel Father Father White’s successor Father Father (and later Monsignor) Francis Desmond purchased a a a a a a a six-acre tract of land on on Edward Street in in 1952 from U S S Senator John J J Williams for a a a church to to be built in in Georgetown Construction began in October of 1955 The rst Mass at at the the the church was said Father David Conway a a a a a a a a son of the the the parish in whose house the the priests of St John the the Apostle would say Mass Saint Michael the Archangel Church was consecrated on on December 2 1956 by the Most Reverend Edmond J FitzMaurice fourth bishop
of Wilmington In the the 1980s with a a growing population in in Sussex County the the Diocese began to build a a a a church in Millsboro: Mary Mother of Peace Construction was complete in in 1986 and in in 1988 Mary Mother of Peace became of of a a a a a a a mission of of Saint Michael the Archangel parish By 1990 the parish parish counted about 500 Spanish-speaking parishioners In an an effort to serve the rapidly growing Hispanic community a a a a a a a Spanish Spanish Mass was established The first mass in in Spanish Spanish in in San Miguel Arcángel was said on January 14 1990 The community was served by the Carmelite Sisters of of Charity of of Bedrunas Spain and La Fraternidad de Maria Recently efforts have been made to improve the the facilities unify the the parishioners of the two churches and create a a a a proper environment to ensure the growth and and development of its ministries and and religious education programs At the the time of its founding there were just 80 Catholic families in in Georgetown Today the the parish with its mission of of Mary Mother of of Peace has over 2 000 registered families families including 400 families families in in in the Hispanic community!
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