St. Isaac Jogues Parish marks 50 years

Parishioners of St. Isaac Jogues in Carney have been celebrating the parish’s 50th anniversary with bus trips and anniversary apparel. A gala Oct. 6 will include dinner and dancing; 11:15 a.m. Mass Oct. 28, to be celebrated by Archbishop William E. Lori, will conclude the festivities.

• Masses were initially held at Harford Hills Elementary School for parishioners who were drawn from the existing parishes of St. Ursula in Parkville, St. Joseph in Fullerton, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Baynesville and St. John the Evangelist in Hydes. Its church built on Old Harford Road, north of Joppa Road, was formally dedicated Sept. 26, 1970.
• The parish was named for a French missionary to North America in the 17th century. Local Native Americans labeled him as a sorcerer, believing he was responsible for their blighted crops and widespread disease. He was martyred in 1646 near Albany, N.Y. – struck in the head with a tomahawk and later decapitated by the Iroquois on his final journey as a missionary.
• St. Isaac Jogues participates in the archdiocesan Parish Partnership with Haiti, where its sister parish is St. Anthony the Hermit Parish in Chenot. Carney parishioners offer financial support and sponsor mission trips to support St. Anthony, which is located in a mountainous region without electricity or running water in one of the poorest regions of the impoverished country.

Father Brian Nolan was appointed pastor, effective Aug. 1.