Reviving the Traditions of the Church in Southern Maryland

A Report on St. Francis de Sales Parish, Benedict, Maryland, by Joseph Falciano

In the rural heart of southern Maryland, in the town of Benedict – located on the southeast shore of the state – is the parish of St. Francis de Sales, a parish engaged in the revival of the traditions of the Church.

The tireless and holy cure d’Benedict is Fr. Kevin Cusick, LCDR (Ret.), a retired military chaplain and priest of the Archdiocese of Washington for 27 years. 

He assisted the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny in our 2019 Lepanto Conference and Mass as the MC of the conference.

Despite being built in the typical 20th-century colonial style, S. Francis de Sales displays an excellent selection of some of the finest antique Baroque aesthetics in the state of Maryland. They aspire, as a parish, to style the church in what one could call ‘Confederate Baroque’ – where small town south meets Roman Basilica. 

They have been conducting their Holy Week in accordance with the pre-1955 rites. 

The parish has the only official daily traditional Mass in the entire Archdiocese of Washington. 

The parishioners are wonderful young men and women dedicated to keep the church beautiful and restore the traditional Mass. Many contribute from their own livelihoods to assist in acquiring antique or more expensive pieces for the church. On Sundays, the nave of the church is replete with young, growing families – something very common to traditional Mass attendees. 

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Fr. Cusick is hoping to continue the restoration of the parish by removing the carpet in the nave and replacing it with tile flooring, adding side altars, acquiring vestments for Solemn Mass, building a confessional, and painting the walls of the church in Baroque frescoes.