Our Lady of Sorrows has been the center of Catholic worship and devotion in Owensville, Maryland since its founding in 1866. The first church, of simple wood frame construction, underwent several restorations and enlargements until it was demolished in 1951 to make way for our current Georgian style church. The original church was dedicated as Our Lady of Dolors, but was soon anglicized as Our Lady of Sorrows. The new name refers to the Seven Sorrows endured by Mary.
From its beginning as a country mission church, Our Lady of Sorrows was staffed by Redemptorist priests until 1890 when Marist Fathers moved into the area. The Marists remained until 1901 and Redemptorists of Annapolis once more took over the then mission of Our Lady of Sorrows.
In 1951 the current Georgian colonial style church was begun and dedicated in 1953 as a new diocesan church, no longer a mission. The 1953 church was lovely but proved to be too small as the area grew.
In more recent years Reverend Mark J. Logue, our current pastor, expanded the seating capacity of the church. The expanded building retained the Georgian style while almost tripling the seating. The first Mass in our present church was celebrated on Easter in 2001, and the dedication was held a week later.
Our parish goal is to look outward and care for as many of the spiritual and physical needs of the people of the area as we can. We are ever mindful of the needy as we collect food each Sunday and funds to aid those who can't pay their bills. When there is an abundance we share with our sister parishes in Baltimore and Haiti.
Our tranquil country setting and our lovely church provide us a place to refresh ourselves and re-create ourselves into the people the Lord calls us to be.