The process of deconsecration of the Visitation Chapel was completed on November 1, 2024 when The Most Reverend William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore decreed the building available for non-religious use. Archbishop Lori issued a Recognition of Deconsecration which declares that a church building can be used for lay purposes after it has been desacralized, according to Canon Law.
“With this decree, I do hereby recognize that deconsecration and formalize it having heard from the current owner of the property, the current pastor of the parish in which the property is located and having received canonical advice regarding this matter,” Bishop Lori wrote. Bishop Lori noted in the decree that the “sacred objects present in the chapel have been removed.”
Part of the process of desacralizing a church includes exploring the altar for relics that may have been included in its construction and consecration. On September 13, 2023, Father John Williamson, pastor of St. John the Evangelist and Fr. Javier Fuentes, associate pastor, opened a small compartment in the former altar of the Chapel and found relics attributed to St. Martin, St. Innocent, St. Boniface and St. Lawrence.
Included with the tiny relics was a handwritten note in Latin dated January 6, 1853 and announced that Francis Patrick Kenrick, Archbishop of Baltimore, had consecrated the altar. The note also granted “each faithful Christian” 45 days of indulgences by the Church every year on the anniversary of the consecration of the chapel. Father Williamson removed the relics and the note and returned them to the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Use of the chapel as a place for religious celebration ended when Visitation Academy closed in June 2016. Prior to the sale of Visitation, representatives of the Archdiocese removed the tabernacle from the former altar. After the sale of the property, the tabernacle space on the former altar was kept vacant, and stations of the cross, church pews and other religious artifacts were donated to Frederick churches. Classroom equipment was donated to local schools. In consultation with Father John Williamson and the Maryland Historical Trust, the statues of Joseph and the Virgin Mary were moved to the courtyard garden. The stained glass windows, the painting of St. Simeon presenting baby Jesus, statues of angels and parts of the former altar that remained were repaired and cleaned. The bar of the new restaurant, Wye Oak Tavern, was placed on a newly built structure, separate from the historic altar.
Jim O’Hare, co-developer of the Visitation Hotel, said it was personally important to not only follow the deconsecration procedure required by Canon Law and the Archdiocese but also to repurpose the former Chapel in a manner respectful to its historical use. O’Hare and his wife Rachel Buchanan O’Hare are Roman Catholic. Both attended Catholic schools from grade school through high school in the Washington, D.C. area (Gonzaga College High School and Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart).
O’Hare purchased the property with his business partner Lance Jaccard, principal of OTJ Architects, in 2017. He said the pair worked closely with church officials and Visitation alumni to preserve and restore the building and grounds of the former Visitation Academy, especially the chapel.
“The building has a living history which continues to evolve,” said Jim O’Hare. “We are excited to share this beautiful space and honor the history of Visitation and its chapel.”
