Hampden Mennonite Church moves into former St. Thomas Aquinas site

Hampden Mennonite Church held its first service Sunday in the former St. Thomas Aquinas Church at 1008 W. 37th Street, reopening a long-vacant sanctuary in Hampden that seats about 260 worshippers. The service began at 10 a.m., followed by a potluck lunch, and the congregation hopes to eventually hold a dedication ceremony with Mayor Brandon Scott once more renovations are done.

Hampden Mennonite Holdings LLC, an entity affiliated with the congregation, bought the 1.2-acre parcel on April 13 for $1.8 million. The purchase included four buildings, the church, the former St. Thomas Aquinas School, a rectory and a convent, plus an outdoor play area and 47 off-street parking spaces. The campus spans a block bounded by Roland Avenue, 37th Street and Hickory Avenue.

Before worship could begin, church leaders worked through city approvals and inspections and secured an occupancy permit. The former school is being renovated to become Hampden Christian School.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore had listed the property for sale in June 2025 as part of its Seek the City to Come initiative. A decree merged St. Thomas Aquinas Parish into Cathedral of Mary Our Queen Parish effective December 1, 2024. The last regularly scheduled Sunday Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas was celebrated on November 24, 2024, and after that the church remained available for baptisms, weddings and funerals before the sale.

Hampden Mennonite Church is a conservative Mennonite, or Anabaptist, church serving the Baltimore-Washington region. Its regular Sunday gathering typically includes a potluck on the first and second Sundays of each month. St. Thomas Aquinas Church dates to the 1860s.