Descendants of Early Marylanders Participate in Ceremony
On September 20, 2025, a procession took place in Historic St. Mary's City, where the remains of eight young children from colonial-era Maryland were brought home.
A hearse, pulled by two majestic Clydesdale horses, carried a pine coffin with the remains in a procession that stretched about one-half mile from the reconstructed State House of 1676 to the rebuilt 1667 Brick Chapel.
Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori presided at a reinterment rite, where the remains were laid to rest at the site where the skeletal remains of 65 early Marylanders had been removed in the 1990s.
The remains were removed to prevent damage during the historic chapel's reconstruction, which is believed to be the first permanent Catholic church building in the English colonies.
The ceremony marked the return of the remains to their original resting place.
Author's summary: Ceremony brings home remains of early Marylanders.