[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    A TRIBUTE TO ST. GEORGE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH: 200 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
parishioners of the St. George's Episcopal Church as they celebrate the 
200th Anniversary of their church building on Sunday, November 21st. 
Located in Valley Lee in the Southern Maryland County of St. Mary's, 
St. George's has been serving the faithful since the reign of William 
and Mary some 360 years ago--hence it is also known as the William and 
Mary Parish.
  Following the establishment of the Maryland Colony by Leonard Calvert 
in 1634, the settlement at St. Mary's began to grow with the 
establishment of St. George's Hundred, a piece of land across the St. 
Mary's River and west of the Capital settlement of St. Mary's City. 
Maryland is known as the birthplace of religious toleration in Colonial 
America and along with Catholic settlers and settlers of other faiths 
came followers of the Anglican church. Some of these colonists would 
establish the Poplar Hill Church--thought to have been built between 
1638 and 1642 just 50 feet from the site of the present building.
  Over the years, the William and Mary Parish would worship in several 
buildings. A second church is believed to have been built on the 
existing site in 1692 and a third structure around 1760. In 1799, the 
existing structure was built and today we recognize this incredible 200 
year journey.
  Just as members of the Parish no doubt celebrated the dedication of 
their new building in 1799 on the verge of a new century, today we 
celebrate two hundred years of progress at Poplar Hill as we count down 
the remaining days to the new millennium.
  The parishioners of St. George's have been witness to extraordinary 
events and their history bridges a time line of critical events in our 
Nation's history--from the fledgling colony of the 1600s, the rise of 
revolution in the 1700's, the Civil War and the abolition of slavery in 
the 1800's, and the transformation of St. Mary's County from its rural 
way of life to being the home of the world's premier and most advanced 
aviation testing facility with the establishment of Patuxent River 
Naval Air Station.
  And through it all, St. George's Episcopal Parish has been a beacon 
of faith serving to enrich its parishioners with God's word and 
providing a firm foundation to do His work.
  I commend St. George's Episcopal Church on the 200th Anniversary of 
their building and wish its parishioners all the best in the future.

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