catonsville

All Saints Sisters of the Poor in Catonsville

All Saints Sisters of the Poor in Catonsville

32 Photos

Photos by Jen Rynda; story by Heather Norris

For the nuns at All Saints Sisters of the Poor convent on Hilton Avenue, every day is like living in a history book.

In the morning, the women wake up in their small, sparsely furnished cells inside the nearly century-old convent building.

Between services in the convent’s chapel, they make rosaries, hand-craft prayer cards and tend to the numerous gardens located throughout more than 90 acres the order owns at the end of Hilton Avenue, in the middle of the Patapsco Valley State Park.

More →

Senior softball tournament: fun and camaraderie

Senior softball tournament: fun and camaraderie

15 Photos, 1 Video

No bunting. No sliding. No stealing. These are some of the rules for the senior softball double elimination tournament held on June 10 at the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville. There are two first bases and two home plates, to avoid collisions. The only score that matters is having fun.
More →

The making of Mount de Sales documentary ‘A Mission Sustained’

The making of Mount de Sales documentary ‘A Mission Sustained’

17 Photos

I admit I didn’t know what I was getting into last May when I started working on a historical documentary of Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville. It started as a view from the cupola — the small dome atop the school — then it became a look at the architecture. Finally, it was decided that it should cover the full scope of the history of the Catholic all-girls school.

From there, several interviews were conducted, footage was shot, the school’s archivist was consulted, photos were repurposed and editing commenced. Read on below for some of the specifics of how the documentary was produced.

More →

The chair tradition in Catonsville’s Fourth of July celebration

The chair tradition in Catonsville’s Fourth of July celebration

30 Photos, 1 Video

What’s in a chair? They’ve got four legs (usually), a flat surface, perhaps a back, maybe a cushion if you’re lucky. But in Catonsville around the Fourth of July, a chair is so much more: it’s a stake-out spot for the beloved Independence Day parade along Frederick Road. Each year hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of chairs are set up on the parade route, often days and weeks in advance. Baltimore Sun Media Group video intern Anastasia Champ takes a look into the tradition of Catonsville’s Independence Day in the video below.

More →