Dove ReplicaLanding of the Ark and the Dove

March 25, 1634

These two ships carried the first settlers for the new colony of Maryland. A proprietary colony under the ownership of Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, it was intended to be a place of freedom for Catholics, who suffered discrimination in England and were unwelcome as well in most of the American colonies. The landing, on an island in the Potomac, was celebrated with a Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation. Then the party sailed further up the river to select a site for a permanent settlement, the future St. Marys City.

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Narrative of Fr. Andrew White, SJ * Passenger lists