Chesterton Academy of St. Mary’s to Relocate to Larger School

Press Release

July 7, 2022: The Archdiocese of Washington and the Chesterton Academy of St. Mary’s have entered into a lease agreement for the Parish Center at Immaculate Conception Church in Mechanicsville, MD. The Parish Center will become the new location for the Chesterton Academy beginning in September.

“In our first year of operation, we were blessed to enroll twenty-five students,” said Headmaster Andrew Pudysz. “At this new location, we anticipate forty students enrolling this Fall and will have room to grow to seventy or more students over the next several years.”

The school’s Admissions Director, Barbara Jenkins, added that, “with eight large classrooms, office space, and other facilities, we will be able to accommodate the growing interest in classical and faithfully Catholic education among families in Southern Maryland.”

The Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, the Reverend Michael Tietjen, expressed his pleasure in the school’s relocation to the Parish Center. “Faced with the challenges of an increasingly secular and materialistic world, Catholic parents can look to Chesterton Academy as an affordable high-school for their sons and daughters,” he said. “My parishioners and I are very enthusiastic and honored to have the Chesterton Academy of St. Mary’s as part of our campus.”

During its initial year, the school was located in the Parish Hall belonging to St. Anne’s Anglican Catholic Church in Charlotte Hall. “We have been, are, and will always remain grateful to Bishop William McClean and the St. Anne's community for their generosity in offering us use of their building,” added Headmaster Pudysz. “Without them, it is unlikely that we would have enjoyed the success we had during our first year.”

Chesterton Academy of St. Mary’s is part of the Chesterton Schools Network, a group of thirty-four schools across the United States and Canada. Named after the English writer and philosopher G.K. Chesterton, the schools provide a classical curriculum offering a broad, liberal arts education with a strong emphasis on the development of Christian virtues and an appreciation of beauty.

For information about Chesterton Academy of St. Mary’s, please visit www.chestertonstmarys.org. For information about admissions, check the website or email admissions@chestertonstmarys.org.