Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart

Where: Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington

, DC 20057

When: Sunday, February 20th, 2011.

Web: Georgetown University's Catholic campus ministry page is located here.

We attended 12:30pm mass at the main Georgetown University chapel.  This was one of seven Sunday masses at the chapel.  The congregation was about one hundred strong; in our opinion, a mix of faculty, students, and visitors like us.

A lone priest celebrated Mass with the assistance of four eucharistic ministers, two readers, and a five-strong choir.  The Mass followed the standard rite.  The priest gave brief introductions to the first and second readings (the first time we've come across this practice).  His homily focused on Jesus' command to reject violence and revenge - especially the difficulty of doing this in our lives.  He noted that even if the world obeyed the law that Jesus' command succeeded - an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth - the world would be a better place than it is now.

St Gabriel

Where: St Gabriel's Church, 26 Grant Circle NW, Washington, DC 20011.

When: Sunday, February 13th, 2011.

Web: The ADW listing for St Gabriel's is here; the parish's own website is here.

We attended 11am Mass at this lovely church in the Petworth neighborhood in Northwest DC.  We arrived at the church a little early, just in time to hear a group recite the Rosary and the Litany of Mary.  This is the first church we've seen do that before a Sunday Mass.  Obviously some parishoners were in the church early for this; about 125 people were in attendance for Mass.  The congregation was mostly black (and older), but with quite a few Hispanics and a couple of white people as well. 

A lone priest celebrated Mass with a deacon, five altar servers, two readers, two eucharistic ministers, three cantors, and a four-person band.  The Mass followed the standard Rite.  The priest gave a homily on the central importance of the ten commandments.  The priest summarized portions of his homily in Spanish.

St Vincent's chapel, Catholic University of America

Where: St Vincen't chapel, Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20064 (the chapel is located near the CUA-side enterance to Brookland Metro station, just off John McCormack road)

When: February 6th, 2011.

Web: The CUA campus ministry site is located here.

After a vacation break, and cause to attend the Basilica a couple of times during January, today we returned to our pilgrimage around DC churches and chapels.  Today we attended the 11am Mass at St Vincent's chapel, one of three such chapels on the Catholic University of America campus that offer Mass. 

A single priest - we think from a monastic order - celebrated Mass with the assistance of two altar servers, two cantors, a pianist, two readers, and five eucharistic ministers.  The Mass followed the traditional rite.  The priest focused his homily on today's Gospel reading, in which Jesus commanded us to make our faith known to the world.  The priest reiterated Jesus' message, asking us to share our faith with others by living overtly Christian lives.

The congregation was, as one might expect, overwhelmingly young students.  Almost all of the hundred or so in attendance were white.  There appeared to be slightly more females than males.  It was encouraging for us to see so many young people attend Mass on a beautiful spring morning.