Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Where: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 1600 Morris Road SE, Washington, DC 20020.

When: Sunday, September 18, 2011.

Web: The parish's ADW listing is here; its own website is here.

We attended 11:00am Mass at this parish church in the Anacostia neighborhood.  We arrived at the church a little early, and entered to find a small group praying the Rosary.  By the start of Mass, the congregation was about eighty strong.  The congregation was exclusively black (aside from us), and largely older.  There was a noticeable absence of teens and other young people.

Two priests celebrated Mass with the assistance of a deacon, three altar servers, two readers, and a Gospel choir of eight.  The Mass followed the standard rite.  Both bread and wine were offered for communion.  The priest focused his homily on the Gospel reading of the day, in which Jesus told the parable of the farm laborers (each paid the same, irrespective of their work).  The priest forcefully told us that the inequality on earth will not be present in heaven; that God loves us all equally; and that those of us who might be pious or consider ourselves better than others (for whatever reason), will be welcomed no more or less than a wicked person.

St Peter

Where: St Peter's Catholic Church, 313 2nd St SE, Washington, DC 20003.

When: Sunday, September 11, 2011

Web: The parish's ADW listing is here; its own website is here.

We attended 11:00am Mass at this parish church in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.  The Mass was very well attended - indeed, the congregation of 200 or so almost filled the church.  The congregation was overwhelmingly white, reflecting the demographics of Capitol Hill.

A single priest celebrated Mass, assisted by a deacon, two readers, an altar server, and a folk choir.  The Mass followed the standard rite.  Both bread and wine were offered for communion.  The priest focused his homily on the theme of forgiveness.  While the readings centered on this theme anyway, it was particularly appropriate on this day, the tenth anniversary of 9/11.  The priest noted that hatred, even of those who commit terrible acts, bind us up in negative feelings that keep us distant from God's love.

Main Chapel at Children's National Medical Center

Where: Main Chapel at Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC

When: Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

Web: The hospital's pastoral care page is located here.

We attended the 4pm Vigil mass in the hospital's main chapel.  The chapel is in fact a multi-faith room, with materials from other religions on display.  It is much smaller and less overtly Catholic than chapels at the nearby Washington Hospital Center and Veterans' Hospital.

A lone priest celebrated Mass for the congregation of five people.  He asked a member of the congregation to serve as lector (no one volunteered to be cantor).  The Mass followed the standard rite.  The priest offered both bread and wine for the Eucharist.  He focused his homily on the concept of a watchman.  We are to watch over our own and others' faith, something increasingly hard to do in today's secular society, he said.