Caldwell Chapel, Catholic University of America

Where: Caldwell Chapel, Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20064.

When: Monday, March 12th, 2012.

Web: The University's Catholic ministry page is here.

We attended Monday evening Mass at this chapel on the CUA campus.  A single priest celebrated Mass, assisted by a reader, an extraordinary Eucharistic minister, and an altar server.  Both the host and wine were offered for Holy Communion.  There was no music.  The congregation was about sixty, almost filling the small but beautiful old chapel.

The Mass followed the standard rite.  Before he began the Mass, the priest noted that the Mass was being offered in remembrance of several deceased CUA alumni/staff; he mentioned them by name.  Later, in his homily, the priest noted that God is present with us even in times of great difficulty, such as bereavement.  We have to take that leap of faith to believe that, even in the midst of suffering, doubt, and anger, God is there for us.

St Joseph's Seminary

Where: St Joseph's Seminary, 1200 Varnum St NE, Washington, DC 20017.

When: Saturday, January 14th, 2012.

Web: The seminary's webpage is here.

We attended the 4pm Mass at this seminary for the Josephite Order.  There were about twenty seminarians, laity, and religious at the Mass, held in a beautiful chapel within the main building.  The chief celebrant was assisted by several religious and seminarians; they recited various prayers (particular to the order, perhaps) before and during Mass itself.  The homily was directed at the seminarians; the priest reminded them that their seminary life, while sometimes lonely, gave them time to comtemplate and get to know God, and thus enable them to be better priests. 

St Anthony of Padua

Where: St Anthony of Padua church, 1029 Monroe St NE, Washington, DC 20017.

When: Sunday, October 30, 2011.

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

We attended 8:30am Mass at this parish church, which serves the Brookland neighborhood of the city.  A lone priest celebrated Mass, with the assistance of a deacon, two alter servers, two readers, two eucharistic ministers, an organist, and a cantor.  The Mass followed the standard rite.  The priest focused his homily on the Gospel reading, in which Jesus highlighted the hypocrisy of religious (and other) leaders, who were interested more in the trappings of office than in serving God.  The priest noted similar dangers in our own times and in our own lives.

Both bread and wine were offered for communion.  At the end of Mass, a nun came to the alter to receive consecrated hosts to give to those unable to attend Mass - the congregation prayed over her.  The congregation itself was about fifty; a diverse group including young and old, families, couples, and single people; and blacks and whites.

Monastery of the Holy Cross

Where: Monastery of the Holy Cross, 1302 Quincy St NE, Washington, DC 20017.

When: Sunday, June 5th, 2011.

Web: The monastery's website is here.

This monastery in the quiet residential Brookland neighborhood is part of the Ukranian Catholic Church, which is in communion with the Roman Catholic Church.  It is of the Byzantine Rite.  This monastery, and the Church of the Most Holy Family not far away on Harewood St, are the only Ukranian Catholic sites within the District.

The liturgy was held in a basement chapel.  A lone priest celebrated the liturgy, assisted by one alter server - if that's the right term - and a lector.  The Byzantine Rite follows the same basic structure of the Latin Rite, at least to our lay eyes - broadly, liturgy of the word followed by liturgy of the eucharist.  The service was lad by the priest and involved a lot of chanted and sung prayers. responses, and hymns.  Communion was by intincture.  The priest's homily ranged over many subjects, but centered on the security that God's love and salvation should bring to us.  He meditated a little on the mystery of the Trinity as well, noting in particular that it is a mystery and beyond human understanding.

The congregation was about twelve strong.  The priest invited us to share coffee with the regular congregation after the service.  Everyone was very friendly toward us.

Holy Comforter/St. Cyprian

Where: Holy Comforter/St Cyprian Church, 1357 East Capitol St NE, Washington DC 20003.

When: Sunday, May 15th, 2011

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

We attended 11:00am Mass at this popular church in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of the city.  Shortly after our arrival, we were spotted as visitors, greeted, and handed a welcome card.  As the priest began Mass, he asked for visitors and new parishoners to stand - we were greeted by applause.  These were very welcoming touches.  Also before the start of Mass, and a first in our DC Mass-going experience, the priest led the congregation in repeating the church's mission and vision statements.

A lone priest celebrated Mass, assisted by a deacon, two readers, two altar servers, and a large choir/band.  The choir and band provided music throughout all parts of the Mass.  The Mass followed the Standard rite.  The priest gave a homily directed in part at the church's youth group, which, that morning had returned from a two-day retreat.  Basing his homily on the parable of the shepherd and sheep from today's Gospel, he told them to forget the numerous cultural influences that lead them away from God and the life He wants for us.  He called on (us) older members of the congregation to affirm that. 

Toward the end of the (already lengthy) Mass, several members of the youth group shared their experiences and learning from the retreat.  Various organizers and supporters were recognised as well. 

Pope John Paul II Cultural Center

Where: Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, 3900 Harewood Road NE, Washington DC, 20017

When: Saturday, April 30th, 2011.

Web: The center's website is here.

We attended Mass at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, not far from the National Shrine and CUA campus.  The Center was in the midst of a weekend of events to coincide with the beatification of Pope John Paul II.  This included this evening's Mass, which served as the Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday.

The Mass was held in the beautiful atrium at the Center, overlooking the pool and meadow.  There were about eighty in the congregation - including a large Polish contingent.  A single priest celebrated Mass, assisted by an altar server, two readers, and two cantors, one of whom played the piano.  The Mass followed the standard rite, though there was a special prayer for Pope John Paul II's case for sainthood at the end.  The priest told us an amusing anecdote of concelebrating Mass with John Paul in 1999; for the most part, however, he centered his homily on today's Gospel reading.  He spoke of Jesus's divine mercy toward the apostles; instead of upbraiding them for abandoning Him at the cross, he gave them His peace, gave them the power to forgive sins on His behalf, and told them to found the Church.  The priest asked how many of us had abandoned Jesus, and were in need of His divine mercy?

Holy Name

Where: Holy Name Catholic Church, 920 11th St NE, Washington, DC 20002.

When: Sunday, April 24th 2011.

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

We attended the 11:00am Easter Sunday Mass at this church in the Atlas District.  A single priest celebrated the service, assisted by an altar server, two lectors, an eight-member choir/band, and two Eucharistic ministers.  The congregation was large, about a hundred; hard to know if this was a regular number or a larger turn out for Easter.  The congregation was largely black, though with some Hispanic and white members as well.  Notably for a gospel choir, there were two white singers.

The Mass followed the standard rite, though augmented by a baptism after the homily.  Both the host and wine were offered for Holy Communion.  The priest focused his homily on the distinctive nature of Christ's death and resurrection, noting that they make Christianity unique amongst world religions.  He referred to St Ignatius' writings on the resurrection, especially his description of Christ's first meeting with His mother, Mary, after the resurrection.  The priest opined that Mary was not present at the tomb - perhaps contrary to what one would expect - because she understood and had abolsute faith in Scripture.  The priest ended his homily by noting that we are required to keep the Sabbath holy and attend Mass - but that it just the minimum requirement, we are expected to live our faith as well.

Chapel at Providence Hospital

Where: Chapel at Providence hospital, 1150 Varnum St NE, Washington, DC 20017.

When: Sunday, April 3rd, 2011.

Web: The hospital's chaplaincy page is located here.

We attended 12:00pm Mass at this Catholic-run hospital in the Brentwood area of Northeast DC.  A single priest celebrated Mass with the assistance of a reader and a pianist/cantor.  The congregation was about 25 or 30 strong - certainly some hospital staff but possibly some people from the neighborhood too.

The Mass followed the standard rite.  The priest focused his homily on the gospel, in which Jesus performed the miracle of making a blind man see.  The priest explained how Jesus cured his physical and spiritual blindness; and that, without the light that God is in our lives, we too would be blind.  He reminded us to share that light with others - we are not to keep it to ourselves.

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.

St Francis de Sales

Where: St Francis de Sales, 2015 Rhode Island Ave NE, Washington, DC 20018.

When: Sunday, November 14, 2010.

Web: The parish's website is located here; the ADW listing is here.

We attended 9am Mass on Sunday, November 14th at this small and architectually distinctive chuch (it is the basement of a never-completed larger church) in the Langdon Park neighbor hood of northeast DC.

A single priest celebrated Mass with the assistance of a deacon, a lector, and two altar servers.  There was no choir or music group.  The Mass followed the standard rite.  The congregation was almost totally black and older, though there were some younger people and children in attendance as well. 

The priest gave a homily on the coming of Advent.  After his homily, he invited a visiting sister from the Sisters of Matara, an order of nuns active in thirty countries, to speak of her order's work.

St Anselm's Abbey

Where: St Anselm's Abbey, 4501 South Dakota Ave NE, Washington, DC 20017

When: Sunday, October 17, 2010

Web: St Anselm's website is here.

We attended 10:00am Mass here on a bright fall Sunday morning.  St Anselm's Abbey is home to Benedictine monks, at least some of whom teach in the attached boys' school.  The Abbey sits on 40 acres of somewhat secluded woodland; the actual chapel itself is an original structure (1920s) and quite small.

As with the Dominicans some weeks ago, the chapel is divided into two: the upper portion in which the monks sat (facing each other in those seats the name of which I cannot remember); and the lower portion in which the congregation sat.  There were about twenty visitors for Mass, which was about two-thirds of the seating capacity.  Sixteen monks - most of them elderly - were there as well, included the celebrant.

Before Mass started, a monk invited us to bring the gifts to the altar.  The gifts were located on a small table at the front of the pew section.  We noticed that, when people arrived, they transferred hosts from one plate to another; perhaps to ensure that just the right amount were used during the Mass.  We have not seen this practice any where else in Washington, or, to our recollection, any where else.

The Mass followed the conventional rite.  The celebrant was aided by an organist; another monk led the singing.  Two monks joined the lead celebrant for the consecration of the gifts.  The lead celebrant gave a lengthy and wide-ranging homily that touched upon the power of prayer.

For communion, people lined up in the center aisle and walked forward to the lead celebrant; and either side on the way back down were the two co-celebrants with the wine.  There was no collection; but there was a place to leave a donation near the main door.

St Benedict the Moor

Where: 320 21st St NE, Washington DC 20002.

When: September 12th, 2010.

Web: The church's own website is here; the ADW listing is here.

We attended 10am Mass at this church located in the Kingman Park neighborhood, not far from RFK Stadium.  The congregation was about two hundred, almost exclusively black.  There was a notable absence of children and young adults, which the priest referenced in his homily.

The priest celebrated Mass with the assistance of two altar servers, a pianist, and two Eucharistic ministers.  There was no deacon.  The Mass followed the standard rite.  The priest gave an insighful homily on forgiveness, based on the parable of the prodigal son.  He referenced The Color Purple to reach his audience better.  He also focused on the need for parishoners to evangelize, esp. to get young people to return to the church.

Dominican House of Studies - chapel

Where: Dominican House of Studies, 487 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20017

When: Sunday, August 29, 2010.

Web: The Dominican House of Studies website is here.  http://www.dhs.edu/. 

The Dominican House of Studies (DHS) is home to The Priory of the Immaculate Conception (the Dominican friars), the pontifical theology faculty, and the student body (mainly those in training to become Dominican priests, but others as well).  DHS opens up its daily Mass to the outside community.  We attended 11:15am Mass there on Sunday, August 29th, 2010.

The Mass was celebrated by about 12 Dominican friars.  The congregation was composed of about 35 Dominican students and about 10 outsiders like us.  The Mass was held in the wood-panelled, somewhat dark, but beautiful chapel.  Unlike churches, where the seats usually face the altar, the seats in the chapel faced each other across a central aisle.  The rows were almost in bleacher format - the front row was at ground level, with each of three rows behind it slightly higher up.  The Dominicans sat toward the front - the rest of us sat at the back.  As first timers, we could not discern if this was custom or an enforced practice.

A Dominican organist provided accompaniment for the singing of hymns.  The Mass followed the standard rite, including a sign of the peace.  The chief celebrant gave a homily based from the day's readings - in essence, God invites us (as the host) to Mass, just as a person might invite the poor to a meal - He knows we cannot repay the invite - instead, He wants us there in His company.  Our challenge is to lovingly accept His invite.

The procedure for receiving the Eucharist was a little different from usual.  Two of the priests walked down the aisle to the end furthest from the altar; simultaneously, the congregation filed down the rows to form a queue.  After receiving the Eucharist, congregants walked to the altar, where two more priests offered the Chalice.  Some people chose to recieve just the Eucharist and returned to their seats.

The setting and the congregation made this a richer experience than some masses at local churches.

Church of the Incarnation

Where; Church of the Incarnation, 880 Eastern Ave NE, DC, 20018

When: Sunday, June 6th, 2010

Web: The ADW listing is here; the church's own website is here.

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We visited the Church of the Incarnation on Sunday, June 6th, for 11am Mass. Incarnation is located right on the border between DC and Maryland; it serves the Burrville neighborhood.

We arrived at the church quite early (due to the Metro bus schedule), so settled in while the choir went through their paces. The pews were sparsely filled until just before 11am - more people arrived shortly afterwards. The congregation was almost exclusively black; it trended older and female. We estimate about a hundred people in attendance.

The parish priest celebrated Mass with the assistance of his deacon and two altar servers. Both the priest and deacon greeted us before Mass started - and handed us little pennants as remembrances. The deacon gave the homily - a practice that seems common in DC. He spoke firmly about proper preparation for and attendance at Mass, including, for example, the oft-ignored rule of abstinence from food for an hour before receiving the Eucharist. He also spoke about dressing formally for Mass - though pretty much everyone we saw there was well-dressed.

The priest and deacon administered Holy Communion with the assistance of two extraordinary ministers. They offered both bread and wine. As seems usual in DC, most of the congregation went to receive the Eucharist by bread alone; the other half by bread and wine.

The small choir of five women and one man were accompanied by the organist. They performed about three traditional hymns during the Mass.

We found Incarnation to be a friendly and welcoming church during our short visit.

Ukranian National Catholic Shrine of the Holy Family

Where: 4250 Harewood Road NE, DC, 20017

When: Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Web: The church's website is here.

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The Ukranian Catholic Church is one of about twenty Catholic churches at are in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and one of only two (that we have found to date) with a physical presence in the National Capital Area. The concept of 'full communion' is a complex and changing one (perhaps we'll be visiting an Anglican church before we're done) and you can find information and resources here. We're not going to get into the theology or history of it - suffice to say, we accept the Church's teaching on it and know with certainty that we can fulfil our Mass obligation - and receive the Eucharist - at the Ukranian Church.

We attended Divine Liturgy at 9am on Sunday, May 30th, 2010. We knew almost nothing about the Byzantine liturgial tradition before going in. We sat at the back, allowing us to follow the practices of the regular congregants. We were able to read through some of the liturgical guide before the service started, and were able to see the gist of the service and some elements familiar to the Latin rite.

The congregation was all white, save for one man. We didn't expect to see much ethnic diversity in the Ukranian national church! We wondered if regular congregants were of Ukranian descent (we don't know). All told, there were about forty people there.

This particular Byzantine rite has the priest facing the Tabernacle with the congregation (somewhat similar to the Traditional Latin rite). The priest was assisted by a deacon and three altar servers (for want of a better term - we don't know what they're called officially). All were located in the altar area separated from the main part of the church by a three-doored wooden panel. At various times the priest, deacon, and servers entered and exited through these doors.

The liturgy centered on the priest and deacon chanting prayers and the choir (hidden above the main entrance) responding to them. The deacon had a more prominent role than the priest, which surprized us. The congregation didn't join in that much. Unlike Roman Catholic congregations, however, this one made the Sign of the Cross after every mention of the Trinity. There was one reading from the Bible and one specifically from the Gospel (though chanted, which made it difficult to follow). There were two collections, conducted separately (not quite sure what the second one was for).

The priest gave a short homily. The priest was new and this was his first service. Communion was by intinction - though this is an approved method in the Roman Catholic Church, we've never seen it used. It is more common in the Byzantine churches. It was a first for us then, as the priest used a small spoon to transmit the Eucharist from the Chalice to our mouths.

The Liturgy ended after an hour and five minutes. The priest remained in the church to greet his new parishoners. Find out more about the Ukranian Catholic Church here.

St Joseph

Where: 313 2nd St NE, DC, 20002

When: Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

Web: The ADW site is here; the parish's own site is here.

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We attended 8:30am Mass at St Joseph's on Sunday, May 23, 2010. St Joseph's sits in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, not that far from Union Station, the Senate office buildings and other government buildings, and the Capitol itself. We weren't quite sure what congregation would turn up there early on a rainy Sunday morning.

The congregation was mixed racially and demographically. Certainly whites were the majority but there were some blacks and latinos too. There was a good mix of families, couples, groups of friends, and single people. All told we reckon the congregation was about sixty.

Two priests celebrated Mass, which began a little before 8:30am (that really is a first for us!) As with St Ann's last week, this church took both collections at the same time (the second one was for CRS again - did they get it two weeks in a row or did churches have discretion as to when they held the collection? We don't know). For communion, the two priests served the Host from in front of the main altar, while two lay people served the Chalice from either side.

This was Pentacost, of course, so the priest's homily focused on the Holy Spirit. He appearned not to use notes and speak very much from the heart.

There was neither music nor singing at this Mass - we think this is typical of many early morning Masses.

Afterwards, the priests greeted their congregants outside the church, even though it was still raining.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Where: 400 Michigan Ave NE, DC, 20017

When: Various times 2008 - 2010

Web: The Shrine's website is here.

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We attend Mass occasionally at this wonderful church in Northeast DC. The Basilica is not a parish church - it is considered a shrine for the entire country. The Basilica attracts many pilgrims from across the United States and beyond, as well as locals seeking a periodic alternative to their own parish churches.

There are two main churches - the grand 'upper church' and the smaller 'crypt church' - as well as numerous chapels (mainly around the outer edges of the upper church). Most daily Masses are held in the crypt church - most weekend Masses are held in the upper church.

Upper church Masses are ornate affairs. The celebrant priests, deacons, and numerous servers process through the church, usually accompanied by a cantor and the tremendously large and powerful pipe organ. The crypt church Masses tend to be smaller in scale but no less reverential. The underground setting gives the crypt church a unique feeling.