St Vincent de Paul

Where: St Vincent de Paul, 14 M St SE, Washington, DC 20003

When: Sunday, June 3rd, 2012.

Web: The parish's website is here.

We attended 8:00am Mass at this small parish church in the Waterfront/Navy Yard area of southeast DC.  It sits amidst a greatly-changed neighborhood, with the Nationals ballpark and several office/condo/apartment complexes nearby. 

A single priest celebrated Mass (which, despite the early time, is the only one the parish has on Sunday.  There is an Ethiopian rite Mass at 10:30am), with the assistance of a deacon, an alter server, two readers, a pianist, a choir of about seven, and a few ushers.  Only the host was offered for Communion.  The Mass followed the standard rite.  The priest focused his homily on the feast of the Holy Trinity.  He noted that one way to view the Trinity is as an expression of the various relationships between God the Father, His Son Jesus, and His Holy Spirit.  He went on to suggest that right relationships between us are the only things we can take with us when we die - from them we can hope to enter heaven and be in an eternal relationship with God.  The absence of those relationships, he suggested, was hell.

The congregation numbered about fifity and was comprised overwhelmingly of black residents of the neighborhood.

St Teresa of Avila

Where: St Teresa of Avila church, 1244 V St SE, Washington, DC 20020

When: Sunday, May 27th, 2012.

Web: The parish's website is here.

We attended the 9:30am Mass on Pentacost Sunday at this parish church in the Anacostia neighborhood.  There was a large congregation at the Mass - the church was about four-fifths full - mainly comprised of local people.  There were a few attendees from other parts of the city and beyond.  The congregation was overwhelmingly black, and included all ages.

A lone priest celebrated Mass with the assistance of a deacon and numerous servers, readers, musicians, singers, and liturgical dancers.  This was the parish's 'contemporary Gospel' Mass; there were numerous hymns and songs throughout the vibrant and energetic service.  The congregation was tremendously engaged and involved throughout the service.  The singing, a baptism, and a lengthy sermon on the fruits, gifts, and ultimate purpose of the Holy Spirit made this the longest Mass in our journey across the city so far (it started at 9:35am and ended at 12:10pm).

St Luke

Where: St Luke's, 4925 East Capitol St Se, Washington, DC 20019.

When: Sunday, April 1, 2012.

Web: The St Luke's parish website is here.

We attended 8:30am Mass at this parish church in the Glendale neighborhood in the southeast of the city.  The congregation for this first Mass of Palm Sunday was about eighty strong - aside from us, exclusively black.  The congregation was middle-aged and elderly.  A single priest celebrated Mass, with the assistance of a cantor, pianist, two altar servers, and two readers. 

The priest gave an introductory homily and blessed the palms before Mass formally started.  The priest, readers, and congregation participated in reading the lengthy gospel of Mark reading.  The priest's (main) homily focused on Peter, Judas, and Pontius Pilate - three characters from the gospel that made their own choices to disown Jesus.  We, too, have the choice to accept or reject Jesus in our own lives.  The rest of the Mass followed the Standard Rite.

Our Lady Queen of Peace

Where: Our Lady Queen of Peace church, 3800 Ely Place SE, Washington, DC 20019.

When: Sunday, December 18th, 2011.

Web: The parish has no website.  This is its listing on parishes.org

We attended 10:30am Mass at this parish church in the Fort Dupont area of the city. A single priest celebrated Mass, aided by a deacon, 15 choiristers, 2-3 band members, 9 altar servers, and 4 eucharistic ministers.  This was one of the largest retinues we've seen at a regular Sunday Mass in the district.  The congregation of about 150 was exclusively black and trended older and female.

The Mass followed the standard rite.  Both the host and wine were offered for communion.  The priest gave communion to some infirm people in their seats before everyone else.  The deacon gave the homily - from a prepared text - that used various quotations from Scripture and Advent reading themes to remind us that God is always with us.  This, the deacon told us, was the meaning of Christmas.

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.

St Thomas More

Where: St Thomas More, 4275 4th St SE, Washington, DC 20032

When: Sunday, July 10th 2011.

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

We attended 8:45am Mass at this church in the Washington Heights neighborhood, just across the border with Maryland.  There were about 125 people in the congregation for the first of two Sunday masses.  The parish priest was assisted by his deacon, three altar servers, two readers, and a four-person choir. 

The mass followed the standard rite.  The priest based his homily on this week's Gospel, in which Jesus used the parable of the farmer sowing seeds.  The priest contended that we (the congregation and, by extension, the faithful) were the fertile ground into which God's Word had taken root and borne fruit.  He asked people to continue to tithe to the church.

Toward the end of Mass, the priest asked guests to stand up.  We introduced ourselves, were welcomed warmly, and received a little gift pack.  This was a very nice touch.

St Francis Xavier

Where: 2800 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington DC, 20020.

When: Sunday, October 9th, 2010.

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

We attended 11am Mass at this church in the Anacostia neighborhood of the city, just across the river from the main part of DC.  A single priest celebrated Mass, with an altar server, a Eucharistic Minister, a pianist, and a four-strong choir.  The congregation was about fifty strong; this included about ten people visiting for the first memorial anniversary of a sister from the nearby St Francis Xavier school.  It appeared as well that some parishoners were dissuaded from attending by the major roadworks directly outside the church.

The Mass followed the conventional rite; of note, though, was the priest facing the Tabernacle during the introductory prayers from a position below the sanctuary.  We hadn't noticed that in DC before.  His homily weaved references to today's Gospel to the life of the departed sister and to other congregants - our need to give thanks to God for His innumerable blessings to us. 

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Where: 3411 Martin Luther King Jr Drive SE, DC, 20032.

When: Sunday, June 20th, 2010.

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

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We visited Assumption Church on Sunday, June 20th. We took advantage of a weekend car rental to visit this church located in Congress Heights, quite distant from the city center.

Somewhat similar to Incarnation Church, Assumption is a small church serving an overwhelmingly black neighborhood. All but one of the hundred-strong congregation was black; trending older and female. The (outgoing) parish priest celebrated Mass, ably assisted by his deacon and two altar servers. There was a small choir of eight with an organist.