Chapel of the Incarnation, Washington Hospital Center

Where: Chapel of the Incarnation, Washington Hospital Center, 110 Irving St NW, Washington DC, 20010.

When: Sunday, January 2nd, 2011.

Web: The website for the WHC chaplaincy service is located here.

We attended the daily 12:00pm Mass at the chapel in the Washington Hospital Center.  This little chapel seats about twenty; the congregation of mainly hospital staff was about that number.  The hospital chaplain celebrated the Mass with the assitance of a pastoral sister, who prepared the chapel, led the Angelus before Mass, led the singing of hymns (with a harmonica), and served as eucharistic minister.  She asked a member of the congregation to read both readings and the responsorial psalm.  

The Mass followed the standard rite.  Both the host and wine were offered for Holy Communion.
As today is the feast of the Epiphany, the priest focused his homily on firstly explaining the manifestation of Jesus to the magi (it announced Jesus to the gentiles and it ended man's dependance on the stars for guidance) and secondly reminding us that we were to be 'stars' guiding each other through life.

St. Josemaría Escrivá Chapel at Catholic Information Center

Where: St. Josemaría Escrivá Chapel at Catholic Information Center, 1501 K St NW, Washington DC, 20005.

When: December 31st, 2010.

Web: The CIC website is located here.

We attended the regular 12:05pm weekday Mass at the CIC.  The CIC is located in the heart of downtown Washington; it has a bookstore and chapel, and serves as a base for various Catholic groups and meetings. 

The core of the CIC is its 84-seat chapel, named in honor of St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opes Dei, the group that currently operates the CIC.  Given that it was a holiday today, only a dozen or so people were in the congregation.  A single priest celebrated Mass with one assistant who served as lector and alter server.  The Mass followed the standard rite, though had only one reading before the Gospel.  Only the host was offered for Holy Communion.  The priest gave a homily on the appropriateness of reviewing God's blessings in 2010 at the end of the year.  We sang hymns at the opening and closing of the Mass.  Mass was preceded by a recitation of the Angelus and followed by a recitation of the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.

Chapel at Veterans' Medical Center

Where: Chapel at Veterans' Medical Center, 50 Irving St NW, Washington, DC 20422.

When: Sunday, December 26th, 2010.

Web: The chaplain's page of the VA Medical Center's website is here.

We attended the daily 11:30am Mass at the Veterans' Medical Center; one of the many hospitals in DC to offer scheuled masses to patients, staff, visitors, and the general public.  The Medical Center has a lovely chapel on the 3rd floor, shared by all faiths and denominations. 

The hospital's resident chaplain celebrated Mass.  The congregation was four people; two patients and us (a fifth person, possibly a staff member on a short break, attended for a while too).  We heard from one of the patients that a rumor had spread that today's Mass was cancelled due to the chaplain being sick - we deduced from this that the congregation is usually larger.

The priest led us in singing an opening hymn.  The service followed the standard rite.  He gave a homily on the feast of the Holy Family; he told of his own period of homelessness (as a recently-arrived Filipino priest in the US) and how his grandparents strengthened his faith and, ultimately, led him to discern his vocation when he was just ten.  He also reminded us that Christmas is a sixteen-day celebration that starts with Christmas Day.

The host was offered for communion.  At the end of Mass, just before dismissal, the priest led us in a series of prayers including four Hail Marys.  The ready participation of the two patients in these prayers led us to believe that this is standard practice here.

St Stephen Martyr

Where: St Stephen Martyr, 2436 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037

When: Sunday, December 19th, 2010.

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

We attended 5:30pm Mass at this church in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of DC (note: not the 5:30pm Vigil Mass - St Stephen's has a late Mass on Sunday, most likely to accommodate the GWU students).

A single priest celebrated the Mass, with the assitance of two lectors and an altar server.  There was neither a cantor nor a music group.  The Mass followed the standard rite.  The priest focused his homily on the dream-like interactions God had with Joseph, Isaiah, and Ahaz, noting the different responses of each. 

The large congregation was quite mixed, both racially and in age.

St Dominic

Where: St Dominic's Church, 630 E St SW, Washington DC 20024 

When: Sunday, December 5th, 2010

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

We attended 10:45am Mass at this rather large church in Southwest DC, located just off the 395 expressway amidst Federal office buildings.  The congregation of about eighty seemed sparse in the vast venue.

The Mass followed the conventional rite.  A single priest celebrated Mass, with the assitance of two deacons, a worship coordinator/cantor, an eight-strong choir/music group, two lectors, two eucharistic ministers, and an altar server.

Epiphany

Where: 2712 Dumbarton St NW, Washington, DC 20007

When: Saturday, November 20th, 2010.

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

We attended the Vigil Mass at this small church just off the busy streets of Georgetown.  A single priest celebrated Mass, with the assistance of a cantor (who served as pianist and organist), three altar servers, and a lector.  The congregation was about fifty - mainly white and older, but with a few younger couples in attendance too. 

The Mass followed the standard rite.  As this Sunday was the feast of Christ the King, the priest focused his homily on the origins of the feast and, more importantly, what it means.  He explained that while earthly kings have temporal power on earth, Christ's power is supernatural and superior to all.  Those who realise this will align their lives to His.

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 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. 

Our Lady Queen of the Americas

Where: Our Lady, Queen of the Americas, 2200 California St NW, Washington DC 20008.

When: Saturday, October 2nd, 2010.

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

We attended the 5:30pm Vigil Mass at this largely Hispanic parish in Northwest Washington DC.  The chapel in which Mass was celebrated was on the second floor of a large school-like building.  We got the impression that there are several Hispanic and immigrant related services provided in the building.  Most Masses are in Spanish - but this Vigil Mass was in English.

The priest celebrated Mass with the assistance of two readers.  As is common for Vigil Masses, there was no choir or musical accompaniment.  The congregation was about 20; mostly middle-aged men and women there by themselves. 

The Mass followed the conventional rite.  Of note was the priest's homily on today's Gospel, in which the parable of the mustard seed was mentioned.  The priest noted that this was his favorite parable as a child; but that, at the seminary, a nun told him that the English interpretation was terrible.  We are not to have faith "like" a mustard seed (small) but "as" a mustard seed (tenacious, growing, and visible in difficult circumstances).  Also of note was the lack of wine for the Eucharist and the lack of an actual collection (there was a basket at the chapel door).