The one nice thing about my house in Maryland was its proximity to a great church, just three blocks away. It was a very pretty old church with an active parish community. I loved it, and I was worried about finding a church that good in Virginia.
I talked to my friend Patrick about it, and like he always does, Patrick gave me great advice.
"You're going to love the churches in Arlington," he promised. "The Arlington diocese is on fire!"
Huh, I thought. What does that mean?
I found out pretty quickly. Arlington is a vibrantly Catholic area, with lots of amazing churches to choose from. I've never lacked for great support in my faith life here, and it's hard to pick which of its many fantastic churches is my favorite.
From the Young Adult ministry, whose calendar overflows with events, to the CIC downtown, Arlington is a young-adult Catholic hotspot.
And of all the churches in this diocese, I definitely have a favorite. St. John the Beloved.
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I first started going here with my friend Matthew, who loved this place, and after he passed away I kept going with other friends. This place was special for its memories of him.
When Frank became interested in Catholicism, I brought him here to St. John's for Sunday Mass. He became fast friends with the pastor at the time. It was here that he decided to become Catholic. It was here that he finally entered the Church last year—one of the happiest days of both our lives.
And as for that amazing pastor? He did our marriage prep, and he will be coming out to Chicago in May to celebrate our wedding. St. John's holds happy memories of those first exciting marriage-prep meetings.
Although it looks very modern, this church holds services that are very reverent and traditional. And over time, I've grown fond of its design—the windows let in lots of light that make for a sunny, joyful Sunday service.
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The Sunday Masses at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. are in English, while the noon Mass is a traditional Latin Tridentine Mass. Both kinds of services are beautiful. I've been to both, and I love them all.
One very special thing about this church is the huge age range present. Little old couples sit next to big families with giggling babies and young engaged couples (like yours truly). Frank and I always enjoy "baby spotting" all the cute little ones at Mass. Occasionally we see "DC celebrities" here too; it's a popular place to worship!
Another perk to this great church? Donuts after 10:30 Mass every week.
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^^Just head on over to the parish school.
This church has so many things to love—reverent services, cute babies, donuts—but my very favorite thing about it is that so many of our friends go there.
As I sat in Sunday Mass last week, I looked around the church, and I could see my friends everywhere. Ruth and her awesome roommates Cindy and Mary-Catherine, Dean, Conor and Elizabeth, and so many others. It's an amazing feeling to look around during church and notice that the place is full of your friends. I love worshipping alongside people I love, and as I looked around at St. John's last week, I got a lump in my throat. I'm going to miss this church, and our dear friends there, so much.
Here's looking forward to building a great new parish community in Chicago. :)
Isn't the Arlington diocese great? It's truly been an incredible blessing to have grown up here. God bless you, Tess!
ReplyDeleteMake sure you check out St. John Cantius church in Chicago, my childhood parish. It's incredibly gorgeous, the catechesis is orthodox, the community is very active, and they're producing a lot of vocations. They even started their own religious order a few years back. http://cantius.org/
ReplyDeleteI second the St. John Cantius! Gorgeous! And lots o' babies to spot ;) You two will be adding your own to the mix soon for others to envy over :) Ah, baby envy :) I've had to remind Anth quite a few times that he can't steal them and he just has to be patient! :)
DeleteThanks for the tips about Cantius! We've heard such great things about this place. My little sister is in the pro-life group there and loves it, and many of our friends have recommended it. I can't wait to check it out!
DeleteI'm sure you'll find an amazing parish in Chicago, too! I lived there for a year and made it a point to visit as many churches as I could - and there are some really amazing, traditional churches with very active communities. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's great to know! I've heard such good things about the churches in Chicago that I'm thinking of creating a "church passport" for Frank and me to check off as we visit all of them. Any recommendations for churches to include?
DeleteSt. Peter's in the loop is run by Franciscan friars who hear confessions and celebrate Mass around the clock; they're wonderful! On Ash Wednesday every year you can see hundreds of people lined up down the block to receive ashes, all day long. I went there for daily Mass when I was taking classes at the Art Institute.
DeleteSome of my top recommendations that you should check out: St. Mary of the Angels, St. Alphonsus, St. Stanislaus Kostka, St. John Cantius, Holy Name Cathedral (of course), St. Clement, St. Peter's in the Loop, and Notre Dame de Chicago. These were some of my favorites in terms of architecture, music, homilies, and (the big one) orthodoxy (several of them have amazing choirs if you attend their busiest/normal Mass time). If you're strictly interested in gorgeous architecture, then there are many, MANY more; for example, I'd highly recommend checking out Old St. Pat's but I would only recommend it as a regular parish to individuals who heavily identify with the "spirit" of Vatican II if you know what I mean.
DeleteI only ever attended St. Peter's in the Loop for daily mass and confession, but it's one of the best for these things (in my opinion) because they have more daily mass times than any church I've ever seen - and they have extensive hours for reconciliation. It really makes receiving the sacraments fit well into a tight schedule if you'll be anywhere near downtown on a daily commute.
And finally: I'd simply like to tell you that all the churches I listed above are in neighborhoods/areas that I felt safe in. This was a big factor for me because I was in the city for a year as a Dominican volunteer and (as part of my program/in the spirit of living among those I served) lived in what most people would consider a very unsafe neighborhood. And I relied on public transportation. There are several other amazing parishes out there (I'm positive), but my getting to some of them was not feasible either in terms of distance from where I lived (having to take the El and buses) or the safety factor of going alone. But like I said, any I recommended are parishes I enjoyed AND are located in places that I felt safe in. While I liked some churches a lot, I won't recommend some of them to others unless they are familiar with the neighborhood it's in and would feel safe navigating the area on foot (walking from a parked car, bus, or the El).
Stephanie and Kathryn Rose, these are FANTASTIC! Thanks for all the great recommendations! I'm definitely adding them to our "church passport" list.
DeleteGlad I could help! :)
DeleteAww, I didn't realize you guys went here! Tom and I have fond memories here too; we went to the Wednesday night adoration/holy hour every week while we were dating/engaged. :) LOVE Fr. Scalia! We almost made it our parish when we moved closer to it, but then Tom remembered that it is FULL of families/boys from his school and he decided he didn't want to run into students and parents every Sunday. :)
ReplyDeleteHa, that's great! It's such a small world. :) I can completely understand that reason for deciding not to make it your parish. Where do you guys usually go?
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