St. Patrick’s Church DC

St. Patrick’s Church DC

After touring Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen House across the street, my son and I decided to walk around the streets of DC to see what we’d see.

I was honestly super surprised by all the hidden treasures we saw along our walk.  One of the first sights we saw that day was St. Patrick’s Church.

This church is such a super pretty building, I absolutely love the building.

We didn’t go inside or anything, but we did stand outside for a few minutes while I drooled over the absolute awesomeness of this building.

I loved the architecture, and I loved the stone, I loved everything about it.

I wish we would’ve gone inside, I’m sure I would’ve loved the inside as well.  But I feel like walking up into a Catholic Church when you’re not Catholic is just wrong.  Maybe it’s not, I don’t know.  I’m sure all visitors are welcome in all houses of worship.

Anyway, this was such a pretty building to pass by.  I had to take a couple photos.

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About St. Patrick’s Church DC

St. Patrick’s Parish was established to meet the needs of Irish immigrants in 1794 as they worked on the White House and Capitol buildings.  The first pastor was Irish Dominican Fr. Anthony Caffry, appointed by Bishop John Carroll.

This was one of the first church buildings in the city and started as a simple frame chapel and residence.  Both the church and the city of Washington DC struggled at first.

In 1804, Fr. William Matthews was the first American to be ordained a priest in the United States and was named pastor.  Father Matthews served at this post for 50 years and was close with several notables in Washington DC.  Presidents Zachery Taylor and John Quincy Adams both attended events at this parish.

St. Patrick’s Church has undergone several repairs and renovations over the years as the neighborhood around it grew.  It has served has the annual home of Washington’s Blue Mass, dedicated to police, firefighters, and other law enforcement officers.

The parish was visited by His Holiness Pope Francis in 2015 which was arguably the biggest historical milestone for the church.  St. Patrick’s Church is located at 619 Tenth Street NW, Washington DC, 20001.  Phone: (202) 347-2713.

Mass Times are at 5:30pm on Saturday, 8am, 10am, and 12pm on Sundays, and 7:30am Monday through Friday as well as 12:10pm Monday through Saturday.  Confession Times are Monday through Saturday from 11:30am through 12pm and Saturday from 4:30pm through 5:15pm.  You can arrange confessions by appointment at the rectory by calling ahead.

Summary

So, this wasn’t really a road trip stop.  I mean, I will never discourage you from going to church.  But I would recommend you at least drive by to see this building; it is so pretty.

Have you been there?  I’d love to hear what you thought of it.  Did you go inside or stay for service?

Please drop a few lines in the comments box below and let me know how your visit went.

In the meantime, safe travels!

~Kris M.

P.S.  If you happen to use travel journals, be sure to check out the travel journal I created for my future Washington DC Road Trips.

Written by Kris M.