By Menachem Wecker
When Michael Salgarolo started attending the Newman Catholic Student Center’s Mass at St. Stephen Martyr, the Los Angeles native noticed variations from the services back home. Curious, he decided to experience how other churches in the District celebrate the rite, and his blog Capitol Catholic was born.
As Mr. Salgarolo observed in his inaugural post on Capitol Catholic on Oct. 10, 2009, parishes vary in size, culture, race and socioeconomic status. The services can also be quite different. Some parishes sing while others recite; priests emphasize different narratives and themes in their homilies.
The churches themselves--and their décor--also run the gamut, from hundred-year-old structures to new modern buildings.
At stake in his project of celebrating Mass at the more than 40 Catholic churches in Washington, Mr. Salgarolo blogged, is more than curiosity or boredom. The blog is examining what it means to be Catholic in America.
“This should be a great challenge, and hopefully a lot of fun,” he wrote.
George Washington Today reached Mr. Salgarolo after he had attended about a quarter of the churches he had identified from Capitol Hill to Tenleytown. “This project has been great because it’s not only a survey of D.C.’s churches,” he says. “It’s a study of the people in Washington and their communities.”
Though he cautions that he has a lot of ground (and pews) to cover yet, Mr. Salgarolo says he has noticed that churches downtown such as St. Patrick’s and St. Joseph’s tend to be older and include “pseudo-Gothic” architectural elements like stained glass, columns and high arches – “a tribute to Europe’s great Gothic cathedrals.”
The African American Catholic churches Mr. Salgarolo has visited incorporate some nontraditional elements. “They are remarkable to me not only because they have managed to gracefully infuse a lot of traditionally Protestant practices (Gospel Choir, anyone?) into the Catholic service, but because they have created a strong sense of community that is friendly and welcoming to newcomers,” he says. “For anyone looking for a beautiful and unique Catholic Mass, I highly recommend the 12:30 Mass at St. Augustine’s on U Street.”
Mr. Salgarolo points to the Newman Center as a resource for Catholics on campus. “Father Greg’s evening Masses at St. Stephen’s are a great resource for those who don’t like to drag themselves all over the city like I do on Sunday mornings. Father Greg gives great homilies and students find him very down to earth.”
Mr. Salgarolo, who is planning on studying political science and history, says he first decided on GW because he wanted to experience a completely different area of the country. “The solid academics and great location didn’t hurt either,” he says.
Beyond being impressed with the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception when he visited Washington a few years ago, Mr. Salgarolo says religion was not a major factor in his decision to study in Washington. “I knew that I could practice my religion pretty much anywhere I went to school,” he says. “Catholics are everywhere.”
At GW, Mr. Salgarolo has found the college experience is altering his Catholic classmates’ faith in different ways.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people who are drifting away from their faith in college, but I’ve also talked to a good many who are using their time at GW to strengthen and guide their faith,” he says.