So this past weekend I drove down from State College, Pa to Georgetown in Washington, DC with Matt Kuhner, a good friend of mine from high school. We were visiting another longtime friend, Eric Snyder, who’s living in Georgetown this summer while on an internship for Capital One.
I’ve been to Washington many times before, and seen all the major sights from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial. This visit, though, was a special one for me. It was the first time I’ve spent any significant time in Georgetown, which is an historic and gorgeous part of the city that I’ve come to adore.
Georgetown is what I consider the “classical America” area of the district with more high end shops and boutiques than you can count, but it’s charm is evident in block after block of historic buildings and colonial homes. (In fact, during a previous visit two years ago, I visited the Old Stone House. Built in 1765, it’s the oldest standing building in the district.)
We arrived late on Friday any enjoyed the pleasant but muggy weather, heading out after lunch on Saturday and heading to the heart of the city. I was moved by a massive community effort by a local service organization to provide food, shelter and bathroom facilities to the homeless population. It’s a humbling reminder that the capital of the greatest nation in the history of mankind still struggles with very human problems of destitution.
Later we attending an early Mass at Holy Trinity Church, the same one attended by President John F. Kennedy and recently in the news for Tim Russert’s funeral Mass. The church takes up about an entire city block with the modern church and original chapel, along with gardens and a recreation area.
Above the entrance to the chapel is a beautiful stained glass representation of the nature of the Holy Trinity — the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit or Pater, Filius and Spiritus Sanctus. The Mass itself was exceptional with a thoughtful Homily delivered by, I believe, Fr. Gregory A. Schenden, S.J.
He referenced a passage by Fr. Ron Rolheiser on the reality that, too often, “the pious are not liberal” in and “the liberal are not pious.” The challenge, he asserted, was to strive for a life that successfully blends the two.
I captured the last portion of the closing organ music on video, as has become a habit when visiting other churches. After Mass we were struck by a sign affixed to the door of the church as we left with a cross that said simply, “For The Greater Glory of God.”
Afterward we ate at The Tombs, which I was impressed to learn was named after a line in Bustopher Jones, a poem by T.S. Elliot. The meal — pork BBQ with french fries and, for desert, blackberry pie — hit the spot.
On Sunday we rose early for what was my first professional soccer match between D.C. United and the LA Galaxy. Since watching my high school soccer team compete, I have been a mild fan of soccer, but seeing it played professionally in RFK Stadium gave me an entirely new appreciation. I’ll definitely be back.
A whirlwind weekend in Georgetown — I couldn’t have asked for more.
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