Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Went to a wedding there. Beautiful and cozy church. Unfortunately their marriage didn’t make it.

This is the first Catholic church established in the DC area in 1791. However, the parish embodies the best elements of Vatican II, with vibrant liturgies and thoughtful homilies which inspire full participation by the congregation. Holy Trinity is staffed by the Jesuits (but is separate community than the nearby Georgetown University) and is oriented to highlight the Ignatian Charism of discernment and «contemplation in action.»
Each of the eight Masses a weekend has a distinct character. For example, the 11:30 Sunday is «smells and bells», the two 9:30 masses are geared towards families and the 5:30 PM Sunday has a contemporary choir (using St. Louis Jesuits style music).
Holy Trinity is an active parish, with prayer groups, book clubs and regular social justice groups.
This is a parish of choice for many members who travel far from Georgetown to gather at Holy Trinity to worship.
Parking can be a challenge due to the tight streets which surround the Church. On weekends, people can park at nearby Georgetown Visitation High School or at several lots on the Georgetown University campus. I prefer street parking but it does tend to be driving roulette to find a place to legally do curbside parallel parking.

This church has a special place in my heart since my wedding took place in the chapel. It was renovated approximately 15 years ago. It is beautiful. I have attended services with my husband as much as possible. I am protestant but I have always felt welcomed when I visit Holy Trinity. My only issue about the main sanctuary is that the wooden pews are hard to take on my hip (car accident). I always bring a cushion, unless we are in the theater, which has comfy seats.
The Georgetown location has parking challenges but overflow parking is available at visitation. just a few blocks away.
Marriage prep was interesting and fun. The church normally assigns a music adviser to help with the ceremony but I’m sentimental and had a friend play our selections. There aren’t any photography restrictions in the chapel. The space so beautiful that I didn’t have flowers, except my bouquets and a single rose in honor of my grandmother.
If you have a wedding here, put signs outside the church door and spread the word that your ceremony is in the chapel or sanctuary. We had guests who accidentally entered our service and one of my guests missed my service because he only entered the sanctuary, where he didn’t know anyone. The location is so popular that there are often several weddings in one day. It could be practical to contact another bride and groom and suggest sharing flowers/​costs.
The church community is friendly and there are many events, retreats and courses throughout the year, in addition to mass.
There are great places to grab a bite after mass. I am most familiar with the 5:30pm services but there are several other masses. If you are visiting for Easter, arrive early.

HT is a great church. Interesting homilies by enlightened priests. A proactive community. Plus the church itself is beautiful and a great setting to contemplate some of life’s weightier questions.

It seems weird to write a review of a church, but here I go. Holy Trinity is my childhood parish, so it was no question that we would get married here. A few details:
1. In order to get married at Trinity, you must be a parishioner for at least a year prior to your wedding date.
2. You must go through marriage prep at Trinity or another Catholic church.
3. There are obviously requirements that at least one party be Catholic and, in order for it to be a sacramental marriage, that both parties be baptised.
4. There is no on-​site coordinator, so if you feel you need help getting your wedding party down the aisle on the big day, consider a day-​of coordinator.
I was extremely fond of the practical, sober-​minded approach that the church took to marriage prep, focusing on true areas of conflict in real life marriages, rather than exclusively on Church dogma. The Jesuit priests at this church are smart and sensitive and I felt extremely prepared not only for my ceremony but most importantly for my marriage by the time I emerged from the marriage prep program and the meetings with our officiant.