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Welcome

Welcome to St. Alban’s Church! Every Sunday, and most days in between, people gather in this place to worship, to learn, to grow, to share the joys and struggles of our lives, and to seek God’s grace in the midst of our lives. We do not come because we have it all figured out, but because we are seeking light on the way. We come as we are and welcome one another.

On this website, you can find information about our worship, our classes for people of all ages, membership at St. Alban's, and about how we seek to make a difference in this world. We warmly encourage you to join us for a Sunday service or for some of the many other events that happen here. You belong at St. Alban’s.

Please fill out this welcome form to connect with us.

Contact us with any questions. Call (202) 363-8286 or email the church office.

 

Service Times 

Weekly In-person Sunday Service Schedule (Please note: Service times may be changed during the seasons of Christmas and Lent and during the summer. Please refer to our calendar to confirm the times.):

8 a.m. (English) in the Church
9 a.m. (English) in the Church
11:15 a.m. (English) in the Church
11:15 a.m. (Spanish) in Nourse Hall (same building as the Church)

Communion in one kind (i.e. wafers) will be offered at the main altar, although we will happily bring communion to those for whom steps are challenging. 

Weekly Live Sunday Services are live-streamed on our Youtube channel (St. Alban's DC) at 9 a.m. every Sunday, as is our Spanish service at 11:15 a.m. 

Evening Prayer Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. via Zoom, join us for a time of reflection and sharing at the close of your busy day. Contact Paul Brewster for the link. 

 

Directions

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church is located next to the Washington National Cathedral at the corner of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in the northwest section of the District of Columbia.

From either direction on the north loop of the Capital Beltway/I-495 follow signs for Route 355/Wisconsin Ave south toward DC. St. Alban’s is located on the left just before the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW. Make a left onto Lych Gate Rd before you reach Massachusetts Ave. As you enter the drive, the church will be on your left and Satterlee Hall and the Rectory on the right. Stay on Lych Gate until it becomes Pilgrim Rd.

From any Virginia main in-bound thoroughfare (George Washington Memorial Parkway, I-395, Route 50, I-66), follow signs to Rosslyn and take the Key Bridge from Rosslyn north across the Potomac River into Georgetown. Go right on M St, left on Wisconsin Ave. St. Alban’s is located on the right just after the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW. Make a right onto Lych Gate Rd after passing Massachusetts. As you enter the drive, the church will be on your left and Satterlee Hall and the Rectory on the right. Stay on Lych Gate until it becomes Pilgrim Rd.

Parking is available on Pilgrim Road Monday-Friday after 3:30 pm and all day Saturday and Sunday. Parking is also available in the Cathedral’s underground garage for a fee Monday- Saturday and for free on Sunday.  You may also park on neighborhood streets according to DC parking signs.

What to Expect

Visiting a church for the first time can be a bit daunting. So we have tried to put together the answers to some of the questions you’re likely to have and to ensure that you find a warm welcome here. Click on the questions to learn more.)

How do you worship?

What time are services on Sunday morning?

How long do services last?

Where can I park?

Do you offer programs for children?

What should I wear?

Do you have provisions for the differently-abled?

For Your Kids

Children’s Ministry

At St. Alban’s, we believe that a child’s spiritual growth is just as important as their physical and intellectual growth. Our goal is to help children name and value the presence and love of God in their lives. We do this through a variety of means – by providing stable and consistent adult mentors, encouraging strong peer relationships, and supporting parents in their families’ faith lives at home.

Worship: This Fall, Children's Chapel meets during the first half of the 9:00 a.m. service in Nourse Hall (a spacious parish hall in the same building as the main worship space.) Kids and families join "big church" at the Peace so everyone can receive Communion together. To learn more, contact the Rev’d Emily Griffin.

Education: We've resumed our formation programs for the 2022-2023 period. Here’s everything you need to know:

  • Sunday School and Youth Group Classes are from 10:15 to 11:05 a.m.
  • Nursery, 2s & 3s, PreK to 1st Grade, 2nd to 3rd Grade, and 4th to 6th Grade all meet upstairs in Satterlee Hall. Youth classes meet downstairs in Satterlee Hall.
  • If you haven’t registered your child or teen yet, it’s not too late. Register in person at the start of class or click here. 

Questions? For children, contact the Rev’d Emily Griffin at . For youth, contact the Rev’d Yoimel González Hernández at .

Learn more about Children's Ministries
Youth Ministry

Four teen groups participate in formation classes at St. Alban’s on Sunday mornings. We use the nationally recognized Episcopal curriculum “Journey to Adulthood," or J2A. J2A has two guiding principles: 1) Manhood and womanhood are gifts of God; and 2) Adulthood must be earned. This is a strong program with over 50 youth participating, many of whom engage in a wide variety of ministries at St. Alban’s. Two or three adults mentor each of the groups for two years, sharing their own faith journeys and forming strong bonds of fellowship with the participants.Learn more about Youth Ministries

The Episcopal Church

As Episcopalians, we follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe God is active in our everyday lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and with each other in Christ. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the gospel, and promotes justice, peace and love. The Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all of its members.

We uphold the Bible and worship with the Book of Common Prayer. We believe the Holy Scriptures are the revealed Word of God. In worship we unite ourselves with one another to acknowledge the holiness of God, to hear God's Word, to offer prayer and praise, and to celebrate the Sacraments. The Celebration of Holy Eucharist is the central act of worship in accordance with Jesus' command to His disciples. Holy Communion may be received by all baptized Christians, not only members of the Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion with 70 million members in 165 countries.  The word "Episcopal" refers to government by bishops. The historic episcopate continues the work of the first apostles in the Church, guarding the faith, unity and discipline of the Church. Both men and women, including those who are married, are eligible for ordination as deacons, priests and bishops. 

We strive to love our neighbors as ourselves and respect the dignity of every person. We welcome all to find a spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.

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Articles

Holy Week 2024

03.25.24 | Worship | by Mery Montenegro

     

    Retreat!

    Throughout the history of the Church, Christians have taken days or weeks to step away from the cares of work and family life to focus on God alone. An extended period of silence and contemplation in a convent or on the side of a mountain may not be accessible to every Christian, so the Church gives us an annual retreat called Holy Week.

    In Holy Week, we continue to attend to our work and care for our homes and families, but keep our focus on the goodness and love of God revealed in the person of Jesus. We come to church on Wednesday for the service of Tenebrae, in which we recall the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as reflected in the Psalms. On Maundy Thursday, we gather to relive the Last Supper and receive Christ’s commandment to love one another as He loves us. We continue this service in the Bishop’s Garden, remembering Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane, and may choose to follow this by returning to the Nave to spend time meditating on this mystery in the St. John chapel. On Good Friday, we join Mary and John at the foot of the Cross. On Holy Saturday in the Columbarium, we remember the sabbath in which God the Son rested in the tomb. That night, at the Great Vigil of Easter, and then on Easter Morning, we stand at the door of the empty tomb to rejoice in the glorious resurrection of Christ and the utter destruction of death itself. Please join us this Holy Week!
     
    Holy Week 2024 Schedule:

    • March 25, 26, and 27
      • Pre-recorded meditations & music released at 7 a.m. each day online
    •  Wednesday of Holy Week – March 27
      •  7:30 p.m. The Office of Tenebrae in the Nave – this is an ancient and beautiful service in which the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ are told in the words of the Psalms.
    • Maundy Thursday – March 28
      • 7:30 p.m. The Maundy Thursday Eucharist, the Stripping of the Altar, a Gethsemane reflection in the Bishop’s Garden, and an optional time of contemplation in the St. John Chapel.
      • 7:30 p.m. La Santa Misa en Trenbath Assembly/Satterlee Hall, una reflexión en el Jardin del Obispio, y una temporada de meditacion contemplativo en la capilla de San Juan en el santuario.
    • Good Friday – March 29
      • Noon Good Friday Service of preaching with Spoken Passion, Meditations, and Hymns in the Church.
      • 7:30 p.m. Traditional Good Friday Service with Sung Passion in the Nave
      • 7:30 p.m. El Servicio de Viernes Santo en el hogar de un miembro de San Albano.
    • Holy Saturday – March 30
      • 10 a.m. Holy Saturday Liturgy of the Word in the Columbarium
      • 8 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter: this dramatic and moving service begins with a small bonfire at the Peace Cross, from which we follow the new Light of Christ into the darkened church. There, we hear the story of salvation as told in Scripture, witness the baptism of a new Christian, and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. This is one of the most ancient and beautiful services of the church year and is not to be missed!
    • Easter Day: The Sunday of the Resurrection– March 31
      •  8 a.m. Contemplative Eucharist (Rite I) in the Nave
      •  9 a.m. Choral Eucharist in the Nave with brass instrumentation and Bishop Mariann Budde Presiding (Children’s Chapel in Nourse Hall; Nursery care available - Upper Level, Satterlee Hall)
      • 11:15 a.m. Choral Eucharist (Rite I) with brass instrumentation in the Nave
      • 11:15 a.m. Bilingual Choral Eucharist/ Missa Bilengue in the Cathedral Amphitheatre