St. Charles Borromeo

What’s distinctive about your parish? What is your parish’s charism? We are the most urban parish in the diocese, with the five Metro stops of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in our parish boundaries, resulting in a unique demographic. The vast majority of our households are single, young adult professionals. Many of them meet regularly in small group fellowships to support each other in the Christian life and are active volunteers in the parish. We are also responsible for the pastoral care of the George Mason University Arlington campus (“Mason Square”) graduate and professional schools community, which is expanding. Our parish has always been generous to the poor: from extraordinary financial assistance during the pandemic, to the weekly coffee hour and monthly meal for the needy, to support for our sister parish in Haiti, to complete Thanksgiving dinners and Giving Tree Christmas gifts for children, we continually reach out to the community with charity.

What’s the one unique thing visitors to your parish should do or see while there? The parish buildings are not architecturally remarkable, which is why we invested in large, commercial-type signs so people know who we are. However, we do have one notable work of art: a beautiful Carrara marble statue of the Pietà in our chapel which inspires much devotion. In terms of the neighborhood, the great National Marine Corps War Memorial — popularly known as the Iwo Jima Memorial — and its view of the nation’s capital is worth a visit. Arlington National Cemetery is also technically in our parish boundaries, but its pastoral care is entrusted to the Archdiocese for Military Services.

What is a new ministry that you’ve started? Or, alternatively, share some recent activities of longstanding ministries. For almost nine years on Wednesday nights, we celebrate “P3” — Prayer, Penance, and Pub — for young adults. We offer adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and confession, a meditation, and pub time. It’s a great occasion for spiritual growth and social connections. Some regular attendees have gone on to marry or to enter seminary.

How are you supporting the faith journey of particular cultures represented in your parish? We have a small but very active Hispanic community, which is a “legacy” community: most of our Hispanic families used to live in our parish then moved away, but still return on Sundays because they consider it their spiritual home.