The date was July 12, 2000. Father James R. Gould, then pastor of St. Raymond of Peñafort Church in Springfield, walked into a packed Whitlow’s on Wilson in Arlington. More than 250 young adults greeted Father Gould enthusiastically. The first diocesan Theology on Tap had begun.
Father Gould told the story of the ministry’s origins at a TOT celebrating the ministry’s 25th anniversary at the Columbus Club in Arlington March 19.
Since the 1980s, diocesan young adults would venture across the river to Theology on Tap events held in the Archdiocese of Washington. “All these Virginians crossed the river, and so the folks in Washington came over to us and said, ‘Hey, you really ought to have your own program, because you got all these kids coming over to us,’ ” Father Gould recalled.
With the help of Bob Laird, then director of the diocesan Family Life Office, assistant director Andrea Albanese (née King) set to work on building a diocesan Theology on Tap.
Father Gould recalled that the first bar the office contacted in Alexandria wanted nothing to do with a Catholic event. “We want no ministers coming in here,” Father Gould remembered them saying.
So, they approached Whitlow’s on Wilson, which was owned by Greg and Susie Cahill, parishioners of St. John the Beloved Church in McLean. The Cahills welcomed the ministry, and Whitlow’s became the local watering hole for the ministry until the bar closed in 2021. The bar now has a new location in Washington.
“Today, there are three different places in this diocese each month that will have a Theology on Tap, and it’s wonderful to see it,” said Father Gould, currently pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church in Purcellville.
Kevin Bohli, executive director of the diocesan Office of Youth, Campus and Young Adult Ministries, added that at the time, TOT was radical in its own way. “At that point, there was really no such thing as ‘young adult ministry,’ ” Bohli said. “So, the whole idea of even a priest or a bishop going into a bar to speak back then, that was pretty foreign.”
As more than 200 attendees of all ages enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, speakers who attended TOT over the years gave their testimonies.
Ken Wolfe, a parishioner of the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, remembered that the original TOT series was advertised as a “six pack.” “It would be 200 to 250 people, six straight Mondays,” he said.
While TOT was never intended to be “a dating service,” Wolfe met his wife, Amy, at one of the events. He said even though he and his wife have “aged out” of the target demographic, “sometimes we’ll sneak into Murphy’s (in Alexandria) and sit in the back.”
Current organizer of the Alexandria TOT Mariane Staron said that she initially began with 20 regulars, but “month after month, (now) we have hundreds of young adults coming through.” TOT does more than serve local Catholic young adults, Staron said: “I’ve had a lot of servers asking questions about the faith.”
Erin Healy, former diocesan young adult coordinator from 2011 to 2015, added that the ministry gave her the chance to evangelize in ways that pushed her out of her comfort zone. Before each Arlington TOT, “we would stand out by the Metro about an hour before the Theology on Tap started, and we would invite people coming out of the Metro to the Theology on Tap,” she said. “Once you invite someone to meet Jesus, inviting someone to coffee is a lot less scary,” she joked.
At the anniversary event, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge spoke on “A hopeful future.” Five years after the beginning of the pandemic lockdowns, Bishop Burbidge said, “we certainly all understand how important it is for us to be in community.”
“Theology on Tap brings us together to enjoy the good things of this life in a way that deepens and renews community, and most importantly, relationships,” he added.
He reminded attendees to stand firm to their Lenten promises during the liturgical season and seek the “lifelong call to conversion.”
“This Lent, we should examine our priorities,” he said. “Do we seek to align ourselves with God’s divine will? Are we called after God’s heart?”
Many attendees of the celebration took home a complimentary, specially brewed beer — “More Beer” — named after the Arlington diocese’s patron saint, St. Thomas More.
This article has been updated.
