Churches on Capitol Hill

The church has a pretty big presence on Capitol Hill. The Presbyterians have a big place called Capitol Hill Presbyterians and the Episcopalians have St. Mark's, plus a couple of other parishes are nearby in Eastern Market.

The Catholics, though, really cover the Hill with a big parish on each side of the Capitol. St. Joseph's is on the Senate side and St. Peter's is on the House side. Both are major parishes, though I think St. Joseph's is a little larger. They are the more visible church, being over by Union Station and the Supreme Court, and this is where Senator Kennedy goes to church in D.C. (there's also a plaque in the narthex commemorating Sen. Robert Kennedy, who used to worship and serve at this parish). St. Peter's, though, seems a warmer church to me, and it's over by the House of Representatives and the Library of Congress. They're both pretty churches, so I snapped a few pictures earlier this month.

	This is the view of the high altar of St. Joseph's from the nave.
There's a big organ in the balcony organ loft, and the pipes and ceiling are all colorfully painted.
	Here is the altar at St. Peter's as seen from the nave. The nave is actually quite visually stunning, but a photograph can't quite communicate the 3D effect of the gold leaf lettering around the room.
Here's the organ, again, up in the loft. The cabinetry is all dark wood, so it doesn't show up well.