WELCOME TO SAINT JOHN’S CHURCH

Welcome to St. John's Church, Lafayette Square—a vibrant historic Episcopal church located across from the White House. We invite you to join with us for worship, Christian fellowship and outreach.

History

From our organization as a parish in 1815 to today, St. John's Church has provided a powerful symbol of faith in the heart of our nation's capital.

Mission

At St. John's, we believe Christ is calling us to be a renewed church in a changing world. In worship, education, parish life, and social action, we seek to expand our horizons by serving God by loving one another.

Clergy, Staff, & Vestry

Meet St. John’s diverse and engaging clergy, vestry and staff.

Directions & Parking

Located at the corner of 16th and H Streets in Northwest Washington, St. John's is near the McPherson Square and Farragut North Metro stations. Limited street parking is available; free valet parking is offered for certain hours.
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March 28, 2023, Tuesday in the Fifth Week of Lent

Upon graduation from college, I assumed I was, without question, grown up. Wisdom and sophistication were words obviously coined to describe the extraordinary 22-year-old me. Fast-forward three years. I’m struggling and bewildered in New Haven, Connecticut. A friend, older and infinitely wiser (although I couldn’t recognize that at the time), gave me a book of meditations by Mother Teresa. It took the passing of time and change of venue before I read it. One passage, selected for Lent, transformed me:

“Suffering, if it is accepted together, borne together, is joy. Remember that the Passion of Christ ends always in the joy of the Resurrection of Christ, so when you feel in your own heart the suffering of Christ, remember the Resurrection has to come—the joy of Easter has to dawn. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the Risen Christ. Suffering in itself does not bring joy, but Christ as seen in suffering does.”

Suffering is a fact for Mother Teresa, an everyday reality, yet so is the Resurrection–“the joy of the Risen Christ.” Identifying Christ in the midst of darkness, both as one who suffered and one who brings light, proved the greatest blessing of my young life. My bewilderment and struggling became more acute, to tell the truth, yet I no longer fear suffering or seek to escape it. I look for wherever Jesus might be waiting for me.

 Carolyn Crouch

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