About Georgetown University Hospital Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary · Washington, District of Columbia
The Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the Catholic chapel of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Operated in the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis (care of the whole person), the chapel sits on the first floor of the hospital's Main Building near the Reservoir Road entrance and remains open at all times for prayer and reflection. Daily Mass is celebrated in the chapel and broadcast throughout the hospital on Channel 2, while Catholic sacraments — including the Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, and Reconciliation — are brought directly to patients' rooms by chaplains of the Department of Mission and Pastoral Care.
- Established
- 1898
- Patron
- Immaculate Heart of Mary
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
The Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary offers a rare gift within a busy academic hospital — a quiet, always-open Catholic sanctuary where daily Mass, Sunday Eucharistic Adoration, and visits from chaplains are offered freely to patients, families, visitors, and staff. Patients unable to leave their rooms can receive Holy Communion, Anointing of the Sick, and Reconciliation at the bedside through the 24-hour chaplaincy, and all Masses are televised throughout the hospital on Channel 2. It is a place to encounter the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis — care of the whole person — right at the heart of one of America's most storied Catholic hospitals.
Mass times at Georgetown University Hospital Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Reconciliation is available daily to Catholic patients in their rooms by request through Pastoral Care
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration: Sundays from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM
The Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The chapel sits on the first floor of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital's Main Building, near the Reservoir Road entrance. It is open around the clock for prayer and reflection, serving patients, families, visitors, and hospital staff. The chapel's name — honoring the Immaculate Heart of Mary — was already in use by the 1940s, when a vintage postcard pictured it as the spiritual heart of Georgetown's then-new hospital campus.
Ecumenical and Pastoral Worship Services
In keeping with its interfaith mission, the Mission and Pastoral Care department coordinates a small weekly schedule of non-Catholic services in or connected to the chapel area, alongside Catholic programming. These services are open to patients, families, and staff of any background.
- Gathering of Hope — Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m.
- Interfaith Service — Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m.
- Protestant Communion Service — Thursdays at 1:00 p.m.
- All services visible on Channel 2
History of Georgetown Hospital and its Chapel
Georgetown University Hospital opened in 1898 as part of Georgetown University — the first Catholic and first Jesuit institution of higher learning in the United States — with 33 beds staffed by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. The hospital moved to its current location at 3800 Reservoir Road NW in 1930, and by the 1940s its chapel was already dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
- 1898 — Hospital founded; staffed by Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
- 1930 — Hospital relocates to 3800 Reservoir Road NW
- 1940s — Chapel already dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (vintage postcard)
- July 31, 1947 — New hospital blessed by Auxiliary Bishop John M. McNamara
- 1960 — Birth and baptism of John F. Kennedy Jr. at Georgetown
- 2000 — MedStar Health/Georgetown partnership formalized
- Today — Daily Mass, Sunday Adoration, and 24-hour chaplaincy continue
The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Era
In 1946, at the invitation of Rev. Paul McNally, S.J., the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) took over operation of the hospital and its School of Nursing. They remained for sixteen years before withdrawing in 1963 due to a shortage of nurses across SCN hospitals. Their story — including Jacqueline Kennedy's grateful note after John Jr.'s birth — remains a defining chapter of the chapel's living memory.
- 1946 — SCNs invited by Fr. Paul McNally, S.J. to staff the hospital
- Sister Mary Antonella Staubach appointed administrator
- 1947 — SCNs move into the seventh-floor convent
- November 1960 — Jacqueline Kennedy gives birth to John F. Kennedy Jr. at Georgetown
- December 8, 1960 — John Jr. baptized in the Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
- 1963 — SCNs withdraw after 16 years
Department of Mission and Pastoral Care
The Department of Mission and Pastoral Care is the operational heart of the chapel's ministry. Located on the first floor of the Main Hospital building beside the chapel, the department works as an integrated part of interdisciplinary care throughout the hospital, approaching its work in the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis and guided by the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. A permanent staff of seven trained chaplains, supported by volunteers, serves people of every religious affiliation receiving inpatient or outpatient care.
- Spiritual and emotional support for patients, families, and staff
- Bedside sacramental ministry (Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Reconciliation)
- Chaplain visit within 48 hours of admission
- 24-hour on-call coverage (pageable through any nurse)
- Ethical decision-making counseling
- Spiritual resources for all faith traditions
- Televised religious services on hospital Channel 2
- Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program
Pastoral Care Staff
The department is led by directors who combine theological formation with hospital and chaplaincy experience. The chaplains as a group carry distinct areas of responsibility (e.g., oncology chaplaincy) while sharing core skills of empathy, active listening, and pastoral presence.
- Deacon Thomas J. Devaney — Director of Mission and Pastoral Care (Georgetown University Hospital)
- Thomas Chirdo, M.Div, BCC, ACPE Certified Educator — Director, Department of Mission & Pastoral Care, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital; M.Div. from Washington Theological Union; board-certified chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC)
- 7 trained staff chaplains serving patients, families, and staff across faith traditions
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
Each year up to 20 students — many of them seminarians from different Christian traditions — enroll in the hospital's Clinical Pastoral Education program. Students learn the skills of chaplaincy while serving a diverse hospital community, creating opportunities for interreligious understanding and the practice of cura personalis.
- Full-Time Residency Program
- Part-Time Extended Unit Internship
- Full-Time Summer Unit Internship
- Open to seminarians and lay students from multiple traditions
Visiting the Chapel
The chapel is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, for prayer and reflection. Members of any faith are welcome to step inside. Patients who cannot reach the chapel can page a chaplain through their nurse or call the Mission and Pastoral Care department directly. Personal clergy visiting Catholic patients may park for free.
- Address: 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
- Pastoral Care Phone: 202-444-3030
- 24-hour on-call chaplain (paged by any nurse)
- Department located on first floor near the chapel
- Free parking for visiting personal clergy
- Hospital services also viewable on Channel 2