About Holy Rosary · Washington, District of Columbia
Holy Rosary Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., canonically established in 1913 as the only 'national Italian parish' in the nation's capital. Located at 595 Third Street NW near the National Building Museum and Judiciary Square, it is administered by the Scalabrinian Fathers (Missionaries of Saint Charles), a religious order founded in 1887 to minister to migrants. The parish offers Mass in both English and Italian, hosts the Casa Italiana language school and cultural center, and serves as a spiritual and cultural home for Washington's Italian-American community as well as a wider downtown congregation.
- Established
- 1913
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Rosary (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Maurizio Maifredi, c.s. (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
Why belong here
Holy Rosary offers a rare combination in Washington: a downtown, weekday-friendly parish where Mass is celebrated in both English and Italian, with daily 12:05 p.m. Masses ideal for office workers near the Capitol and Judiciary Square. It is the only national Italian parish in the District, anchored by a century-old Scalabrinian community, the Casa Italiana language school and cultural center, Villa Rosa retreat house, and a deeply rooted calendar of Italian-American feast days, sodalities, and devotions such as the supplica to Our Lady of the Rosary in May and October. Visitors and parishioners find a small, welcoming community that takes seriously both the Gospel and the patrimony of the immigrants who built it.
Mass times at Holy Rosary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available before or after Mass upon request
- Available at any other time by appointment (per the Archdiocese of Washington parish page)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (per third-party aggregator; verify with parish office)
Adoration times
- First Friday Eucharistic Adoration: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- First Saturday Eucharistic Adoration and Rosary: 5:00 PM
Founding of Holy Rosary (1913)
By the 1890s Italian immigrants had settled into the Irish Swampoodle neighborhood near the Capitol. Pastoral care came from the Apostolic Delegate, and in 1913 Cardinal James Gibbons of Baltimore recruited Rev. Nicola DeCarlo, a former Augustinian from Avigliano, Basilicata, to found the parish. Father DeCarlo named it Holy Rosary in thanksgiving to the Blessed Mother and celebrated the first Mass on the Third Sunday of Advent, December 14, 1913, in the front parlor of 83 H Street NW. As the congregation grew, he moved to 902 Third Street NW and then—thanks in part to a large anonymous donation from Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Brady—to the present site at 595 Third Street NW, whose cornerstone Cardinal Gibbons blessed on September 7, 1919.
- Canonically Established: 1913
- First Mass: December 14, 1913, at 83 H Street NW
- Cornerstone of present church: September 7, 1919
- Upper church dedicated: April 29, 1923
The Scalabrinian Era and Urban Renewal
As Father DeCarlo approached retirement he recruited the Society of Saint Charles Scalabrinians, an order founded in 1887 to minister to migrants. The Scalabrinians took over in 1961, joined in 1963 by the Missionary Sisters of Saint Charles, who staffed Villa Rosa. The late 1950s brought a serious threat when the federal government proposed routing Interstate 395 directly through the parish; under Scalabrinian leadership the parish mounted a 'vigorous and multifaceted' protest that saved the church—though it lost its rectory, rebuilt in 1967. The order's pastoral vision also produced the Casa Italiana cultural center (1981, with marble façade in 1989 and school annex in 1992) and a permanent Christopher Columbus statue by Carlo Nicoli installed in 1992.
- Scalabrinians arrived 1961; Missionary Sisters of Saint Charles joined 1963
- Saved the church from I-395 demolition in the late 1950s/60s
- Casa Italiana dedicated March 22, 1981
- Marble façade installed 1989; school annex completed September 17, 1992
- Christopher Columbus statue installed 1992 by the Lido Civic Club
Parish Life: Societies, Sodalities, and Annual Feasts
Parish organizations have shaped Holy Rosary since its earliest years. The Holy Name Society was founded in 1915 by Giuseppe Balducci, and the Sodality of Our Lady traces back to 1914 when the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur organized the unmarried women as the Children of Mary; in 1953 Rev. Aldo Petrini reorganized the married women as the Sodality of Our Lady. Italian migrants after World War II founded Catholic Action groups (1960s–mid-1970s) that launched the newspaper Voce Italiana in 1961 and the Festa Italiana at Villa Rosa in 1963. Region-based societies honor Saint Anthony of Padua (since 1934) and Saint Gabriel Possenti of the Abruzzi (since 1925), and a Saint John the Baptist feast was brought by immigrants. Annual gatherings include the Father DeCarlo breakfast, the Lasagna Dinner, First Communion and Confirmation in May, the Festa della Repubblica Italiana and Saint Anthony feast in June, the Italian-American Golf Tournament, the August Saint Gabriel Possenti feast, the Polenta Dinner in fall, and a November Mass for Italians who died in military service. Christmas brings the presepio, Midnight Mass, 'Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle,' and a visit from the Befana.
- Holy Name Society (since 1915)
- Sodality of Our Lady (since 1914, reorganized 1953)
- Voce Italiana newspaper (since 1961)
- Festa Italiana at Villa Rosa (since 1963)
- Saint Anthony of Padua Society (since 1934)
- Saint Gabriel Possenti feast (since 1925)
Casa Italiana and Villa Rosa
Two anchor institutions sustain Holy Rosary's Italian-American mission beyond the church walls. Casa Italiana, dedicated in 1981 and expanded in 1989 and 1992, houses a language school whose curriculum has grown from Italian language classes to ceramics, wine tasting, and other aspects of Italian culture; the building also includes a school annex completed in 1992. Villa Rosa, a rest home in Mitchellville, Maryland, was conceived by Father DeCarlo, who named it after his mother; the present building broke ground September 15, 1963, with an addition in 1977, and has been staffed since 1963 by the Missionary Sisters of Saint Charles.
- Casa Italiana Language School and Cultural Center
- Villa Rosa retreat/rest home in Mitchellville, MD
- Missionary Sisters of Saint Charles staffing Villa Rosa since 1963
Devotions and Spiritual Life
Devotees of Padre Pio of Pietralcina meet monthly for prayers and gather for an annual Mass at Holy Rosary. In May and again in October the parish prays the supplica to Mary under her title Our Lady of the Rosary, and every year the parish joins the universal Church in observance of Divine Mercy Sunday. Holy Rosary also livestreams its 9:00 a.m. English and 10:30 a.m. Italian Sunday Masses on YouTube as a ministry to those who cannot be physically present.
- Padre Pio Prayer Group (monthly; annual Mass)
- Supplica to Our Lady of the Rosary in May and October
- Divine Mercy Sunday observance
- YouTube livestream of 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday Masses
Becoming Catholic (RCIA / OCIA)
The parish hosts RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) / OCIA classes for adults preparing to enter the Catholic Church through Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. Sessions are scheduled on a weekly basis—contact the parish office at 202-638-0165 for current day and time.
- RCIA / OCIA program for adults
Visit, Contact, and Centenary
Holy Rosary is located at 595 Third Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, near the National Building Museum and the Judiciary Square Metro station. The parish office can be reached at 202-638-0165. The parish is wheelchair accessible. Its first century was marked with a centennial celebration on December 8, 2013, organized by then-pastor Rev. Lydio Tomasi, c.s., and the parish has stated its intent to build on this legacy with renewed spiritual and cultural outreach in the years ahead.
- Address: 595 Third Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001-2703
- Phone: 202-638-0165
- Wheelchair accessible
- Near Judiciary Square Metro and National Building Museum
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Nicola DeCarlo1913–1961
Founder; born 1879 in Avigliano, Basilicata; former Augustinian; first Mass Dec. 14, 1913; purchased Villa Rosa farm.
- Rev. Giulivo Tessarolo, c.s.1961–1963
First Scalabrinian pastor; elected superior general of the Scalabrini Fathers.
- Rev. Giuseppe (Joseph) Spigolon, c.s.1963–1970
Led successful parish fight against I-395 demolition of the church.
- Rev. Mario Bordignon, c.s.1970–1972
Brief tenure.
- Rev. Cesare (Caesar) Donanzan, c.s.1972–1992
Presided over construction of Casa Italiana and establishment of its Italian language school.
- Rev. Terry Bagatin, c.s.1992–1996
- Rev. Charles Zanoni, c.s.1996–2006
Built Casa Italiana storage and ramp entrance; produced comprehensive parish history; assisted with Portuguese-speaking pastoral care.
- Rev. Lydio Tomasi, c.s.2006–2013
Chair of the Centennial Committee; became pastor emeritus mid-2013.
- Rev. Ezio Marchetto, c.s.2013–2021
Succeeded Tomasi during the centennial era.
- Rev. Andrei Zanon, c.s.2021
- Rev. Sergio Dall'Agense, c.s.2021–
Listed by Wikipedia as pastor following Zanon.
- Rev. Maurizio Maifredi, c.s.
Listed as current Parochial Administrator on the Archdiocese of Washington parish page.