Sacraments

Georgetown University opens the following unique religious settings to campus weddings.

Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart (Located in Dahlgren Quadrangle)
The university’s main chapel since 1892, Dahlgren’s historical richness attracts many engaged couples. Its site, behind historic Healy Hall in the Dahlgren Quadrangle, adds to its attraction. The chapel seats approximately 300 wedding party members and guests. One of the engaged must be a Roman Catholic to qualify for a wedding in this 19th-century setting.

Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman Chapel of St. William (Located in Copley Hall)
St. William Chapel comfortably seats 125 wedding party members and guests in chairs. The center aisle of the chapel is 20 feet in length.  The chapel may be reserved for ceremonies of any faith. Access St. William via Copley Hall’s main entrance.

The chapels are all wheelchair accessible.

Step 1: Review Georgetown University’s Guidelines for Marriage

Engaged couples interested in marrying at Georgetown University are first asked to review GU’s Guidelines for Marriage. Should couples have additional questions after reading the guidelines, they can contact the Weddings Coordinator by email at weddings@georgetown.edu.

Step 2: Determine Eligibility
Dahlgren and Sr. Thea Bowman Chapels are available for weddings of the following affiliates within the Georgetown University community:

• GU degree students
• GU alumni
• Current GU faculty, staff and administrators
• Children of current GU faculty, staff and administrators

Step 3: Determine Availability, Hold a Date, and Set-up a Pastoral Visit
After reviewing the online chapel calendar, engaged couples should contact the Weddings Coordinator to hold their preferred wedding date and time. At that time arrangements will be made for a pastoral visit with Dr. Ennio Mastroianni, Campus Minister for Engaged Couples. Choose no more than two dates and times on which to place holds. Please, no third-party calls.

The Weddings Coordinator will initially hold a wedding date and time for a period of two weeks, at which point the hold will be removed from the chapel calendar unless the engaged couple contacts the Coordinator to extend the hold. Please note that no wedding date is confirmed until after the couple meets with Dr. Mastroianni for the pastoral visit.

Schedule of Fees

The current chapel fee per wedding is $1500.00. Checks should be made payable to Office of Campus Ministry, Georgetown University. Please refer to the Guidelines for Marriage for all additional fees.

• Please refer to the Online Chapel Availability Calendar for available times for weddings, wedding rehearsals and pastoral visits with the Director of Adult Faith Formation.
• Weddings only take place on Saturdays at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. Rehearsals take place on Fridays at 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm and 6pm.
• Campus Ministry does not schedule weddings on certain federal holidays and during certain University events and breaks. Please refer to the Guidelines for Marriage for more information.
• Archdiocesan Regulations require arrangements for marriage to be made at least 6 months in advance.

Catholic Ministry oversees the process of baptism for children in collaboration with Holy Trinity Parish and the Archdiocese of Washington.

Georgetown University current students, faculty, staff, and alumni may have their children baptized in Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart. Baptisms take place only on Sunday afternoons, with one baptism per time slot. Available baptism appointments are released on this schedule:

• Availability for the fall semester (September – December): Released by July 15
• Availability for the spring semester (January – May): Released by November 1
• Availability for the summer (June – August): Released by April 1

We do not schedule baptisms on Easter Weekend, Commencement Weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, Reunion Weekend, during the month of July, New Student Orientation (late August), Labor Day Weekend, Thanksgiving week, and over Christmas/winter break. Additional dates may be unavailable due to special events in Dahlgren Chapel.

The protocol is as follows:

1. To view available baptism time slots and reserve your time, follow this link to the calendar with available time slots.
2. Days highlighted in blue on the small monthly calendar have available baptism time slots. Click on a day to view the available appointments, and select a time slot to begin your reservation. Answer the questions on the form, and submit. 
3. Once you have reserved a time slot, a member of the Sacraments team will confirm your eligibility and reach out via email to confirm your baptism reservation. They will share detailed next steps with you in that email. A summary of those next steps is below:
4. Contact a priest or deacon to baptize your child. The priest or deacon must have faculties in the Archdiocese of Washington. Campus Ministry does not contact or coordinate priests for baptisms at Dahlgren Chapel – this is the responsibility of the family.
5. If this is your first child for baptism, enroll in a baptismal preparation class for parents at your local parish or at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
6. Arrange for godparent/godparents, at least one of whom must be Catholic. A non-Catholic godparent is known as a “Christian witness.”
7. Fill out the Baptismal Information Form we will send you. This form must be submitted no later than one month prior to the baptism date, and must include the name of the officiant (priest or deacon) at the time of submission. Incomplete forms will not be accepted.
   1. We use this information to create a baptismal certificate, to register the baptism at Holy Trinity Church, and to acquire a sacristan to set up the chapel for your child’s baptism. The permanent record for your child’s baptism will be stored at Holy Trinity Church for your future use as needed (i.e. First Communion).
8. Charitable gifts in honor of your child’s baptism are to be made payable to Georgetown University Catholic Campus Ministry. An offering of $150 is appreciated to reduce our expenses for sacristans, supplies, and chapel use.
9. Customarily, parents provide the priest or deacon with a minimum stipend of $150 to $200, made payable directly to the priest or deacon. 

If you have any questions, contact us via email: sacraments@georgetown.edu. 

Please note: the sacraments@georgetown.edu inbox is monitored on a part-time basis. You should expect a delay in confirmation/response times, especially around holidays and University transition periods.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the Catholic Church, consider participating in our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) sessions. RCIA is a process through which adults learn more about the beliefs, rituals, and practices of the Catholic Church.

Oftentimes, people will notice that they are spending more time wondering about the Catholic faith. Perhaps a new friend, a family member, a life change, an experience of the Mass, or a vibrant Scripture text has stirred your attentiveness to deeper matters.

If you find yourself inquisitive about the Catholic faith and would like to learn more, please email Chaplain Michelle Siemietkowski, siemietm@georgetown.edu. RCIA at Georgetown welcomes current students at Georgetown University. All students who wish to pursue RCIA meet with Chaplain Michelle for an initial pastoral conversation. If students are discerning and would like more information, they are also encouraged to make an appointment with Chaplain Michelle to talk more about their interests and desires.

Confirmation for Adult Catholics

Have you been a Catholic for a long time but never experienced the Sacrament of Confirmation? Faith journeys are unique experiences; there is no cookie-cutter Catholic. If you are a baptized Catholic, already made your first Communion, but have never been Confirmed; is this the time to complete your formal initiation into the Catholic Church? If you would like to learn more, please email Chaplain Michelle Siemietkowski, siemietm@georgetown.edu.