Brookland

The Catholic University of America (CUA) was founded in 1887 as a graduate and research institution. Undergraduate programs were introduced in 1904. Today the campus has approximately 6,200 students from all states and more than 100 countries enrolled in schools of religious studies, philosophy, law, arts and sciences, engineering, social service, nursing, music, library and information science and architecture and planning. Known for its theological education, it also is renowned for its theater department.

Dance Place
3225 8th Street, NE
Washington, DC
Phone: 202-269-1600
Hours: 4/1 6-9 Winter 8pm Saturday, 4-6 Sunday

Dance Place is the preeminent center for contemporary dance. A member of the National Performance Network, it offers classes in modern, Katherine Dunham technique, beginning ballroom and African dance. As the national coordinator for the DanceAfrica America festival, the nation's largest celebration of African dance and culture in the United States, Dance Place sponsors DanceAfrica DC, a two-day festival of traditional and contemporary African dancing. Join Dance Place in June for free outdoor performances and ticketed indoor matinees. The African Marketplace, also at Dance Place, invites you to sample food, arts, textile and crafts vendors from East Coast vendors.

Franciscan Monastery
Mount St. Sepulchre 1400 Quincy Street, NE
Washington, DC
Phone: 202-526-6800
Hours:9am-5pm Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday; Tours 9,10,11A & 1,2,3,4P

The Franciscan Monastery is the official Commissariat of the Holy Land for the United States. Founded in 1899, its function is to maintain the shrines in the Holy Land by raising funds in the US. The Byzantine-style memorial church holds reproductions of sacred shrines from the Holy Land; while underneath the monastery there lies a reproduction of the catacombs of Rome. You're free to wander the grounds on your own; tours are given on the hour from 9am-11am, 1-4pm (Monday -Saturday); 1-4pm Sunday. There is no admission fee, but donations are suggested.

Howard University School Of Divinity
1400 Shepherd Street, NE
Washington, DC
Phone: 202-806-0750
Hours: 10am-2pm by appointment

The School of Divinity occupies 22 pastoral acres which includes the Andrew Tweed Ethiopian Religious Artifacts Museum, the finest Ethiopian religious collection in America. Your imagination is stirred with this 11th and 12th century Afro-American Religious Heritage Collection. Donations are suggested.

National Shrine Of The Immaculate Conception
Michigan Avenue and 4th Street, NE
Washington, DC20017-1566
Phone: 202-526-8300
Web: www.nationalshrine.com
Hours: 7am-6pm daily. Guided tours daily.

The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was built between 1920 and 1959. Known as "America's Church" it is the national church of pilgrimage and is built in honor of the Blessed Mother under the title of the Immaculate Conception, the Patroness of the United States. It is the largest Catholic church in the Americas and the eight largest church in the world. Among its many artifacts, is the coronation or triple tiara of Pope Paul VI. The Shrine is home to the largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art in the United States. Visitors can wander through the upper and lower church (inside and out) amid a rich patina of mosaics, sculptures, and artistic renderings depicting various ethnic images of the Blessed Mother, as well as saints and biblical/salvific events. A cafeteria, bookstore and gift shop are available. Admission is free.

Pope John Paul II Cultural Center
3900 Harewood Road, NE
Washington, DC 20017
Phone: 202-635-5400
Web: www.jp2cc.org
Hours: Open Tuesday - Saturday 10a.m. to 5p.m. and Sunday noon - 5p.m. Admission by donation.

The nation's newest, must-see attraction, the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center offers a one-of-a-kind, dynamic experience where visitors of all ages and denominations can explore spirituality through state-of-the-art technology in interactive galleries, the Cultural Center features the Papal and Polish Heritage Room, art from the extraordinary collections of the world-class Vatican Museums, special exhibits and events, Children's Gallery, Cafe, Museum Store, Bookstore, theaters, and chapel. The architecturally stunning Cultural Center has free parking and is Metro accessible.

Trinity College
125 Michigan Avenue, NE
Washington, DC
Phone: 202-884-9000
Hours: 9-6 M-F

Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Trinity College is one of the few extant womens colleges in the area. Designed by architects Maginnis and Walsh, the colleges Byzantine-style Chapel of Notre Dame features a domical mosaic representing Dantes Divine Comedy. The Chapel is host to a number of musical performances during the academic year.

United States Soldier's And Airmen's Home Anderson Cottage
Rock Creek Church Road at Upshur Street, NW
Washington, DC
Phone: 202-722-3337
Hours: 7:30A-4P M-F

Constructed during the early 1840s as a summer residence for the family of George W. Riggs, co-founder of what is today the Riggs National Bank, the Anderson Cottage is most remembered as a summer White House for three US presidents: Presidents Abraham Lincoln from 1862-1864, Rutherford B. Hayes from 1877-1880 and Chester Arthur from 1882-1884. President Abraham Lincoln is reported to have written the second draft of the Emancipation Proclamation here before presenting it to Congress. The desk on which he reputedly worked on the Emancipation Proclamation is located in the Homes museum