Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. Gary R. Studniewski (Pastor)

Founded 1911

Denomination Roman Catholic Church

Service Times Saturday Vigil 5:30 PM; Sunday 7:30am, 9:00am, 10:30am (Church + Gym), 12:30pm, 4:00pm, 5:30pm; Mon-Fri 6:30am, 8:00am, 11:00am, 5:30pm; Saturday 8:00am, 11:00am

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website blessedsacramentdc.org/

Pastor Credentials Archdiocese of Washington Roman Catholic priest

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Trinitarian Nicene-Chalcedonian orthodox Christology.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Catholic affirms biblical inspiration but adds Tradition + Magisterium as co-equal authority — non-sola-Scriptura.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Knights of Columbus + Holy Name Society common in Catholic parishes; verify locally.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Catholic soteriology includes sacramental + cooperation framework — distinct from Protestant sola fide. Per MOOP rubric note: Catholic = outside Protestant frame.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Male-only priesthood per Catholic doctrine; complementarian/patriarchal headship affirmed in Catholic teaching.

Male-only Catholic priesthood per doctrine.

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Hierarchical episcopal polity (pope > bishops > priests > deacons).

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Mass-centered with homily; not Protestant-style expository preaching.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Strong parochial school + global Catholic charities tradition.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Catholic Church holds traditional sexual ethics; opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, gender ideology.

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Catholic = outside Protestant MOOP confessional frame. MOOP marks Catholic yellow with note rather than green/red.

Caution

Assessment

The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament is the Chevy Chase Roman Catholic parish where Justice Brett Kavanaugh is a member — he attends the 5:30 PM Sunday Mass with his family and has coached girls' basketball at the parish school. Founded 1911, the church is a large, active suburban parish of the Archdiocese of Washington under Pastor Rev. Gary R. Studniewski, with a parochial K-8 school. Theologically, the parish holds the historic Catholic positions: Nicene-Chalcedonian Christology, male-only priesthood, traditional sexual ethics, opposition to abortion. MOOP's rubric is built around Protestant confessional categories — sola Scriptura, justification by faith alone — so Catholic parishes register as yellow with a denominational note, neither green nor red. Within the Roman Catholic tradition, Blessed Sacrament is unremarkable in its orthodoxy and is a serious, traditional Catholic parish.

#roman-catholic#archdiocese-of-washington#chevy-chase#washington-dc#brett-kavanaugh#supreme-court#parish-school

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Live-fetched 2026-05-16: parish website returned 403 to WebFetch but verified via Archdiocese of Washington (adw.org/parishes/shrine-of-the-most-blessed-sacrament/) and Discover Mass directory. Address 5949 Western Ave NW DC 20015; pastor Rev. Gary R. Studniewski; full Mass schedule confirmed. Washington Post (2018-10-05) + Wikipedia document Kavanaugh's membership, regular 5:30pm Sunday Mass attendance, and his coaching of girls' basketball at the parish school.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source adw.org/parishes/shrine-of-the-most-blessed-sacrament/
[2] Live source discovermass.com/church/the-shrine-of-the-most-blessed-sa…
[3] Live source washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/10/05/brett-kavanaughs-n…
[4] Live source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_Kavanaugh

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.