I’d heard about the tradition of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday, and that sounded awesome – but it also sounded like something nearly impossible to accomplish with severe POTS. So I started thinking: how can I adjust this to be more POTS-friendly?

I decided I’d see how many churches (and chapels) I could get to in 24 hours, praying at least one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be at each stop… while relying on my husband and my mom to get me there, since I can’t drive.

The answer is 13.

The clock started at 8 PM on Spy Wednesday, when I made Confession at St. Rose of Lima. This was one of my favorite churches growing up in Montgomery County because it’s so uniquely beautiful inside and out. It’s circular, with the altar in the middle, so every spot for Mass is a good spot. I’ve always wanted to see their chapel, but it’s always been locked when I’ve been there and unsurprisingly, it was locked this night as well. I’ll have to look online next time to see when it’s open.

Early the next morning, I had an appointment in Germantown, and I figured that was the perfect excuse to hit a couple more churches on the way.

Around 8:00 AM, we got to St. Martin of Tours, another one my parents used to bring me to as a kid (although less often). This one was completely empty when we arrived, so it was super peaceful and quiet. It was probably the easiest in-and-out stop we had all day.

After that, we stopped at Mother Seton Parish around the corner from my appointment. This one was exciting for me because I’d never actually been there before, but I’ve always loved Mother Seton. As a Mount alum, I’ve always felt close to her.

Around midday, while Jakob was at work, my mom picked me up and brought me to Our Lady of Mercy in Potomac. Their parish school is where my teaching career began when I was 23, which somehow feels like ages ago.

Inside Mercy, there’s a beautiful chapel that was once part of the original church, and my mom and I always stop in to see it when we’re there. It also holds the baptismal font where my mom was baptized a few centuries ago.

Just before leaving, we noticed they also have a small adoration chapel, which I’d never known was there, so we took the opportunity to stop in.

For the next stop, we swung by my high school, Holy Child, where my mom runs the math lab. This spring marks (frighteningly) a full decade since I graduated. I used to love spending time in the Sister Connie Craig Chapel as a student, so this felt like an important one to include.

On our way home, we were able to stop at St. Bartholomew’s, a beautiful church I’d only been to a handful of times before. Here we took a minute to light a candle. I’ve always loved their stained-glass windows.

Not long after I got home, Jakob got back from work, so we headed out again for the evening stretch.

We made it to St. Patrick’s around 6 PM. This is another church I used to go to with family, but I hadn’t been there since I was a teenager. To be honest, I barely recognized it, but I did love seeing the Irish flag.

Then we went to St. Jude’s shrine, a church I’ve only been to once or twice before. They have a chapel there too, but again, it was locked. This parish has always struck me as a really beautiful space, though.

The obvious next stop after St. Jude’s is St. Mary’s, where I taught music. This was also another childhood favorite of mine, especially all the gold around the altar. It has a very 50s/60s feel. I know they have a beautiful chapel as well, but it’s never been open when I’ve checked, so we moved on.

St. Elizabeth’s was one I hadn’t been to since I was a kid, when my mom taught there (from the 90s into the early 2000s). I couldn’t remember much, but I did remember the little statue of Mary outside. While we were there, I actually ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in probably a decade and found out he’s converting, which was awesome news!

Finally, we made it to our parish, St. Raphael’s, for Holy Thursday Mass at 7:30, completing the 24-hour journey. My family has been parishioners there since it first opened in 1966. I’ve received every sacrament there, including my marriage to Jakob, who absolutely deserves a Husband of the Year award for all the driving he did this Holy Thursday.

After Mass, we walked through a little garden area I used to love as a kid, then went around back to see a statue of the Lord that I used to visit at night during middle school CCD.

It was a long 24 hours full of prayer and peace. We came home to dinner ready in the crockpot, and I was completely exhausted, but it was such a beautiful way to spend the day.

I think I’ll try to reach even more churches next year.

My favorite thing about Catholic churches is that no matter how different they all are, and no matter whether you’ve been to a particular one before, they always feel like home.

I love being Catholic.