brown and green cross on brown wooden wall

Welcome to St. John's Inclusive Catholic Community

A warm, inclusive Catholic home for all in Washington, DC's Columbia Heights neighborhood

St. John's is a Catholic Community where we can pray, serve, build fellowship and reaffirm our fundamental reality as people made in the Imago Dei (image of God). At our core we are a spiritual home where we can discern God's will in our lives and where we can share our gifts with church and our community.

Our parish is rooted in the faith of the Early Church and are dedicated to being living Witnesses of the Gospel. By advocating for and serving all people, especially those outcast and marginalized by society, we seek to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God.

Remembering Bishop Charlie

Dear friends,

This past Monday, August 3, 2026, the Rt. Rev. Charles Braun, our Presiding Bishop affectionately known to our community as "Bishop Charlie", passed into eternal life.

Bishop Charlie was a native of Newtown, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He began his ministry as a Roman Catholic priest of the Marist Order (Society of Mary), serving as parish priest at St. Michael Church, where he directed the church choir and formed friendships that lasted lifetimes. Later in life, Bishop Charlie left the Roman Catholic priesthood but never left ministry. He found a new spiritual home in the Old Catholic movement, where he was consecrated a bishop and became a beloved, unapologetic voice for its theology and tradition.

Beginning October 13, 2001, he served as Bishop of the Inclusive Catholic Diocese of the Chesapeake Bay, based in Washington, D.C., a role he held until his death. Under his leadership, the Diocese grew to encompass communities in Washington, D.C., Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. He also founded St. John’s Inclusive Catholic Community under the patronage of Saint John the Beloved in Washington, D.C.

St John’s parish was founded with and continues with its special calling to reach those who had been hurt by other church denominations. St. John's welcomes all without exception, with particular care for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who have suffered abuse and rejection elsewhere, offering them contemporary scriptural and theological guidance grounded in an ancient faith tradition made to work in the 21st century.

In Washington, D.C., Bishop Charlie became especially well known and cherished within the LGBTQ+ community, offering compassionate pastoral presence, ordaining and mentoring candidates for ministry, and reminding all who knew him that ministry does not end when circumstances change — it simply takes new forms.. We will share his arrangements shortly.

Who We Are

St. John's Inclusive Catholic Community is a space where we pray, serve, build fellowship and reaffirm our fundamental reality as people made in the Imago Dei (image of God). At our core we are a spiritual home where we can discern God's will in our lives and where we can share our gifts with our parish community and neighbors.

Sacramental Prep

Just a journey beings with a step, our faith begins with prayer and preparation. Whether you are just beginning you journey of faith, preparing for marriage, or Holy Orders, we invite you to join our formation programs and classes.