A Pub Ministry Spreads the Faith

Arlington Diocese Holds Seminars in Bars

Pat Troy, proprietor of Ireland's Own in Old Town, says he was more than delighted to host "Theology on Tap" when church officials approached him. "People stay. They love it," he says of the seminars. (Linda Davidson - The Washington Post)

The regulars are seated at the bar at Pat Troy's Ireland's Own, a restaurant in Old Town where the beer and the conversation are flowing.

Nothing seems unusual on this chilly Tuesday night in February -- until the Rev. Daniel Hanley takes the stage.

"It's great to be here," Hanley says, leaning into the microphone, his black suit and white collar looking peculiar atop the pub's bandstand. "I'd like to start with a prayer."

Baseball caps are slipped off as patrons, most of them young men, make the sign of the cross and bow their heads while Hanley recites the Prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Hanley will continue like this for more than a half-hour, lecturing about duty, sainthood and the importance of daily devotion.

During that time, drinks are refilled and laughs are shared, but lest there be any doubt about the setting, the Catholics crammed into the smoky bar are intensely focused on the message. More than a few are taking notes. One man spends much of the evening with his eyes closed, fingers intertwined in prayer. A young woman weeps.

And little could make the Catholic Diocese of Arlington happier.

"It's the kind of stuff that gives you a shot in the arm," said Hanley, 34, about the response. "It keeps you going. It strengthens you."

The event is "Theology on Tap," a program launched in Northern Virginia six years ago to reach out to young Catholics, especially those who might not attend Mass regularly.

Church leaders say the "six-pack seminars" -- each seminar consists of six weekly sessions -- are not intended to replace worship services. Instead, they are a way of integrating religion into parishioners' daily lives, while building and sustaining church membership. Each seminar consists of six weekly sessions.

The concept is not new. The program was started in Chicago about 25 years ago, and the Archdiocese of Washington began hosting such seminars in January 2000. But the events are becoming more popular in the Arlington Diocese, which covers 21 counties, including Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church. Hanley is on the parish staff at St. Mary's in Old Town, whose boundaries cover part of the Alexandria section of Fairfax County.

Church leaders say the program provides just the right kind of outreach for young Catholics, some of whom are looking for a spiritual community and perhaps a chance to meet other Catholic singles. A cocktail after work isn't a bad enticement, either.