Next month, Biden will become the second Catholic president in U.S. history and is expected to make church a fixed part of his schedule.
Regular church attendance is something we have not seen from many presidents in recent history.
Biden did miss church on November 29, the first Sunday of Advent, CNN reports, but only because he had broken his foot. The next weekend, he returned to his home parish, St Joseph on the Brandywine in Wilmington, Delaware, for Saturday’s vigil Mass.
He was also in church the following Tuesday on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which is a holy day of obligation for those of the Catholic faith.
Biden’s regular church attendance is a shift from what we’ve seen from recent presidents who professed to be Christian but didn’t attend church regularly or worshipped privately. Biden’s faith is on full display.
During Trump’s presidency, he did make several appearances at the Episcopal church in West Palm Beach near his resort, along with other evangelical churches across the country, though it wasn’t something he regularly did, CNN reports.
Former President Barack Obama would attend Christmas and Easter services while serving in office and while he vacationed in Hawaii, but he was not often seen in the church throughout the year. Former President George W. Bush attended worship privately at Camp David and occasionally attended Washington D.C. and Texas services.
Biden’s devout faith gives us a glimpse into his faith life and his spiritual faith.
Biden’s deep faith is a big part of what helped him win over some religious conservatives.
What many Christians liked about Biden is that his faith was a central part of his persona. He is always worn his faith on his sleeve.
What you may not know about Biden is that he carries a rosary that belonged to his late son, Beau. Biden has also been open about how his faith has helped him deal with loss, helping him through some of the darkest periods of his life.
“I go to mass, and I’m able to be just alone, even in a crowd,” Biden said in an interview with Stephen Colbert about his faith. “It’s just a place you can go.”
He also shared that faith has given him tremendous comfort.
“What my faith has done is… it sort of takes everything about my life — with my parents and my siblings and all the comforting things. And all the good things that have happened around the culture of my religion and the theology of my religion,” Biden said.
You can expect to see Biden in church regularly throughout his presidency.
“For Joe, faith is both a private devotion – he prays regularly, he goes to church. But it’s also public. He’s open about and proud that he’s a Catholic,” said Fr. Kevin O’Brien, a friend and spiritual adviser to Biden and his wife Jill, CNN reports.
When Biden assumes office in January, he will become the second Catholic president in U.S. history, following John F. Kennedy.