Maybe it was because he was already in a religious mood, having just lauded the Roman Catholic Church for the canonization of a priest who ministered to people with leprosy in the president’s native Hawaii.

Or maybe it was his personal experience with what many called a miracle: his Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

Regardless, President Barack Obama did something Sunday he rarely does. He went to church.

Obama and the First Family went to St. John’s Episcopal Church for services, the same church he attended on Easter and on Inauguration Day.

He heard a 15-minute sermon on the fact that Christianity has consequences, the story of how a rich man cannot devote himself completely to his faith as long as he’s wrapped up in material possessions. "Our God demands boldness from us," said Mike Angell, the seminarian of the church.

After the service, the Obamas walked back to the White House, just across Lafayette Square.

Organized in 1815, St. John’s has hosted every president since James Madison. One pew is even marked as the “"President's Pew."

Obama, who quit his own church in Chicago when its pastor and his former friend came under political fire, has not picked a church in Washington and only rarely attends services.

Last week, Obama praised the sainthood of Father Damien de Veuster, the Catholic priest who ministered to people with leprosy in the 19th century in a colony he established on the island of Molokai in Hawaii.

"I wish to express my deep admiration for the life of Blessed Damien de Veuster, who will be canonized on Sunday by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI," Obama said in a statement. "I also want to convey my best wishes to the Kingdom of Belgium and its people, who are proud to count Fr. Damien among their great citizens."