Upon arrival, we shall have lunch at the University and then visit the Chapel of teh Immaculate Conception—the spiritual center of this 1,400-acre campus of 2,100 students in the Catoctin Mountains.
National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
We shall participate at Mass in the Basilica of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton—wife, mother, convert, and foundress of the Sisters of Charity. After praying at the tomb and venerating the relic of the first native-born American saint, we shall visit the shrine's museum as well as Mother Seton's homes—the cradle of the U.S. Catholic School system.
National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes
We return to "the Mount" to visit the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, built in 1879, which overlooks St. Joseph's Valley. The Grotto area includes a Way of the Cross and a Rosary Walk, as well as shrines to various saints. Nearby is the log cabin where John Hughes resided while a gardener for Mt. St. Mary's Seminary. Admitted as a seminarian at the urging of St. Elizabeth Seton, he went on to become the first Archbishop of New York. During his episcopacy, he built St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Dinner at the Carriage House Inn (circa 1857)
Our pilgrimage concludes with dinner at the Carriage House Inn, an area landmark.
Reservation and Payment
Cost per person is $45, and includes a lunch voucher and dinner. Transportation is provided compliments of the parish.