Journey to Emmitsburg and visit the lovely National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native born American woman to be canonized. In the early 1800’s, Mother Seton, founder of the Sisters of Charity, began the first parochial school in the country. A fine museum displaying some of Mother Seton’s personal effects and a lovely Basilica containing her remains are among the beautifully restored and furnished buildings at the Seton Shrine. The National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes, our nation’s oldest Catholic shrine, features a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes in southern France where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858. Continue on to Mount St. Mary’s College & Seminary. Established in 1808, Mount St. Mary’s is the nation’s oldest independent Catholic college. Nestled in the shelter of St. Mary’s Mountain, the college is located on a beautiful 1400-acre campus.
