Join Tom and Noelle Crowe, with the American Catholic History Podcast, for a unique Catholic History Pilgrimage!
Depart the hotel at 8am and visit the following sites over the course of the day:
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Pilgrimage to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and Shrine of St. Elizabeth Seton (9 am – 5:30 pm)Join me (Peter C.) and your fellow NCSC members on a mini-pilgrimage to historic Emmitsburg, Maryland! We will depart the hotel on Friday, September 16, at 9:00 am for the Grotto of Lourdes. At the entrance stands a towering bronze statue of our Mother watching over the entire mountain, including the campus of my alma mater, Mount St. Mary’s, just below. Inside the gates are walkways containing beautiful mosaics depicting the mysteries of the Rosary, a growing number of statues dedicated to saints new and old, a spring of fresh water, and an outdoor sanctuary containing a replica of the site at Lourdes where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette. Mass at the Grotto is at 11 am.
About 12:45 pm we’ll go just a mile up the road and step into the world of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born canonized saint, and tour her historic home and the Basilica dedicated to her. We will take the Living History tour at 2:00 pm which features a guide who will walk with us on our tour. Step back in time to the year 1818 to learn what life was like during Mother Seton’s time!
Both shrines are free to visitors but donations are most welcome! Devotionals, religious medals, prayer cards and more are available for purchase at the gift shops at both sites.
We will head back about 3:00 and stop in another historic town, Thurmont, for a bite to eat at one of a variety of restaurants in the town that has become a centerpiece of American history. We will return to Chantilly by 6:00 pm at the latest.
The plan is to carpool and Emmitsburg is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes due north of Chantilly. If you are driving to the conference or planning to rent a vehicle please indicate that when you RSVP. Dress comfortably for the outdoors – presumably it will still be warm – yet also dress for a pilgrimage.
Bring $10 cash for your driver to defray gas costs, money for your dinner and any donations to the shrines. When you RSVP, please indicate if you will have a vehicle and can drive or if you will need a ride.
RSVP by August 31st ($3 reservation fee).
REGISTRATION CLOSED
For more information on the shrines visit:
Grotto: NSGrotto.org
Seton Shrine: SetonShrine.org
———General Schedule——-
9:00 am – Depart Westfields (gather at 8:45am to arrange carpools)
10:15 am – Arrive Shrine
11:00 am – Mass at the Grotto
12:45 pm – to St. Elizabeth Seton
2:00 pm – Living History Tour
3:00 pm – Head to Thurmont for an early dinner
4:30 pm – Return to Westfields by 6pm at the latest
Hosted by Peter C.
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Great Falls Hike – Billy Goat Trail and Great Falls Tavern (8:30 am – 3:30 pm)Make like a goat and hoof it to the trail: just a hop, skip, and a jump from the National Conference for Single Catholics 2022! (Only 35 minutes drive from the Westfields Marriott Hotel.)
If you have a National Parks pass please bring it, otherwise the cost to enter the park is $20 per car. Consequently, we should try to carpool. When you RSVP, please indicate if you can drive or will need a ride. Please also include where you’ll be coming from, if not from the hotel. (Some could carpool from other areas if not coming from the hotel on Friday morning.)
The Billy Goat Trail hike is 4.7 miles long and the first half is very technical (rocky). The second half is flat, along the historic Chesapeake and Ohio canal. We will take an easy pace and rest a few times. Plan on spending 5 hours at the park, including a casual picnic after the hike. They do not sell food there so bring your own. (If need be, some cars can leave earlier and stop so those who need to can grab a sandwich and/or snacks.) In addition to the hike we can enjoy the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center that tells the history of the area.
Bring a hat, comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses and sunblock, as well as 2 liters of water, lunch and a backpack (something to carry the food and water).
Please also bring $10 for your driver, to cover gas and the National Parks pass. When you RSVP, please indicate if you will have a vehicle and can drive or if you will need a ride.
RSVP by September 8th. ($3 reservation fee)
REGISTRATION CLOSED
Hosted by Chris E.
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Wine Tasting and Tour at The Winery Bull Run (11:30 am – 3:00 pm)