Catholic Summer Ideas For A Pilgrimage Or Road Trip

Ideas for combining a summer holiday trip with a pilgrimage to one of the many shrines in the US. Canada also has many shrines worth visiting.

From epicPew 

By Mickey

School is out. Collegiates are off campus for a few months. Chances are a shrine or a particular destination is on the list that is to be crossed off. Look no further.

Here are just a few destinations to consider for that summer road trip. Fear not, another list will be posted on other shrines to visit on the next summer road trip.

National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa Doylestown, PA

Located 45 minutes from Philadelphia, it was established in the 1950s. It was visited by a future pope (you guessed it, St. JP II). It houses a replicated icon of the Black Madonna. The shrine is also in its 70th year. They are also known for its annual Polish Festival which will be great to check out as summer’s last hurrah.

The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Emmitsburg, MD

Located just minutes from Mount St. Mary University and the National Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, the shrine dedicated to the first saint from the United States shares the life of this beloved saint and even the history of her order. It covers their care for the wounded on both sides of the battlefield during the Civil War. They are running an exhibit to coincide with the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Basilica of National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Washington, DC

Perhaps one of the most popular destinations for visitors when in DC is its National Shrine. Located on the grounds of the Catholic University of America, the shrine has spanned more than a century. It has 80 altars and oratories dedicated to the many titles of the Our Lady. It has a two-part Catholic shop, a lower crypt, and beautiful mosaics. Learn more here.

A few minutes from the national shrine in DC is a special space dedicated to St. John Paul the Great. The exhibit takes one on a journey through the life of the most beloved saint of the 20th Century.

National Shrine of Divine Mercy Stockbridge, MA

New England is blessed to have a shrine dedicated to a devotion promoted by both Sts. Faustina and John Paul the Great respectively. This sacred place is Every day at 3 PM pilgrims are invited to join the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Here’s more information here.

Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral/Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia is home to two beloved saints. The first is a native of the city named St. Katharine Drexel. She used the wealth of her family to help build schools for Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics. Her tomb sits in the Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral where her funeral took place in 1955.

Shrine of St. John Neumann Philadelphia PA

The 4th Bishop of Philadelphia is well-revered in the City of Brotherly Love. It has a high school with his namesake. He too has a shrine that sits next to a church he established for Germans in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia.

Just a few places to visit. Remember, the Catholic faith doesn’t take a vacation.