A Pilgrim in Emmitsburg

On Sunday, I found myself driving north from Virginia back home to Pennsylvania. I decided to take advantage of my time on the road and make a few stops along the way. Right on the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, at the Mason-Dixon line, is the small town of Emmitsburg, Maryland. Although it is a small, rural community off of Highway 15, Emmitsburg has proven to be a significant hub of spiritual wealth for our country.

I first pulled into the campus of Mount St. Mary University and Seminary. I was deeply impressed by the vastness of the land that the site sits on. I headed toward the seminary; it is a beautiful stone structure with a large porch facing acres of green grass. 

I then prayed in the chapel of the Immaculate Conception, the worship site for the college community. Being at Mount St. Mary's was like taking a step back into the past. I wondered how many seminarians and students had prayed in this church. I also thought of the lives that were gradually changed because of the lasting encounters made on these hallowed grounds.

Nearby is the national shrine dedicated to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. St. Elizabeth was born in New York in 1774. St. Elizabeth married William Seton and together, they had five children. Tragedy would strike the Seton family when William died while abroad in Europe. St. Elizabeth encountered a period of spiritual crisis and soul-searching. Although raised an Episcopalian, St. Elizabeth eventually converted to Catholicism as an adult after her husband's death. 

By 1810, St. Elizabeth had professed her own private vows, which would pave the way for the founding of the Sisters of Charity. This religious congregation attended the educational needs of young Catholic women in the United States. The home base for the congregation was in Emmitsburg, near the seminary of Mount St. Mary's. In 1821, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton entered into eternal rest at this site. 

The most meaningful moment of this trip occurred as I prayed at the tomb of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Kneeling in front of her marble resting place, I kissed her relic and asked her to intercede for the Church in the United States. I then asked her to help guide me as I begin my journey into seminary. At that moment, I felt the saint's presence with me. Together, we prayed the Lord's Prayer. The communion of saints is a true and living reality!

With the confidence one can only gain through saintly intercession, I left Emmitsburg and continued onward to my home in Pennsylvania. I feel blessed that I was able to stop and pray as a pilgrim at these venerable American Catholic sites in Emmitsburg, Maryland. And I am confident that this American saint is praying for us, here and now. The Gospel is present among all peoples in all times and cultures, including our own!