Fees/Donations
Group Size
Reservations
Confirmation & Cancellation
Accessibility
Arrival
Bus Parking
Food
Masses
Archives Inquiries
Student Groups & Chaperones
Fees/Donations
No admission fees are charged for entry to the Shrine. As the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton receives no regular financial support, the generosity of our visitors is gratefully appreciated. Your group may choose to send or leave a donation for the entire group, or may leave individual donations. Learn more about supporting the National Shrine.
Group Size
The Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton can accommodate most size tour groups. For larger groups, we will ask you to divide your group ahead of time into smaller subgroups of 10-15 persons; however, there should be no more than five total groups. Colored name tags are especially helpful ("blue group," "green group," etc.). Please also note the number of recommended chaperones for your youth group size and review the rules for students and chaperones.
Reservations
Reservations will be on a first-come, first-served basis. To schedule a group tour, please contact the Reservations Coordinator at 301-447-7050. Please keep in mind that spring and fall are especially busy times of the year. To be assured of a reservation, call as early as possible. Groups will be scheduled to avoid overcrowding and to accommodate bus parking. Groups should allow 1 ½ - 2 hours to tour all of the sites and to allow for lunch breaks or visits to the Gift Shop or restrooms.
Confirmation & Cancellation
After scheduling your group, you will be sent a reservation form that must be completed and mailed back to us.
Any changes to your arrangements must be made by the Contact Person noted on the reservation form.
We request that you contact us one week prior to your tour to re-confirm your head count and notify us of any last-minute changes.
We will schedule sufficient staff to accommodate your group. If the number of persons in your group changes, please let us know as soon as possible so that we may revise our staff schedule. Please let us know if your group needs to cancel, so that we may offer your time slot to another group.
We ask that you provide us with a way to reach you on the day of the tour, in the event of inclement weather or other emergency. In general, the shrine follows the Frederick County Schools schedule for closings/delays. If the weather appears threatening and you decide to make the trip anyway, please call ahead to make sure that we are still open.
Note that if you make reservations at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, you have not made reservations with the Shrine Grotto of Lourdes. Separate arrangements need to be made for each location.
Accessibility
All areas of the Museum, the restrooms, the Basilica, the Gift Shop, and most areas inside the White House and Stone House are accessible to the physically challenged. Please make us aware of any members with special needs when making your reservation.
Arrival
If you are running late, please call 301-447-7050 to let us know. If you should arrive more than 30 minutes before or after your confirmed time, it may be necessary for us to curtail or alter your tour.
There is a convenient parking lot just outside of the Shrine Visitor Center/Museum on the lower level. When your group arrives, do not disembark from your bus until a representative has gone in to the Visitor Center/Museum to confirm your arrival.
Bus Parking
Limited bus parking is available. Please enter the main driveway to the right of the Basilica at South Seton Avenue onto the property; make the first left and then another left into the bus parking lot. Buses may pull over to the sidewalk to drop off their passengers before parking, but a representative from the group must first check in with the Shrine Reception desk in the Visitor Center/Museum before the group disembarks. Please observe the "No Buses" signs at certain parts of the driveway; turnaround space there is inadequate.
Food
The Shrine does not have a restaurant, but you may bring your lunch to eat at the Visitor Center/Museum; the Snack Room can accommodate up to 36 persons. For groups of more than 36, we can structure your tour so that you will eat in shifts. Lunches and backpacks should be kept on the bus until they are needed. There are also soda/vending machines in the Snack Room. No food or drinks may be carried into any other areas of the Shrine.
Groups are welcome to eat their lunches in their bus. If you eat on the bus, please provide your own trash bags, as the Shrine does not have sufficient receptacles for large groups. There are options to rent nearby park pavilions, and several restaurants in the area will accommodate buses. Please contact us for more details.
Masses
A Mass, Prayer Service, or Benediction may be scheduled if a group is accompanied by a priest. You must verify time and availability with the Shrine secretary. For regular Mass hours, consult the website and please call ahead to verify, especially during the Summer and at Holiday times. Remember to add approximately one hour extra to your tour schedule if you are attending Mass.
Archives Inquiries
At this time, the Archives of the Daughters of Charity Emmitsburg Province is undergoing extensive upgrades, so we are unable to accommodate requests and visitors. We apologize for any inconvenience.
For detailed information on our archival resources, please visit our Library of Congress web page.
Student Groups and Chaperones
Student groups require adult chaperones that stay with their assigned group for the entire visit. Chaperones are expected to enforce the rules of conduct in the Shrine (see Rules for Students).
We require the following minimums for school tour groups:
- Grades K- 2: One teacher/chaperone for every five students
- Grades 3-12: One teacher/chaperone for every 10 students
Students entering the Gift Shop will be restricted to the above suggested size groups. A chaperone must remain at the door and monitor the students entering and leaving. There should also be a chaperone available to help the students in the Gift Shop as needed.
Students are required to wear name tags while visiting the Shrine. We will send a tag to you that can be copied and distributed to your students.
Sometimes students (and even adults) do not know what to expect when touring a shrine. Please carefully review our guidelines for visitors with your family or group before visiting.
