Giving

Through the historic tours offered at the Shrine, visitors encounter Mother Seton and her Sisters as fellow pilgrims, struggling to answer God’s call in the midst of sorrows and trials. Our supporters make it possible for us to preserve these important places of encounter and, through them, help visitors to discover Mother Seton as a friend and faithful intercessor.

For 12 years, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton called the fields and woods of Emmitsburg home. Here, she raised three daughters and buried two of them. Here, she built the school she longed to build. And here, she welcomed a growing number of young women, who wanted to follow in her footsteps and serve Christ in the poor.

Today, visitors to the Seton Shrine are invited to grow in friendship with this holy woman, getting to know her better as they explore both the houses where she once lived and the valley she called home.

Throughout the year, the Historic Home & Grounds Tour takes visitors through the two historic homes originally built for Mother Seton and her congregation—the Stone House and the White House—as well as our historic cemetery and scenic grounds. With the help of a trained guide, visitors hear Mother Seton’s inspirational story and learn about the small miracles of grace that unfolded here in Emmitsburg.

Seasonally, visitors also can reserve a place on the specially scheduled Civil War Tour, which sheds light on another important moment in the Sisters’ history: the Battle of Gettysburg. Located just 10 miles south of the famous battlegrounds, St. Joseph’s Academy served as the campground for the Union Army from June 27 to June 30, 1863. The day after the soldiers left, the bloodiest battle in America’s Civil War began. On July 3, when the guns finally fell silent, the Sisters gathered supplies and set off to care for the wounded. They spent the following weeks nursing the soldiers in  different makeshift hospitals, scattered throughout the region. This special tour tells the sisters’ stories and illustrates how the Sisters of Charity and Daughters of Charity helped heal a wounded country.