During the procession to the grotto, attendees sang hymns, prayed the luminous mysteries of the rosary, and — as the marchers began to slow down amid their ascent at the steepest part of the procession — prayed the Litany of the Passion of Christ. 

“Jesus, fastened with nails to the cross, have mercy on us,” the prayer says in part. “Jesus, wounded for our iniquities, have mercy on us. Jesus, praying for your murderers, have mercy on us.”

The priests celebrated Benediction in the grotto shrine. The sanctuary honors Our Lady of Lourdes with a replica of the grotto that was the site of Marian apparitions in Lourdes, France, in 1858. There are also numerous statues of the Virgin Mary and other saints, along with artwork for the stations of the cross and the mysteries of the rosary.

Although Emmitsburg is not near any major population area, many people traveled from within Maryland as well as Pennsylvania and Virginia to take part in the processions. One attendee from Maryland, Lora McMunn, told CNA the procession was “incredible” and it was great to see families, young people, and “old people” all together for the processions.

“It’s important that people get together with other people who share the faith and that we present ourselves to the world as Catholics … and show [people] that this is what [we] believe,” McMunn said.

Elizabeth Ann Seton was born into a prominent Episcopalian family in New York City in 1774 but converted to Catholicism in 1805, two years after her husband’s death. She had five children with her husband. The future saint moved to Maryland because of the state’s strong Catholic presence and because of the social stigma she faced in New York from her Episcopalian friends and family following her conversion.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton entered into religious life and founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph in Emmitsburg, Maryland — the first community for religious women to begin in the United States. She also founded the first free Catholic school for girls. She is the first Catholic saint born in what became the United States of America.

One of the driving forces of Mother Seton’s conversion was her recognition of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist — which she began to notice upon seeing the strong Catholic devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

The shrine to Mother Seton has a basilica, which holds about 850 people, and a newly opened museum, which contains artifacts and personal writings from the saint. There are also historic buildings near the shrine.

The Seton Route dipped south to Baltimore and will make its way to the next procession in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, June 8. Following the procession in the nation’s capital, the pilgrimage will move into southwest Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, before heading further west into Ohio and its final destination in Indiana.