Join Father Matthew Phelan, O.deM and Dr. Anne DeSantis, Executive Director of the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation, as they celebrate the 250 Years of the Constitution and journey the northeastern coast of America through the eyes of the Catholic faith. Don't miss this chance to embark on a life-changing pilgrimage.

Special invitation from Dr. Anne DeSantis:

“Welcome to this special Colonial Catholic pilgrimage through the northeastern United States—a journey of faith, history, and gratitude. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are especially excited to reflect on the spiritual roots that shaped our nation and the enduring witness of Catholic faith in early America. The St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation, Father Matthew Phelan, O.deM, and I are deeply honored to invite you on this meaningful pilgrimage taking place in early October, and we look forward to traveling together in prayer, fellowship, and hope as we rediscover the sacred heritage woven into our country’s beginnings.”

Arrive from your local airport to meet the group this afternoonat the hotel in Washington, DC.  After check-in, a Mass of Thanksgiving is celebrated nearby (approx. 4:30pm) followed by a Welcome Dinner.  This evening, we enjoy a driving tour of the Monuments by Moonlight! Here, our guide narrates history, stories, and facts about our National Monuments as you enjoy the ride!  Our Capitol’s landmarks are illuminated against the night sky creating a patriotic and extraordinary experience in comparison to daylight views.  You’ll see iconic Mall sites such as the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.  Other stunning spots include the US World War II Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the White House and US Capitol.  Monuments are floodlit at night, which makes for stunning photos during brief stops or pauses.

Check-in, dinner & overnight in Washington, D.C.

Following breakfast at the hotel and a fasting hour, Holy Mass is celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (upon confirmation).  Known as the largest Catholic Church in North America as well as one of the 10 largest churches in the world, The National Shrine is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States of America.  The Upper Church contains over 80 chapels and oratories honoring Our Lady under different cultural titles and is also home to a vast collection of extraordinary sacred art. The Crypt Church below offers a contemplative space for personal prayer at the foundation of this impressive architectural masterpiece.  Following Mass and a tour of the basilica, we cross the street to tour the St. John Paul II National Shrine. We view an immersive exhibit of the saint’s life which includes a chronicle of his ministry, his resistance to Nazism, his role in the fall of Communism, and his teachings on human dignity and freedom. Here we also see a first-class relic, a vial of St. Pope John Paul II’s blood, and the beautiful mosaic chapel inspired by his addition of the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary.  Lunch on your own and we continue to Capitol Hill for a guided tour. We see Constitutional Avenue Corridor, which links us with the 250th Anniversary of the US Constitution!

Dinner on your own & overnight in Washington, DC.

Breakfast at the hotel prior to our visit to Arlington National Cemetery & the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This sacred ground is where America honors those who served in protecting our country and our freedom. Established during the Civil War on land that once belonged to Robert E. Lee’s family, this solemn site remains an active cemetery where over 400,000 service members, veterans and eligible family members are buried. The rows of white marble headstones stretched across green hills stand as a visual symbol of sacrifice and unity. Each headstone represents a life of service, a family’s loss, and a story of dedication. The atmosphere is quiet, reverent, and reflective. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honors all missing and unidentified American service members who died in war. Lunch on your own en route as we travel to Baltimore, MD (1.5 hours). Upon arrival, we visit America’s First Cathedral: The National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Built between 1806-1821, it is the first cathedral constructed after the US Constitution was adopted, hence known as the first cathedral in the newly formed United States – making it the “Mother Church” of the American Catholic Church!  Designed by the same architect as the US Capitol, it was constructed to reflect that Catholicism had a rightful place in the new American Republic. Its soaring dome and expansive natural light showcase the Enlightenment Era blended with Catholic theology.

Interestingly, the Baltimore Catechism traces its roots to gatherings connected to this historic cathedral!  Mass time and location to be confirmed.

Check-in,  dinner on your own & overnight in Baltimore.

An early breakfast followed by a day of exploring Baltimore Catholic History. We begin at Ft. McHenry, built in America’s first Catholic Diocese between 1798-1800. Named after James McHenry, signer of the US Constitution and Secretary of War, the fort was constructed after the Revolutionary War to protect Baltimore Harbor from naval attack from Britain and France. Our American flag had been commissioned and sewn by Mary Pickersgill and her daughter, and after the bombardment of the White House, the Capitol and Ft. McHenry by Britain in 1814,  our American flag was still flying at Ft. McHenry. Francis Scott Key saw the flag at sunrise and his inspired poem, “Defense of Fort McHenry” later became our country’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”.  Lunch on your own, and this afternoon, we visit the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine in nearby Emmitsburg (one hour).  We see the Stone House where the saint lived, the basilica dedicated to her, the museum and visitor center, and the original Sisters of Charity Motherhouse, which she founded in 1809.  Known as the first American-born saint, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized in 1975. She was widowed at just 29, leaving her with 5 young children in Italy where the family had traveled in hopes of her husband’s healing.  While there, they stayed with a very devout Catholic family whose peace in suffering, devotion to the Eucharist and their sense of God’s presence in daily life, led the young Elizabeth Ann toward Catholicism. Returning to New York, she entered the Church, losing many friends, financial support, and teaching opportunities, but gaining her unstoppable faith. Though her conversion was not sudden, it was deeply impactful, particularly in her ministry to the poor and to children. She founded the first free Catholic school in America. Evening reflection with the group upon return to Baltimore.  Mass time and location to be confirmed.

Dinner on your own & overnight in Baltimore.

Following breakfast and check-out, we travel to Philadelphia (2 hours). Holy Mass is celebrated at 11:00AM at the Chapel at St. Donato Parish. Founded in the early 1900s to serve Italian immigrants, this chapel is dedicated to St. Donato, 4th century bishop and martyr of Arezzo, Italy. St. Frances Cabrini of Lombardy, Italy, helped establish the parish having prayed in the basement chapel as a Missionary Sister of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (founder) and having begun an orphanage for girls of the neighborhood. This afternoon, we visit the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Mother Church of Philadelphia. Built between 1846 and 1864 during a time of strong anti-Catholic sentiment, the cathedral was designed and strongly built with thick stone walls, very high windows and minimal exterior ornamentation. The tomb of St. Katharine Drexel, founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, is housed within. Lunch on your own and a visit to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell completes our day!

Check-in, Old Town Dinner & overnight in Philadelphia.

After an early breakfast and a fasting hour, a Traditional Latin Mass (9:30AM) is celebrated at Our Lady of Lourdes in historic Overbrook Farms, west Philadelphia.  As a Mercedarian “signature” of our pilgrimage, Holy Mass is celebrated in similar tradition to how it was celebrated at the time of our nation’s founding. Our Lady of Lourdes was built in 1894 as a granite and limestone Gothic Revival to reflect both spiritual aspiration and community permanence. We stop for lunch at the Reading Terminal Market (on your own), prior to our visit to St. John Neumann Shrine (4th bishop of Philadelphia and first American male saint). A Redemptorist priest and tireless missionary, St. John Neumann was a pioneer in building parishes and schools and is the founder of the first diocesan Catholic school system in the US. His relics are enshrined beneath the main altar and are visible through a glass case.  We visit his small museum with exhibits about his life, ministry, and impact on American Catholicism. Following, we visit the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia, Augustinian nun and mystic, known as the Patroness of Impossible Causes. This shrine houses murals, statues and artwork which depict her life story: her profound losses and suffering, as well as her mystical devotion. Our day ends with a visit to Old St. Joseph’s Church, the oldest Catholic parish in Philadelphia and one of the oldest in the US. Founded by the Jesuit Order during a time when Catholicism was restricted in many of early colonies, public worship had to be discreet, therefore, the original church was modest and hidden within a courtyard (1733). The current church building dates to 1839 replacing the original structure.

Dinner on your own & overnight in Philadelphia.

Breakfast and check-out and we travel to New York City (2 hours).  Holy Mass is scheduled to be celebrated upon arrival at the St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan (to be confirmed). Dedicated to Mother Cabrini, the first US citizen to be declared a saint (1946), she is the patroness of immigrants, hospital administrators, and those seeking perseverance in difficult missions. Her body is preserved and is visible beneath the altar in a glass case, and the shrine includes exhibits about this extraordinary saint’s missionary journeys, challenges faced upon her arrival to the US, her founding of schools and hospitals across the US, and letters and artifacts from her life. Following Mass, we visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Mother Church of New York.  Begun in 1858, the cathedral was largely funded by poor Irish immigrants, working Catholics and small donations from parishioners. At the time, it was in an area still largely undeveloped north of the city center! Anti-Catholic prejudice was widespread and the building of such a massive cathedral was a bold declaration: Catholics were not temporary immigrants, but part of America’s future. Lunch on your own. We end the day with unforgettable tour of the 911 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center Site, Lower Manhattan. We see the Two Reflecting Pools and the engraved names of all victims and then tour the underground museum beneath  the memorial plaza.  We continue to walk Wall Street, synonymous with the US Financial System, banking and investment firms and the New York Stock Exchange. Directly across the street, we see Federal Hall, which served as the first capitol of the US under the Constitution. It is also where the First Congress met in 1789, where the Bill of Rights was proposed, and where George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789.  It is known as the site where the American presidency officially began under the Constitution.  

Check-in, dinner on your own & overnight in New York City.

Breakfast and check-out followed a 9:00am ferry ride to tour Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty! Lunch on your own prior to our departure to Boston this afternoon (4 hours). Free time in Boston as schedule allows. Mass time and location to be confirmed.

Check-in, dinner on your own & overnight in Boston.

Following breakfast and a fasting hour, Holy Mass is celebrated at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Mother Church of Boston.  Completed in 1875, it is the largest Catholic church in New England and a symbol of Irish Catholic perseverance in anti-Catholic 19th century America. Catholics, especially Irish immigrants faced harsh discrimination and hostility in the Boston area, and the cathedral was boldly designed in Gothic Revival style, inspired by medieval European cathedrals as a symbol of confidence and permanence. A walking tour of the Freedom Trail awaits (2.5 miles) as we are guided through the sidewalk streets of downtown Boston.  Beginning at the Boston Common and ending at the Bunker Hill Monument, we see and take in American history through stories of British colonial rule, taxation disputes, rising tensions, the beginnings of the Revolutionary War and early American government.  Lunch on your own before a visit to St. Anthony Shrine OR to the Church of St. Leonard (contingent on availability). Final Mass time and location to be confirmed.

North End Italian Farewell Dinner & overnight in Boston

Breakfast and transfers to Logan International Airport for return flights home as we carry with us the beautiful history of our country and of our faith within it!

A note from Trinity Tour Travels:

We are honored to have you travel with us and appreciate your trust in Trinity Tour Travels for your pilgrimage! Though every effort will sincerely be made to follow the above itinerary, it should be considered as a template of the journey rather than a “contract” of sites to be visited. There are times when local religious or national holidays, weather, traffic challenges, etc., may cause us to make changes in our schedule. This MAY result in a change in the sequence of sites visited or, on rare occasions, the missing of some certain site visits entirely.

As with all in life, we encourage the acceptance of possible change with a cheerful heart; after all, it is sometimes the unexpected that often makes the most beautiful memories! Enjoy your trip to the fullest and relish every moment!