First stop, St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Chapel Point, Maryland, founded in 1641 by the Jesuits. It is the oldest continuously active parish in the United States.
The property overlooks the Potomac River. It was a beautiful, clear, mild day today!
Can you believe it? Since 1641!
Inside the church, with a beautiful painting of Saint Ignatius of Loyola behind the altar.
Next stop was the Carmelite Monastery of Port Tobacco, Maryland. Founded in 1790, this was the first Carmelite Monastery in the United States, and is still a thriving monastery today! It was very peaceful and quiet, nestled in the woods and rolling hills.
From inside their old monastery, which is now a little museum, commemorating the way things were for the four original foundresses.
Inside the chapel. Very simple, and very Carmelite!
There are quite a few new parts to the monastery, including a lovely gift shop, a garden, a vast "front door," and this beautiful statue of Our Lady holding the Child Jesus.
Last stop was the "First Landing," the site where the first English Catholics came ashore to the colonies, seeking religious freedom. They sailed on two ships, the ARK and the DOVE, and encountered many troubles along the journey, but made it to the shores of the colonies on a little island they named Saint Clement's Island, standing in the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland. They landed here on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 1634. On that day, and at this place, the very first Mass was celebrated in the colonies. Awesome!
The island in the background is St. Clement's Island. The settlers were not sure how the Native Americans would react to their arrival, so they first landed on the island instead of the mainland. One of the priests in the group, Father Andrew White, S.J., wasted no time for evangelization and rowed over to the mainland the very next day, bringing Christ to the Natives. Talk about a priest who was living in the spirit of his founder!
It was a great day. I loved the opportunity to go on pilgrimage to see my American Catholic roots! It's easy to forget that we don't have to go very far to make a pilgrimage. We have so much history right in our backyards!
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