There’s nothing like a road trip to bring together a group of friends, and nothing makes a road trip better than great destinations. For all of who live in the in the Northeast or have a desire to road trip there, here are a few places I suggest you visit (paired with some great eats nearby):
1. The Abbey of the Genesee – Genesee, New York
This Trappist monastery, located in rural Western New York, is home to about 30 cloistered monks. They spend their days (waking up at 2:15 AM!) praying and working. To support their monastic lifestyle the monks of the Abbey of the Genesee bake bread which they sell at the monastery and in grocery stores throughout western New York. Not only can you buy every variety of Monk’s Bread at the monastery (including monastery exclusive unsliced maple cinnamon) you can join the monks in praying Liturgy of the Hours throughout the day!
Tip: After spending time with the monks, head into nearby Geneseo and go to Pizza Paul’s for the half-sub, half-calzone subzone.
2. St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal – Montreal, Quebec
St. Andre was the main driver behind building an oratory in honor of St. Joseph, which has been enlarged multiple times over the years. There’s a lot to explore and see nowadays, but my two favorites were seeing St. Andre’s heart (they took it out and put it in a glass box!) and the hall honoring a dozen or so of the many titles of St. Joseph (e.g. Terror of Demons). There are also multiple places throughout the grounds that are covered in old crutches that people left behind after miraculous healings.
Tip: While in Quebec, you’ve got to grab some poutine, which is french fries and cheese curds covered with brown gravy. Yum!
Bonus Tip: While in town, check out the amazingly beautiful Notre Dame Basilica.
3. National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette – Attleboro, Massachusetts
This shrine dedicated to Mary’s apparition in La Salette, France is a great visit any time of year, but is exceptional during Christmastime, during which they pull out all the stops with the Christmas Festival of Lights. They deck out the grounds with over a quarter of a million lights.
Tip: Bliss Bros. Dairy is only a 1/2 mile away from the shrine! Stop in for a sundae or milkshake, and be sure to take home a ice cream pizza. Yes, such a thing exists, and yes, it’s everything you want it to be.
4. Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs A.K.A. North American Martyrs Shrine – Auriesville, New York
This shrine is built where the Mohawk village of Ossernenon stood. This is where St. Isaac Jogues and two of his lay companions were martyred. The other North American martyrs are also celebrated here. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also the birthplace of St. Kateri Tekakwitha!
Tip: Auriesville isn’t exactly a bustling metropolis, and this is the one location on this list I haven’t personally been to. I searched Yelp and found Forever Young’s diner less than 10 miles away. They’re known for their korean-inspired Bolgogi (fire meat) omelet and their thick-cut made from scratch cinnamon raisin toast.
5. Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica – Lackawanna, New York
Father Nelson Baker’s heart broke for the poor and beat for Our Lady. Throughout his life, he did much for both. The orphanage he ran was so well known that children were put on trains all over the country with “Father Baker’s” pinned to their clothes, and they railroad staff knew exactly where to take them and made sure they got there. He spearheaded construction of a new church in honor of Our Lady of Victory (a personal favorite of his) and the absolutely beautiful basilica was completed in 1925 for over 3 million dollars without going into debt. (You know I love that!)
Tip: Lackawanna is right next to Buffalo, so head on over to Anchor Bar, birthplace of the Buffalo Chicken Wing, and chow down.
This post highlighted Catholic road trip destinations in the Northeast. Please list any Northeast favorites I missed in the comments, as well as spots to list in future posts about other regions of the country!
6 Comments
Don’t waste your time with Anchor Bar. Go to Duff’s instead. And fun fact about Our Lady of Victory, it recently was the site of the “Mass of Foundation” for a new religious order, the Marian Franciscans.
Here we go. Let the wing war begin.
I’m sticking to my original suggestion for two reasons:
1. I’ve been to both, and I found Anchor Bar to be WAAAY better.
2. If you’re road tripping in, you gotta go to the birth place. Think of all the ways the chicken wing has become a part of our culture. Anchor Bar is where it all started.
But hey, if you’re in town, might as well go to both and see which side of this battle you stand on.
So, some people biased towards where they live. Maybe I am, too, but I also live in a pretty awesome place for Catholicism. You should totally do a Maryland/DC edition. In DC we basically have the “American Vatican” withthe Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Catholic University and the USCCB (though not much to see there), and TONS of monasteries and convents all within a few blocks of each other. Then in Maryland we have Emmitsburg with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the grotto there, and a bunch of gorgeous sites in Baltimore… and in Southern Maryland there’s St. Mary’s City with a reproduction of the first Catholic church in the English colonies. ALSO, the Archdiocese of Baltimore was the first in the US, and the Archdiocese of DC was part of that until the 1930s. Tons of American Catholic history here in my home town. <3
Yes.
I grew up in Southern Pennsylvania, and there is a TON of sweet Catholic stuff in the Mid-Atlantic. You mentioned some great places. Thanks!
I love#5. Visited while in college and bought a beautiful picture of our lady at the gift shop.
Awesome. That church is so beautiful!