By Maria Bohan
This Fall season, consider taking a spiritual day trip to one of these five locations:
1. Marian Shrine (Stony Point, NY) - The Marian Shrine offers retreats for adults and young adults, as well as members of the clergy. Everyone is invited to enjoy its beautiful garden of religious sculptures, the grandest being a 48 foot statue of the Blessed Mother.
2. National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Middletown, NY) - All are welcome to make a personal pilgrimage to this 60-acre shrine, which features individual shrines for various religious figures, a meditation area, a picnic grove, and cloister walk.
3. Immaculate Conception Grotto (White Plains, NY) - This unique, charming stone structure, which offers a place for visitors to pay their respects to the Blessed Mother, is definitely worth a visit.
4. St. Patrick’s Cathedral (New York, NY) - Why not be a tourist in your own city and be among the five million people that Patrick’s Cathedral each year? Come for one of the many masses said each day or simply to admire the magnificent architecture and stained glass windows. Be sure to light a candle for the people in your prayers.
5. St. Peter ‘s Church (New York, NY) – Head to the Big Apple and visit the first Catholic parish in New York State.
Are there any locations that you would add to this list? Comment below and let us know.
Maria Bohan is a Volunteer for the Communications and Development Office at the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Blauvelt, New York. She is a student at Bryn Mawr College majoring in English and a graduate of Pearl River High School.