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Religious Heritage Tour

Explore the religious heritage of Baltimore by visiting the neo-classical Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption, the first Catholic cathedral in the United States. Masses are held daily, and tours are conducted by appointment. Tour the Divine Mercy Shrine, built in 1993, offering Divine Mercy material from around the world.

Visit the Mother Seton House, home of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American born canonized Roman Catholic Saint, and founder of the parochial school system and Daughters and Sister of Charity in the U.S. and Canada. Don't miss St. Judes Shrine on Paca Street. The St. Jude Shrine has been staffed and operated by the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers for over 80 years and is a nationwide Center of St. Jude Devotions.

The Lovely Lane United Methodist Church and Museum is the mother church for American Methodism and offers tours daily. The Greek Orthodox Cathedral downtown also offers tours and liturgy services.

Visit the country's largest museum of Jewish history, the Jewish Museum of Maryland. This museum features two historic synagogues, The Lloyd Street Synagogue (1845) and B'nai Israel (1876). It also houses a library archive, two galleries, and a gift shop.

Next, the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground, featuring a beautifully restored historic church with an 1882 pipe organ. This is also the gravesite of Edgar Allan Poe. To really experience this unique portion of one of Baltimore's oldest cemeteries, groups can arrange to take an oral history tour that discusses Poe and other famous Baltimoreans buried there.