Western Vicariate

When Father John Williamson arrived as pastor of St. John the Evangelist in Frederick and St. Joseph on Carrollton Manor in Buckeystown five years ago, the roof of St. Joseph’s historic church was leaking and the steeple was “ready to fall off.”

In celebration of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s 50th anniversary of canonization this year, the four-day pilgrimage was organized to trace the steps of the first American-born saint’s journey from Baltimore to Emmitsburg in the 19th century.

Though all the diners are members of the Catholic Parishes of South Washington County – a pastorate that includes St. Joseph in Hagerstown, St. Augustine in Williamsport and St. James in Boonsboro – this steadfast rule has played a key role in maintaining the group’s cohesion and longevity.