Top 10 Catholic Cities, USA Ready for some Catholic sightseeing? Based on culture, history, physical landscape and spirituality, the following list of Top 10 U.S. Catholic Cities — listed in no particular order — highlights American hubs with a Catholic pulse. Each location, whether it be large or small, east or west, contributes to the richness of Catholic life in America. Should these locations be next door, across the state or across the country, Our Sunday Visitor hopes this list will prove useful and inspiring when it comes to incorporating the Faith into your travel plans this summer. New Orleans From its earliest moments, when Robert Cavelier de la Salle arrived in the Mississippi Valley and claimed the land for God (and King Louis XIV), the area that would become the city of New Orleans had a Catholic heart. With its “parishes,” saint- named streets, more than 40 Catholic churches and rich Catholic culture, New Orleans is a quintessential U.S. Catholic city. The roots of New Orleans Catholicism took hold in 1699, when Father Anastase Douay celebrated the first recorded Mass on Louisiana soil near the mouth of the Mississippi on Mardi Gras. Since then, worshippers have gathered regularly — most consistently and notably at the Cathedral of St. Louis in Jackson Square. Originally built in 1789 but greatly rebuilt in 1850, this grand cathedral sits on the site where worshippers have gathered since the earliest colonial churches in 1727. The sacred space, considered the oldest continuously functioning cathedral in the United States, houses a monument honoring Venerable Henriette DeLille, known as the “servant of slaves,” who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family still present in New Orleans. Three shrines are worth a look when visiting New Orleans. The National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos is located inside St. Mary’s Assumption Church, and it includes the tomb containing his relics, a museum and a gift shop. The National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, patroness of New Orleans who is believed to have helped the city defend itself against a British attack in the 1815 Battle of New Orleans, is located on State Street, on the same grounds as the Ursuline Academy and residence of the Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union. Also noteworthy is the International Shrine of St. Jude. In October 2004, New Orleans opened the Catholic Cultural Heritage Center, which includes a museum at the Old Ursuline Convent — built in 1752-53 and considered the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley still standing — and St. Louis Cathedral. New Orleans also was home to the first Catholic hospital in the United States, Hotel Dieu, operated by the Daughters of Charity. New Orleans facts Founded: 1718 Population: 369,250 for city, 1.23 million for metro area Did you know?: Although known as the birthplace of jazz and blues, New Orleans was also the site of the first opera performance in the United States back in 1796. Emmitsburg, Md. Located at the base of the Catoctin Mountains in Maryland, the town of Emmitsburg could be considered the seat of American Catholicism. It was in Emmitsburg where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born American saint, and her three daughters arrived in 1809 from Baltimore. It was there where Mother Seton established the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, the first congregation of religious sisters to be founded in the United States that turned into the basis for several more religious orders. And it’s there where she is buried at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. CNS photo Notable sites at the shrine include the Stone House — originally built in 1750, it later housed the first headquarters for the Sisters of Charity; the White House, a one-room school built in 1810; and a cemetery, basilica and chapel tomb where Mother Seton often prayed. Two miles south of the national shrine, off Route 15, is Mount St. Mary’s University and Seminary, where many priests are formed. On campus is the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, the oldest known replica of the beloved French site. Emmitsburg also was home to St. Joseph College (originally St. Joseph Academy), which was founded by the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph in 1809 and closed in 1973. In 1812, Emmitsburg became the home of Father Simon William Gabriel Bruté de Remur who taught and ministered to the community so effectively at Mount St. Mary’s that he was nicknamed “Angel of the Mount.” He also served as Mother Seton’s spiritual adviser. Father Bruté stayed in Emmitsburg until 1834, when he was appointed bishop of the new Diocese of Vincennes, Ind. The cause for Father Bruté’s canonization was opened in the fall of 2005, and he is now known as Servant of God. Mother Seton was canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI. Emmitsburg, Md. facts Founded: 1785 Population: 2,852 Did you know?: Emmitsburg is located just 10 miles south of Gettysburg, Pa., site of the largest Civil War battle. Bethlehem, Conn. Settled 100 miles northeast of New York City, the town of Bethlehem, Conn., might seem like a strange pick for a top U.S. Catholic city. But the presence of the Abbey of Regina Laudis lends Bethlehem and the surrounding area an undeniable aura of Catholic culture. Founded in 1947, the abbey houses a community of contemplative Benedictine women who are, according to its website, “dedicated to the praise of God through prayer and work.” The nuns and other volunteers work the 450 acres of land, yielding an array of products ranging from pottery and candles to honey, vinegar and perfume. Vespers at the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Photo by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle While not every part of the abbey is open to the public, visitors are welcome to the Abbey Church Jesu Fili Mariae, the Lower Monastery Chapel, the Monastic Art Shop, and the 18th-century Neapolitan Crèche, which is believed to have been made for Victor Amadeus II, the king of Sardinia, for his coronation. Beautiful hand-carved Stations of the Cross, carved out of a cherry tree by Abbey artist Reverend Mother Placid Dempsey, line the walls of the Lower Monastery Chapel. Mother Dolores Hart, former actress and author of the recent autobiography “The Ear of the Heart: An Actress’ Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows,” serves as prioress of the abbey. Maybe it’s her Hollywood background or the nuns’ long-standing tradition of Gregorian chant, but the arts thrive at Regina Laudis. The abbey has appeared in two documentary productions: “God is the Bigger Elvis,” based on Mother Dolores, and “The Cheese Nun,” on Mother Noella Marcellino. On abbey grounds sits The Gary-The Olivia Performing Arts Center, which sponsors an active local summer theater. Located outside of Regina Laudis is Church of the Nativity, which was established as a mission church in 1884 to serve mostly immigrants including Canadians, Irish, Germans, Italians, and Eastern Europeans, especially Lithuanians. And one little piece of trivia: Thousands of visitors flock to Bethlehem in December to postmark their Christmas cards. Bethlehem, Conn., facts Founded: 1787 Population: 3,422 Did you know?: Bethlehem is believed to be the location of the 1949 movie “Come to the Stable,” starring Loretta Young and Celeste Holm, in which two French nuns come to America to found a children’s hospital. St. Louis Known as “the Rome of the West” because of its rich Catholic history, St. Louis was pivotal in spreading Catholicism into the western half of the United States. Its “Old Cathedral,” the Basilica of St. Louis, King, was founded in 1770 and is the first Catholic cathedral west of the Mississippi River. Basilica of St. Louis, King, is also known as the “Old Cathedral.” Shutterstock The “New Cathedral,” formally known as the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, is a sight to see in its own right with its Byzantine revival architecture and what is believed to be the largest collections of mosaics in North America. According to the cathedral’s website, these mosaics were designed “to remind all of us that God reaches into our earthly lives.” St. Louis also is home to the St. Patrick Center, an action- based service provider of housing, employment and health services for the homeless or those at risk for homelessness. The St. Patrick Center assists more than 9,000 people each year. A shrine to St. Rose Philippine Duchesne — a French sister of the Sacred Heart who brought formalized Catholic education to Missouri in 1818 — is located on the outskirts of the city in St. Charles. Her school for girls was the foundation of not only the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, but Catholic education as a whole in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. St. Louis is the hometown of New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, and has a long list of archbishops and cardinals to its name, including Cardinal John Carberry, who died in 1998, and Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, in St. Louis from 2003 to 2008, who now serves as the prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura at the Vatican. St. Louis also is home to the cloistered Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (often called the “Pink Sisters” because of their rose-colored habits) at Mount Grace Convent, who have been in perpetual adoration since 1928 — a remarkable 85 years. The adoration chapel is open to the public daily and identifies itself as a place “where heaven and earth meet in the heart of the Church and where prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament is an oasis of peace for all who seek God.” St.