PLAN YOUR VISIT

Prepare For Your Visit

PREPARE FOR YOUR VISIT

Visitors are welcome at the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center.

Hours of Operation: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The McGivney Center has free admission. Free parking is available to visitors in the lot beneath the building.
Guided tours are available, although all displays and exhibitions are self-guided.

HOURS & DIRECTIONS

BLESSED MICHAEL McGIVNEY PILGRIMAGE CENTER

Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am-4 pm

Gift Shop: Open during Center hours
Free admission; Free parking in the lot beneath the building

Area map showing points of attraction around the Pilgrimage Center.

BY BICYCLE

The Center cannot assume responsibility for damage or theft of bicycles left on-site.

BY CAR, CHARTERED BUS, OR LARGE VAN

If you’re traveling by car, the McGivney Center offers free parking in the lot beneath the Center. There is elevator access into the Center from the lot.

Enter the underground parking lot near the intersection of State Street and Water Street (U.S. Route 1).

Our parking lot accommodates vehicles no taller than 8 feet. Vehicles taller than this height should park in our cutout point at the north side of the Center on Fair Street (George St. turns into Fair St.).

BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

The Center is three blocks from both State Street Station and Union Station (Amtrak, Hartford Line, Metro-North Railroad, Shoreline East Railroad and Greyhound).

Please visit CT Transit for local bus service to the Center.

ACCESSIBILITY

PARKING

The McGivney Center offers free parking in the lot beneath the Center. There is elevator access into the Center from the lot.

Enter the underground parking lot near the intersection of State Street and Water Street (U.S. Route 1).

For buses and large vans, there is a cutout point at the north side of the Center on Fair Street (George St. turns into Fair St.).

ENTERING THE CENTER

The McGivney Center is fully accessible. Public access to the Center is via the main entrance on State Street or the elevators in the underground parking lot. There is a ramp from State Street to the elevator entrance.

GROUPS

WE OFFER GROUP TOURS

Groups are welcome to visit the McGivney Center. Please advise us in advance of your plans by completing the online form so that we may be prepared to assist you.

Tours are typically an hour in length. Optimal group size is 20 people or less. We may recommend dividing larger groups for tours. There is no fee for tours, although donations are accepted.

There is no onsite food service, although we can recommend local restaurants for catering a meal here or dining in.

POLICIES & GUIDELINES

POLICIES AND SAFETY MEASURES

To ensure the well-being of our visitors and staff, the following visitor policies and safety measures are in effect at the McGivney Center:

Proper attire is required at all times, including shirts and shoes
All bags are subject to inspection by security staff
No luggage or suitcases are permitted
No firearms or weapons are permitted
No loitering or disruptive behavior is allowed in the Center or on its grounds
Photography is permitted in permanent galleries only unless otherwise stated
No food or beverages are permitted in the galleries
Service animals only are permitted
No smoking is permitted
Visitors aged 12 years and younger must be under adult supervision

Additional safety measures currently include:

Please visit only when feeling well.
Guided tours are available, although all displays and exhibitions are self-guided.
Face coverings are voluntary.
Social distancing is not required; visitors should maintain a comfortable distance from others.
Please do not touch artwork, frames, platforms, labels, or display cases.
Hand sanitizer dispensers are available at entrance and throughout the Center.

EXHIBITS

Displayed in the lobby of the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is 400-year-old cross from atop St. Peter's Basilica.

LOBBY AND SAINT PETER'S BASILICA

The spacious lobby provides an impressive entryway to the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center. Here, the two-story atrium becomes the setting for one of the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center's most impressive features: a 400-year-old cross from atop St. Peter's Basilica, a gift from Pope St. John Paul II in appreciation for the restoration of the basilica's façade funded by the Knights of Columbus in the 1980s.

View Exhibit

Photo of the Father Michael J. McGivney Gallery looking from behind the bronze statue of McGivney toward the cases, October 19, 2017.

BLESSED MICHAEL McGIVNEY GALLERY

The McGivney Gallery traces the priest’s early life in Waterbury, Connecticut, his call to the priesthood, parish ministry at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven where he founded the Knights of Columbus, and his death while a pastor in Thomaston, Connecticut.

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Photo of two men in suits looking at Papal medals in the Papal Gallery of the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center on October 19, 2017.

PAPAL GALLERY EXHIBIT

The Papal Gallery recounts the longstanding relationship between the Knights of Columbus and the Vatican. Popes have had a significant role in the growth and activities of the Knights of Columbus since its incorporation in 1882. Featured items include an array of artwork, archival materials, artifacts, commemorative papal medallions, photographs and videos.

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WALL OF HISTORY

The 170-foot long Wall of History is a thematic and chronological presentation of the Knights of Columbus' origins and development. Free-standing kiosks devoted to each of the supreme knights punctuate the timeline.

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