For the Catholic Church in the United States, 2025 not only marks a Jubilee Year, but the 50th anniversary of the country’s first native-born saint.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) played a leading role in the growth of the Catholic Church in America. She founded the first congregation of religious sisters in the US and the country’s first free Catholic school for girls. That marked the start of America’s parochial system.
The sisters from her congregation, originally called the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s, would go on to run orphanages and schools across the country. They also served in hospitals – nursing the sick and wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg and other Civil War engagements, for instance.
Mother Seton’s legacy continues in the lives of thousands of women who follow her charism to this day.
A woman of “dynamism and authenticity”
Her cause for sainthood was opened in 1940, and Mother Seton was canonized in Rome on September 14, 1975. In his homily that day, Pope Paul the VI declared that “the Church renders the greatest honor possible to Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton and extols her personal and extraordinary contribution as a woman -- a wife, a mother, a widow, and a religious.”
He added:
“May the dynamism and authenticity of her life be an example in our day -- and for generations to come -- of what women can and must accomplish, in the fulfillment of their role, for the good of humanity.”
The canonization was a cause for rejoicing for Catholics across the US.
A new exhibit...
In honor of that event, the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton kicked off its year-long festivities with a special Mass on January 4, her feast day. In his homily, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori linked the celebration directly to the Jubilee Year, calling Mother Seton a true “pilgrim of hope,” adding that “she exemplified the hope that impels us to seek God’s will and follow the path of holiness, wherever it might lead.”
After the Mass, there was a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new exhibit dedicated to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s canonization. Titled “One of Us,” it goes behind the scenes to help visitors understand the process leading to her sainthood and “the magnitude of Mother Seton’s influence then and her relevance today as a saint people can relate to in profound ways.”
There is also a new mural painted by artist Ellen Byrne that portrays “Mother Seton’s long road to sainthood,” and a section dedicated to other Americans who are currently in the canonization process.
... and a year-long celebration
Visitors will also want to take time to see the full slate of exhibits in shrine’s recently reopened museum. With its compelling interactive displays and collection of relics and other rare artifacts, the museum paints an exceptionally detailed and moving portrait of Elizabeth Ann Seton’s life and legacy.
That life and legacy will continue to be commemorated in the coming months. In June there will be a 14-day, 218-mile pilgrimage to the shrine in partnership with Camino of Maryland. Other pilgrimages are also planned, along with an outreach program to parishes and schools across the US that will allow people to encounter Mother Seton through free materials provided by the shrine.
The celebration will culminate in a “Day of Joy” at the Emmitsburg shrine on September 14, where visitors will be able to enjoy a Mass, music, prayer, and food on the grounds of the shrine.
For more information, visit the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s website.
