The Seton Shrine will mark the 5oth anniversary of the canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton on September 14, with a celebration of other Americans who may join her as canonized saints.
The event, dubbed the "Saints On Their Way Village" will feature nearly two dozen guilds supporting the causes of various Americans who are along the path to sainthood.
Representatives from these guilds will be on hand to speak to attendees of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's canonization celebration, and there will be talks and presentations on some of the causes during the weekend.
“As the home of the first native-born American saint, we feel a special joy and fellowship with these great men and women of faith, and we are humbled and excited that so many of their representatives are coming to celebrate with us,” said Rob Judge, executive director of the Seton Shrine, in a release provided by the shrine.
“Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and those on the path to joining her all share one thing in common," said Judge. "They each lived lives of love and service that embody the universal call to holiness. Moreover, they show us that we, too, can draw closer to God and achieve great things.”
Among the stories that will be shared over the weekend include those of Thea Bowman, Charlene Richard, and Michelle Duppong, some of the newest Americans to have been declared "Servant of God."
Special legacy
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized on September 14, 1975, by Pope Paul VI. She was the first person born on U.S. soil to be canonized. (St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, who moved to the United States from Italy as an adult, was the first-ever American citizen to be canonized.)
Since Seton's canonization, she has been joined by fellow American-born saints St. Katharine Drexel and St. Kateri Tekakwitha. St. Kateri was born and lived in what is now New York; she died in 1680, before the creation of the United States.
