Elizabeth Ann Seton: First American-Born Saint
Elizabeth Ann Seton was a wife and mother who was widowed at the age of 29 in 1803. Despite great hardships, she went on to do amazing work, and eventually became the first American-born saint in 1975.
LEARN MORE
The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
'Seeker to Saint' Explores the Healing Role of the Blessed Mother
Watch 'Finding Mary,' the latest video in the series
Mother Seton found healing from her past when she was introduced to Mary.
What's Coming Up View Full Calendar →
-
Annual Sea Services Pilgrimage
As Patroness of the Sea Services, hundreds visit the Shrine to pray for Mother Seton's intercession for those who serve.
-
Rosary Procession
Join us for a rosary procession on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on Friday.
-
Hands On History!
Learn to write using quill and ink just like a St. Joseph’s Academy student. Compose a letter with us and prepare it to be sent in the post.
-
Hands On History!
Join us for a lesson in storytelling as we feature works beloved by school children of the early 19th century such as tales from the Brothers Grimm and stories of the Saints.
-
Wednesday Evening Extended Hours
The Shrine is open until 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings!
-
Candlelight Tours
Step back in time at the Shrine's Christmas Living History program...
-
Living History
Engage Living History Interpreters (many of whom are students) portraying real people from Mother Seton’s world. Rain or shine.
-
Daily Mass & Adoration
Join us for Adoration and Confession Sun-Fri at 12:15pm-1:15pm. Mass is at 1:30pm.
News View All →
Seton Shrine’s Book Club Fosters Friendships in Heaven and on Earth
A moving story from the Seton Shrine about a mother, a sister, a child, and a book club
Read More
Mother Seton Brings Miracles, Hope, & Help to Those on the Sea
Mother Seton, Patroness of the Sea Services, intercedes for a dying soldier…
Read More
Press Release: Sea Services Personnel to Celebrate Mass at Seton Shrine
The Annual Sea Services Mass & Pilgrimage
Read More
Couple Credits Intercession of ‘Spiritual Friends’ Seton and McGivney with Healing
A life threatening situation with a happy ending
Read More
Latest Reflections View All →
-
The Hallmarks of a Saint: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Francis of Assisi
| At Mother Seton’s canonization, Pope Paul VI said “A Saint is a human creature fully conformed to the will of God.” Consider these four ways that St. Francis and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton embodied this standard in their own lives.
-
Surrender at the Speed of Light with St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
| The courage and boldness of St. Therese and Mother Seton, especially in the face of great suffering and agony, flowed from their willingness to throw themselves completely into the arms of the Father.
-
St. Jerome and Mother Seton Teach Us the Paradox of Christian Life
| Probing the depths of our faith, we see that truth can be illuminated by some of the most confounding paradoxes.
-
Mother Seton and the Archangels — Helpers for All Seasons
| The angels surround us, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton believed. God and his angelic servants are here to help us whenever we turn to them, in every season of life.
-
St. Vincent de Paul and Mother Seton: A Match Made in Heaven
| St. Vincent de Paul and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton weren’t holy card or fairy-tale figures, but flesh and blood human beings who struggled with earthly dreams. Their lives suggest a way forward for all of us who suffer the tension between a comfortable life in the world and a life thrown open to Christ.
-
Learning to Follow with Padre Pio and Mother Seton
| In Padre Pio and Elizabeth Ann Seton, we see the diversity of the saints, and how the drama of the human soul is expressed in many different ways. But what unites them is their “yes” to God, which unlocks the power of a true disciple of Christ.
-
St. Thomas of Villanova and Mother Seton: The Struggle to Do What You Should
| St. Thomas of Villanova and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton show us that obedience is the path to great works, and humility is what makes all the other virtues possible.
-
Joseph of Cupertino and Elizabeth Seton Inspire us Toward Heavenly Goals
| Through their lives of humility and service, Mother Seton and St. Joseph Cupertino encourage us as we face the day-to-day obstacles and trials of this world, on our way toward the next.
-
In Weakness, Strength: St. Hildegard of Bingen and Mother Seton
| The lives of St. Hildegard of Bingen and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton show us the paradox of surrender—how fragile human vessels can become sudden and hopeful expressions of God’s own power.
-
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s Exaltation of the Holy Cross
| Mother Seton suffered much during her life, from poverty and social hostility, to the deaths of many loved ones. She persevered and carried on her work, thanks to her faith and courage. But through it all, she always accepted her own weakness, knowing that the true source of her strength was the Crucified Christ.
-
The Pattern of Love: St. John Chrysostom and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
| Through the strength of their words and example, St. John Chrysostom and Mother Seton teach us the meaning of Christian charity: John through his powerful preaching and advocacy for the poor, Elizabeth through her spiritual writings and works of mercy.
-
Life Without Limit: Blessed Frederic Ozanam and Mother Seton
| Elizabeth Ann Seton and Frederic Ozanam grounded their lives in the true freedom of Christ, who took what appeared on the outside to be lives of tragic brevity, and brought forth from them great works of charity that continue to flourish today.
Seton & Culture View All →
-
In Praise of Holy Women
| Elizabeth Ann Seton was twenty-years old when the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne were executed during the French Revolution. A century and a half later Francois Poulenc would tell the world their story in his sublime opera, Dialogues des Carmelites.
-
Caring for the Poor: Frank Capra and Elizabeth Seton
| The mid-twentieth century immigrant film director and the early-nineteenth century saint born into Manhattan’s elite shared a deep concern for society’s poor and outcasts that was grounded in their Catholic faith.
-
Georges Bernanos, Elizabeth Seton, and the Revelation of Hell
| The French Catholic writer and the American saint each knew that God’s light shines brightest in the deepest darkness.
-
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Elizabeth Seton and Their Devotion to Mary
| There could hardly be two women who lived in such different cultures as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, yet Mary spoke to each of them.
-
The Vocation of Women According to Elizabeth Seton and Sigrid Undset
| Elizabeth Seton and Sigrid Undset were feminist icons without officially becoming feminists because they drew their strength from their Catholicism.
-
Reimagining Robert Lowell
| The saint Elizabeth Seton and the poet Robert Lowell took divergent paths through the storm clouds of their lives, each seeking shelter under God’s immense umbrella of grace.
-
Gravitas: Good Friday, 2022
| In a remarkable act of trust, Elizabeth Seton referred to the death dates of her daughters as their “Heavenly birthdays”—the day when they were born into eternal life after the long, hard labor of dying.
-
The Eucharist at the Core: Flannery O’Connor and Elizabeth Ann Seton
| The Catholic writer and the Catholic saint each grounded their lives and their works in the astonishing power of grace.
-
Companionship in Christ: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Fr. Luigi Giussani
| Luigi Giussani and Elizabeth Seton never planned to found religious movements. Their mission was to love God and neighbor and proclaim that the Incarnate God lives now, in the Eucharist and in our encounters with the people we are given.
-
Dolores Hart and Elizabeth Seton: Threading the Eye of a Needle
| These two immensely talented women gave up everything that stood in the way of their love of God and neighbor.
-
Spiritual Soul Mates: Elizabeth Seton and Poet Vassar Miller
| Vassar Miller, her body limiting what she could do in the world, lived out her life in Christ through her poetry. Despite their different circumstances, she and Elizabeth Seton are soul sisters, linked by the spirituality that they shared.
-
Henri Nouwen, Elizabeth Seton, and the Painful Price of Love
| Elizabeth Seton and Henri Nouwen arrived at the same conclusion about what God asks of us: to give ourselves away in love.
Home of the First American-Born Saint
Discover the inspirational life and legacy of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Seton Shrine Museum
Begin your visit with a brief film about Elizabeth Ann Seton and browsing our exhibits. including our latest, Sisters Today: A World of Difference.
Read More
The Basilica
Awe-inspiring and amazing are a few words people have used to describe the Basilica.
Read More
Civil War Sisters
Discover how the Daughters and Sisters of Charity continued Elizabeth Ann Seton’s ministry of charity, helping those who were in need or wounded during the Civil War.
Read More
The Stone Farmhouse
Step back in time while you tour the Stone House, which was originally built in the mid-1700s.
Read More
Historic St. Joseph's House
This historic home was built in 1810 when Elizabeth Ann Seton realized one home wasn’t enough for all that she had in mind.
Read More
St. Joseph's Cemetery
In 1809, Mother Seton and her companions took a walk through the dense woods on their property to select a site for a cemetery.
Read MoreElizabeth Ann Seton
The First American-Born Saint
Elizabeth Ann Seton was a wife and mother, and then found herself a widow at just 29 years old in 1803. Despite the hardships that she faced, she went on to do amazing work, and eventually became the first American-born saint in 1975. Visit this historic site and Shrine and see the museum, her historic homes, and the Basilica dedicated to her.