I. Fostering Worship and Devotion

In 1805, shortly before her entrance into the Catholic Church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton wrote about her eagerness to receive the sacraments, noting that she would be willing to shout her confession “on the housetops” in return for absolution. Later, after her First Communion, she added, “At last…at last, GOD IS MINE AND I AM HIS! Now, let all go its round—I Have Received Him.”

For the next 16 years, until her death, the sacraments were the cornerstone of Mother Seton’s life. In the years since, they’ve been the cornerstone of community life for the Sisters of Charity and Daughters of Charity. And today, they remain the cornerstone of life at the Seton Shrine.

Continuing to provide the sacraments to the pilgrims who visit us — and potentially adding to our schedule in the future — remains one of the Seton Shrine’s highest priorities. We want them to grow in their faith (or find faith for the first time) through an encounter with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. To make that encounter possible, we draw upon the rich traditions of devotion and worship given to us by our Catholic Faith.

Currently, the Basilica offers Holy Mass and one hour of scheduled confessions, six days a week, 52 weeks a year. Over the course of a year, 25,000 pilgrims attend those Masses, while over the course of a month, our priests hear close to 50 hours of confessions — more during Lent and Advent.

Throughout the year, we plan special holy hours for feast days, such as Corpus Christi and Divine Mercy Sunday. Likewise, we work closely with liturgists, chaplains, and musicians to make our liturgical celebrations for Easter Triduum, Pentecost, All Souls Day, Christmas, and more, as beautiful and reverent as possible.