(50 for 50 series) Mary Margaret King was at the Seton Shrine 50 years ago. It was a place she knew very well. She went through nursing school at St. Joseph’s College in 1951.
On September 14, 1975, she came to the Shrine to participate in the celebration of the canonization of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. The holy grounds she knew as a student were teeming with thousands of excited and prayerful people.
“It was a big celebration. I stood in line on the sidewalk. It stretched from the Basilica to the road. Masses were going on all day. Crowds were celebrating.”
Mary Margaret’s devotion to Elizabeth Ann Seton has grown exponentially since her college years and throughout her long career as a nurse in Cumberland, Md. She has a special rosary that she received through the Seton Guild. She has prayed with it so often over the years that the original pink beads have all turned white. She also lost the original crucifix and replaced it.
“It’s been operated on many times,” she said with a laugh. “I say the rosary every day and I have a statue of Elizabeth Ann Seton sitting on my television. I have a relic there, too.” She said these cherished items help her stay in close contact with the Saint who continues to inspire her just as she did 50 years ago.
50 for 50 is a series of stories, quotes, clips, photos, and/or devotional statements from ordinary people to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the canonization of Elizabeth Ann Seton as the first native-born American saint.