EMMITSBURG, MD (August 7, 2025) — Bring your lawn chairs and picnic blankets and sit back and relax under the stars in the beautiful Legacy Garden at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Friday, September 12 at 7:45 PM. Prepare to groove to the sounds of the music of the 1970s in the most unique way. The Escencia Quartet, guitarist Sean Brennan, and musicians from the Peabody Institute and the Juilliard School will perform an open-air concert.
Where else can you hear fun instrumental versions of songs like Dancing Queen, Bohemian Rapsody, and Staying Alive performed by award-winning classical musicians? It’s a retro concert like no other! The Shrine is capturing the sounds of the ‘70s in a fun way as we kick off the Celebration Weekend and turn our attention to the 50th Anniversary of the Canonization of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
“Mother Seton was canonized in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on September 14, 1975, and thousands of people gathered at her Shrine in Emmitsburg to watch and celebrate. We want to recreate, for an evening, the music that Americans were enjoying when the first native-born American saint was canonized. Both Rome and Emmitsburg were filled with joyful celebrations, and we want to rekindle that spark of excitement,” said Rob Judge, executive director at the Seton Shrine.
Purchase tickets for the Friday, September 12 concert here and enjoy music, snacks and a cash bar throughout the evening.
All are welcome to attend the masses and free activities at the Seton Shrine on Saturday September 13 and on the actual golden anniversary date, Sunday September 14. Find the complete schedule of events here https://setonshrine.org/celebration.
The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Md., is a place of God and of history, where visitors can walk in the footsteps of a saint. The Shrine offers pilgrims prayerful comfort from Mother Seton’s story and her intercessions as a friend in heaven. It is an active Basilica and has a wide range of historical buildings and programs that show what life was like when Mother Seton lived here more than 200 years ago. It was here that she founded the first community of religious women established in the U.S., created the first free Catholic school for girls staffed by sisters in the U.S. and fulfilled her mission of serving those in need. Today, her legacy includes several religious communities with thousands of sisters, who serve others through schools, social service centers and hospitals throughout the world. She was canonized in 1975. Her remains are entombed at the National Shrine that bears her name. For more information, please visit https://setonshrine.org/.
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