EMMITSBURG, MD (July 18, 2025) — The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton will celebrate the 50thanniversary of the canonization of the first native-born saint in the United States with three-days of family events, Sept. 12-14, honoring one of the most important figures in the history of the American Catholic Church.
“We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our beloved patroness than by opening our grounds to the people of God whom Mother Seton loved so much,” said Rob Judge, executive director of the Seton Shrine. “We want this weekend to be filled with the veneration befitting a great saint, while also fostering a spirit of joy that lifts the hearts of the many people who see Mother Seton as a friend in heaven.”
The weekend begins with a Candlelight Concert Under the Stars on Friday Sept. 12 with the award-winning Escencia Quartet and ends with a concert by the popular Damascus Worship Band. In between there will be a livestreamed lecture by Notre Dame Professor Kathleen Sprows Cummings, author of “A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American,” special tours of the Seton Shrine’s museum and historical homes, activities for children, food trucks and concerts by local musicians.
Attention will be paid to the “Saints on Their Way,” with attendance of more than two dozen representatives of Americans who are currently on the path to sainthood.
On Sunday, Sept. 14, the actual golden anniversary date of Mother Seton’s canonization, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori will celebrate Mass in the Shrine’s historic Basilica. The Mass will be televised later that night at 7 pm on EWTN.
Catholic personality Matt Swaim will emcee the Friday night concert and the events on the main stage on Sunday.Swaim is co-host of the Son Rise Morning Show on EWTN Radio, producer of EWTN’s The Journey Home, and Director of Outreach for The Coming Home Network.
The Seton Shrine is located on the very site that Mother Seton established the first Catholic school for girls and the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s, the first congregation of women religious founded in the United States, in 1809. Mother Seton’s work continues today through the Sisters and Daughters of Charity in the U.S. and Canada. Both orders of religious sisters used Mother Seton as their spiritual guide, as they went out to start schools, hospitals and other organizations of service to benefit the communities where they lived. Many religious sisters will be in attendance.
Mother Seton was canonized in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 1975, but on that day, thousands of people also flocked to her Shrine in Emmitsburg to watch and celebrate.
“On this, the 50th anniversary, we want to capture the spirit of 1975, while providing more contemporary ways of ensuring that the life and legacy of Mother Seton is remembered and cherished,” Judge said.
All events except for the Friday night concert will be free. Tickets to that event start at $25 and can be reserved here.
Here is a lineup of events:
Friday, Sept. 12: Candlelight Concert Under the Stars
- Open-air instrumental concert beginning at 7:45 pm and featuring 1970s classics performed by the Escencia Quartet, with guitarist Sean Brennan and musicians from the Peabody Institute and The Juilliard School
- Dining trucks will be onsite, along with a cash bar offering beer, wine and light refreshments. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and picnic blankets.
Saturday, Sept. 13: A Day for Reflection and Discovery
- Mass is available at 11:30 am with the Vincentian Family
- Livestream presentation on why Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s canonization was important 50 years ago and remains so today by historian Kathleen Sprows Cummings. Time TBD.
- Special presentations throughout the Seton Shrine Museum and historic homes
Sunday, Sept. 14: A Day of Joy
- 50th Anniversary Mass with Archbishop Lori at 11 am.
- Celebration across the Shrine campus from 12:30-5 pm
- Live music and performances on The Main Stage
- Seton Hall University Choir and Band
- Gospel Choir from St. Francis Xavier Church, the first African-American Catholic Church in the U.S.
- Lab Band of Mount St. Mary’s University
- Mother Seton School Chorus
- Dramatic monologues featuring the stories of possible future American saints portrayed by actors from the Seton Shrine’s faith drama programs
- Damascus Worship Band concert
- On the grounds
- Presentations in the historic homes
- Featured speakers in the 50th Anniversary ONE OF US special exhibit in the Museum
- The area’s finest food trucks, including Rita’s, Blue BBQ, La Carreta Tacos y Tortas, The Burger Shop and The Pham
- Hands on learning and games for children and families
- Meet those working for the canonization of more than 20 “Saints on Their Way” – American Servants of God, Venables and Blesseds.
- Confessions available from 12:30 to 1:15 pm.
- Additional Mass at 1:30
For more about the 50th anniversary celebration, visit 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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