Elizabeth Ann Seton was a wife, mother, widow, teacher, foundress—and Saint!

In her life, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton experienced more heartache and pain than most of us can even imagine. She lost her husband at just 29. She had two of her five children die in her arms. She was left a penniless widow, who had every reason to lose faith and hope. But in the end, she became the world’s First American-Born Saint — perhaps the most important Catholic in our country’s history!

We can identify with her because we can relate to her struggles.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is a shining example of how grief can be turned from sorrow to a springboard of hope.  Rather than turn towards despair, she reached out to God in faith, and placed her trust in God’s mercy and love. Today her extraordinary spirit lives on in her National Shrine, in the religious congregations she founded, and in the hearts of all those who seek her help.