Saints on Their Way - Seton Shrine

Mother Seton is the first native-born American saint — and since 1975, many more have journeyed on that same path to sainthood!

Eleven Americans have been canonized and there are 116 more American Saints on Their Way. Our directory below highlights Americans who are Blessed, Venerable, or Servants of God. They remind us that saints come from all walks of life. We’re all called to holiness, and anyone can be a saint. That’s why we look with hope to the future to see who the next American saint will be.

Join the Seton Shrine on September 13, 2026 for a national gathering and public festival honoring the American holy men, women and children on the path to canonization. Click here to learn more.

All Blessed Venerable Servant of God

Venerable

Fr. Felix de Andreis

1778–1820

Vincentian priest

Italian Vincentian
Missionary to the American frontier
Seminary founder
First superior of the Congregation of the Mission in the US

Servant of God

William Edward Atkinson

1946-2006

Augustinian

First quadriplegic priest
Youth Ministry
Disability witness
From Pennsylvania - Honorary degree from Villanova

Servant of God

Fr. Nelson Baker

1842–1936

Diocesan priest

Worked in his family's grocery store
St. Vincent de Paul Society member
Founded the Association of Our Lady of Victory
Cared for unwed mothers & orphans

Venerable

Bishop Frederic Baraga

1797–1868

Diocesan bishop

Slovenian bishop
Missionary to America
Native languages
"The Snowshoe Priest"

Servant of God

Dr. Gertrude A. Barber

1911–2000

Pioneered local education programs for children with disabilities
Disability advocate - children provided with education without being uprooted from families
School founder
Native of Erie, PA

Servant of God

Sr. Maria Grazia Bellotti

1887–1970

Italian immigrant
Wife & Mother
Abusive marriage
Visionary

Venerable

M. Mary Magdalen Bentivoglio

1834–1905

Poor Clare

From an Italian noble family
Established first order of contemplative religious women in US
Incorrupt
First American Poor Clare community in Omaha Nebraska

Servant of God

Maria Esperanza de Bianchini

1928–2004

Venezuelan
Mystic - Marian apparitions
Stigmata, bilocation, levitation
"Spiritual successor" of Padre Pio

Servant of God

Fr. Jean Marie Biler

1839–1873

Diocesan priest

French priest
Shreveport Martyr
Served Yellow Fever Victims
Martyr of Charity

Servant of God

Teresa Fardella di Blasi

1867–1957

Poor Daughter of the Crowned Virgin

Born in New York
Arranged marriage
"Love gives the courage to do all things well!”
Lived to be 90 years old

Venerable

M. Celestina Bottego

1895–1980

Foundress: Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary

Italian missionary
Benedictine Oblate
Catechist
Missionary spirit

Servant of God

Sr. Thea Bowman

1937–1990

Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration

Convert
Taught at Catholic University
Musician
Died from breast cancer

Servant of God

Msgr. Patrick Brennan

1894–1955

Missionary Society of St. Columban (Columban Fathers)

Korean Missionary
Army Chaplain
Taken prisoner
Killed at the Massacre in Taejon

Servant of God

Adele Brice

1831–1896

Third Order Franciscan

Belgian immigrant
Marian visionary
Walked 25 miles a day to teach children the faith
Named a town in Wisconsin

Servant of God

Fr. Luis de Cáncer

c. 1500–1549

Dominican

Also known as Luis Cáncer de Barbastro
Peaceful evangelizer
Spanish Missionary to Florida
Proto-Martyr of the "Florida Marytrs"

Servant of God

Fr. Vincent Robert Capodanno Jr.

1929–1967

(Maryknoll priest; Navy chaplain)

Navy chaplain
Assigned to the Marines
Nicknamed the "Grunt Padre"
KIA during the Vietnam War

Servant of God

Fr. Joseph Henry Cappel

1908-2004

Maryknoll

Served the elderly
Missionary to North Korea during WWII; spent time in Japanese internment camps
"The Bicycle Priest"
Missionary to Chile

Blessed

Fr. Solanus Casey

1870–1957

Capuchin Franciscans

Violinist
Known for his sense of humor
Not a great student
Last words: “I give my soul to Jesus Christ”

Servant of God

Fr. Magin Catalá

1761–1830

Francisican

Spanish Franciscan
Stopped a plague of locusts
California missions
Predicted 1906 San Francisco earthquake

Servant of God

Abp. Jan Cieplak

1857–1926

Diocesan

Polish archbishop
Religious persecution
Prison witness
Defender of faith

Servant of God

Gwen Cecilia Coniker

1939–2002

Mother of 13
Co-founded Apostolate for Family Consecration with her husband
Marian consecration
Pro-life and pro-family advocate

Venerable

M. Cornelia Connelly

1809–1879

Foundress; Society of the Holy Child Jesus

Convert
Wife and Mother
Religious foundress
Family sacrifice

Servant of God

Terence Cardinal Cooke

1921–1983

Diocesan priest

Graduated from Catholic University
Wrote a forward for a biography of "Mrs. Seton"
Cursillo Movement & Charismatic Renewal
Friend of Fr. Benedict Groeschel

Venerable

Georgia Martyrs (Pedro de Corpa and four companions)

d. 1597

Franciscan

Spanish missionaries
Missionaries to the Guale
Beatification scheduled for October 2026
Martyrs

Servant of God

Bro. Casmir Michael Cypher

1941-1975

Conventual Franciscan

Martyr
Missionary in Honduras
Native of Wisconsin
Gave Last Rights to other victims of the massacre

Servant of God

Dorothy Day

1897–1980

Convert
Activist & jouranlist
Divorced single mother
From Brooklyn, NY

Venerable

M. Henriette DeLille

1813–1862

Sisters of the Holy Family

New Orleans native
Trained in French literature, music, and dance
Teacher
Founded the Sisters of the Holy Family

Blessed

Sr. Miriam Teresa Demjanovich

1901–1927

Sister of Charity of St. Elizabeth

Writer
Nursed her sick mother
Educator
Died of appendicitis

Venerable

M. Mary Therese Dudzik

1860–1918

Foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago (Franciscan Sisters of the Blessed Kunegunda)

Polish immigrant
Education
Franciscan sister
Elder and orphan care

Servant of God

Michelle Christine Duppong

1984–2015

Daughter of a farmer
FOCUS Missionary
Cancer
Died on Christmas Day

Servant of God

Joseph Dutton

1843–1931

Missionary to Hawaii
Alcoholic
Convert
Veteran

Servant of God

Fr. Stephen Eckert, O.F.M. Cap.

1869-1923

Capuchin Franciscan

Missionary
Served in Milwaukee and Harlem, NYC
Anti-Racism Activist
"The Apostle and Champion of the Colored Race" Inscribed on tombstone

Servant of God

Nicholas Black Elk

1863–1950

Lakota Sioux warrior
Mystic
Catechist
Blended Lakota tradition with true Catholic faith

Servant of God

Fr. Aloysius Ellacuria

1905–1981

Claretian

Deliverance ministry
Miracle Worker
Mystic
Basque missionary

Servant of God

Cora Evans

1904–1957

Wife and mother
Recipient of private revelation
Convert from LDS
Mystic

Servant of God

Jean Martin Zozine Eyraud

1880-1968

French priest
Missionary to the US
Helped preserve French culture in Louisiana
"Priest's Priest"

Servant of God

Fr. Edward Flanagan

1886–1948

Diocesan priest

Missionary to the United States
Founder of Boys Town, Nebraska
Started an orphanage
Attended Mount St. Mary's University

Servant of God

M. Dominga Guzmán Florit

1897–1993

Foundress; Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima

Puerto Rican
Dominican sister
Education ministry
Humble service

Servant of God

Fr. Theodore Foley

1913–1974

Passionist

Superior General of the worldwide Congregation of the Passion
Seminary teacher
Western Massachusetts
Guided Passionist renewal post Vatican II

Servant of God

Bishop Francis Xavier Ford

1892–1952

Maryknoll

First student at Maryknoll
Missionary to China
Died in Prison
First Maryknoll martyr

Venerable

Bro. William Gagnon

1905–1972

Hospitaller Order of St. John of God

Hospitaller brother
Missionary to Vietnam
War relief and refugee ministry
Established hospitals

Servant of God

Bishop Alphonse Gallegos

1931–1991

Augustinian

Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Nicknamed "Bishop of the Barrios"
Ministered to gang members
Killed in a car accident

Servant of God

Fr. Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin

1770–1840

Diocesan

A prince
Very shy
Family disagreements
From Netherlands to Pennsylvania

Servant of God

Fr. Louis Marie Gergaud

1832–1873

Diocesan priest

French priest
Shreveport Martyr
Mission parishes and schools
Martyr of Charity

Venerable

M. Antonietta Giugliano

1909–1960

Foundress; Little Servants of Christ the King

Italian immigrant family
Orphan care
Emergency hospital during WWII
Used inheritance to buy convent

Servant of God

Bishop Louis de Goesbriand

1816–1899

French immigrant
Brought link of Chains of St. Peter to Burlington, Vermont
Built up the Church in Vermont
First Bishop of Burlington

Servant of God

Julia Greeley

unknown - 1918

Third Order Franciscan

Formerly enslaved
Could not read or write
Gave charity at night to spare others embarrassment
Promoted the Sacred Heart

Servant of God

Fr. John Anthony Hardon

1914–2000

Jesuit

Prolific writer
Catechism scholar
Teacher
Strong Marian and Eucharistic devotion

Servant of God

Fr. Isaac Hecker

1819–1888

Paulist Fathers

Convert
Convert
Emphasis on Interior Direction
Founded the Paulist Fathers

Servant of God

Fr. Leo Heinrichs

1867–1908

Franciscan

Denver priest
German immigrant
Eucharistic reverence - Collected fallen consecrated hosts into the ciborium even while bleeding to death
Martyr

Servant of God

Irving Charles Houle

1925–2009

Lay Catholic
Blue collar worker and family man
Miraculous healings
Stigmata

Venerable

Sr. Teresia of the Most Holy Trinity (Ijsseldijk)

1897-1926

Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus

Dutch sister
Immigrant
Cheerful suffering
"Silently suffer and loudly give thanks"

Servant of God

Fr. Emil Kapaun

1916–1951

Diocesan priest

Army chaplain
POW during Korean War
Cracked jokes to help fellow prisoners
Died during imprisonment

Servant of God

M. Maria Kaupas

1880–1940

Foundress; Sisters of St. Casimir

Lithuanian immigrant
Immigrant ministry (especially Lithuanian population)
Teaching charism
Health care ministry

Servant of God

M. Mother Kevin (Teresa Kearney)

1875–1957

Franciscan

Irish born
Education and advocacy for women
Nursing ministry
Missionary to Uganda

Venerable

Fr. Eusebio Kino

1645–1711

Jesuit

Missionary to the Sonoran Desert
Indigenous advocate
Brokered peace between the O'odham and the Spanish
Cartographer

Servant of God

Fr. Joseph Verbis Lafleur

1912–1944

Diocesan priest

U.S. Army Air Forces Chaplain
Prisoner of war
Died helping others to escape from a sinking ship
Responsible for conversions of fellow POWs while in internment camps

Venerable

M. Mary Elizabeth Lange

c. 1789–1882

Oblate Sisters of Providence

Educator
Haitian Immigrant
Founder of the Oblates at age 35
Spent most of her life in Baltimore

Servant of God

Bro. Brother Marinus (Leonard LaRue)

1914–2001

Benedictine

Merchant Marine ship captain
Greatest rescue operation by a single ship in history
Evacuated 14,000 refugees during the Hungnam evacuation, Korean War
Abbey saved by Korean Benedictines two days before his death

Servant of God

M. Rose Hawthorne Lathrop

1851–1926

Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne

Convert
Wife, Mother, Unhappy marriage
Daughter of writer Nathaniel Hawthorne
Her child died at 5 years old

Servant of God

Fr. James Maginn

1911-1950

Columban

One of the Columban martyrs in Korea
Chose not to flee, would not leave his ministry
Faced death with peace and joy
Encouraged fellow prisoner

Venerable

Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli

1806–1864

Dominican priest

Italian Dominican
Frontier missionary
Church builder
Native outreach

Venerable

Bro. Norbert (John) McAuliffe

1886–1959

Brothers of the Sacred Heart

Orphan
Missionary to Uganda
Volunteered for the first African mission of his order
Called "The man who always prays (Dano Ma Lego)" by his congregation

Servant of God

Fr. Vincent Joseph McCauley

1906–1982

Congregation of the Holy Cross

First Bishop of Fort Portal
Missionary to Uganda
Refugee service
Helped unite bishops of Eastern Africa

Blessed

Fr. Michael Joseph McGivney

1852–1890

Diocesan priest

Baseball player
Founded the Knights of Columbus
Born to Irish immigrant parents
Died from pneumonia

Servant of God

Fr. John Joseph McKniff

1905–1994

Augustinian

Villanova Augustinian
Missionary to Philippines, Cuba, and Peru
Volunteered for mission work instead of retiring
Only Augustinian not expelled from Cuba by Castro in 1961

Servant of God

Mary Virginia Merrick

1866–1955

Unable to walk or sit upright after a childhood accident
Originally wanted to be a Sister of Charity; instead lived life of lay service
Founder of the Christ Child Society
Dedicated life to serving poor children

Blessed

Bro. James Alfred Miller

1944–1982

De La Salle Christian Brother

Member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
Known as "Brother Fix-It"
Missionary to Guatemala & Nicaragua
Murdered

Servant of God

M. Margaret Mary Healy Murphy

1833–1907

Foundress; Sisters of the Holy Ghost (now Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate

Both and adoptive and spiritual mother
Established new church and school in San Antonio
Adopted three daughters; cared for other orphans
Educating the poor

Servant of God

Paul Michael Murphy

1939-1976

Miles Jesu (consecrated laity)

Miles Jesu
Consecrated Laity
Architect
Cheerful suffering while dying of a brain tumor

Servant of God

Fr. Joseph Muzquiz

1912–1983

Opus Dei

Spanish priest
Tasked by Josemarie Escriva with brining Opus Dei to the US
Helped lay foundations for Opus Dei in Canada, Japan, and Venezuela
Engineer

Servant of God

Bro. Columba O'Neill

1848–1923

Congregation of the Holy Cross

Cobbler at Notre Dame University
Devotion to Immaculate Heart and Sacred Heart
Rejected from the first religious community that he applied to because of a congenital foot abnormality
Miraculous healings

Servant of God

Sr. María Adelaida O'Sullivan

1817-1893

Carmelite

Originally professed as a Sister of the Visitation, later became a Discalced Carmelite in Cuba
Prioress of the Carmelite Sisters of Guatemala
Founded a monestary in Spain
"Passionaria of New York"

Servant of God

Francis Joseph Parater

1897–1920

Seminarian
Boy Scout
Eucharistic devotion
Devotion to the Catholic Church in Virginia

Servant of God

Auguste "Nonco" Pelafigue

1888-1977

"He never turned down a sacrifice"
Louisiana farmer
Lay apostle
Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Servant of God

Sr. Ida Peterfy

1922–2000

Foundress; The Society Devoted to the Sacred Heart

Refugee from Hungary to Canada
Did not wear traditional habit in order to be more approachable
Developed "Five Step Illustrated Method" for teaching Religion
Children's education and catechesis

Servant of God

Fr. Thomas Frederick Price

1860–1919

Maryknoll

"Tar Heel Apostle"
Maryknoll cofounder
Missionary to China
North Carolina's first native Catholic Priest

Servant of God

Msgr. Bernard Quinn

1888–1940

Diocesan priest

WWI Chaplain
Taught by a Daughter of Charity in elementary school (Sister Modesta, D.C.), and attended a Seminary with a Vincentian President (John Moore, C.M.)
Strong devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux
Fearlessly advocated for Black Americans, and did not back down even when an orphanage was burned twice by the Klan

Servant of God

Bishop Simon Bruté de Remur

1779–1839

Diocesan priest

Artist
French Missionary
President John Quincy Adams called Brute “the most learned man of his day in America”
Mother Seton's close friend

Servant of God

Charlene Richard

1947–1959

Cajun child
Loved sports
Acute Lymphatic Leukemia
Asked to pray for others while she was dying

Blessed

Fr. Stanley Francis Rother

1935–1981

Diocesan priest

Oklahoma priest
Attended Mount St. Mary's Seminary
Missionary to Guatemala
Struggled as a student

Servant of God

Fr. Patrick Ryan

1845-1878

Diocesan priest

Irish priest
Tennessee ministry
Continued to care for others even when he himself was sick
Martyr of Charity: died caring for Yellow Fever victims

Blessed

Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago

1918–1963

Puerto Rican
Catechist & liturgist
Loved to read
Musician

Blessed

M. Mary Frances Schervier

1819–1876

Foundress - Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis

German sister
Nursed Civil War soldiers while visiting US
Poor care
Third Order Franciscan

Venerable

Fr. Aloysius Schwartz

1930–1992

Diocesan priest

Liked comic books
From Washington D.C.
Founded the Sisters of Mary of Santa Mesa
Died of ALS

Blessed

Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos

1819–1867

Redemptorist priest

Redemptorist priest
Bavarian immigrant
Ordained in Maryland
Died of Yellow Fever

Servant of God

Sr. Blandina Segale

1850–1941

Sister of Charity of Cincinnati

Italian immigrant
First word was "Gesu" (Jesus)
Nicknamed the "fastest nun in the West"
Advocated for Native Americans and railroad workers

Servant of God

Jesuit Martyrs of Virginia (Juan Bautista de Segura and seven companions)

d. 1571

Jesuit priests

Jesuit missionaries
Missionaries to Virginia
Indigenous outreach
Martyrdom

Venerable

Abp. Fulton John Sheen

1895–1979

Diocesan priest

Educator
Loved to learn
Radio and Television personality
Liked to tell jokes

Servant of God

Fr. Luigi Sturzo

1871–1959

Diocesan priest

Exiled from Italy after refusing to cooperate with the Fascists
Founder of the Italian People's Party
Senator of the Republic (life tenure)
Argued for the fundamental incompatibility of Catholicism and Fascism

Venerable

M. Mary Theresa Tallon

1867–1954

Foundress; Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate

Originally a Sister of the Holy Cross
Focus on outreach to lapsed and uninstructed Catholics
"Make every soul count"
Contemplative-missionaries

Venerable

Fr. Augustus Tolton

1854–1897

Diocesan priest

Formerly enslaved
First Black priest
Singer & Graceful speaker
Fluent in German

Venerable

Pierre Toussaint

1766–1853

Haitian immigrant
Hairdresser
Husband and Father
Benefactor

Venerable

Fr. Félix Varela

1788–1853

Diocesan priest

Cuban priest
Philosopher
Immigrant ministry
Education reformer

Blessed

Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores

1627–1672

Jesuit priest

Knew his vocation by the time he was eleven
Missionary to Guam
Died holding his Crucifix and praying for his murderer
Martyr

Servant of God

Fr. Joseph Walijewski

1924–2006

Diocesan priest

Polish priest
Missionary to Bolivia and Peru
Inspired by Father Flanagan and Boy's Town
Humanitarian work

Servant of God

Fr. James Anthony Walsh

1867–1936

Maryknoll

Maryknoll founder
Missionary leader
Inspired a love of missionary work in the American Church
Titular Bishop of Siene

Servant of God

Martin Maria de Porres Ward

1918-1999

Franciscan

First African American Conventual Franciscan Friar in the US
Convert
Missionary to Brazil
Struggled against racial prejudice

Servant of God

Fr. Paul James Wattson

1863–1940

Founder; Franciscan Friars of the Atonement

Episcopalian convert
Community was received corporately into the Catholic Church
Known as Fr. Paul of Graymoor
Church Unity Octave

Servant of God

Fr. George Willmann

1897–1977

Jesuit

Jesuit priest
Missionary to the Philippines
POW during Japanese occupation of Manila during WWII
Granted Filipino citizenship in gratitude for his service

Servant of God

Rhoda Wise

1888–1948

Chronic illnesses
Miraculous healing
Received the stigmata
Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Servant of God

Sr. Annella Zervas

1900–1926

Benedictine

Benedictine sister
Remained faithful even when she had a leave the convent due to illness
Prayerful suffering
Eucharistic devotion

Florida Martyrs

Servant of God

Martyrs of La Florida (Antonio Inija and 57 companions)

d. 1549–1715

(priests, religious, and lay collaborators)

Spanish missions
Indigenous converts
Missionary sacrifice
Florida martyrs

Servant of God

Shreveport Martyrs

d. 1873

Diocesan priests

French missionaries
Yellow fever
Louisiana ministry
Sacrificial service