The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton marked a historic and celebratory moment on March 19 with the ribbon cutting of its newest museum exhibit, Do the Good: The Sisters Who Shaped America—a dynamic and inspiring tribute to the enduring legacy of Catholic religious sisters and their profound impact on the United States.
The opening comes at a fitting time. As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Seton Shrine has launched a yearlong initiative to highlight how Mother Seton’s legacy has shaped American life through the generations of Sisters who followed her. This exhibit serves as the centerpiece of that effort—inviting visitors to encounter a powerful, often untold story of faith in action.
Held on the Feast of St. Joseph and during Women’s History Month, the ribbon cutting drew Shrine leadership, members of the Sisters of Charity Federation, national partners, and supporters from across the country. The gathering reflected both gratitude for the past and excitement for the future, as the Church and the nation together reflect on the people and movements that have helped define American history.
In his opening remarks, Executive Director Rob Judge emphasized that the Shrine’s mission is not only to preserve the memory of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but to illuminate the living legacy she inspired. After focusing in recent years on Mother Seton’s life and holiness, he noted, this milestone year offered a natural opportunity to highlight how her charism of charity has been carried forward by thousands of Sisters across more than two centuries.
That story begins with Mother Seton herself and the example she learned from her father, Dr. Richard Bayley, whose care for the sick shaped her early understanding of charity. From her founding of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s in 1809, a movement was born—one that would spread across the nation, responding to the needs of each generation with creativity, courage, and compassion.
Sister Regina Bechtle, SC, a noted historian and member of the Shrine’s Mission and Heritage Committee, reflected on this continuity, describing the exhibit as a realization of Mother Seton’s dream “in abundance.” She reminded those gathered that the Sisters’ mission—rooted in Christ and expressed through humility, simplicity, and charity—remains as urgent today as it was at the founding of the community.
Barbara Bozzuto, member of the Shrine’s National Leaders Council, offered a powerful witness from her own experience in Catholic healthcare. Drawing on her years of leadership at Ascension St. Agnes Hospital, she spoke of the Sisters’ unwavering commitment to serve the most vulnerable with dignity and love. Their charism, she said, continues to echo in the lives of patients, families, and communities across the country, serving as “a model to all” and a sign of a life lived in service to others.
Robyn Kress, President of the Ascension Foundation, broadened that perspective, highlighting how more than 20,000 Sisters followed in Mother Seton’s footsteps—establishing schools, hospitals, orphanages, and ministries that would grow into many of today’s major Catholic institutions. From battlefield triage during the Civil War to caring for communities during pandemics, the Sisters consistently went where the need was greatest, helping to shape the very fabric of American society. Kress, spoke about how Ascension continues to carry that torch and “Do the Good” as the fifth-largest health system in the US.
The exhibit itself brings this sweeping history to life in a compelling and accessible way. Organized across five major periods—from the Early Republic to the modern era—it places visitors within the context of American history, highlighting moments of crisis and change such as immigration waves, war, epidemics, and natural disasters. Within each period, the stories of individual Sisters reveal how faith was translated into action: founding hospitals where none existed, educating generations of children, caring for orphans, and advocating for those on the margins.
Yet Do the Good is not simply a historical exhibit—it is an invitation. Inspired by the words of Saint Vincent de Paul, the exhibit challenges each visitor not merely to admire the past, but to continue the work. As Judge noted, the Sisters themselves would never want their story to end in a museum; their legacy calls each of us to respond to the needs before us today.
Developed in collaboration with the archives of the Sisters of Charity Federation and supported by partners including Ascension, the exhibit reflects a shared commitment to preserving and sharing this vital history. It also underscores the Shrine’s broader mission during this America 250 moment: to ensure that the story of faith, service, and charity remains central to the nation’s understanding of itself.
As visitors pass through the exhibit and into the Shrine grounds, they encounter not only the story of Mother Seton and her Sisters, but a living legacy that continues to shape communities across the country. In this milestone year, the message is clear and compelling: the story is not over. The call remains the same.
“Do the good that presents itself.”
To learn more or plan your visit, go to: https://setonshrine.org/do-the-good/