The following article was originally posted on The Frederick News-Post website by Rebecca Savransky. View the story here.
National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton celebrates 40th anniversary of canonization
Elizabeth Ann Seton was born to a wealthy family but lost her mother at a young age. She married a businessman and had five children.
But soon after, they went bankrupt, her husband died and she became a single mother raising five kids.
Still, she refused to give up, even in a time of struggle. She ended up beginning the first Catholic girls schools in the nation in Emmitsburg, and she devoted her life to children and charitable work.
“She was an incredibly accomplished woman from her day,” said Rob Judge, executive director at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton held events this weekend to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Seton’s canonization—the day she officially became a saint. She was canonized Sept. 14, 1975. Seton was the first native-born American to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
A mass was held Sunday afternoon with Archbishop William E. Lori from Baltimore. About 800 people packed into the basilica at the National Shrine to celebrate the life of Seton and all she did for the community.
They talked about her life and devotion to children. Seton moved from New York to Baltimore and converted from Episcopalian to Catholicism at age 31. She is remembered for her work in schools and orphanages, as well as her strong devotion. She is also credited with organizing the Sisters of Charity, a religious community.
She died at age 46 in 1821 in Emmitsburg. In 1975, she became a saint. Her remains are located in the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton opened up an exhibit earlier this year, which shows how Seton became a saint. It also featured the banner that was displayed in Rome when Seton was canonized.
Scott Dugan, director of marketing and operations at the Shrine, said the exhibit explains the process by which people are proven to be saints.
A lot of people’s favorite part of the exhibit are Seton’s dancing slippers, displayed in a glass case.
“She loved to dance,” Dugan said.
People were welcome to look at the exhibit Sunday after the mass at 1:30 p.m. After the mass, there was a reception where people enjoyed music and relaxed with refreshments.
Authors of books published about Seton also came to the Shrine to do a book signing.
Anne Merwin, who recently published a book about Seton, said she has been reading about Seton throughout her life and has always been interested in her.
“Her generosity, her intelligence, her courage, her persistence, her friendship,” she said, describing what inspired her about Seton.
She said she also shared some of the same experiences Seton enjoyed—she, too, converted to Catholicism and is a mother.
Her book is written through Seton’s words. She has more than 100 quotes from Seton, she said, adding that it’s enlightening to spend time reading her writing and that she only wanted to wfrite about her in order to pass on her words to others.
“I wanted her to tell the story,” she said.
She said it was great everyone was celebrating her life. Seton is an important person for people to learn about and be inspired by, she said.
“They’ve done a wonderfl job,” Merwin said about the Shrine’s weekend of events. “The spirit of charity really prevails today.”
Sister Betty Ann McNeil, who has written a few different books centered on Seton, also said she felt she could relate to her.
“Her life speaks to me and speaks to other women,” she said. “She was a heroic woman.”
She said she writes her story to keep her legacy alive.
Dugan said people have been coming to the Shrine more and more recently. Anyone is welcome, he said, regardless of faith. And people come for all different reasons. Some are looking for a spiritual journey while others are just interested in Seton’s life.
Another mass was held Sept. 14 with children visiting from all over the area.
Judge said there is so much goodness that came out of Seton’s life and she deserves to be celebrated.
“She herself was just a very strong woman,” he said.