National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton opens celebration of 50th anniversary of patron’s canonization

Archbishop William E. Lori helped the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton open a new exhibit marking the 50th anniversary of its patron’s canonization with a Mass Jan. 4 on her feast day.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton became the first native-born American to be canonized a saint in the Catholic Church Sept. 14, 1975. To help with a yearlong celebration leading up to the anniversary, the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton unveiled a new exhibit at the shrine.

Archbishop Lori celebrated a Mass at the shrine in Emmitsburg before an official ribbon cutting for the new exhibit. 

In his homily, Archbishop Lori noted that Pope Francis has dedicated the Jubilee Year 2025 to hope, and said that St. Elizabeth Ann’s life was the epitome of hope.

“Few people fit this description better than St. Elizabeth Ann Seton – a wife and mother, a widow seeking meaning and direction in her life, a convert to Catholicism, an educator, and last but not least, the founder of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph,” Archbishop Lori said. “She was a pilgrim of hope; she exemplified the hope that impels us to seek God’s will and follow the path of holiness, wherever it might lead.”

Archbishop Lori recounted St. Elizabeth Ann’s remarkable journey from motherhood to founding a teaching order of sisters.

“This year will mark the 50th anniversary of Mother Seton’s canonization,” Archbishop Lori said. “Let us prepare for that great event by reflecting on her life and in God’s grace let us absorb the lessons of her life, such that we too will be accounted pilgrims of hope on the road to holiness.”

The new exhibit, named “One of Us – The Making of an American Saint,” takes up two full rooms and tells the backstory of her canonization, one of the monumental days in the American Catholic Church during the 20th century. The exhibit transports visitors to 1975, giving them an understanding of the magnitude of Mother Seton’s influence then and her relevance today as a saint to whom people can relate in profound ways. Visitors will see artifacts, including the canonization decree from Pope Paul VI, now St. Paul VI, and peruse personal scrapbooks of those who attended the proceedings in Rome or watched them in Emmitsburg. 

An original mural by Frederick artist Ellen Byrne depicts Mother Seton’s long road to sainthood, with a separate wall dedicated to information about other Americans in various stages of the canonization process. A replica of a 1975 living room rounds out the exhibit. 

“Mother Seton’s life can be considered a pilgrimage first to the Catholic faith and then to Emmitsburg and ultimately to heaven as a saint of the church,” said Rob Judge, executive director of the Seton Shrine. “This puts the shrine in a unique position to highlight the universal call of holiness and the unique role of pilgrimage for Catholics on their journey. During this anniversary year we hope to encourage the faithful to go on pilgrimage, themselves, and deepen their relationship with our Lord, with the knowledge that Mother Seton will show us the way and accompany us all.”

To that end, the shrine is organizing a series of events in 2025 to bring people closer to Mother Seton so they can better understand her life and legacy. These include:

• An outreach program to the more than 200 parishes and schools in the U.S. that are under her patronage. The shrine will provide, free of charge, a variety of resources reintroducing Mother Seton to the faithful, while encouraging parish and school groups to visit the shrine.
• A series of pilgrimage initiatives, including partnering with the Camino of Maryland, a 14-day, 218-mile journey in June that will culminate at the shrine.
• A “50 for 50” digital content campaign showing the personal impact St. Elizabeth Ann and her shrine have made, and continue to make, on the faithful.
• Continued expansion of the shrine’s “Seeds of Hope” program that offers retreats to those living in poverty. 
• A “Day of Joy” anniversary celebration on Sept. 14 to commemorate the day she was canonized. The day will begin with a special mass broadcast on EWTN, followed by an afternoon of food, music and prayer on the sprawling and bucolic grounds of the shrine.

The title sponsor for the yearlong celebration is the Ascension healthcare system. The museum exhibit is a collaborative project of the shrine and the Daughters of Charity Archives.

The shrine is located on the site St. Elizabeth Ann established the first Catholic school for girls and the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, 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.

“This anniversary is a tremendous opportunity to show the world how an ordinary person such as Mother Seton, who conforms their life to God’s grace can be transformed and become a saint,” Judge said. “She truly is one of us, and she shows us the way. This is something that those under her patronage understand deeply, and it’s why 2025 is a year of opportunity for people to come to know Mother Seton better and seek her out as an intercessor and a model of personal holiness.”

Besides the special events, the shrine will operate its regular programs, tours and other activities throughout the year. The shrine attracts more than 50,000 visitors each year who can walk in the literal footsteps of a saint.

For more information about the shrine, please visit setonshrine.org.

For more information about the 50th anniversary celebration, visit setonshrine.org/fifty.

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