Treasured artifacts that belonged to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton return to Emmitsburg

EMMITSBURG – The faded black bonnet with its gently ruffled frill once framed the face of America’s first American-born saint. 

The black cap, a familiar sight in portraits of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, rested in a gray archival box back in Emmitsburg March 11 for the first time since 1822. It is one of several rarely-seen artifacts from Mother Seton’s life displayed as the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton prepares for an exhibit this summer to mark the 200th anniversary of her death.

Sisters of Charity of New York donated the items – including St. Elizabeth Ann’s rosary, wedding brooch and her daughter’s christening gown – to the Seton Shrine for their display and preservation. They arrived in Emmitsburg earlier this week.

“They’re here to help us tell her story and make Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton more relatable,” said Rob Judge, executive director of the Seton Shrine. He said the exhibit will open in July. No firm date is set.

The items, mostly objects of daily life, will be used to talk about her diverse life experiences, Judge said. She knew the joys and trials of family life, was faced with financial struggle, confronted death and found solace in the Catholic Church.

“She was fully human like all of us,” Judge said. “It gives people great hope and great faith.”

Among the donated artifacts are:

•   St. Elizabeth Ann’s black cap, sent to New York in 1822, a year after Mother Seton’s death, and conserved about six years ago, according to Mindy Gordon, archivist for the sisters in New York;

•   The crucifix and black glass bead rosary which she used in prayer;

•   A delicate brooch in the shape of a bow with a chrysanthemum-like flower at its center,  which she wore on her wedding day;

•   Her portable writing desk;

•   Wedding miniatures of Elizabeth and William Seton;

•   The tea chest belonging to St. Elizabeth Ann’s father, Dr. Richard Bayley;

•   Family photo albums;

•   The Civil War-era commissioning certificate and epaulettes of her grandson, William Seton Jr.; and

•   The christening dress St. Elizabeth Ann sewed for her daughter Catherine.

Only a few items were on display March 11. The christening dress needs special care for display due to its fragility, while other artifacts, including the wedding portraits and family photo albums, need further restoration before the exhibition, according to Scott Keefer, archivist for the Daughters of Charity.

“We’re so very pleased that these artifacts have found not only a safe but a loving home,” said Sister Donna Dodge, president of the Sisters of Charity of New York. She was joined by other members of the executive council via Zoom.

Several artifacts, including the tea chest and commissioning certificate, were donated to the Sisters in New York upon the death of the saint’s great grandson, Ferdinand Jevon, of New York.

The commissioning certificate recalls a moment of special significance to the sisters. Captain Seton was wounded at the Battle of Antietam, 30 miles from Emmitsburg. Sisters of Charity nursed him back to health at St. Joseph’s Military Hospital in New York. Only when he awoke did the sisters realize he was the grandson of their foundress.

“How powerful a moment that must have been,” Judge said.

Preparing for the transfer of the items from New York, Gordon discovered something she’d never seen before on the backs of 1794 wedding miniatures. “I had never touched them,” she said.

She found a braid of Mother Seton’s hair on the back of her miniature and a velvet cloth embroidered with her husband’s initials on the back of his.

One of the canisters inside the tea chest still contains tea, enough for a cup or two.

Before the artifacts were introduced, Institute of the Incarnate Word Father Ted Trinko, the shrine’s chaplain, blessed them.

“In many ways, these relics are going to bless us,” he said.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the Seton Shrine has continued virtual programs and tours and is open for visitors with face masks and social distancing, said Tony DiIulio, programs director. Some 60,000 people visit the shrine every year, though numbers were down about 10 percent last year.

Commemorations also include a new film, “Seeker to Saint,” as well as virtual and in-person exhibitions and tours.

For details or to see the film, go to setonshrine.org/200 years.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated March 12 at 4:36 p.m. to correct Sister Donna Dodge’s name.

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