The Significance of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

     A genuinely careful and thorough examination of the history of the Church in America will undoubtedly reveal that one of the most important figures in American Catholicism is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.  Born in 1774 and canonized in 1975, she possesses the honor of being "America's first native-born Saint," and contributed greatly to the establishment and growth of the Church in the United States. [1] [2] [3]  Her centrality is apparent from three aspects of her life and actions: her conversion to Catholicism, her founding of a religious order, and the tremendous efforts she dedicated toward the advancement of Catholic education in America. [4]  These works, performed in virtue of her love of God and the Church, clearly indicate that St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is, in the realm of the development of the Catholic Church in the United States, one of the most significant persons.

     Among the three aforementioned aspects of her life, her conversion to Catholicism can in many regards be considered the most important of her actions.  For if this step had not, by the grace of God, been taken, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton would not have bestowed upon the Church the fruits and benefits of her many years of labor in the service of Christ.  Initially an Episcopalian, Elizabeth acquired knowledge of Catholicism as a result of journeying to Italy in 1803 with her husband William, who was ill with tuberculosis and needed the more salubrious climate of that country. [5] [6]  Unfortunately, her husband died.  Elizabeth remained for a time with the family of Antonio Filicci, who had been one of William's business associates. [7]  The Filicci family encouraged Elizabeth to read about Catholicism, and she was soon attracted to its truth, especially with regard to the the doctrine of the Real Presence. [8]  In spite of great opposition from her family, Elizabeth was received into the Catholic Church on 14 March 1805 at St. Peter's Church in New York City. [9]  One year later, she received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Archbishop John Carroll. [10]

     Several years after she entered the Church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton established the Sisters of Charity, pronouncing her vows on 25 March 1809 before Archbishop Carroll. [11]  With its motherhouse in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the Sisters of Charity were the first religious order founded in the United States. [12] [13] The objective of the Sisters of Charity, who were initially only five in number, was "to work with the poor, the sick, the sorrowful [sic] and children." [14]  The constitutions of the order, which were very similar to those written by St. Vincent de Paul for the Daughters of Charity, were approved by Archbishop Carroll in 1812, as was the permanent rule. [15] [16]  The Sisters of Charity were dedicated primarily to education, a cause to which Elizabeth applied herself wholeheartedly, remaining a caring mother to her five children all the while. [17]

     Of such importance is the educational work performed by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Sisters of Charity that it deserves to be addressed in further detail.  It is notable that Elizabeth founded a school even before the Sisters of Charity were formed, and began a second school contemporaneously with the establishment of the motherhouse at Emmitsburg in 1809. [18] [19]  Her desire to advance the cause of Catholic education was further evinced in 1810, when she founded a boarding school for girls. [20]  In this same year, she opened the first parochial school in America, an institution dedicated to educating, free of charge, the children of the surrounding neighborhood, including Blacks. [21]  Three sisters from Elizabeth's order journeyed in 1814 to Philadelphia, where they assumed charge over an orphanage and established a free school. [22]  Similar actions were taken in New York City in 1817. [23]  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton continued to labor tirelessly for her order and its schools until her death in January of 1821. [24]

     It can be truthfully affirmed that St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is greatly significant to the history of Catholicism in America because of her conversion to Catholicism, her establishment of the first American religious order, and her dedicated endeavors in Catholic education.  As is declared in Christ and the Americas, this remarkable woman and the religious sisters under her authority put in place "the foundations for today's vast network of American Catholic institutions--schools, orphanages, hospitals and the rest." [25]  Without the faithful and resplendent efforts of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, it is very likely that the Church in America would be much smaller than it is today.  Therefore, Catholics in the United States should develop a special devotion to this Saint, to whom many of them may very well owe the treasure which is their Faith.


[1] Anne W. Carroll, Christ and the Americas ([No Place of Publication Indicated]: TAN Books and Publishers, 1997), 138.
[2] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 142.
[3] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 142.
[4] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 139-142.
[5] Margaret M. McGuinness, "Why Relationships Matter: Sisters, Bishops and the History of Catholicism in the United States," The Catholic Historical Review, vol. 100, no. 2 (2014): 223, at EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=vah&AN=CPLI0000584035&authtype=cookie,cpid&custid=s9245834&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
[6] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 139.
[7] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 139.
[8] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 139-140.
[9] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 140.
[10] McGuinness, "Why Relationships Matter," 224.
[11] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 141.
[12] McGuinness, "Why Relationships Matter," 225.
[13] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 141.
[14] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 141.
[15] McGuinness, "Why Relationships Matter," 228.
[16] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 141.
[17] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 141.
[18] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 140.
[19] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 141.
[20] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 141.
[21] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 141.
[22] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 142.
[23] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 142.
[24] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 142.
[25] Carroll, Christ and the Americas, 142.

Image I:  

"St. Elizabeth Seton Icon." From Monastery Icons: Windows into Heaven.  At https://www.monasteryicons.com/product/st-elizabeth-seton-icon-392/women-saints.

Image II:  

"St. Elizabeth Ann Seton . . . pictured at the National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland."  From The Catholic Sun.  At http://www.catholicsun.org/2015/01/14/the-first-american-born-saint-mother-elizabeth-ann-seton/.