Elizabeth Ann Seton

Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821) was an American Catholic religious sister who founded the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph’s and became the first U.S.-born person canonized as a saint.

Connect

William Seton: William Seton was Elizabeth Ann Seton’s husband, a New York merchant who died of tuberculosis in 1803. His illness and death preceded her conversion to Catholicism and independent religious life.
New York City in the 18th century: New York City in the 18th century was a port city shaped by trade, immigration, and religious diversity. Seton grew up in a prominent New York family amid this religiously plural setting.
Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph’s: The Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph’s was a Catholic religious community founded by Elizabeth Ann Seton in Maryland in 1809. This was the community through which Seton organized her religious vocation and educational mission.
National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton: The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is a Catholic pilgrimage site and museum in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The shrine preserves the places associated with her life and foundation.
Cecilia O’Conway: Cecilia O’Conway was an Irish Catholic woman who joined Seton’s community and became its first superior after Seton. She helped carry Seton’s religious community forward after its founder’s death.
Episcopal Church: The Episcopal Church is the Anglican Christian church in the United States. Seton was raised in this church before becoming Catholic.
Rule of Saint Vincent de Paul: The Rule of Saint Vincent de Paul is a framework for religious life and service followed by the Vincentian tradition. Seton’s community adopted a rule adapted from the Daughters of Charity.
Canonization: Canonization is the Catholic Church’s formal declaration that a deceased person is a saint. Seton was canonized in 1975, recognizing her as the first U.S.-born Catholic saint.
John Carroll: John Carroll was the first Catholic bishop in the United States and later the archbishop of Baltimore. He supported Seton’s plans for a Catholic school and religious sisterhood.
Conversion to Catholicism: Conversion to Catholicism is the adoption of the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church by a non-Catholic. Seton’s 1805 conversion followed travel in Italy and encounters with Catholic devotion.