Daughters of Charity Celebrate 50 Years Since Elizabeth Ann Seton Canonized
This month, the Daughters of Charity are remembering 50 years since Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized as the first American-born saint. To celebrate, the Daughters have a series of events and activities happening from September 12 through September 14. Thousands of people are expected to be in Emmitsburg for the special weekend.
Things kick off with the Escencia Quartet, guitarist Sean Brennan, and musicians from the Peabody Institute and the Juilliard School, performing music from the 1970s in the Legacy Garden at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton on Friday, September 12 at 7:45 p.m., an open-air concert.
“Mother Seton was canonized in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on September 14, 1975, and thousands of people gathered at her Shrine in Emmitsburg to watch and celebrate. We want to recreate, for an evening, the music that Americans were enjoying when the first native-born American saint was canonized. Both Rome and Emmitsburg were filled with joyful celebrations, and we want to rekindle that spark of excitement,” said Rob Judge, executive director at the Seton Shrine.
In a historic first, representatives from nearly two dozen guilds—each dedicated to advancing the cause of an American on the path to sainthood—will gather together at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton on September 14 as part of the Shrine’s three-day celebration of the 50th anniversary of Mother Seton’s canonization.
The guilds will be part of a “Saints On Their Way Village,” on the very grounds where Mother Seton lived, worshipped, taught, and eventually died, on her journey to becoming the first native-born American saint. The gathering is not only a unique opportunity for the public—it also provides a space for guild leaders to connect with one another and share ideas on navigating the rigorous canonization process.
Each guild will host a table with information and will be able to answer questions from those in attendance. One of the most popular sections of a new exhibit about Mother Seton’s canonization in the Shrine’s museum has been a wall panel dedicated to Americans who are in the canonization process. The guilds represent a who’s who of the American Catholic Church.
“As the home of the first native-born American saint, we feel a special joy and fellowship with these great men and women of faith, and we are humbled and excited that so many of their representatives are coming to celebrate with us,” said Judge. “Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and those on the path to joining her all share one thing in common. They each lived lives of love and service that embody the universal call to holiness. Moreover, they show us that we, too, can draw closer to God and achieve great things.”
On Saturday, September 13, Father Tomaž Mavrič, C.M., superior general of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, will celebrate Mass for the sisters and the general public in the Shrine’s historic Basilica.
Then, on September 14, the actual golden anniversary date of Mother Seton’s canonization, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori will celebrate Mass in the Basilica. The Mass will be televised later that night at 7:00 p.m. on EWTN.
In between these events will be plenty of other things happening to celebrate and remember Mother Seton. For more information about the weekend and a full lineup of events, visit https://setonshrine.org/celebration.
Interior of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
