Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is a U.S. religious site and educational center in
Emmitsburg, Maryland Emmitsburg is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States, south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. Founded in 1785, Emmitsburg is the home of Mount St. Mary's University. The town has two Catholic pilgrima ...
, that pays tribute to the life and mission of
Elizabeth Ann Seton Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) was a Catholic religious sister in the United States and an educator, known as a founder of the country's parochial school system. After her death, she became the first person bo ...
(August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821), the first native-born citizen of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
to be
canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...
by the
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. It is both a minor
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
and a national shrine.


History

Born of a prominent Anglican family in New York City, Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was received into the Roman Catholic faith at Saint Peter's Church, Barclay Street in lower Manhattan, March 14, 1805. At the invitation of Rev. Louis William Dubourg, S.S., Elizabeth came to
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
in 1808 and opened a school next to the chapel of St. Mary's Seminary in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. Samuel Sutherland Cooper, a wealthy convert and seminarian, purchased 269 acres of land for an establishment for the sisterhood near Emmitsburg in the countryside of Frederick County, Maryland. According to tradition, Elizabeth named the area Saint Joseph's Valley. In June 1809 she established the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. The former Fleming farmhouse, informally known as the "Stone House", built in 1750 near Toms' Creek, served as the first headquarters for the community. The first winter proved difficult as the wind blew in icy drafts through the chinks of the building, and the occupants sometimes awoke to find a blanket of snow had drifted into the rooms during the night. In mid-October 1809, Archbishop John Carroll of Baltimore, who had come to administer
Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
to the children, determined that the building was unsuitable, and directed the erection of a new log structure now known as the "White House." In mid-February, 1810, Elizabeth and her companions moved into the recently completed Saint Joseph's House (now "The White House"). There she established the first free Catholic school for girls in the United States, which was the beginning of the Catholic parochial school system in the United States. After her death in early January 1821, Mother Seton was buried at a cemetery in Emmitsburg that she once dubbed "God's Little Acre." Saint Joseph's Chapel was consecrated on May 6, 1841. King Louis-Phillippe and Queen Marie-Amelie of France donated three paintings for the new chapel, one of them the "Assumption" after the original by Murillo. Because of the extension of the cloister towards the chapel, the "White House" was moved from its original location to a spot northwest of the chapel. In 1846 at the request of William Seton, his mother's body was removed to a mortuary chapel which had been built in the Sisters' cemetery. During the Civil War at least 270 sisters served as nurses and were called "angels of the battlefield" by both Union and Confederate soldiers. The Sisters also served as nurses during the Spanish–American War.


The shrine complex

The Stone House, the White House, and the cemetery have been incorporated into the grounds of the shrine, which also includes a basilica, a museum, the Mortuary Chapel where Mother Seton's remains were once entombed, and a visitors center. The shrine is part of the
Archdiocese of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore ( la, link=no, Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the premier (or first) see of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and nine of Mar ...
and is a pilgrimage destination for many Roman Catholics. The shrine's basilica was dedicated in 1965. The interior contains many works of art created by craftsmen and artisans in Italy and Germany. Mother Seton was canonized in 1975 and her remains were moved from the "God’s Little Acre" cemetery to the basilica. In 1991, the shrine's chapel was designated as a minor basilica by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
. The formal designatation ceremony took place on August 4, 1991, under the guidance of Archbishop Agostino Cacciavilan, the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the United States. The shrine hosts an annual event in celebration of Mother Seton, honoring all girls and women named "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth Ann." Those bearing that name take part in a special procession during Mass where they enter the basilica together carrying a banner, and two women in the procession are chosen to venerate Mother Seton by carrying flower vases to the saint's tomb.


Patroness for the Sea Services

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is Patroness for the Sea Services due to her deep concern for her sons, William and Richard, both of whom served in the U.S. Navy, as evidenced by her many letters to them during their years at sea. The National Shrine hosts an annual Pilgrimage for the Sea Services. Members of the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, and The United States Public Health Service along with family members and friends gather at the basilica in Emmitsburg. The event is held on the first Sunday in October each year to honor the Patroness for the Sea Services and ask for her intercession for all the men and women serving in the nation's Sea Services. Seton Heritage Ministries coordinates the annual event and spreads devotion to the saint under this title.


See also

*
Sisters of Charity Federation in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition The Sisters of Charity Federation in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition is an organization of fourteen congregations of religious women in the Catholic Church who trace their lineage to Saint Elizabeth Seton, Saint Vincent de Paul, and Saint Louise d ...
*
Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton The Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is located in the Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, a Roman Catholic parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York at 7 State Street, between Pearl and Water Streets in the Financia ...
, Manhattan, New York City * Top eight Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the US


References


External links


National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann SetonRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore
{{coord, 39, 41, 52, N, 77, 19, 52, W, region:US-MD_type:landmark, display=title Emmitsburg, Maryland Roman Catholic national shrines in the United States Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore Seton Museums in Frederick County, Maryland Religious museums in Maryland Women's museums in Maryland Churches in Frederick County, Maryland Open-air museums in Maryland Houses in Frederick County, Maryland Historic house museums in Maryland Christian organizations established in 1965 1965 establishments in Maryland
Elizabeth Ann Seton Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) was a Catholic religious sister in the United States and an educator, known as a founder of the country's parochial school system. After her death, she became the first person bo ...
Minor basilicas in the United States