Daily Saint

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a beloved American saint, is the first U.S.-born citizen to be canonized in the Catholic Church. She is primarily known for laying the foundation for Catholic education in the United States and for founding the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s.

Born in 1774 in New York City into a prominent Episcopalian family, St. Elizabeth lost her mother at age three and was raised by an uncle. She married William Magee Seton in 1794, and together they had five children. Her husband suffered from tuberculosis, and in 1803, they traveled to Italy in the hope of recovery. During their stay, he died, leaving St. Elizabeth a widow and destitute.

The families of her husband’s business partners received her in Italy, where St. Elizabeth encountered Catholic piety and devotion and was drawn to Catholicism. Upon returning home, she converted to the Catholic Faith. That decision cost her social status, financial security, and many family relationships. To provide for her children, she opened a boarding school, although prejudice against her new faith caused her to lose students.

In 1808, St. Elizabeth accepted an invitation to move to Baltimore to teach. The following year, she established a community in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she founded Saint Joseph’s Academy and a free school for girls. She also founded the religious community known as the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s—the first community of religious women founded by Americans.

St. Elizabeth led the community through its early years, even as she suffered from illness and the grief of losing two daughters to tuberculosis. She died on January 4, 1821, in Emmitsburg at age 46.

St. Elizabeth’s free school for girls laid the foundation for Catholic parochial schools in America, a legacy that has grown to include thousands of schools and millions of students today. The Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s expanded their work to include orphanages, hospitals, and social service centers. Today, they serve in the United States and internationally.

St. Elizabeth died on January 4, 1821, at the age of 46. She was beatified in 1963 and canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI.