It's been 50 years since the Catholic Church canonized the first American-born saint. At least 150,000 people packed St. Peter's Square on September 14, 1975, for the canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Among the crowd were 16,000 Americans, including dozens of religious sisters from the Daughters of Charity, the order co-founded by Mother Seton.
Mother Seton is one of the keystones of the American Catholic Church. She founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. All this she did in the span of 46 years while raising her five children.
She died January 4, 1821, and became the first American-born citizen to be beatified (1963) and then canonized (1975). She is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton marked the 50th anniversary of the 1975 canonization of its namesake on 14th September 2025, the Emmitsburg, Maryland, campus hosted what was dubbed "A Day of Joy" as part of a three-day celebration.
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