Raised during the American Revolution, Elizabeth Ann Bayley would go on to marry William Magee Seton and become a mother of five. Following the death of her husband and an extended stay in Italy, the now-widowed Elizabeth Seton would convert to Catholicism. However, even before this conversion, she was already engaging in benevolent work, forming the Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children. In 1809 she moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland and founded the American Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s. The earliest members of the Sisters of Charity were educated, “mature and independent,” and hailing from respectable families. By 1810, they had founded St. Joseph’s Academy and Free School, creating a legacy of Catholic education in the United States. In 1975, Mother Seton would become the first citizen born in the United States to be canonized as a saint.
Image:
Amabilia Filicchi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources:
Metz, Judith. “Elizabeth Bayley Seton: Extending the Role of Caregiver Beyond the Family Circle.” American Catholic Studies 116, no. 2 (2005): 19–38. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44194875.
“Our History.” Mother Seton Catholic School. Accessed August 14, 2025. https://www.mothersetonschool.org/about-us/our-history.
“The Life of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.” Seton Shrine, May 21, 2025. https://setonshrine.org/elizabeth-ann-seton/.
