Saint’s Corner

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was born in New York in 1774. She was raised Episcopalian and, at the age of 19, married a wealthy shipping

merchant named William Seton. About 10 years later, she set off for Italy with her husband who had contracted tuberculosis, hoping that the Italian air would help his illness. Unfortunately, her husband died in Italy shortly thereafter. Elizabeth stayed with a very devout Catholic family for several months before returning to the United States. The example that the family had on her was

tremendous. At the age of 30 she was received into the Catholic Church. After converting, she was ostracized by her family and plunged into poverty. She opened boarding schools and founded the first free school for poor children in the U.S. As superior of the first religious order for women in the U.S. she founded many more schools and ministered to the poor. She was canonized on September 14, 1975 by Pope Paul VI.