Discover the Divine: Top 13 Fun Facts About Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton You Never Knew!

1. Mother Ursula of Her Time

Call her the Mother Ursula of her time, minus the magical singing and requisite vow of poverty: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton founded the first congregation of religious sisters in the United States, the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1809, even after facing grave financial hardships and the tragic loss of her husband. To this day, her legacy thrives as the Sisters of Charity continue to spread the love through education, healthcare, and support for communities in need all across the nation.
Source => digital.libraries.uc.edu

2. The Soul of Charity

Sure, Elizabeth Ann Seton might not have been the life of the party, but she was certainly the soul of charity: She founded the first congregation of religious sisters in the United States, set up the nation's first free Catholic school, and played a huge role in developing Catholic education and social welfare across the country. Now that's what we call a sister act!
Source => washingtonpost.com

Discover how St. Simeon Stylites practiced extreme social distancing for his faith by living on top of a pillar for decades - he wasn't even the first one to do it! 😮

=> Fun Facts about Saints

3. The Magical Muggle School

Before there was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there was St. Joseph's Academy and Free School – a magical place that didn't discriminate against young Muggles based on their Gringotts balance: In 1810, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton founded the trailblazing Catholic academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, which provided education to all children, regardless of their financial means. Today, the legacy lives on at Mother Seton School, fostering a strong Catholic environment combined with educational excellence for pre-K to eighth-grade students.
Source => mothersetonschool.org

4. Saint-in-Making Socialite

If an Episcopalian priest's daughter and a New York City social scene had a baby, it'd be Elizabeth Ann Seton, America's very own saint-in-making: born to a mixed-religious family, Elizabeth faced numerous hurdles, including her father's disapproval and her husband's health issues, before converting to Catholicism and leaving her mark by founding St. Joseph's House and St. Mary's Seminary and College, ultimately earning her saintly stripes in 1975 as the first native-born American saint to be canonized by Pope Paul VI.
Source => americamagazine.org

5. Setting Them Straight with Saint Seton

They say "Seton" them straight, and she did just that – with a dash of holy water and her trusty ruler, of course: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton founded the first Catholic schools in the United States, and became the patron saint of Catholic schools, widows, and seafarers. Her dedication to education was so unwavering that, even after losing her own daughters to tuberculosis, she continued to lead St. Joseph's Academy and her growing spiritual community until her death.
Source => womenshistory.org

6. Shattering Stained-Glass Ceilings

Forget breaking the glass ceiling; Elizabeth Seton was shattering stained-glass windows on her way to superheroine-nun status: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton established the first sisterhood in the United States, leading to the creation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's, who would eventually extend their compassionate reach to open orphanages in both Philadelphia and New York City.
Source => womenshistory.org

7. St. Augustine's Question

When St. Augustine asked the million-dollar question in his edition of "Who Wants to Be a Heavenly Millionaire?", little did he know that his spiritual soul sister St. Elizabeth Ann Seton would be taking notes for her own divine pursuit: As she devoured Augustine's Confessions, Seton found herself deeply inspired by his query, "Lord, who are you?" and adopted that very question as her own guiding mantra while seeking to understand God's plan for her life and the students she educated.
Source => setonshrine.org

8. 19th-Century Spiritual Yelp Review

Did you know that Mrs. Seton has been secretly reviewed by the 19th-century Yelp elite? The Filicchi brothers gave her five stars for her devotion and character: In fact, they were so smitten with Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton that after her husband William died while seeking a cure for his tuberculosis in Italy, they kindly hosted Elizabeth and her daughter Anna Maria. The Filicchi brothers were so inspired by her that they kept a portrait of her in their apartment for the rest of their lives.
Source => womenshistory.org

9. The Divine Spiritual Sommelier

If the Holy Grail were a goblet of wine, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton would have had the ultimate spiritual sommelier status: As a child, her thirst for a deeper connection with Christ led her to drink leftover wine from the Episcopalian Sunday service and it wasn't until her conversion to Catholicism that she was able to satisfy her spiritual taste buds by receiving the Eucharist frequently, fondly calling it the "promise of eternal life."
Source => setonshrine.org

10. Climbing the Heavenly Leaderboard

Before ascending the heavenly "firsts" leaderboard like a divine Mario Andretti, our very own Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was tearing up the American roads of spiritual milestones: She became the first American-born person to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church, etching her name into the annals of US Catholicism.
Source => setonshrine.org

11. Sisters of Charity Fashion Change

Move over, Project Runway: the 19th-century Sisters of Charity were the original fashionistas, swapping out their black caps for trendy white cornettes! The serious reveal: This divinely stylish transformation took place between the 1840s and 1855, due to a shortage of the imported French material, and the extensive reach of the American province meant the change was gradual, affecting Sisters from New York to New Orleans and St. Louis to Detroit.
Source => docarchivesblog.org

12. Real-Life Sister Act

Who said the family that prays together stays together? Elizabeth Seton must have taken that motto to heart, because she turned her own family into a real-life Sister Act: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton's five children all remained devout Catholics, with her daughter Catherine even joining the congregation she founded. Despite facing opposition from high society pals, Elizabeth stayed true to her faith, eventually establishing the first religious congregation in the United States, the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph.
Source => catholicmagazine.news

13. Piano-Playing Polyglot Saint

Move over, Mozart and Bonjour, Professor: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was tickling the ivories and dazzling with her language skills: She was a passionate pianist who composed hymns for her Catholic congregation and fluently spoke French, which she utilized to educate young minds at the Catholic girls' school she founded in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Source => en.wikipedia.org