Feast Day: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Feast Day: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Elizabeth Ann (Bayley) Seton was born in New York on August 28, 1774 and was brought up in the Episcopalian faith. She married William Seton, bore five children, and was widowed on December 27, 1803. After overcoming many obstacles, she converted to the Catholic faith on March 14, 1805. She dedicated her life to works of charity and education and founded the community of the Sisters of Charity in 1809. Elizabeth died in Emmitsburg, Maryland on January 4, 1821. Part of her community was united with the Daughters of Charity in Paris in 1850, and the others remained the Sisters of Charity in the US. Elizabeth Seton was canonized as the first American saint in 1975.