Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York in 1774 to a prominent Episcopal (a US branch of the Anglican Church) family. At 19, Elizabeth married William Seton, a businessman with whom she had five children. William died in 1803, leaving Elizabeth a young widow. William died in Italy and here Elizabeth experienced the Catholic community. Returning to the United States Elizabeth entered the Catholic Church.
After some years bringing up her children, Elizabeth moved to Maryland, where she founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s, the first community for religious women established in the United States. She also began St. Joseph’s Academy and Free School marking the start of Catholic education in the United States. The religious institute that she founded now has communities across Northern America.
Mother Seton, as she is often called, was canonized on Sunday, September 14, 1975 in St. Peter’s Square by Pope Paul VI. She was the first citizen born in the United States to be given the title of “Saint.”
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