St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821), a New York socialite, wife and mother of five who became a widow at twenty-nine, a convert to the Catholic faith and the founder of the first American congregation of religious sisters, was the first person born in the United States to be canonized. She opened the school at Emmitsburg, Maryland, that is remembered as the beginning of Catholic parochial education in America. Her feast is January 4. Below are prayers to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton for widows, for parents who have lost a child, for Catholic schools and teachers and for converts, Scripture and her story.
A prayer to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Written for this page:
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, wife, mother, widow and religious,
you knew great love and great loss,
and you found your rest in God’s holy will and in the Eucharist.
Pray for me, that I may accept God’s will with trust,
love my family generously,
and serve the children and the poor.
Obtain for me the grace I ask: (name your intention). Amen.
A prayer for widows and widowers
St. Elizabeth Ann, you nursed your dying husband far from home
and were left alone with five young children.
Pray for (name), who has lost a husband (wife).
Comfort the loneliness, provide for the family’s needs,
and fill the empty place with the love of God. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See prayers for deceased loved ones.
A prayer for parents who have lost a child
Elizabeth buried two of her daughters, Anna Maria and Rebecca, as teenagers.
St. Elizabeth Ann, you knew the grief of burying your children.
Stay close to parents who have lost a son or daughter.
Hold them in their sorrow,
and strengthen their hope of meeting their child again in heaven. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer for Catholic schools and teachers
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, patron of Catholic schools,
bless our schools, our teachers and our students.
Make our schools places of faith, learning and kindness,
where every child is known and loved,
and where the poor are welcome. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the prayers of the faithful for Catholic Schools Week.
A prayer for converts and those seeking the faith
St. Elizabeth Ann, you longed to receive Jesus in the Eucharist
and gave up friends and comfort to become Catholic.
Pray for all who are searching for the truth and those preparing to enter the Church.
Give them light, courage and joy. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
Scripture for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Be not solicitous therefore, saying, What shall we eat: or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed?
For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.
Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.
The life of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York City on August 28, 1774, into a prominent Episcopalian family. In 1794 she married William Magee Seton, a wealthy merchant, and they had five children. She was known in New York society for her charity to the poor, and with friends she founded a society to help poor widows with children.
When William’s business failed and his health collapsed, the family sailed to Italy in 1803 hoping he would recover, but he died of tuberculosis in Pisa that December. Staying with the Filicchi family in Livorno, Elizabeth was deeply moved by their Catholic faith, especially by belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and by devotion to Mary. Back in New York, despite fierce opposition from family and friends, she was received into the Catholic Church on March 14, 1805.
To support her children she opened a school, and in 1809 she moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s, the first congregation of religious sisters founded in the United States, and opened St. Joseph’s Academy and Free School for girls. She died at Emmitsburg on January 4, 1821, at forty-six. Pope St. Paul VI canonized her on September 14, 1975, the first native-born American saint.
Feast day and patronage
- Feast day: January 4. A novena can run from December 26 to January 3.
- Patron of: Catholic schools, teachers, widows, parents who have lost children, and converts.
- Symbols: the black bonnet and habit of the Sisters of Charity, a book, and children.
Frequently asked questions
When is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s feast day?
January 4, the day she died in 1821.
Why is she important?
She was the first person born in what became the United States to be canonized, and she founded the first American congregation of sisters and a pioneering Catholic school.
What is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton the patron saint of?
Catholic schools, teachers, widows, grieving parents and converts.
Where is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton buried?
At the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
More prayers
- Patron saint of teachers
- St. Katharine Drexel
- Mother Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen saint
- Saint of the day
- St. Monica prayer
- St. Vincent de Paul prayer
- Prayers of the faithful for students and teachers
- Prayers to popular saints
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Matthew 6:31–33, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayers were written for this page.