Currently viewing the tag: "National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton"

Dialing in Prayers:Seton Shrine Runs Successful Prayer Hotline

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When the world shut down last year because of the pandemic, the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton decided it was time to reach outward.

The question was how, when for a time, people couldn’t even visit the Shrine in Emmitsburg. The answer was simple, profound, and one that Mother Seton, America’s first native-born saint, would have appreciated: Pray.

So, buoyed by dedicated staff members and seminarians from nearby Mount St. Mary’s, the Shrine created a prayer hotline last April that has proven so successful that it plans to continue well after COVID-19 has receded. More than 2,000 calls have been logged, and many of them have turned into relationships that have changed the lives of people on both ends of the line.

“We are sometimes the only ones they talk to; the only ones who say their name,” says Rebecca Corbell, evangelization programs manager at the Shrine. “Having that connection, having a person who knows your name, builds a relationship that is so powerful.”

And this effort isn’t limited to just calls. One of the staff members on this project writes to 12 death row inmates a week. The hotline team also proactively calls people in the Shrine’s vast database to see if they need prayers.

“It’s a way to do pastoral work and to be with people amid the pandemic,” says Christopher Feist, a seminarian from Leonardtown.

The prayer hotline is part of the extensive evangelization efforts of the Shrine, as it marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Mother Seton. In January, the Shrine released Seeker to Saint, a film on her life. Other short films on various aspects of her life and spirituality will be released later this year.

“The Shrine is a basilica, a museum and the real home of a saint, and we have a mission as a place of prayer and pilgrimage to draw people closer to our Lord,” says Rob Judge, executive director of the Shine. “Through programs like the prayer hotline, we connect people to Mother Seton and a life and legacy that is relatable and inspiring. She is a true saint for our times, and we increasingly find that her message resonates with people today.”

The seminarians who attend Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and hail from the Archdiocese of Washington D.C. said they jumped at the chance to participate in the program. “We wanted the experience of being with people and to bring their concerns to God and to show we care and to bring God’s love to them,” Feist said.

The idea of cold-calling people—not to sell them anything but to offer to pray with them—can be intimidating. But in the end, “you’re going to connect with people who Jesus wants you to and nobody else,” said Benedict Radich, from Rockville.

Sometimes the reaction is “are you sure you’re not asking me for money?” said Caleb Gaeng, another seminarian from Bowie. “But it’s beautiful to be with someone who God has put me with; someone who needs prayers at just that moment.”

Prayer requests deal with everything from loneliness and illnesses to issues with jobs, families and addiction, said Karen McGrath of Taneytown and the first person hired on the prayer team. “People need to tell their stories,” she said. “Part of this is just standing with them before God, asking for the things they need.”

She recalls how one man called in January and was distraught. She tried to express how he needed to see how God is with us and in each other.

Recently he called back to say that her advice helped and “that he was able to look at Jesus and say ‘thank you.’”

A prayer ministry comes easy to her, she says. She’s the mother of five sons and a daughter – “so I pray a lot.”

As for the future, the Shrine now sees the hotline – borne in the depths of the pandemic — as an essential part of its mission, Corbell says.

“These are our people,” she says. “We need to be doing this.”

To contact the prayer hotline, call 1-866-202-4934 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. EDT or visit the prayer request page of the Shrine website.

For more information about the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, please visit www.setonshrine.org.

Seton Artifacts Arrive at Seton Shrine

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To commemorate the bicentennial of Elizabeth Ann Seton’s death, the Sisters of Charity of New York have donated artifacts of their Elizabeth Ann Seton to the Seton Shrine in Emmitsburg.

Sr. Donna Dodge, president of the Sisters of Charity of New York, said in a press release about the donation, “These treasures have always had a great significance for us. It is with great joy that we send them on a new mission where more people can appreciate them and draw closer to Mother Seton.”

The artifacts were unveiled and blessed during an event at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in March. The items will be featured in a special exhibit this summer.

“Our mission, of course, is to promote the life and the legacy of Elizabeth Ann Seton as a source of inspiration and as a source of hope,” said Rob Judge, executive director of the shrine, in a press release. “These artifacts are a tremendous contribution to our ability to tell her story and cover the themes that were important to her in her life and make her relevant today as an example, as an intercessor and a friend from heaven.”

The artifacts include:

Hand-painted wedding porcelain miniatures of Elizabeth Ann Seton and husband, William Magee Seton;

A gold-filigree Seton family brooch worn by Seton on her wedding day;

Seton’s portable writing desk;

The christening gown Seton sewed for her daughter, Catherine;

Seton’s rosary and crucifix;

A tea chest with inlaid decoration that belonged to Seton’s father, Dr. Richard Bayley; and

Seton’s cap, shaw, and belt.

Judge said the artifacts will help tell Seton’s story and her struggles and help people relate to her. “The more she’s relatable, the more she becomes an example, an inspiration, and a friend in heaven for those who visit the shrine or participate in our print and online programs. Mother Seton endured many of the challenges we are enduring in 2021, and therefore provides hope for our nation and the world.”

The shrine’s basilica was dedicated in 1965, and Seton was canonized as America’s first native-born saint in 1975. Her remains were then transferred from the cemetery to the basilica. Pope John Paul II designated it a Minor Basilica in 1991.

The christening gown Seton sewed for her daughter, Catherine

Seton’s rosary and crucifix.

Community Gathers to Honor and Pray for Sea Services

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Anita DiGregory

On Sunday, October 6, 2019, the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, together with the Archdiocese of Military Services, USA (AMS), welcomed more than 400 visitors to the Annual Pilgrimage for the Sea Services.  Active-duty and retired members of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, and Public Health Service, along with the public, were in attendance to honor all who serve or have served at sea.

The pilgrimage began with Mass in the Basilica, which was celebrated by the Most Reverend Michael C. Barber, S.J., Bishop of Oakland, California. Having served for many years as a chaplain in the Naval Reserve, Bishop Barber prayed for Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s intercession for all those serving at sea. Having had two of her sons, Richard and William, serve at sea, Mother Seton was officially designated the Patroness of the Sea Services in 1977. 

Midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York, participated in the pilgrimage, and Plebe Anna Hercules served as lector. The U.S. Naval Academy Catholic Choir, led by director Monte Maxwell, provided the music.

In his homily, Bishop Barber talked of his experiences as chaplain and recalled the advice he gave. “All our lives are in God’s hands. If today is not your day to die, no bullet will find you. If today is your day, the only thing keeping you from Heaven is mortal sin. We have a remedy for sin, the sacrament of confession which wipes sin away.” Promising the Marines he would not leave until everyone desiring the sacrament was afforded the opportunity, he recalled how each of the men, even the non-Catholics, accepted the opportunity.

Retired U.S. Navy Admiral William J. Fallon, chairman of the Pilgrimage Sponsoring Committee, spoke of the importance of the time-honored event. Reflecting on the pilgrimage and the solidarity it fostered, he added, “We are here to pray for our people in uniform and for their families, to ask St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to intercede for them.”

Although the day was rainy and chilly, the Basilica was filled with members of the community there to pray for the country and members of the Sea Services, and to honor those who have sacrificed and those that continue to sacrifice through their service. Many also reflected on how Mother Seton had touched their lives in personal ways.

Bishop Barber was struck by how beautifully Mother Seton “balanced her vocation of mother and sister…with an eye always on her sons and family, simultaneously living out both vocations.”

Father Aidan Logan, O.C.S.O., Vocations Director, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, also spoke of Mother Seton’s influence. “My mother was involved in the effort for her beatification. She had a relic she would take to the bedside of anyone we knew who was sick. I felt like I knew her. Her conversion story and discovery of the Catholic Faith was very influential in my life. When I was at the Naval Academy, I made sure I invoked her…Today, she is very much in the minds of the midshipmen.”

Deacon Daniel Koehl, a student of Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary, was grateful to be able to both attend and take part in the pilgrimage. “This is a Mass that I have gone to every year at the Mount. I have grown in devotion to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton over the years, especially this year.” Koehl, whose home parish is St. Vincent de Paul in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, joked of Mother Seton seemingly chasing him down, as, over the year, he had been located to different Mother Seton parishes and assignments. He was happy to volunteer to take part in the Mass and added, “As soon as the call came through, I said, ‘I will be there!’”

“We’re grateful for all of the servicemen and women who’ve taken part in the pilgrimage over the years,” said Rob Judge, executive director of the Seton Shrine. “It’s a prayerful and moving time for them to join with their family members and others in thanking Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton for her protection, and to ask for her continued intercession on their behalf as they serve our country.”