Located in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton preserves the place where Mother Seton founded the first community of religious women established in the United States.
Aleteia recently attended the grand opening of the Seton Shrine's new $4 million museum. It tells the story of America's first native born Saint through precious relics and interactive displays. Becca Cobell, the shrine's Associate Program Director, gave Aleteia readers a personal tour of the museum's three galleries. She showed us just a few of the many treasures awaiting visitors to this holy and inspiring destination.
Aleteia recently attended the grand opening of the Seton Shrine's new $4 million museum. It tells the story of America's first native born Saint through precious relics and interactive displays. Becca Cobell, the shrine's Associate Program Director, gave Aleteia readers a personal tour of the museum's three galleries. She showed us just a few of the many treasures awaiting visitors to this holy and inspiring destination.
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00:04 Located in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the National Shrine
00:07 of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton preserves the place
00:10 where Mother Seton founded the first community
00:12 of religious women established in the United States.
00:16 Alatea recently attended the grand opening of the Seton
00:18 Shrine's new museum, which tells the story of America's
00:21 first native-born saint through precious relics
00:23 and interactive displays.
00:25 Becca Corbell, the shrine's associate program director,
00:28 gave Alatea readers a personal tour of the museum's three
00:31 galleries, showing us just a few of the many treasures awaiting
00:35 visitors to this holy and inspiring destination.
00:39 She was 19 when she got married to William,
00:41 who was the love of her life.
00:43 These are the wedding miniatures that she and her husband
00:46 exchanged.
00:47 It's the only portrait of Elizabeth done from life,
00:50 and her wedding ring is there.
00:52 And this is her daughter's christening gown,
00:54 which was a gift from one of her dear friends.
00:57 We know Catherine, her middle child, wore it.
00:59 We assume that others of her children did as well.
01:02 That was such a glorious time in her life.
01:05 She was so happy with her children.
01:07 But then when her husband was ill with tuberculosis,
01:10 they went to Italy.
01:11 She was now a young mother with five children, a widow.
01:15 Between realizing that Catholics believed
01:18 Jesus was in the Eucharist, seeing Our Lady
01:21 and identifying with her, she really
01:23 felt like she needed to become Catholic.
01:26 So at the end of this exhibit, we actually
01:28 have her First Communion rosary.
01:30 This is the first and the bonnet that Elizabeth wore.
01:34 And her shawl, there's a little S embroidered on the back,
01:37 so we know it was hers.
01:38 So that is really exciting.
01:40 And a lot of people know her as the black bonnet.
01:43 Many Catholics don't say Mother Seton and Our Lady of Guadalupe
01:46 in the same sentence.
01:48 But nonetheless, she had an image of Our Lady
01:50 in her chapel and in her house.
01:53 It definitely was one of the first,
01:54 if not the first, image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
01:57 in the country.
01:58 We have this beautiful crucifix that Mother Seton
02:01 was holding as she died.
02:03 It is a very hardcore way to go, because a third
02:06 of the crucifix is a giant skull and crossbone.
02:08 We have the actual banner that hung in Rome on the day
02:13 that she was canonized.
02:14 It's hanging in the Saint Gallery, which is right
02:17 outside the Basilica.
02:18 The connection between her being a saint
02:20 and being so close to the Basilica is just magical.
02:23 So many visitors come in, and they say, oh my gosh,
02:26 I did not know this was here.
02:27 They have the same experience that she did.
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