On her Feast Day... Celebrating the Legacy of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

The church's calendar sets aside January 4 as the Feast Day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, founder of our beloved St. Joseph College. In 1809, Mother Seton moved to Emmitsburg where she and her sisters laid the foundation for the American Catholic school system and adopted the rule of St. Vincent de Paul for the Sisters of Charity in the United States.

In 2009, to honor the bicentennial of the founding of St. Joseph College in 1809, the St. Joseph College Alumnae Association arranged for an antique brass sconce with an electrified candle to be installed in the museum area of the Seton Shrine. The inscription on the plaque reads: "This light honors all women and girls whose education was guided by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and her Sisters of Charity."

Women whose educations were guided by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and her Sisters of Charity have influenced a world in need of compassion and consolation for more than 200 years. These women have sheltered and taught the young, soothed and treated the sick, raised and nurtured families, advocated for the voiceless and underserved, owned and managed businesses, and served their country, community and church in multiple ways.

There are thousands of examples of how the spirit of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton continues to be evidenced in the lives and work of the alumnae of St. Joseph College. One example is Pat Lieb Mudd '63, recently honored in an article appearing in the Arlington, VA Diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Herald. As you read of Pat's experiences in working with those in need of caring and compassion, be reminded this is just one example of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's work in the world. 

Read about SJC's Pat Mudd, A Healer of Hearts >> 

We rejoice in Pat's story and in the good works of our alumnae through the years!