Foundation News

Every Brick Tells a Story: Elizabeth Seton’s Legacy

Every Brick Tells a Story: Elizabeth Seton’s Legacy

Share

The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park in Emmitsburg, Maryland—where we honor our nation’s fallen fire heroes—is a place of great reverence. One of the components of Memorial Park is the Walk of Honor® pathway is comprised of bricks inscribed with personal tributes to honor loved ones, celebrate important milestones like a graduation or anniversary, or show appreciation to others.

At the base of the stairs of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Chapel sits a Walk of Honor® plaque with an etching of a building and a brief biography of Elizabeth Seton. Above that plaque is a lone brick with the inscription: M. Elizabeth Seton, Foundress, 1809-1821.

It has been said that each Walk of Honor® brick tells a unique story that deserves to be shared. This is the story of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, an extraordinary woman who left an indelible mark on the history of the United States and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Elizabeth Bayley becomes Elizabeth Seton

Elizabeth Bayley was born into a prominent Episcopal family in New York City in 1774. Her mother died at 46, when Elizabeth was only three years old. Her father remarried, and when her father and stepmother separated, Elizabeth suffered from depression that she chronicled in her journals. Elizabeth continued to journal about her emotional challenges and spiritual growth for her whole life.

When she was 19, she married a wealthy businessman, William Magee Seton, from a prominent New York City family. The Seton family had an import-export business and frequently did business in Livorno, Italy; William’s father also worked closely with Alexander Hamilton and other notable businessmen. By the late 1790s, William and Elizabeth Seton lived next door to Alexander and Elizabeth Hamilton; Elizabeth Seton and Elizabeth Hamilton were founding members of the Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children.

But in 1801, the Seton family company went bankrupt shortly after the death of William Seton’s father. William and Elizabeth lost everything, including their home—and at the same time, William began to show signs of tuberculosis. By 1803, William was very ill.

Elizabeth Ann Seton

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Learn More

Elizabeth goes to Italy

A business partner of the Setons, Antonio Filicchi, invited William and Elizabeth to stay with him and his family in Livorno, Italy. The hope was that a different climate would aid in William getting better. So, William, Elizabeth, and their eldest daughter sailed to Italy while their other four children were left with Elizabeth’s sister-in-law. Unfortunately, upon their arrival, the Italian port authorities feared William had yellow fever—so they insisted on quarantining the whole family for one month in a cold, damp stone house. William died on December 27, 1803 – less than two weeks after they were out of quarantine. Elizabeth was now a widow with five children under the age of eight, living in a foreign country with minimal funds and away from four of her children.

The Filicchi family hosted Elizabeth and her daughter until June 1804, when they returned to the United States. During those six months, the Filicchis introduced Elizabeth to Catholicism. Her transformation from being raised Episcopal to becoming a devout Catholic is chronicled in a memoir written for her sister-in-law Rachel, who was also one of her closest friends.

Elizabeth Returns to New York…and then travels to Maryland

When Elizabeth returned to New York, her family and friends rejected her because of her religious journey to becoming Catholic. Elizabeth’s sister-in-law Rachel died, and her financial problems continued. But Elizabeth was determined to serve others by becoming a teacher. She tried to work for Protestant and Episcopalian schools, but neither school accepted Elizabeth because of her Catholic faith.

In 1806, Elizabeth met Rev. Louis William Dubourg in New York, and he invited her to teach at his school in Baltimore, Maryland. Elizabeth taught in Baltimore for one year before moving to Emmitsburg, Maryland, for a new opportunity. In June 1809, Elizabeth, one of her daughters, two of her sisters-in-law, and one other woman traveled from Baltimore to Emmitsburg in a covered wagon.

Elizabeth in Emmitsburg

Samuel Cooper purchased 269 acres of land in Emmitsburg to create a school rooted in Christian values for women and offered Elizabeth the governess position. Elizabeth formed the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph on July 31, 1809, and St. Joseph’s Free School opened on February 22, 1810, for girls in need in the Emmitsburg area. It became the first free Catholic school for girls in America. St. Joseph’s Academy began a few months later as a boarding school for individuals who could pay tuition. The Sisters of Charity used the tuition to pay for the Free School and their other charitable work. Both the Stone House and The White House are on the grounds of the Seton Shrine, adjacent to the National Emergency Training Center, and can be visited on a tour of the Seton Shrine.

In 1820, Elizabeth contracted tuberculosis—the disease that had killed her husband in 1803, one daughter in 1812, and another in 1816. Elizabeth Seton died from tuberculosis on January 4, 1821, in Emmitsburg.

Pope Paul VI canonized Elizabeth Seton in 1975 after attributing three miracles to her. She is considered the first American-born saint and is known as the patron saint of Catholic education, seafarers, widows, orphans, and grief.

Elizabeth Seton’s Legacy Linked with the NFFF

Elizabeth Seton’s story is one of courage, perseverance, and resilience through tragedy – as many who walk the grounds of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park can relate to.

The cornerstone of the Saint Joseph’s Chapel, now the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Chapel, was laid on March 19, 1839. The chapel’s design is based on Elizabeth Seton’s wishes to have the chapel modeled after the church in Livorno, Italy, where she found comfort after her husband died. It is fitting that it is now a place where many who have lost a loved one find comfort.

The Walk of Honor® is where stories are shared, connections are made, and memories are preserved. You can feel the weight of history as you walk along the Walk of Honor®. Mother Seton’s story reminds us that every brick tells a story, and every story has the power to inspire and uplift others.

Walk of Honor®

Contribute to the legacy of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park by purchasing a brick for the Walk of Honor® Funds raised through the Walk of Honor® program benefit NFFF programs to serve families and fire departments of fallen firefighters