Fodor's Expert Review National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Located on the campus of Mount St. Mary's College, the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton honors the country's first native-born saint. Born to a wealthy New York family, Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821) was a widow with five children when she converted to Catholicism. Charismatic and tireless, she started the nation's first parochial school and first order of nuns. Today, her legacy lives on at the numerous churches and schools, including Seton Hall University, that bear her name. A small white clapboard house at the shrine is a re-creation of the home where she lived with fellow religious sisters and relatives surrounded by near-total wilderness. St. Elizabeth's body is entombed at the magnificent on-site basilica where masses are held several times a week. Only the Basilica is open on Monday.