For one......her place in American history........she was the 1st American saint....not the `1st woman....but the 1st saint in the Americas........also.......my F (i)......Fiola Mare........after the Italian seafood restaurant here in Georgetown.........a function of the sea........she is also paintroness of the Sea..........

The shrine complex[edit]

The Stone House, the White House and the cemetery have been incorporated into the grounds of the shrine, which also includes a basilica, a museum, the Mortuary Chapel where Mother Seton prayed, and a visitors center.^[5] The shrine is part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and is a destination for many Roman Catholics on a religious pilgrimage.^[6]

The Stone House

The shrine’s basilica was dedicated in 1965. The interior contains many works of art created by craftsmen and artisans in Italy and Germany.^[7] Mother Seton was canonized in 1975, and her remains were moved from the "God’s Little Acre" cemetery to the basilica. In 1991, the shrine’s chapel was designated as a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II. The formal designatation ceremony took place on August 4, 1991, under the guidance of Archbishop Agostino Cacciavilan, the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the United States.^[8]

The shrine hosts an annual event in celebration of Mother Seton by honoring all girls and women named "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth Ann." Those bearing that name take part in a special procession during mass where they enter the basilica together carrying a banner, and two women in the procession are chosen to venerate Mother Seton by carrying flower vases to the saint's tomb.^[9]