In 1810, Elizabeth Ann Seton did something completely unthinkable
for women at the time. She founded the first free Catholic school for girls in
the United States, in the rural town of Emmitsburg, Md. Girls whose families
couldn’t afford an education now had a chance to learn.
Many Catholic schools trace their founding to Elizabeth Ann
Seton’s efforts, including Seton School in Manassas. Seton School was founded
by Anne and the late Warren Carroll in 1975, the year that Elizabeth Ann Seton
was canonized. Today, the school serves about 350 students in grades 7-12, and
offers a wide variety of programs to provide their students with a Catholic
liberal arts education.
The school purposely maintains an enrollment of around 350
students in order to preserve its smaller size. “The smaller size provides
students with individual attention from teachers, and gives students the
opportunity to know all their classmates,” said Carroll.
Just as Elizabeth Ann Seton welcomed students from families of
all income levels at her school, so too does Seton School. “No student is
turned away for inability to pay,” said Anne Carroll. The school offers a
work-study program for families to help pay for tuition.
God's grace and the promise of eternal salvation guided St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton's life, and these beliefs also guide Seton School. Catholic
truths are integrated throughout the school’s curriculum. Carroll wrote the
history book that the school uses so that church history could be woven into
the history curriculum. In addition, the teachers and staff take an oath of
loyalty to the magisterium of the church every year. The school strives to
integrate the Catholic faith into each student’s life.
During Catholic Schools Week, Catholic schools throughout the
Diocese of Arlington and across the country highlight all that makes them
unique. Seton’s swim team, the school’s largest athletic team, welcomes all
students who sign up. The swim coach guides the team using a value system
called GEMS — gratitude, excellence, meekness and sacrifice. Meekness may be an
uncommon value for an athletic team; it encourages swimmers to help competitors
over the bar they raised by winning. GEMS has led to the team’s success not
only in individual swimmers beating personal records, but also in winning championships.
Seton School makes an annual pilgrimage to the National Shrine of
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg every year. At the shrine, they pray
and thank St. Elizabeth Ann Seton for her intercession with the school and
their lives. It’s a tremendous experience for the students to see where their
school’s patron saint lived and worked, and is now buried. Mass, Confession,
retreats and tours are just some of the activities available to groups visiting.
Earlier in January, groups and individual pilgrims were on-site to celebrate the
saint’s feast day Jan. 4.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton strived to do God’s will in all her work,
no matter what the task. Seton School encourages its students to do the same.
One of Elizabeth Ann Seton’s quotes is used often by the school: “Let His will
of the present moment be the first rule of our daily life and work.”
Jahn is marketing manager for the National Shrine of
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Find out more
For more on Seton School, go to setonschool.net. For more
on the shrine, go to setonshrine.org.