A Visit to the Seton Shrine

Last year I visited the Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine (the church of Our Lady of the Rosary) in Downtown New York  and found it closed. I recently decided to return and check on  its current status.

The website of the parish of St. Peter and Our Lady of Victory – into which Our Lady of the Rosary was merged in 2015 – devotes  a page to Our Lady of the Rosary/Seton Shrine. It declares that:

Since April 2023, the Sisters of Life are the custodians of the Church and the Facilities.

No public religious services or hours are listed. Even an upcoming  September 14th Mass commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the canonization of Mother Seton will be held at St. Peter’s church, not at the shrine.

To enter the shrine a visitor has to be “buzzed” in.  A sister of life who opened the door greeted me in a very polite manner and asked why I was visiting – to pray? I said yes. The sisters now conduct some aspects of their apostolate  out of the shrine (a crisis pregnancy center). ( I believe the  Seton Shrine is the third location in succession to which the archdiocese has transferred the sisters. Two previous parishes had been closed by the archdiocese. )

The sister explained that the church is the sisters’ chapel.  It appeared much the same as on every previous visit. All seems to be in very fine condition – although I have always found this 1965 church one of the least Catholic interiors in New York. (I hope the sisters forgive me for taking a picture in addition to praying.) 

Two other visitors to the shrine appeared during my visit. One was a man who seemed to work in the vicinity. The other was a priest visiting from the Midwest. Tables are still spread with brochures and other materials on the Sisters of Life and Mother Seton.  Cardinal O’Connor is commemorated in several publications of the Sisters of Life – after all, he was their founder. His smiling face now seems like a memento of a distant golden age ( I regret to say it wasn’t). There’s also an illustrated story of Mother Seton’s ’s life  published by the Sisters of Charity of New York – the same congregation that recently ceased accepting postulants (they hadn’t had any for decades anyway). 

So, the Seton Shrine is at the present time a private chapel of the Sisters of Life. No religious services open to the general public are provided. Yet to some extent shrine activity continues. Opening times are given on at least one site- not that of the parish of St. Peter/Our Lady of Victory – so I would call ahead. Visitors are given access upon request. In summary, I would describe the current status of the Seton Shrine as ambiguous. 

It’s sad how the archdiocese honors its native saint  – and treats one of the most historic buildings in New York City.