Sister from Northeast
Province Spends Year
as Docent for Shrine

Since I was a little girl, I have known about Mother Seton, and I have always considered her to be a very special person in my life. Having spent four years at St. Joseph College, I learned a great deal more about Mother Seton, and when I was asked to come to the shrine as a docent, I knew I would learn even more and would then be able to teach visitors about her. I felt very happy for the privilege that was to be mine.
I came to the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in August 1999, along with three other sisters from other provinces who would also be docents.
During working hours at the shrine, it is such a joy to welcome visitors to the various shrine sites dedicated to Mother Seton. Coming from all over the United States and even from some foreign countries, they are so eager to learn all they can about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Children are particularly interested in the

replica of a schoolroom in the White House. It is so impressive knowing that Mother Seton walked these hallowed grounds. She lived in the Stone House for seven months and in the White House for almost eleven years. It is in this house that some visitors drop to their knees to pray in the room where Mother Seton died, January 4, 1821. Often visitors tell us they can sense in the atmosphere the feeling that the spirit of Mother Seton is still there. This is especially true in the basilica where the precious remains of Mother Seton are enshrined.
The property on which the shrine is located is so beautiful with many lovely trees and hundreds of various types of flowers. Even in the snow it is beautiful to behold. It is so calm, quiet and peaceful especially in the early morning and in the late afternoon. Walking around the grounds is for me an incentive to meditate and to thank God for His goodness in giving us the first American-born saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, and for fulfilling for me my precious dream.

Sister Helen Edward Dodd, D.C.
Albany, New York

In Memoriam

Reverend Monsigner
Thomas Martin Wells

Rev. Msgr. Thomas Wells, pastor of Mother Seton Church in Germantown, MD, who was stabbed to death on June 8, 2000 in his rectory, will be missed by many. Monsignor was known for his wit, wisdom and being a dedicated, caring cleric. Mother Seton Parish has had close ties to Daughters of Charity in Emmitsburg for years. The church will be featured in a future issue of The Seton Way.