The site was home to the first Catholic Seminary in the nation (1791), and home to the first U.S. born saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton (1808). the Seminary Chapel, “Chapelle Basse” (lower chapel), was the birthplace of the very first African-American Catholic community (1797). The site offers visitors an exceptional opportunity to walk back in time to the early days of our nation and the beginnings of the Church in the US. To tour the Mother Seton House and the Historic Seminary Chapel is to walk where saints have walked, prayed, and lived. Come for a visit and be inspired by our history and the women and men who called St. Mary’s on Paca Street home!
