Catholic Schools have helped develop our dynamic community...
Catholic schools have played a major role in the history of Southwest Washington for over 150 years - beginning December 8, 1856, when Mother Joseph and four Sisters of Providence stepped off a Columbia River steamboat and founded Providence Academy, among many other humanitarian projects.
Over the years, our local churches have grown into a dynamic and fulfilled Catholic community. This growth has been achieved through the dedicated service of Diocesan and religious priests, and the support and prayers of faithful lay persons.
The foundation of Catholic education in the United States is attributed to Mother Seton who was the foundress and first Superior of the Sisters of Charity - the first teaching sisterhood native to the U.S. In 1810 she assisted in the founding of St. Joseph's Free School for needy girls in Emmetsburg, Maryland. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton became the first person born in the United States to become a canonized saint.
She was a wife, mother of five children, a young widow, sole parent, a convert to Catholicism, social minister, educator, spiritual leader and prolific writer. We believe she exemplifies the type of character and leadership qualities we hope to instill in our students at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic High School.
