National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton becomes a basilica – 1991

In 1991, Pope John Paul II designated the Shrine Chapel a Minor Basilica. On August 4, 1991, the formal ceremony was carried out by Archbishop Agostino Cacciavilan, Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the United States.”Built in 1965 in anticipation of the canonization of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the Shrine is a beautiful tribute to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton – a saint for our times! “Elizabeth Ann Seton is a saint. She is the first daughter of the United States of America to be glorified with this incomparable attribute.” -Pope Paul VI, September 14,1975.”