Shortly after the canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Rome on September 14, 1975 by Pope Paul VI, the then Chief of Navy Chaplains, Monsignor John J. O’Connor (formerly John Cardinal O’Connor, the Archbishop of New York) took the initiative to proclaim Mother Seton “Patroness of the Sea Services” for Catholic men and women in uniform—the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine. Admiral James D.Watkins, then Chief of Naval Personnel, collaborated closely with Rear Admiral O’Connor in that effort and in 1977 they struck a medal honoring Mother Seton because of her link to the Navy through her two sons, William and Richard.
For more on William and Richard Seton’s connections see http://www.daughtersofcharity-emmitsburg.org/what_new013.htm
