The City of Saints

In a city known for its noise, these young adults are quietly changing everything.

If Los Angeles is the City of Angels, then New York City might just be the City of Saints.

There are the familiar names: Mother Cabrini, Dorothy Day, Isaac Jogues, John Neumann, and of course, Elizabeth Ann Seton. But the real secret of the city lies in those whose names are known only in Heaven, the quiet heroes of the Faith who love fiercely, serve humbly, and go largely unnoticed by the world.

Unless you happened to be riding a certain subway car last week.

Because if you were, you might’ve witnessed something miraculous.

An entire car full of young adults, laughing, chatting, practically glowing with anticipation. Most of them had just arrived in New York for the first time. They hadn’t come to sightsee or chase careers. They were here to give a year of their lives to serve in Seton Education Partners’ mission: to teach, to love, and to bring hope to inner-city kids.

They were here to be missionaries.

I spent the day photographing this incredible group, nearly sixty recent college graduates, as they kicked off their journey with a day-long pilgrimage and retreat across the city. They came from every corner of the country. Some had never even ridden a subway before. By Monday, they’d be teaching math, reading, and science in charter schools across the South Bronx and Brooklyn, living in intentional community while earning their teaching credentials.

We ended the day at St. Joseph’s in Greenwich Village—a parish that’s quietly becoming one of the beating hearts of Catholic young adult life in the city. And when we walked in, there it was: a sky-high stack of pizzas from John’s of Bleecker Street.

As a native New Yorker, let me just say, if you know, you know. John’s isn’t just pizza. You don’t just stumble into a pie from John’s. You wait for it. You fight for it. But that day? There was enough for an army. And I couldn’t think of a more deserving group to receive it.

Seton Education Partners is a nonprofit bringing high-quality, faith-centered education to underserved communities. In neighborhoods where schools have failed and hope has thinned, Seton’s Brilla and Brillante charter networks offer academics grounded in virtue — and a chance for families to dream again.

But it’s the Seton Teaching Fellows who make it personal.

These young men and women sign up for a one to two year post-grad mission. They teach. They evangelize. They witness. In neighborhoods known more for headlines than hope, they become living signs of Christ’s love.

During Adoration that afternoon, I looked around and saw it in their faces, unmistakable. A clarity of purpose. A love for Christ that was unshaken, even at the threshold of what would be a beautiful, demanding, sacrificial year.

These aren’t just volunteers.

They’re future saints.

While on assignment a few years ago, the first time I encountered the work of the Seton Education Partners, I met a young mother. She lived in the projects—single, struggling—with four young children. Her oldest daughter, just eight years old, attended a Brilla school.

That little girl led her siblings in prayer before meals. She taught her mom the Rosary. She asked if they could start going to Mass together.

And so they did.

Now the family attends Sunday Mass. They have joy, they have direction, and they have hope. It wasn’t a grand theological argument or flashy event that led them back to the Church.

It was the quiet witness of a Seton fellow who taught a little girl who led her family home.

That’s what this mission looks like.

The truth is, most of the world will never hear about this. They’ll never know about the subway ride filled with joyful missionaries. They won’t see the kneeling figures in Adoration. They won’t witness the baptisms, the tears, the hard-won math lessons, or the whispered prayers over a struggling child’s desk.

But I’ve seen it. This is the Catholic Church. This is faith lived out. This is Christ healing and calling and sending and creating the saints of tomorrow, today.

So if you ask me what holiness looks like in the heart of New York City? It looks like young adults giving everything they have, fueled by faith, ready to teach and love, and serve. It looks like a little girl praying the Rosary in a kitchen in the projects.

And sometimes, holiness looks like a subway full of joy ending with a mountain of New York’s best pizza.

An early morning gathering of the Seton Education Fellows at the stairs of St. Peter’s on Barclay St. - The church where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was welcomed into the Church.

And after a little stroll downtown, the Seton Fellows visited the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton for some talks and Mass.

Seton Education Partners exists to serve children in underserved communities through schools rooted in virtue, academic excellence, and faith.

Seton’s Brilla and Brillante charter networks blend rigorous academics with character formation inspired by the Gospel.

Every Seton Teaching Fellow commits one to two years after college to serve, teach, and live in intentional community.

Seton believes education isn’t just about achievement — it’s about forming saints and scholars for life.

After being spiritually and intellectually fed, the Fellows took their first ride on the Subway uptown to St. Joseph’s in Greenwich Village.

For John’s Pizza.

And Adoration.

The Reason Why…

A young boy, a student at the Brilla School, in the projects, reverently displays his Rosary Beads, which hang from the wall of the apartment he lives in.

While his sister rallies everyone for a little family Bible Study.

In which they all join in.

And just a few blocks away, a group of Seton Fellow organize a Baptism event for students who wish to be baptized.

What’s most beautiful is how the children they teach so often become the ones who lead their families to the Faith.

Thanks for reading! This is a truly independent, reader-supported periodical. Your support is crucial. If you are able, please consider a paid subsciption or making a ‘Patron of the Arts’ donation of any amount. By doing so, you are not just supporting this effort; you’re a vital part of this mission.

You have my heartfelt thanks for your generosity and support and please keep me in your prayers, and know of mine for each of you. God Bless, Jeff