Today, let us salute St. Elizabeth Ann Seton...
Reflections on the readings for the Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (January 4, 2022):1 JN 4:7-10; PS 72:1-2,3-4,7-8; MK 6:34-44
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The patron of Catholic schools as well as the first person born in the United States to be canonized a saint.
Born in New York City in 1774, Elizabeth Ann Bayley was part of a well-to-do and socially prominent family. She was raised as a faithful member of the Episcopal Church. Her father, a doctor, and her stepmother taught her the important of service to others. At age 19, she married William Seton, a rich businessman, and they had five children. Unfortunately, his business failed within a decade. Because he suffered from tuberculosis, the couple sailed to Italy hoping to restore his health, but he soon died. Elizabeth Seton stayed there with devout Catholic friends and, after returning to New York, she converted in 1805. This made her an outcast to both her family and friends. She became alone and penniless while she tried to find a way to support her children. Then, a priest from Baltimore suggested that she go there to open a school. She succeeded and started to attract other women to the endeavor which resulted in the founding of the Sisters of Charity in 1809 -- the first congregation of religious sisters started in the United States. Mother Seton continued as the superior until her death in 1821. By then, they had established schools and orphanages in several cities and the order continued to grow and be a force in assisting the many immigrants that would come to America throughout the 19th century.
St. Elizabeth Seton’s heart and soul were focused on obeying God’s will, especially as she looked after her own family and directed the Sisters of Charity. She said, “God is everywhere, in the very air I breathe, yes everywhere, but in His Sacrament of the Altar He is as present actually and really as my soul within my body; in His Sacrifice daily offered as really as once offered on the Cross.” She was canonized in 1975, the first person born in what became the USA to be so venerated. In addition to being patron of Catholic schools, St. Elizabeth Seton is also a patron of widows, those who have lost parents, and seafarers.
