Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Elizabeth Ann was born in New York on August 28, 1774. When she was two, her mother died. Her father was a professor at Columbia University. Elizabeth was raised by relatives who belonged to the Protestant Church. She married William Seton. She traveled with her husband to Italy, where William died. Captivated by the Catholics’ faith in the presence of the Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and by their Marian devotion, she became a Catholic after returning to the United States.

This exposed her to new hardships, since she was regarded as a “traitor” to her faith and people turned away from her completely. Elizabeth was not broken by this; she even brought her children into the Catholic faith as well.

She raised her five children on her own and generously helped the poor and the sick of her neighborhood. In 1809 she founded the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph’s, a congregation based on the spirituality of Saint Vincent de Paul. Worn out by her many duties, she died in Emmitsburg on January 4, 1821.

Pope John XXIII beatified her on March 17, 1963, and Pope Paul VI canonized her during the Holy Year, on September 14, 1975, saying: “Elizabeth Ann Seton is the first flower of holiness solemnly recognized by the Church that the United States offers to the world. God allowed her to fulfill every vocation: wife, mother, widow, educator of children, and foundress of the first Catholic institute of sisters in America. She was strengthened inwardly by reading Holy Scripture, by the Eucharist, and by devotion to the Mother of God. She combined strength of character with deep humility. Her spiritual director, having come to know her pure love of God and her courage in seeking the supernatural, said: She desired nothing but to please God. Her whole life was directed toward eternity. She wanted to attain it herself and to secure it for all whom she met.”