Elizabeth Ann Seton has a personal history that we would not expect in the life of a saint: orphaned when 3 years old, married at 19 years old to a wealthy husband, mother of five children, widowed at 29 years old, and then a convert to the Catholic church. She suffered from religious persecution in New York City after her conversion which forced her to move to Maryland. There she formed a religious community, the Sisters of Charity, dedicated to caring for the poor, especially through schools, hospitals, and orphanages. Mother Seton’s schools eventually developed into the Catholic parochial school system in the United States, especially for immigrant children. The first hospital west of the Mississippi was established by the Sisters of Charity.
I should point out that I am a little prejudiced in favor of Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity. Being a public-school student, I attended catechesis (CCD classes) run by the Sisters of Charity who staffed my home town parish. During the COVID-19 pandemic I worked helping the homeless on the streets of New York City in a program sponsored by the Sister of Charity.
Despite my prejudice, one must concede that Mother Seton has left us a clear example of dedication to living out the Gospel. Despite many trials and tribulations, despite being a wife, widow, and mother, she looked at the world and the times of her life with hope and vision. She dedicated herself to a vision of service. It is important for us to look at the times we are living in and make the Gospel vision of peace and service a reality. It is so easy for us, especially in this season of sugar-coated Christmas, to do little for our times. We tend to excuse ourselves from any meaningful action or self-sacrifice. We reduce our righteous acts and personal conversion to moments of gift giving during this short Christmas season. Mother Seton did not excuse herself from action or reduce her actions to a short time of the year. She followed her vision and planted the basis for our entire Catholic parochial education system and the Catholic hospital system.
The joy of the arrival of our redeemer, the Christ child, pushes us to share that joy with others in an urgent way throughout our entire lives. John tells us clearly today:
In this way,
the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain;
no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God,
nor anyone who does not love his brother
Image: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-elizabeth-ann-seton-105
TEXT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Ann_Seton