February 25, 1996
Brother John Raymond
Some saints are so demanding. I was doing a series concerning the
Catechism on prayer and an American Saint forced her way in this
week. Perhaps we are in need of her intercession.
Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York on August 28, 1774. She
seemed to have everything growing up__beauty, intelligence, a
good
family and wealth. Yet, at eighteen years of age Elizabeth
thought
of suicide. She saw no purpose to her life. Her father a doctor,
although an Episcopalian, was a deist (believing, at heart, that
God
created the world and just let it go.) He brought up his daughter
in
the rationalist spirit of men like Voltaire and Rousseau.
In 1794 Elizabeth married the merchant, Willam Seton. They had
five children, two boys and three girls. She was a very
charitable
woman and became known in New York as the "Protestant Sister
of
Charity." She founded the "Society for the Relief of
Poor Widows
with Small Children."
After four years of marriage the family business failed and
Elizabeth found herself for the first time in her life destitute.
Five years later her husband became ill with tuberculosis. It was
decided that he would recover better in Italy with friends of the
Setons there. He died in Italy not long after. Elizabeth was
befriended by a Catholic family. She learned about Our Lord's
Real
Presence in the Holy Eucharist. The turning point in her
conversion
came when Elizabeth knelt down in a Catholic church and professed
her belief in the Real Presence. From then on she always had a
great
love for the Blessed Sacrament.
Shortly after her return to America Elizabeth became Catholic
along with her five children. This made her and the children
outcasts in a predominately Protestant New York. A school where
Elizabeth worked as a schoolmistress was closed when false rumors
spread around New York that it was owned by Catholics who hoped
to
force Protestant children to become Catholic.
Elizabeth was fortunate to meet a priest from Baltimore who
wanted to open a parish Catholic school. He asked her to help and
she agreed to move to Baltimore. Young women gathered around
Elizabeth and her work. The school opened in 1808. In a year they
became a religous community called the Sisters of St. Joseph with
Mother Seton as their superior. The Sisters established
orphanages
and hospitals. But they mainly were known for their work in
parish
schools.
Elizabeth died in 1821 with twenty communities spread across the
United States. She was canonized in 1975, the first native-born
North American saint.
I recommend visiting the beautiful Basilica of the National
Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland were
she
is buried. Here are two prayers composed by Saint Elizabeth Ann
Seton
O Father, the first rule of Our dear Savior's life was to do Your
Will. Let His Will of the present moment be the first rule of our
daily life and work, with no other desire but for its most full
and
complete accomplishment. Help us to follow it faithfully, so that
doing what You wish we will be pleasing to You. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Who was born for us in a stable, lived for us a life
of pain and sorrow, and died for us upon a cross; say for us in
the
hour of death, "Father, forgive," and to Your Mother,
"Behold your
child." Say to us, "This day you shall be with Me in
paradise." Dear
Savior, leave us not, forsake us not. We thirst for You, Fountain
of
Living Water. Our days pass quickly along, soon all will be
consummated for us. To Your hands we commend our spirits, now and
forever. Amen.