Homily: Feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Patron of All Women)
Seton Catholic School is a very important part of our Catholic Community. It was named for the saint we remember today, Elizabeth Ann Seton.
We remember her as a Catholic sister, but her life was far more nuanced than that. Elizabeth Bayley was born in 1774 right at the time of the American revolution. She was part of a prominent Episcopalian family. Her father was a physician. At age twenty Elizabeth married a wealthy merchant, William Seton.
The two of them had five children. Always full of charity she became involved in an organization that helped widows and orphans. In 1803 her life began to change.
William’s shipping business went bankrupt, and he developed tuberculosis. He went to Italy with Elizabeth and their oldest daughter in search of a dryer climate. He died soon after the voyage.
Elizabeth was taken in by a Catholic family for a while. She was so touched by their kindness she soon converted to Catholicism when she returned to the United States in 1805. When she converted, she was rejected by her family and friends.
She tried to support herself by running a boarding house. But she was very poor. The rector of St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore learned of her plight and invited her to start a school for girls there which she did. This was the beginning of the Catholic school system in the United States.
She started a religious order called the Daughters of Charity of St. Joseph. By the time of her death her sisters had over twenty communities and she had foundations in North and South America and Italy.
Mother Seton had many trials. The following quote sums up her philosophy.
“Can you expect to go to heaven for nothing? Did not our Savior track the whole way to it with His tears and blood? And yet you stop at every little pain.”
Reflection Questions:
- Who might Mother Seton be a patron saint for? Is her life story surprising to me?
- Saints are often born out of adversity. Has my faith grown stronger the last year or weaker?
Dear Parishioners,
As we commemorate Mother Seton, we remember she is the patroness of our school. Her statue sits at the entrance of the school. All schools are going through a lot of turmoil right now. The Christmas break has given our teachers and administrators a chance to rest. As they resume, the COVID pandemic once again threatens to disrupt things. Please pray for the Students of Seton and Alleman that they may have a healthy second semester.
Also pray for the repose of the soul of Lisa Toalson who passed away this past weekend. She worked as a Resource Teacher at Seton Catholic school. Her death was a surprise to her family and the Seton Community.
May Our Lady and All the Saints keep you save today.
Fr. Mark