Elizabeth Ann Seton was the first born American to be canonized in the Roman Catholic Church. Although this is not why I chose her to be my confirmation saint, she is the patroness of in-law problems, widows, and the death of parents. Elizabeth Ann Seton had to go through many losses in her lifetime including the death of her mother and sister at age three, her stepmother when her father and she got divorced, and her husband when he died of tuberculosis (Catholic Online). Elizabeth had a very good bond with her step mother and when she and her father got divorced, she abandoned Elizabeth.
She wanted nothing to do with her. This made Elizabeth feel depressed and alone. She went on to marry William Magee Seton when she was 19 years old. He eventually died of tuberculosis, leaving Elizabeth a widow at age 29. She started a religious order that went on to spread throughout the country. This is what she is most known for. Then on January 4, 1821, Elizabeth Ann Seton died of tuberculosis at age 46. She was very charming, cultured, and brave. Because of all the suffering she went through, she taught many people how to pray. On September 14, 1975, Pope Paul VI canonized Elizabeth Ann Seton in St.
Peter’s Square. She can help students here at Cathedral High School by guiding us to a deeper prayer life and strengthening our relationship with God. Elizabeth Ann Seton was born on August 28, 1774 in New York to Dr. Richard Bayley and Catherine Charlton. She lived and grew up in New York, New York. When Elizabeth was just three years old, she lost her mother because of birth complications while giving birth to Elizabeth’s sister. Shortly after, her sister died. After her mother’s death, her father remarried Charlotte Amelia Barclay.
Charlotte acted as a mother to Elizabeth. They formed a very close relationship bonding while doing things that they both loved to do. Charlotte and Elizabeth’s father had five kids together. Eventually, the couple broke up and Charlotte rejected Elizabeth and her older sister. Because of all her losses, including her mother, sister, and stepmother, Elizabeth entered a very dark time in her life. She became depressed and felt very alone. She expressed herself through writing poetry, playing the piano, and enjoying nature (Catholic Online).
These things helped her cope with her depression by taking her mind off of it. When Elizabeth Ann Seton was 19 years old, she married William Magee Seton. He was a very wealthy 25 year old businessman in the import trade. They were married by the first bishop of New York, Samuel Provoost. After they got married, they moved to Wall Street. During her life, Elizabeth Ann Seton cared for the sick and dying and served as the treasurer of The Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children. Her and William Seton had five children together. The Seton’s became bankrupt and lost their home.
They then travelled to Europe for a warmer climate for William. On December 27, 1803, William Seton died of tuberculosis at age 70, leaving Elizabeth a widow (Catholic Online). Elizabeth and her daughter stayed with William’s business partners and they introduced Elizabeth to the Catholic Faith. They then returned to New York and joined St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church. This is where Elizabeth, on March 14, 1805, officially converted to the Roman Catholic faith. Elizabeth Ann Seton started an academy for young girls as a way to support herself and her kids.
This was a very common thing for widows to do in this time period. In 1809, Elizabeth accepted the invitation to join the Sulpicians, a religious group of the time period, and moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland (Catholic Online). About a year later, she established a school for Catholic girls called Saint Joseph’s Academy. On July 31, Elizabeth established a religious community in Emmitsburg to help take care of the children of the poor. This was the first congregation of religious sisters to be founded in the United States, and its school was the first free Catholic school in America.
This school was the beginning of parochial schools in the United States. The congregation was first called the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s. From that point on, she became known as “Mother Seton”. Elizabeth Ann Seton dedicated her life to building up and establishing the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s. On January 4, 1821, Elizabeth Ann Seton lost her life to tuberculosis at age 46. Her remains are held at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland, which is where she died (Catholic Online).
Her religious order was running orphanages and schools that stretched all the way to Cincinnati and New Orleans and they had established the first hospital in St. Louis all by 1830 (Catholic Online). On March 17, 1963, Elizabeth Ann Seton was beatified by Pope John XXIII. He talked about how she dedicated her life to service and charity. Then on September 14, 1975, she was canonized as a Saint by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter’s Square. She was the first American to become a saint. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was very charming and cultured. She truly loved her husband very much.
She really wanted to make things work for all people. She genuinely wanted people to have help available and to be able to strengthen their faith life. Saint Elizabeth was also very brave. She took many risks in her life, including starting a religious order. She had to get through her emotions from losing William to move on with her life and to start charities and services. She touched so many people’s lives. Personally, I think that this is one of the main reasons that she became a saint. She helped so many people come in touch with their faith. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton taught many people how to pray.
Through her religious order that she started and her determination to spark so many people’s faith is truly what shaped her personality. Because of her hard work and determination, her religious order has spread throughout the United States. They have reached many people because of their expansion and it all goes back to Elizabeth Ann Seton’s desire to change people’s lives. One of the things that gave Elizabeth Ann Seton her determination was her perseverance through all of her suffering. She lost her mother, sister, stepmother, and husband all before she was 25. She converted to the Catholic faith.
She put all of her hard times behind her and focused on her mission of inspiring people to strengthen their faith life. It took a lot of bravery to work though all of her suffering to start a new journey in her life. Because of all her losses, she realized her true calling in life, to teach people to pray and to have a relationship with God. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is a saint because of her remarkable holiness and her gift of helping others. Even though she did not convert until she was older, Elizabeth had a very deep devotion to the faith. Her life revolved around it.
She spent most of her life serving God through others. She had such a great desire to help so many people. Because of this desire, she was able to start a religious order and affect so many lives across the United States. People always looked to her for guidance while shaping their faith life (Dirvin 63). She is recognized as such a great saint because of her willingness to guide people and her dedication to the Catholic faith. Some of the qualities that I admire most about Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton are her perseverance, her devotion to the faith, her individuality, and her courage.
Her perseverance teaches me to always push through when times get tough. Her devotion to the faith teaches me to really live for God. He will help me get to heaven and I need him in my life in order to persevere and be confident in myself. If I devote myself to God, he will get me through anything. Her individuality teaches me to be confident in myself because God made me and he will always love me. I know that He has a plan for me. Her courage teaches me to trust in God and to always think positive. If I look at the outcome, I will be able to get through anything with God’s help.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is a very good role model for students at Cathedral High School because of her devotion to the faith and her perseverance. She can teach us students that being devoted to God will help us get through anything and everything. He will always be there to guide us if we are there to listen. Saint Elizabeth demonstrates this very well. She always let God guide her life. We can pray to Saint Elizabeth for our family members, the church, and even help with our prayer life. She will guide us in these ways like she guided people when she was still alive.
She spent her whole life helping people strengthen their prayer life and she will be there to help us too. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was an extraordinary saint. Her life can teach us many things about the faith. She is a great role model for anyone who is looking to strengthen their faith life and their relationship with God. She had to go through many losses in her lifetime, which can teach us that no matter how much we are struggling, God will always be there to listen to us and help us in times of need.
