Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was born on 28th August 1774 in a distinguished protestant family in New York City. Her father was a physician who taught her to love and serve the poor. As a young girl, St. Elizabeth had a special concern for the poor and the sick and ministered to them so tenderly that she was called the "Protestant Sister of Charity." She wore a crucifix, did the general examen of conscience daily, and read 'The Imitation of Christ' along with the Bible, revealing her deep religious conviction and spiritual character.
At nineteen, she married William Seton, a wealthy young merchant. William and Elizabeth were committed to each other and had five children. The subsequent loss of the Seton fortunes affected William's health so much that a change in the environment became imperative. The Filicchi family of Leghorn, their friends in Italy, invited them over to help divert his mind. So they sailed off for Italy, reaching Leghorn in 1803. Six weeks later, William died. Elizabeth spent her first month of widowhood in the Catholic household of Filicchi, where she came to know and appreciate the Catholic faith and nurtured a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin. When she returned from Italy, she was already a Catholic at heart. Her decision turned her family and friends against her, leaving her alone.
She opened a Catholic boarding school for girls in Maryland to support herself and her children. With the other women, she began a congregation of religious women known as the Sisters of Charity under the rule of St. Vincent de Paul. Elizabeth received the title of "Mother," head of the community. She laid the foundations of the American parochial school system, trained teachers, prepared textbooks, and wrote many spiritual treatises. Worn out by the rigors of sickness and labor, Elizabeth passed away on 4th January 1821. Pope Paul VI canonized St. Elizabeth, the first American-born saint, on 14th September 1975.
St. Elizabeth Seton, through your example and prayers, may we learn to express our love for God by loving our fellow brethren.
Prepared and updated by:
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.
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