Homily for the Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York City on August 28, 1774, to a well-known and influential family and raised as an Episcopalian. Her mother died when Elizabeth was only three years old.

 

In 1794, at the age of 19, Elizabeth married William Magee Seton, a wealthy businessman. Together, they had five children. But only about nine years after their marriage, while living in Italy, William died of tuberculosis in 1803, leaving Elizabeth a young widow. After discovering Catholicism in Italy, Elizabeth returned to the United States and entered the Catholic Church in 1805 in New York City

 

The next few years were quite difficult. In 1809, Elizabeth moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland. There she founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, the first community for religious women established in the United States. She also began St. Joseph’s Academy and Free School, sowing the seeds of Catholic education in the United States.

 

Mother Seton, as she is often called, was canonized on Sunday, September 14, 1975, in St. Peter’s Square by Pope Paul VI. She was the first person born in what would become the United States to be given the title of “Saint.” Her remains are entombed in Emmitsburg, Maryland in the Basilica at the National Shrine that bears her name.

 

Let us pray that, like Mother Seton, our faith will guide us and support us during difficult times, and lead us to work for the good of others.+