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Mystic Moment: St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton
August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821
OPENING PRAYER Gratitude for the Life of St. Eliabeth Ann Seton
Holy One, you blessed St. Elizabeth Ann Seton with extraordinary gifts of courage, compassion, and leadership as wife, mother, educator, and foundress. Our lives have been touched by the many extensions of herself she passionately invested her life in to serve the People of God. Her example lives today
in our hearts, the schools, churches, hospitals, and outreach she inspired. In gratitude for the countless ways she has enriched our lives, may we learn to express our love for you in love for one another. She engendered hope, incorporating justice, fairness, equality, and love in her vision transforming our Church and society. We offer this moment of special GRATITUDE for her life. Amen.
VIDEO 1 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: Seeker to Saint
“Upon Pope Francis’ arrival at the White House on September 23, 2015, President Barack Obama presented him with the original key to the home of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. The key opened the door to the Stone House, which was her first home and school in Emmitsburg, Maryland, now on the grounds of her National Shrine. More than 200 years later, thousands of her sisters continue her legacy of charity worldwide.”
READING 1 All Mystics Differ; All Mystics Tred a Similar Path
In the East and the West, in ancient, medieval, and modern times a certain type of personality arises, though of different cultures, temperaments, nationalities, and genders. They are gifted with a sharpened sense of reality different than most, yet possible for all. We meet these persons whether we are looking for them or not, because they bump into us, as our lives have more than a modicum of curiosity about reality and beyond; we call them “mystics”. Those of us who follow the brown-skinned Galilean, who spoke Aramaic, and set our hearts on fire when we heard and experienced His gifts in our lives, are familiar with the communication between our spirit and our craving for the Holy One. Mystics have many faces. Not all are eremitic contemplatives, or even those cloistered. Yet all journey through extremely painful experiences, feel keenly the Holy One’s absence, before reaching the true Holy Unity. Let us embrace another saint for our times, whose gifts to our culture are astounding. Her mysticism was the heart and soul of inspiration to birth a religious community, and springboard her leadership of the many she touched both spiritually and physically. She spun the blessedness and peace of mystical life to a healing and enlightening understanding of our interconnectedness and shared it with a depth of generosity and compassion. We peek through the veil to see and pray in gratitude for her understanding of family life, teaching legacy, and leadership in mothering multi-faceted communities.
PRAYER 2 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Patron Saint of Family Loss
Beloved St. Elizabeth, we give you thanks as Patron Saint of those who have lost a parent, sibling, or spouse early in life. We hold immense gratitude for you in our hearts, our relatable sister and model. We, in today’s multiple types of parental roles, adoptive parents, co-parenting, or foster parents, draw comfort from your immense faith and courage when you experienced intense trials. Your compassion, insight, devotion and service enlighten, comfort, and guide us. With deep appreciation we know you are there for us when we experience loss, and ask your continued guidance along our journey in the Kindom with our brother, Jesus. Amen.
VIDEO 2 The Transformative Power of Education
READING 2 She has Directly Affected Us
In some way, each of us has been touched by the life of St. Elizabeth Seton. She founded the first Catholic girls' school in the nation in Emmitsburg, Maryland, taught by the first American congregation of religious sisters in the U.S., the Sisters of Charity. As she encountered the unwanted, unloved children, “Mother Seton” started the first orphanage, hospital, and adoption center for marginalized children. She is also associated with the Vincentian Sisters, who came from France and were led by Mother Seton. Think of it, have you, or your dear ones been educated in a Catholic elementary or high school? Perhaps you were born in a Catholic hospital, staffed by sisters of one of many religious orders in the U.S. in years past. Maybe a beloved family member was lovingly carried to the end of their life in a nursing home, surrounded by the sisters of some community or order? Or perhaps there was the Catholic College or University started over a century ago for the education of catholic women, that you or family members attended. These gifts to our young country started due to the direct inspiration of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and changed our society. Although our lives are different today, we have a reason to be grateful, as we admire and are inspired by her courageous, driven outreach to make change happen wherever she saw the needs of the Holy One’s little ones.
PRAYER 3 Gratitude for Her Timeless Example
Holy St. Elizabeth, your early life was painfully difficult. You lost your mother, step-mother, and a sibling as a young child. It must have been crushing for you to suffer those early losses. It was a foreshadowing of the suffering you were to face at your husband’s early death. Left with your own 5 children, and 7 siblings of your husbands to care for and educate, how deep your trust, faith, and courage must have been!
After these deep losses, you must have longed to stabilize and give the utmost love, direction, and education to this family of yours. Sometimes, disagreements with my family keep me from loving them the way I should. It is so easy to hold grudges instead of offering forgiveness. Help me be the support my family needs.
St. Elizabeth, when there is negativity in my family, please help me to be the one to forgive. Inspire us to always be there for one another, and have each other’s best interests at heart. Help us to inspire one another, cheer on one another, laugh together, support each other, and love each other as our Beloved Jesus helped you. Most of all, help our family to be a witness to the Holy One in all we do. Teach us to be an inspiration so other families can experience how loving and compassionate a family can be. https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-elizabeth-ann-seton-novena
NATIONAL SHRINE OF ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON
The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is located in Emmitsburg, Maryland. On the campus with the Basilica, Museum, and Visitors’ Center are St. Elizabeth Ann’s original Stone House and White House, the Daughters of Charity residences, Archives, cemeteries, and Villa for residential care of the retired Sisters. She is known as patron saint of Catholic schools, teachers, widows, orphans, and people who have been persecuted for their faith.
INTERCESSIONS ADAPTED FROM: https://www.seton-parish.org/seton-novena
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton:
You know the blessings of the sacrament of Holy Matrimony
Response: Teach us to support all families with faith and patience.
You know the love of a good spouse
Response: Intercede for all married couples.
You know the stirring of the child in your womb
Response: Intercede for every unborn child.
You know the cry of hunger and pain of children
Response: Inspire us to protect the littlest and most vulnerable.
You know the pain of those who have lost a spouse
Response: Inspire us to seek out those who are most in need.
You know the loneliness of the orphan
Response: Consecrate us to the protection of children.
You know the searching of the adolescent
Response: Open our eyes to the wonder of their lives.
You know of the vocation of the teacher
Response: Inspire us to teach the Good News of Jesus to the young.
You know the vows of religious life
Response: Pray that all vowed religious be faithful to their vows and promises.
You know the journey of the dying
Response: Be with us as we journey toward death with those whom we love.
We ask this in the name of our brother, Jesus. Amen.
CLOSING VIDEO
Touching and Important Legacy of Mother Seton’s Children Center
Celebrating 35 Years of Elizabeth Seton’s Children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIaGZWYGSlY
REFERENCES, RESOURCES, and WORKS CITED
VIDEO
https://vincentians.com/en/saint-elizabeth-ann-seton-mother-of-the-vincentian-community-in-america/
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/elizabeth-ann-seton
The Eucharist Transformed Mother Seton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy6LLudYoPU
The Life of Mother Seton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1o64Xg-O5o
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton https://youtu.be/bPfelwZgGE8
Celebrating 35 Years of Elizabeth Seton’s Children
https://youtu.be/JIaGZWYGSlY 5.09
Your Visit to the Elizabeth Ann Seton's National Shrine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgIuhEj1rpA
PRAYERS AND NOVENAS
https://hallow.com/saints/elizabeth-ann-seton/#prayers
https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-elizabeth-ann-seton-novena
Mini-Documentary of Life of St. Mother Seton Seeker to Saint
Opening Prayer
https://psalm91.com/prayer-to-st-elizabeth-ann-seton/#google_vignette
https://setonshrine.org/elizabeth-ann-seton-seeker-to-saint/
PHOTOS
The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
339 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727-9297 Phone: 301-447-6606
“St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - Our Patron Saint.” St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church..
References
Barthel, J. (2014). American saint : the life of Elizabeth Seton. Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Press.
Betty Ann Mcneil. (2002). 15 days of prayer with Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Liguori Publications.
Conley, R. (2017). Hope Always Awake.
Marie, J. (2019). Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Pauline Books and Media.
O’Donnell, C. (2018). Elizabeth Seton : American saint. Three Hills, an imprint of Cornell University Press.
Berg, John Leonard. “Elizabeth Ann Seton.” The Catholic Library World; Pittsfield 86, no. 1 (September 2015): 72.
Clarke, Isabel C. “Elizabeth Ann Seton.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review 38, no. 149 (1949): 90–100.
Colin Harris. “Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton Becomes the First American Saint Canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.” World History Project. Accessed September 18, 2018.
“Elizabeth Ann Seton.” History of American Women (blog), June 24, 2012.
Elizabeth Ann Seton. “Memoirs of Mrs. S*****...” Accessed September 11, 2018.
Kihss, Peter. “The Miracle Occurs Daily at St. Joseph’s.” The New York Times, September 15, 1975, sec. Archives.
“The Life of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.” Seton Shrine (blog). Accessed September 18, 2018.
“Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.” Franciscan Media (blog), January 4, 2016.
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