Elizabeth Ann Seton was born on August 28, 1774, in New York City. What makes her story so compelling is that while she was married to a wealthy shipper and had five children, she never stopped helping the poor and sick in our country. Even when her husband went bankrupt and died.
So why do I bring her up here? Well, in the past month her name has popped twice right in front of my face. The first time was at a confirmation mass that I attended. The second was at a first communion mass that I attended. In fact, at that event, I noticed the church has one name and the school is named after St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Ever heard of Seton Hall University? The University is named after her too as are several schools.
I was rather impressed with her story, not because she is a Catholic Saint or her religious association (for which I do respect and appreciate personally) but because of what she gave to the community. She is also the first native born United States citizen to be canonized a saint. Known as the patron saint of Catholic schools, her name appears on the front two doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City as a "Daughter of New York". Next time I'm in NYC, I'll have to stop by the Cathedral for another visit.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is someone's ancestor and it is Sunday.
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