The Eleventh Day of Christmas: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Happy Eleventh Day of Christmas! Today we honour a more modern saint than those of recent days. Elizabeth Ann Seton was the first native-born American citizen to be canonized.

She was born in 1774 and grew up in a home in upperclass New York society. Her father was frequently absent in London for his business, and her stepmother spurned her in favour of her natural children. Elizabeth was by all accounts a quiet child and a voracious reader.

In 1794, Elizabeth married William Seton, and they moved into a ritzy neighbourhood – Wall Street. Within four years, William’s father died, leaving the couple as instant parents to William’s six brothers and sisters (in addition to their five own children), and William in charge of a large, but failing, import business.

William suffered from tuberculosis, and his health declined with the stress of their new life. The couple headed to Italy for his health, but he died soon after they arrived. At age 29, Elizabeth was a widow.

In Italy, Elizabeth began taking instruction in the Catholic faith, and in 1805 was received into the Church.

Once back in the United States, she founded a Catholic school in Baltimore.

She and two of the teachers eventually formed an order of Sisters, and in 1809, Elizabeth took her final vows. Within a decade, the Sisters of Charity had founded two orphanages and another school. The sisterhood continued to grow, and now

Mother Seton, as she was known to the Sisters, died on January 4, 1821 at the age of 46. She was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975.