American Saint

Elizabeth Ann Seton was a name that stood out to me from the list, but I didn’t know why it did. After choosing St. Elizabeth Ann Seton I researched her and found that her feast day was January 4th. That would’ve been this past Wednesday, the day my homeroom had announcement duties. Then it hit me, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is my homeroom saint. After realizing this, I knew I had to choose her and learn more about her life. Elizabeth Ann Seton was born on august 28, 1774 in New York City. Elizabeth was a “daughter of the American Revolution” for she was born only two years before the writing of the Declaration of Independence. She was born into a nice, wealthy family in New York City. Her family was a distinguished colonial family and a part of higher society. Her father was a physician and raised their family Episcopalian. She valued prayer, scripture, and examination of conscience. Her father taught her to love and serve others from a very young age. I depicted this by the quotes I added to my board. Many of her quotes are about loving and serving. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was an important saint to the American Catholic Church. She founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and she established the first american Catholic orphanage. The first orphanage in 1814 in Philadelphia and another in 1817 located in New York City. With this is mind she is the patron saint of Catholic schools, children near death, widows, and death of parents. Therefor, I pinned pictures of Elizabeth and children. A lot of the pictures I pinned were of her and kids in a school setting. Elizabeth married a businessman and had five children. Her husband's business failed and he died shortly after that. She was left widowed, poor, and in charge of raising five kids. On top of her misfortunes, Elizabeth lost two of her kids. She later witnessed Catholicism and decided to convert because of three reasons. They were her belief in the Real presence, devotion to the Blessed Mother, and belief that the Catholic church led back to the apostles and Christ. She converted in March of 1805 and her decisions was not supported by her family members and friends. In August 1807, Elizabeth Ann Seton opened a school in Baltimore. She organized a group of women to help her with her work. With the help of Archbishop Carroll she received the rule and habit and took the vows of religion. The Sisters of Charity were modeled after the rule of St. Vincent de Paul. They laid the foundation for Catholic schools in the United States. The sisters were trained as teacher and wrote many of the textbooks they used in the classroom. The sisters also worked among the poor, helped the sick, and directed the work of the congregation. I also pinned pictures of the Sisters of Charity to show the importance of Elizabeth Ann Seton. Elizabeth Ann Seton died on January 4, 1821 in Emmitsburg, Massachusetts. She became the first American born saint. Elizabeth was beatified in 1963 by Pope John XXIII. On September 14, 1975 she was canonized as a saint by Pope Paul VI. She was laid to rest in the motherhouse of the American Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg.