Everyone loves a birthday, but St. Elizabeth Ann Seton intuitively saw something the Catholic Church also uniquely sees: birthdays have a deep and powerful meaning.
Tom Hoopes
Only the Brave Are Civil: St. Thomas More, St. John Fisher, and Mother Seton
As politics in America becomes increasingly marked by division and rage, we should look to Sts. Thomas More, John Fisher, and Elizabeth Ann Seton as our patron saints of civility. They sought God’s peace in communities of faith, prepared for suffering, and offered it up when it came.
Mother Seton and Charles Lwanga: Two Saints, One Spirit
The difference is great between the young African tribesman in Uganda and the religious foundress from New York City. But we are reminded of their similarities through their different gifts in the same Spirit and their different forms of service for the same Lord.
Four Reasons Paul VI was the Perfect Pope to Canonize Elizabeth Ann Seton
When Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized in 1975, it was Pope Paul VI who declared to the world her sainthood. 43 years later, Paul VI was canonized a saint, joining Mother Seton in inspiring the world to live bold and authentic Catholic lives.
The Ascension: What Mother Seton Found in the Sky
What does the Ascension of the Lord mean for the world and for our own lives? The answer can be found in the faith journey of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who kept her gaze firmly fixed on Jesus, through time and eternity.
Witnesses to the Freedom of Christ: Mother Seton and St. Cristóbal and Companions
All in their own ways, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Cristóbal and Companions were witnesses to the religious freedom that flows from the Cross ofChrist.
The Greatest Idea of Saint Athanasius and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
What attracted Mother Seton to the Catholic Church was the closeness of Christ, from the intimate scenes of the nativity, to His presence in the Eucharist. Like the great saint Athanasius, she proclaimed the truth of the Incarnation to all—“God is so infinitely present to us that he is in every part of our life and being.”
Through Mary and Joseph to God Alone: St. Louis de Montfort and Mother Seton
Louis de Montfort and Elizabeth Ann Seton were ahead of their times in showing how true devotion to our Blessed Mother will always lead us to her son.
Facing Our Battles With Saint George and Mother Seton
Saint George was a man who abandoned one army for another. He gave up the rank of tribune to enlist as a soldier for Christ. Like Saint George, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton shows us how to face our spiritual battles, confident in Christ’s victory on the cross.
Holy Saturday: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and the ‘Easter Tomb’
Despite times of anguish about the salvation of souls, for Mother Seton the crucifixion was not a sign of the wickedness of sin or the devil’s hour, but the ultimate sign of Christ’s sympathy and love for sinners.
Entering the Mysteries of Holy Week With Mother Seton
The rituals of Holy Week evolved over centuries to help us enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. Through her own experiences of suffering and joy, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s life was a mirror of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.
St. Oscar Romero, Mother Seton, and the Works of Mercy
In their radical commitment to doing the will of God, St. Oscar Romero and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton gave their lives to serving the poor and marginalized of the earth.
St. Joseph and Mother Seton: The Vocations of Spouse and Worker
St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton teach us that God won’t make troubles go away, but he will protect us in the midst of them. They both found strength by responding to God’s call, even when it meant leaving everything behind.
Saint Patrick’s Day and Mother Seton’s Heart for the Irish
From the hardscrabble immigrants she worshiped with and whose piety she learned from, to the Irish clergy and bishops with whom she worked to build her religious community, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton always had a heart for the Irish.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Explains How to Pray, Fast, and Give
For St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the three Lenten marks of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving were a way of life. Her words can inspire us to view these three practices of Lent as one integrated act.
Sister Blandina, Mother Seton, and the Power of the Western Hero
Servant of God Blandina Segale’s ministry in the American West as a Sister of Charity, and Mother Seton’s experiences founding her community in Emmitsburg, share much in common with classic western movies. In both their stories, Jesus is the true hero.
To Follow the Pope, as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Did
St. Peter is honored because despite his weaknesses, he loved and followed Jesus, and became the first pope. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton also chose a difficult path, when she answered God’s call, and entered the Catholic Church. Like St. Peter, Mother Seton’s humility became her greatest glory.
Evangelizers of New Lands: Saints Cyril and Methodius, and Elizabeth Ann Seton
Though more than a millennium separates us from the evangelical mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and two centuries from Mother Seton, their approach to evangelization is a model for the Church today.
What Aquinas the Student Taught Elizabeth Ann Seton the Teacher
Even though St. Elizabeth Ann Seton spent much of her adult life educating and instructing others in the Catholic faith, she never stopped being a student herself. Her own education in the faith can be traced back to the iconic saint and student, St. Thomas Aquinas.
Mother Seton and St. Paul Show Us a 4-Fold Path to Change
The conversions of Paul and Elizabeth Ann Seton may seem exceptional, but each of us, in our own life, can experience the same grace by opening our heart when Christ calls.
From Anthony in the Desert to Elizabeth on Wall Street: Saints Lead the Church
The lives of St. Anthony of Egypt and Mother Seton show us that even when saints work in obscurity, God will shine their light across space and time, to inspire the faithful on their journey to holiness.
Mother Seton, Saint of the Incarnation
Something powerful always happens when divinity meets humanity. This is best exemplified in the Incarnation, when God took on human flesh, and we see this reflected when ordinary people rise to become saints. Mother Seton’s life speaks to this mystery, and by her example she leads us closer to the Incarnate Word.
St. Stephen, First in a Line That Includes Mother Seton
In the lives of St. Stephen and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton we see that authentic service to the poor is deeply rooted in love for God and His Truth.
Fulton Sheen and Elizabeth Ann Seton: The Church That Challenges
Venerable Fulton Sheen and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton were both passionately committed to the truth that the Church is God’s channel of grace to humanity. A grace born of much suffering, but overcome by love.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Witness of the ‘Church of Ambrose’
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton loved to quote Saint Ambrose, one of the four original Doctors of the Church. On his feast day, we pray that we might follow in his and Mother Seton’s footsteps in teaching the true faith to others — both in words, and in authentic lives of devotion and service.
The Miraculous Medal: Going to Mary with Mother Seton and St. Catherine Labouré
Mary holds for us many graces — we need only ask her for them with confidence and love.
The Student is the Teacher’s Masterpiece: St. Albert the Great and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Teachers can’t expect to have a student as exceptional as St. Thomas Aquinas, but both Albertus Magnus and Mother Seton understood that every teacher can create “masterpieces” by forming students in Christ’s image.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Virtues of Veterans
Veterans Day honors those who have served in the military, and is also the feast day of the soldier St. Martin of Tours. The virtues of obedience, humility and sacrifice, which are shared by soldiers and saints, were evident in the life of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who left hearth and home to do spiritual battle for the Kingdom of Christ.
In Troubled Times, Look to Leo the Great and Mother Seton
The Saints who have gone before us show us how to live with the terrors and incivilities of our times.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton as a Model of John Paul II’s “Feminine Genius”
St. John Paul II’s description of the beauty of authentic womanhood meets fulfillment in the life and work of Mother Seton.
The Hallmarks of a Saint: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Francis of Assisi
At Mother Seton’s canonization, Pope Paul VI said “A Saint is a human creature fully conformed to the will of God.” Consider these four ways that St. Francis and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton embodied this standard in their own lives.
St. Jerome and Mother Seton Teach Us the Paradox of Christian Life
Probing the depths of our faith, we see that truth can be illuminated by some of the most confounding paradoxes.
Mother Seton and the Archangels — Helpers for All Seasons
The angels surround us, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton believed. God and his angelic servants are here to help us whenever we turn to them, in every season of life.
St. Thomas of Villanova and Mother Seton: The Struggle to Do What You Should
St. Thomas of Villanova and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton show us that obedience is the path to great works, and humility is what makes all the other virtues possible.
5 Things St. Gregory the Great and Mother Seton Had in Common
The wisdom of the Saints transcends time and place, as we see in the lives of St. Gregory the Great and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Separated by 1,200 years, each Saint lived in tumultuous times, balancing action and contemplation in ways that are relevant in any age.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Louis IX: Christian Leaders
Despite the obvious differences of gender, social status, nationality and historical era, Elizabeth Ann Seton and King Louis IX of France shared a common vision based on faith. They modeled their lives on Love itself.
Mother Seton’s ‘Certain Hope’ in Mary, Assumed Into Heaven
The Church teaches that Mary’s Assumption anticipates the resurrection of the saved, and is a sign of hope and comfort for us all. In her life, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton continually relied on this certain hope, in the sure knowledge of Mary’s presence in eternity, body and soul.
The Call, the Cross, the Crown: Mother Seton and Maximilian Kolbe
The Christian life asks of us devotion and suffering but promises to those who persevere the crown of eternal life.
Mother Seton and St. Ignatius: Vastly Different; One in Christ
When we see ourselves in the light of eternity, we know that the pains and sorrows of this world are nothing compared with the glories of heaven.
Fully American, Fully Catholic: Blessed Solanus Casey and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
In the lives of Blessed Solanus Casey and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, we can see the seven characteristics of uniquely American saints.
Saints of the Mountain: Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Both literally and figuratively, mountains were the means by which Pier Giorgio Frassati and Elizabeth Ann Seton scaled the heights of holiness and service to God and neighbor.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and the American Spirit
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton had a bold spirit, embraced new identities, made a home in hard circumstances, and left a giant legacy. She embodied many of the best virtues of being American.
Saint John XXIII, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, and the Strength of Goodness
The unshakable faith of Saint John XXIII and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton flowed from their devotion to the “strength of goodness.” This devotion was inspired by the humble and outward-serving influences of people who left indelible marks on the young lives of these two great saints.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Patroness of All Who Long for the Eucharist
This Holy Thursday will continue to be marked by limited attendance in churches worldwide, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mother Seton’s longing for the Eucharist during her life mirrors our elation when we finally receive Him again.