{"id":135808,"date":"2025-08-30T00:05:39","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T04:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/?p=135808"},"modified":"2025-08-30T01:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T05:59:08","slug":"the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ll never forget the evening at my parish women\u2019s group when Helen, a registered nurse and one of our oldest members, described a unique kind of volunteer work she did for years at a local hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would call me up if someone was alone and near dying,\u201d she explained, \u201cand I would just go and sit with them. Sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes all night long. I would hold their hand, talk to them, and let them know someone cares.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was in awe of this kind of volunteer work. Helen had been present for hundreds of people\u2019s last moments on earth. She was dedicated to giving them love and a human touch at a time when they needed it most.<\/p>\n

In light of these thoughts, what Helen said next really moved me: \u201cI\u2019m not married, and I never had children of my own, but I feel like I have been a kind of mother to every one of those people I cared for as they died.\u201d<\/p>\n

What a beautiful expression of what it means to be a mother!<\/p>\n

I have a friend who, despite years of longing for marriage and children, has never found the right person to marry, and so she says she has resigned herself to the idea of being a \u201cspiritual mother\u201d to her nieces, nephews, co-workers, and friends. \u201cIt sometimes feels like a consolation prize,\u201d she once told me once with an eye roll.<\/p>\n

But spiritual motherhood is so much more than a consolation prize. It\u2019s a unique calling to love and serve God by loving and serving others in beautifully personal ways.<\/p>\n

St. Jeanne Jugan, founder of the Little Sisters of the Poor, was a woman who lived a simple yet astonishing life of quiet service dedicated to the elderly and the poor.<\/p>\n

Living in France in the late 1700s, Jeanne knew that God was calling her to a unique vocation. When she was still a teenager, she told her mother, \u201cGod wants me for himself. He is keeping me for a work which is not yet founded.\u201d It would be many years before she knew what work God was calling her to, but once she understood what it was, she embraced it wholeheartedly.<\/p>\n

One cold winter night, Jeanne came upon a poor old woman with no one to care for her, and she saw Jesus Christ Himself in this needy woman. She carried her to her home and placed her in her own bed where she lovingly took care of her until she died.<\/p>\n

More and more needy people began to show up on Jeanne\u2019s doorstep, and she faithfully took all of them in and cared for them as best she could. Eventually, other women came to her, wanting to help with this much-needed ministry. Others began to refer to the group of women as \u201cLittle Sisters of the Poor,\u201d and the name stayed with them as they became a legitimate religious community dedicated to caring for the needs of the poor and elderly.<\/p>\n

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is another extraordinary woman who lived out a form of spiritual motherhood throughout her life.<\/p>\n

Early in her marriage, though she had biological children of her own, Elizabeth took in her husband\u2019s orphaned siblings and cared for them. Little did she know at the time, but this generosity of maternal spirit was to flower into a life-long vocation to caring for children.<\/p>\n

After her husband\u2019s death, to support her family, Elizabeth took in poor young girls to educate them. In later years, when Elizabeth founded her own religious community, the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s, she became a spiritual mother to the young women who joined her in the community as well as to the children they taught and cared for.<\/p>\n

As a mother of eight children myself, I have long looked to the example of St. Elizabeth Seton as a model mother who juggled the needs of many children. These days, though, as some of my children have grown older and begun independent lives of their own, I find that my identity as a mother is shifting and changing, and I have been contemplating the concept of spiritual motherhood more and more.<\/p>\n

In an emptying nest, who does God need me to love and care for now? I am waiting for God to reveal to me who He wants me to \u201cmother\u201d next\u2014grandchildren perhaps,\u2014but I do know that the examples of my friend Helen, St. Jeanne Jugan, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton will inspire and encourage me along the way.<\/p>\n

DANIELLE BEAN<\/strong> es escritora y popular conferenciante sobre la vida familiar cat\u00f3lica, la paternidad, el matrimonio y la espiritualidad de la maternidad. Fue editora y redactora jefe de Catholic Digest, y es autora de muchos libros para mujeres, entre ellos <\/em>Momnipotente<\/a>, You\u2019re Worth It!<\/a>\u00a0y <\/em>T\u00fa eres suficiente<\/a>. Tambi\u00e9n es creadora y presentadora del podcast Girlfriends. M\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n en <\/em>DanielleBean.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

This reflection was previously published. To view all the Seton Reflections, click here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Imagen: Dominio p\u00fablico<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

God creates all women with a unique capacity for life-giving, nurturing love. Mother Seton and St. Jeanne Jugan show us how each woman expresses that gift in unique ways. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":135809,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1187],"tags":[3740,4249,4250],"class_list":["post-135808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seton-reflections","tag-st-elizabeth-ann-seton","tag-st-jeanne-jugan","tag-the-little-sisters-of-the-poor"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSpiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - Seton Shrine %<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"God creates all women with a unique capacity for life-giving, nurturing love. Mother Seton and St. Jeanne Jugan show us how each woman expresses that gift in unique ways.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - Seton Shrine %\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"God creates all women with a unique capacity for life-giving, nurturing love. Mother Seton and St. Jeanne Jugan show us how each woman expresses that gift in unique ways.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Jugan.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SetonShrine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SetonShrine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Danielle Bean\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Danielle Bean\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4eb57b577224a11b3edc6a76f7b50807\"},\"headline\":\"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-30T04:05:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-30T05:59:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":863,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/Jugan.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"St. Elizabeth Ann Seton\",\"St. Jeanne Jugan\",\"The Little Sisters of the Poor\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Seton Reflections\"],\"inLanguage\":\"es-MX\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/\",\"name\":\"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - Seton Shrine %\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/Jugan.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-30T04:05:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-30T05:59:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4eb57b577224a11b3edc6a76f7b50807\"},\"description\":\"God creates all women with a unique capacity for life-giving, nurturing love. Mother Seton and St. Jeanne Jugan show us how each woman expresses that gift in unique ways.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es-MX\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es-MX\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/Jugan.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/Jugan.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":640},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Seton Reflections\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/category\\\/seton-reflections\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Seton Shrine\",\"description\":\"We Welcome Everyone at The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es-MX\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4eb57b577224a11b3edc6a76f7b50807\",\"name\":\"Danielle Bean\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es-MX\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/DanielleBean160x160-100x100.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/DanielleBean160x160-100x100.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/DanielleBean160x160-100x100.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Danielle Bean\"},\"description\":\"Danielle Bean is a prominent writer and speaker on a variety of subjects related to Catholic family life, education, marriage, and motherhood. She was the publisher and editor-in-chief of Catholic Digest, America\u2019s most popular Catholic magazine, and is the author of several books, including You\u2019re Worth It!, Momnipotent, Small Steps for Catholic Moms, and My Cup of Tea. These books have empowered women and families everywhere to know their worth in the eyes of God and to embrace his call in their lives.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/setonshrine.org\\\/es\\\/author\\\/danielle-bean\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - Seton Shrine %","description":"God creates all women with a unique capacity for life-giving, nurturing love. Mother Seton and St. Jeanne Jugan show us how each woman expresses that gift in unique ways.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - Seton Shrine %","twitter_description":"God creates all women with a unique capacity for life-giving, nurturing love. Mother Seton and St. Jeanne Jugan show us how each woman expresses that gift in unique ways.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Jugan.jpg","twitter_creator":"@SetonShrine","twitter_site":"@SetonShrine","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Danielle Bean","Est. reading time":"4 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/"},"author":{"name":"Danielle Bean","@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/#\/schema\/person\/4eb57b577224a11b3edc6a76f7b50807"},"headline":"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton","datePublished":"2025-08-30T04:05:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-30T05:59:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/"},"wordCount":863,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Jugan.jpg","keywords":["St. Elizabeth Ann Seton","St. Jeanne Jugan","The Little Sisters of the Poor"],"articleSection":["Seton Reflections"],"inLanguage":"es-MX"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/","url":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/","name":"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - Seton Shrine %","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Jugan.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-30T04:05:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-30T05:59:08+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/#\/schema\/person\/4eb57b577224a11b3edc6a76f7b50807"},"description":"God creates all women with a unique capacity for life-giving, nurturing love. Mother Seton and St. Jeanne Jugan show us how each woman expresses that gift in unique ways.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es-MX","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es-MX","@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Jugan.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Jugan.jpg","width":1920,"height":640},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/the-examples-of-st-jeanne-jugan-and-st-elizabeth-ann-seton\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Seton Reflections","item":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/category\/seton-reflections\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Spiritual Motherhood: The Examples of St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/","name":"Santuario de Seton","description":"Damos la bienvenida a todos en el Santuario Nacional de Santa Isabel Ana Seton","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es-MX"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/#\/schema\/person\/4eb57b577224a11b3edc6a76f7b50807","name":"Danielle Bean","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es-MX","@id":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/DanielleBean160x160-100x100.jpg","url":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/DanielleBean160x160-100x100.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/DanielleBean160x160-100x100.jpg","caption":"Danielle Bean"},"description":"Danielle Bean es una destacada escritora y conferenciante sobre diversos temas relacionados con la vida familiar cat\u00f3lica, la educaci\u00f3n, el matrimonio y la maternidad. Fue editora y jefa de redacci\u00f3n de Catholic Digest, la revista cat\u00f3lica m\u00e1s popular de Estados Unidos, y es autora de varios libros, entre ellos \u00a1Vales la pena!, Momnipotent, Small Steps for Catholic Moms y My Cup of Tea. Estos libros han ayudado a mujeres y familias de todo el mundo a conocer su val\u00eda a los ojos de Dios y a aceptar su llamada en sus vidas.","url":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/author\/danielle-bean\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setonshrine.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}