She was a wife. A mother. A teacher.
She was also — as the title of a new exhibit at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland, tells visitors — “One of Us.”
And as the first native-born American saint, the 50th anniversary of Mother Seton’s canonization will be celebrated with a full year of spiritually immersive activities — beginning Jan. 4 with an EWTN-televised Mass celebrated by Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori — at the pilgrimage destination bearing her name.
“In many ways, she was an ordinary woman who did ordinary things — things not unlike you and I do today,” said Rob Judge, executive director of the Seton Shrine. “She just did them through the lens of eternity, and God’s grace and his providence — this strong belief that he would take care of her, and that he could be sought in this world and in the next.
“That permeated her entire life experience. But what also was relevant about her life experience,” Judge added, “is she was just trying to figure things out — like we are today.”