Life Of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton English Literature Essay free essay sample

My pick to research a saint was Elizabeth Ann Seton. She founded the first sistership in the United States known as the American Sisters of Charity, and she opened the first Catholic School ( Emmitsburg ) . Here is some more information about this dedicated, hardworking, and faithful saint. She was born in New York on August 28, 1774, into a affluent Protestant household. Her male parent was the first wellness officer of the metropolis ( Feeney 7 ) . Elizabeth s female parent was Catherine Bayley, who died when Elizabeth was three old ages old ( Emmitsburg ) . The Setons belonged to a high circle of household friends. When Elizabeth was a adolescent and immature grownup she was considered the most beautiful debutante of her clip. When Elizabeth was 20, she married William Seton, whose parents owned transportation and bank companies in Italy. Something Elizabeth truly liked about William was the narratives from his travels. Elizabeth longed to travel to all the topographic points he had been ( Feeney 31 ) . With William, Elizabeth had five kids. Anna Maria, born in 1795, William, born in 1796, Richard Bayley, born in 1798, Catherine Charlton, born in 1800, and Rebecca Mary, born in 1802 ( Emmitsburg ) . Sadly, Elizabeth s male parent became really ill and Elizabeth took attention of him, as she was her male parent s favourite kid. When his wellness started to acquire worse, she went outside with her infant Catherine, and offered the babe to God every bit long as He saved her male parent. Her male parent died in 1801 and her babe s life was saved ( Randolph ) . While Elizabeth was still sorrowing over the loss of her male parent, William became really ill. William and Elizabeth had merely been married eight old ages when he became sick, so Elizabeth and her oldest girl, Anna Maria, traveled to Italy to remain with some household friends. Her other kids stayed with Elizabeth s aunt. Merely a few yearss after William arrived in Italy on December 27, he died from TB. Elizabeth and her girl stayed in Italy, where she became really interested in the Catholic Church, even to the point of change overing ( Feeney 95 ) . Harmonizing to Feeney, Elizabeth knew that when she went back to New York that she would hold fiscal jobs because William s household concern was non making so good. But when she eventually did return to New York, she realized how terrible their province was. Since she was so interested in the Catholic religion, she started to inquire inquiries about why Catholics were so devout. They ( Catholics ) went to Mass everyday and they truly lived their religion ( 102-3 ) . Elizabeth s household did non O.K. of her believing about change overing to the Catholic Church. Every Sunday, Elizabeth would be watched to see what church she attended, if she went at all. The priest of the Episcopalian Church gave Elizabeth books against the Catholic Church. Since Elizabeth was watched so much, and she was such a letdown to household and friends, she stayed in bed deep in idea with a megrim. Very few people were on Elizabeth s side, but the people that neer doubted her determination were her kids ( Fe eney 126-129 ) . Finally Elizabeth had adequate and decided which church to travel to: she decided to fall in the Catholic Church. Feeney states that on Ash Wednesday in 1802, Elizabeth walked into St. Peter s Church and said, Here my God I go! ( 134 ) . Because of her determination, most of her friends, household and New York society ostracized her while all this was traveling on. Elizabeth was still holding money jobs, and she needed a manner to back up her kids. This was when she got the thought to get down a Catholic school, since that would kill two birds with one rock. She wanted her kids to turn up with a good Catholic instruction, and she needed money. Soon after she got this thought she met a twosome who besides wished to carry through the same thing and together they accomplished this undertaking. The school was opened in New York City and was unsuccessful. Many people knew about Elizabeth Ann Seton s transition and did non desire their kids to be taught by her ( Feeney 142 ) . Subsequently, Elizabeth met Father William Du Bourg who was sing NYC from Baltimore on a concern trip. He heard about her wanting to open a successful Catholic school. A twelvemonth subsequently in 1808, Father William came back to NYC and saw Elizabeth once more, and still impressed by the quality of her bravery and forbearance, decided to travel through with the thought of conveying her to Baltimore to open the first Catholic School, ( Feeney 148, 150 ) . She packed her few properties and brought her kids to the docks, and they all sailed together for Baltimore. Equally shortly as the school was opened it was successful, but she needed more Catholic nuns to learn the kids. When immature misss heard about her school they wanted to come and assist, and wanted to go nuns. Her priest advised her to get down the fold of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul ( Feeney 166-169 ) . Emmitsburg notes that while things seemed to be traveling good for Elizabeth, calamity after calamity filled her life. Her girl Anna Maria caught TB as an stripling and was sworn into the Sisters of Charity on her deathbed. Rebecca fell on ice at age 14 and badly injured her hip, which crippled her for life. She besides died from TB in 1812. Richard joined the United States Navy and died off the seashore off Liberia. Three of Elizabeth s five kids were buried in Emmitsburg cemetery before she died on January 4, 1821. She suffered from TB from 1811 until her decease ( Emmitsburg ) . Her boy William was besides a crewman. William and Elizabeth wrote to each other all the clip. He knew she was ill, but neer knew she was so close decease. Elizabeth wrote to her boy to maintain him near to his religion, because she knew many of his crewman friends strayed off from God. When he eventually arrived in Boston from sea he ran into all sorts of holds going. When he reached the convent, the nuns met him outside, but did non run into his eyes. The priest started to travel towards William with an envelope, from himself to his female parent. William knew what had happened, so he walked into the cemetery of Saint Joseph s Convent at Emmitsburg, ( Feeney 212 ) . There he saw the grave of his darling female parent. He arrived six months excessively tardily. There are three miracles that can be attributed to Elizabeth. Sister Gertrude was cured of malignant neoplastic disease. A immature miss named Ann Theresa was cured of leukaemia. And a adult male named Carl was cured of phrenitis. Elizabeth s feast twenty-four hours is January 4. She was canonized on September 14, 1975 by Pope John Paul the VI. Elizabeth is the frequenter saint of Persecution of religion, Death of kids and parents, In-law jobs, Opposition of Church governments, Widows, and Illness ( Catholic Online ) . After completing all my research on Elizabeth Ann Seton I realize that I am proud of my in-between name. Even though everyone did non O.K. of her pick to change over, she still did. She stayed with her beliefs. I am besides glad to cognize that she founded the first Catholic school and she was the first saint to be a indigen of America ( Catholic Online ) . That is why I admire her and take Elizabeth Ann Seton for my research undertaking. Work Cited Catholic Online. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Catholic Online. NA. Web. 11/1/10. Emmitsburg Area Historical Society. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Emmitsburg Area Historical Society. Internet. NA. Web. 1 November 2010. Feeney, Leonard. Mother Seton Saint Elizabeth of New York. Cambridge. Dodd, Mead and Company, 1975. Print Randolph, Bartholomew. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 11/1/10.