Wednesday,
1/4/12
Today
is the feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the founder of the American Daughters
of Charity who gave us St. Vincent’s Hospital.
Born in New York ion
1774, at nineteen Elizabeth married an owner of ship lines, giving birth to
five children. Her husband, impoverished by shipping losses, fell ill. In hopes
of saving him in a warmer climate, Elizabeth and one daughter brought her
husband William to Italy, and he died while they were still in quarantine.
Befriended by Catholics over two years, Elizabeth returned to the States where
she was received into the Catholic Church. Her attempt at operating a hospital
for the poor failed for lack of funds. Then, after a Sulpician Father, banished
from France by the Revolution, opened a seminary for priests in Emmitsburg
Maryland; he invited Elizabeth to found America’s first Catholic school
there.
Elizabeth was successful in
founding an order of religious sisters dedicated to teaching the young to live
by Christian principles.
On this day we express our
fullest gratitude for the Daughters of Charity who have worked among us here at
St. Vincent’s and at Catherine Laboure. We have all benefitted from the truly
great ladies who have silently led great lives of service in our midst
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