An Annotated List of the Writings of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (3)

Previous installments of this list may be found in both issues of volume 18. This part continues documenting the writings of Elizabeth Seton contained in the archives of Saint Joseph Provincial House. All the writings annotated here are letters to Elizabeth’s friends, especially her close friends Julia Scott and Eliza Sadler. Elizabeth mostly writes about her family and inquires extensively after her friends and their children. Some letters to Scott are about William Seton’s family and business troubles and his illness. Others concern her life immediately after his death. She writes about her establishment in Baltimore and Emmitsburg. Letters to both friends span the period from the late 1790s to about 1820 and provide a detailed portrait of these lifelong friendships

An Annotated List of the Writings of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (4)

Previous installments of this list may be found in both issues of volume 18 and the first issue of this volume. This part continues documenting the writings of Elizabeth Seton contained in the archives of Saint Joseph Provincial House. There are letters to her friend Catherine Dupleix, mostly about Elizabeth’s family. There are also letters to various family members, especially Rebecca and Cecilia Seton. Those to Rebecca describe the Setons’ quarantine in Italy and Elizabeth’s growing interest in Catholicism. Those to Cecilia are filled with spiritual thoughts and advice

By What Authority? The Founding of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati

Judith Metz explores what motivated a small group of Sisters of Charity to become a diocesan community, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. American culture encouraged women to think independently and to be self-sufficient. Margaret George, the superior in Cincinnati, had a friendship with Elizabeth Seton that predated the founding of the Sisters of Charity, and she understood Elizabeth’s vision for the community. She and the other sisters had come to expect the flexibility and spirit of collaboration that had been present in the community’s government from its earliest days. Instead, it seemed that Emmitsburg was following the letter of the Constitutions, rather than its spirit. Furthermore, priests undertook the union of the Sisters and the Daughters of Charity. They did not discuss it with the Sisters and ignored their serious concerns about French vow formula and the effects that adopting French customs would have on their work. In becoming a separate community, George and the other sisters acted according to “the workings of the Spirit in their lives” and what they believed was Elizabeth’s vision

Elizabeth Seton: Her World and Her Church

The first part of this article gives the political, social, economic, and religious context of the world in which Elizabeth Seton lived. The second part describes the establishment and work of the Sisters of Charity. Education for all was important to early Americans, largely because everyone was supposed to read the Bible. Women had more agency than their European counterparts, although their influence was still mostly confined to the home. They were charged with instilling morality in children, and through them, in society in general. This was reflected in the curriculum of Elizabeth Seton’s school, Saint Joseph’s Academy. The outlook and influence of John Carroll, the United States’ first bishop whose diocese comprised the entire country, is discussed. He was a friend of Elizabeth’s and was among those who supported the opening of Saint Joseph’s. Enlightenment ideals, especially openness, tolerance, and optimism about human nature, were embodied in the attitudes and work of the Sisters of Charity

An Annotated List of the Writings of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (2)

This list continues from volume 18, issue 1 and includes Elizabeth Seton materials from all non-Sister/Daughter of Charity repositories. It begins the listing for Saint Joseph’s Provincial House, which holds the largest collection of Elizabeth’s writings. The archives from the Archdiocese of Baltimore contain letters from her to Bishop/Archbishop Carroll, including those from when William Dubourg forbade the Sisters of Charity’s correspondence with Pierre Babade, and those that explain her difficulties with John David. One describes her concerns about the impact the Rules of the Daughters of Charity will have on her community. Another is about her worries with regard to reconciling the Constitutions with her obligations to her children. Other letters to Antonio Filicchi are about her spiritual struggles over her conversion. At least three different repositories have letters to the Harpers about their children. Other letters in other archives are written to and about Elizabeth’s own children and other family. Saint Joseph’s Provincial House has letters from her to her superiors and many spiritual reflections and materials. It also has the 1815 journal she kept for Simon Brute detailing life among the early Sisters of Charity

An Annotated List of the Writings of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (5)

Previous installments of this list may be found in volumes 18 and 19. This part continues documenting the writings of Elizabeth Seton contained in the archives of Saint Joseph Provincial House. Letters to Elizabeth’s son William are full of family news and concern about his career. Elizabeth writes to her daughters Anna Marie (Annina), Rebecca, and Catherine. In one letter to Anna Marie, Elizabeth refers to her teenage copy book which she is thinking of expanding for her children. The letters to Rebecca and Catherine are mostly addressed to them as young children. Incidental notes to her husband and letters to her father are included. There are also letters to the Filicchis, including a journal kept for Amabilia recounting Catholicism’s attraction for Elizabeth and the struggles surrounding her conversion. Aspects of her spirituality are evident in her correspondence with Simon Brute

Pictures from the Past: Mount St. Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio

The history of the motherhouse and campus of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati is described. Twenty-five images accompany the text

Elizabeth Bayley Seton: “My Heart Stirred for the Word of God”

This article explores the origin and depth of devotion to the Word of God that permeated Elizabeth Bayley Seton’s life and informed her spirituality. The future saint’s early years were suffused with scripture at home and in Anglican/Episcopal services she attended. The deep devotion this engendered was enhanced by her love for poetry, prose, and song. Through her early adult life she was spiritually nourished by the cadences of scripture and the hymns that filled liturgical celebrations. During a brief hiatus during her early adult years, Elizabeth broadened her scope to embrace a variety of intellectual influences. However, her devotion to scripture rekindled as deep family crises engulfed her. The comfort and strength she gained through reliance on her Bible assisted her in navigating enormous changes in her religious, economic, and social circumstances. At the time she converted to Catholicism, the ethos of the U. S. Catholic Church encouraged her to continue this focus. In addition to acquiring her own Catholic edition of the Bible, she deepened her immersion in the scriptures as evidenced by the numerous reflections, prayers, verses, and letters she wrote

“Soar on Wings Like Eagles”: Elizabeth Seton’s Spirituality of Trust

Judith Metz recounts all the principal events of Elizabeth Seton’s life and how she reacted to them. Elizabeth encountered much suffering, and she did not always sense God’s presence. Nonetheless, she trusted in God throughout her life and believed that he would ultimately help her through her pain. She felt that her suffering would bring her closer to him because of all he had already endured for her. Metz explains how this trust developed, often using Elizabeth’s own words. Her most important familial and spiritual relationships are also described

The Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati: 1829–1852

The Sisters of Charity arrived in Cincinnati in 1829 to establish a girls’ school and an orphanage at the bishop’s request. Both were named for Saint Peter and the school “was the first permanently established free school in Ohio.” Detailed history is given for these institutions, which grew constantly. The Sisters served hundreds of Catholic and Protestant children throughout the years. They also ran a boys’ orphanage for a short time until community policy changed, and they were nurses during several cholera epidemics. They “help[ed] to pioneer the growth of the Church in Ohio,” ministered despite anti-Catholic prejudice, and formed the basis of the diocese’s educational and social services. When the Sisters of Charity were united with the Daughters of Charity in 1850, changes were proposed for the Sisters’ community. Many of those in Cincinnati could not agree to them, and they became their own diocesan community, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, in 1852. An appendix lists the Sisters of Charity who served in the city from 1829 to 1852