Though St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is not officially a patron saint of vocations, she is the co-patron of our diocese along with St. Thomas More, and moreover, she is an excellent model for vocation discernment. Specifically, her abandonment to the Divine Will, her concern for the formation of children, and her foundation of the the Sisters of Charity, commend her to us as pattern and patroness for our own discernment efforts.
A brief life history shows young Elizabeth growing up in the high society of New York, where her staunchly Anglican family gave her a devotion to prayer and reading the Scriptures. She became acquainted with spiritual hardship through the deaths of her mother and younger sister when she was less than five years old. She was later married to a wealthy businessman, whom she lost to tuberculosis, leaving her bereft to care for their five young children at the age of 30. She lost two of her daughters while they were young.
Influenced by the good example of Catholics she had met in the US and Italy, Elizabeth converted to Catholicism. She was subsequently shunned by her Anglican relatives and friends, and lost most of the pupils from her school, whose families did not want their children to be taught by a Catholic teacher.
Despite these losses Elizabeth did not become disheartened; rather, she learned to trust in the Divine Will for her life, regardless of where it led her. She explains, “What was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first purpose of our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will. We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty.”
Elizabeth so firmly held this belief in the priority of doing God’s will that she was able to overcome every obstacle and continue her work; her trust was unshakeable. In this, St. Elizabeth is a model for our own discernment: no matter what obstacles we face - social pressure, scandal and suspicion, fear, lack of self-confidence - we can take courage in knowing that God’s grace will sustain us.
Elizabeth was encouraged by a French Sulpician priest, the president of St. Mary College in Baltimore, to begin a school for the growing Catholic population in the Baltimore, so she moved there and began St. Joseph’s Academy and Free School for girls. At the same time, she laid the foundations for the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, whose apostolate was caring for poor children. This was a humble beginning to the parochial school system in the U.S., as well as the first foundation of a women’s religious community in this country, which went on to become a large branching federation of religious communities serving the poor throughout the world.
These two small beginnings are reminders that when we follow God’s call, our work, no matter how small, can be used by Him to great effect. The vocations of thousands have been influenced, directly and indirectly, by Mother Seton. God’s plan for you also includes influencing others through your vocation, regardless of how small your role seems to you.
Consider how God may want to use you to build up His Church, and be open to discerning His will wherever He leads you. You don't need to have grandiose plans, only to follow God's will and help others to do the same.
