Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-07-13
OF
MOTHER SETON
TO Be SOUGHT


-" @Ok July y, DouAl1 IOT Rome. Il
tney carried with them q petition
70 Pope Plus xI asking for canon
ization OF the first United States
saint.
Thus the humility and devotion
OF Elizabeth Bayley Seton ITO years
ago may be rewarded by sainthood.
and II that happens the life of a
woman who was reared in luxury.
then suffered in poverty. will as
sumo new significance. Now she is
only Mother Seton, founder OF the
Sisters OF Charity, a legendary fig
ure whose calm acceptance of LIES
tragedies brought no bitterness, but
enabled her TO find in travail the
serenity or mind reserved for those
with an implicit faith in the will or
God.
She was born August e. i774. IN
New York. Of an old English fam
lily schooled In traditions OF aris-
tocracy and OF the Episcopal faith.
Her acceptance OF Catholicism came
during the last Is a OF Ter life.
AS a girl in New York she grew
mp like other girls of her time.
conscious Of the turmoil OF the
AZ ACtUA4LIO4ls UuL AltNtI I
touched directly by Il. She was
devout. pious and restrained. I'm
I'll she married William Mage
Seton. her life was similar to
thousands OF others who lived in
lower Manhattan. IL was appar-
emily a love marriage. n linked
her family. directly related to the
present Roosevelt family. to one
WHOSE old-world connections ioin-
ed II with the finest IN England
and Scotland.
MisfOrtunes Pile IN
She might have been like others
II her husbands health had not
failed early in life. She might
lever have been considered for
sainthood If this had not happen
ed. But this tragedy gave her op-
p~ortunity for displaying that rare
fortitute which has endeared her
TO millions.
The mother OF five children, she
went TO Italy in 1903 TO save her.
self and her husband. He was
near death from tuberculosis. II
was the beginning Of another OF
many tragedies. Her mother and
then her father. whom she loved
deyotedly, had died. Now her hus-
band.
They sailed for Italy-and we're
thrown into the dreaded prison
Lazaretto because authorities
thought Seton was suffering from
yellow fever. II was a hell. un-
heated. damp. deathly. Six months
they lived there and she wrote In
her diary:
Il went to sleep and dreamed
was in the middle aisle on Trinity
church. My present opportunity
q treasure and nv confinement OF
BODY a liberty or soul "A day OF
bodily pain but peace with God"
Spiritual Struggle WY
He was dying when they we're
released. Two days after Christ
mas he breathed for the last time.
And she was left in Italy with her
little daughted. Ann. Their kind
friends, the Filicchis. cared for
them.
She sought spiritual consolation.
With her friends she wandered
into a Catholic church. since there
we're no Episcopal churches avail
able. That kind of soft muIc
which Lifts the mind 70 a fore
taste OF heavenly pleasure. 7 sank
on my knees
Then back ~ New York. For
months she wa-ired k-twsen n
religion and then the other. Her
soul was torn by the severest pain.
She accepted Catholicism. All her
friends. even her family. renounc-
ed her but she accepted II as a
trial OF faith. She vas wounded,
but she would not show her wounds.
She began the ascetic practices
which marked her as a woman
apart.
The family even tried u have
her deported. She bore her dN-
grace and steadfaStly refused 70
reconsider. without funds. humble
and III dire straits. she soon at
tTacted the attention OF Bishop
Carroll By her intelligence and
piety.
First SchcoI Fails
she tried to establish a school
for young women. Il failed. Her
s~ister-in-law. Cecilia. also became
a Catholic. That heartened her.
The Most Rev. William Duborg
suggested they establish a school,
81 Baltimore. But that was not
enough. Although IL was started
she prayed for help IN beginning
a school for educating the poor
The wealthy Samuel Cooper gave
funds.
A site was purchased near En-
mltsburg. Md. so miles from Bal
timore. They had called her Moth
er seton by then. She and five
other women left for there. walk
ing on country reads. They were
the first OF the Sisters an St. Jo-
seph. the sisters or charity. They
arrived so soon they were forced
70 live in a log cabin.
80 earnest was every heart. I
that carrot coffee. salt pork and
buttermilk seemed too good a Nv
ing" she wrote.
Hardships Endured
They lived in the one-story hut
throughout the winter. Snow was
on their coverlets. They arose
shiverinz at dawn and walked 10
their seminary chapel. One sister.
HARRIET. died. So did Cecilia. Thev
felt that Il was the will Of God.
a two-story addition was built On
the community house. and 70 de-
frav expenses Mother Seton took
"A nupils who could paw. A formal
alliance with the Sisters Of Char
ity. formed In the sixteenth century.
was made. Napoleon did not allow
sisters to come 70 America to in
srar the order then. but after
prother Seton was dead this was
done.