Next we travel a short distance up the road to Citrus Springs. we had a very busy and long weekend, tired and a bit worn out, we head close by to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. This is a small rural, neighborhood Catholic Church. The priest gave a long homily that was pretty darn good overall. Mass and the Eucharist blew the windows of creation wide as it always does.
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was the first native born American to be canonized by the Catholic Church.
Born two years before the American Revolution.
On March 25, 1809, Elizabeth Seton pronounced her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, binding for one year. From that time she was called Mother Seton.
Although Mother Seton became afflicted with tuberculosis, she continued to guide her children. The Rule of the Sisterhood was formally ratified in 1812. It was based upon the Rule St. Vincent de Paul had written for his Daughters of Charity in France. By 1818, in addition to their first school, the sisters had established two orphanages and another school. Today, six groups of sisters can trace their origins to Mother Seton’s initial foundation.
Seton’s favorite prayer was the 23rd Psalm and she developed a deep devotion to the Eucharist, Sacred Scripture, and the Virgin Mary.
For the last three years of her life, Elizabeth felt that God was getting ready to call her, and this gave her great joy. Mother Seton died in 1821 at the age of 46, only sixteen years after becoming a Catholic. She was beatified by Pope John XXIII on March 17, 1963 and was canonized on September 14, 1975 by Pope Paul VI.
