Soul of Saint Elizabeth Seton: A Spiritual Portrait

by Joseph I. Dirvin C.M.

Elizabeth Seton is an important saint for our she was a convert, an American, a wife and mother as well as a widow, the foundress of an order (the Sisters of Charity) and an administrator. Fr. Dirvin, an authority on Saint Elizabeth Seton, takes writings, correspondence, and recollections of Seton to reveal her deep life of faith and prayer. A moving biography and an inspiring record of Elizabeth Seton's interior journey that gives us a profound spiritual portrait of a multifaceted saint.

Genres: Faith

232 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1990

Reviews

[Christian Engler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saint Elizabeth Ann Baley Seton is one of the most remarkable saints of the Roman Catholic Church, because of all that she-by God's grace-accomplished in her short life: wife, mother, convert, founder, superior and educator. Growing up as a child, Elizabeth Seton had a deep devotion to God while as a member of the Episcopalian Church. Early on, she had written of "passionate wishes that there were such places in America as I read of in novels, where people could be shut from the world and pray, and be good always." Pg 123. And it is amazing how the fruit of that desire became mainfested.

Before entering the Catholic Church in 1807, Elizabeth Seton had the vocation of marrage and family, and while in that union, as willed for her, she lived it out to the respectable hilt, living by a standard of service and sacrifice for others. That approach to life was fully embossed with a smattering of religious principles, fundamentals that were crucial to who Elizabeth felt herself to be. The pinnacle of Truth-Christ Jesus-was who she desired, but she did not fully feel Him until she was thrust into being a co-carrier of the cross, a calling for each and every one of us on this planet. That cross came, when, from a point of wealth and priviledge, she lost all. And it was finalized in Italy, when, for the hopeful recovery and convalescence of her husband, she lost him, too. Bereft and alone, her future religious husband was awaiting her.

The sacramental union that she had so longed for but could never feel in her own church was finally brought to her via the instruments of service-the Filicchi Family-and upon their gentle explanation of the true faith, Elizabeth, "...sank on my knees in the first place I found vacant, and shed a torrent of tears at the recollection of how long I had been a stranger in the house of my God, and the accumulated sorrow that had separated me from it." Pg. 67. Yet the Presence of Love, stole into her soul and made her "delight in seeing old men and women, young women and all sorts of people kneeling promiscuously about the alter, as inattentive to us and other passengers as if we were not there...everyone is so intent on their prayers and Rosary that it is very immaterial what a stranger does." Pg. 67.

As I am sure with a majority of converts and reverts to the Roman Catholic Church, there is a cup of suffering that one must drink in order to be a paltry imitator of the Crucified One, for whithout suffering, how do we become refined and evolve to being someone better? We suffer and we listen, and we go from there. And Mother Elizabeth fully obeyed that in the process of her arduous conversion, for those who bore witness to what was happening to her, felt that she was abandoning her past and those within it. And that is a common dread experienced by many families and friends: a relinquishment to the worldly here and now in order to accept a religious and supernatural ideal, not an easy thing to digest. She followed through, because she knew that God used people for a purpose, as she later expanded on while a religious mother: "What was the first role of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do His Father's Will...I know what His Will is by those who direct me; whatever they bid me do, if it is ever so small in itself, is the Will of God for me." Pg. 160.

Out of all the histories and biographies that have been written about Saint (Mary) Ellizabeth Ann Baley Seton, I would have to echo what my fellow Amazon reviewer said in this spiritual portrait being one of the best. Though it does not directly focus on the American Sisters of Charity or the environment and times in which Mother Seton lived, it does-with good sincere intentions-delve deeply into the thinking, soul and consciousness of Mother Seton. Fr. Dirvin's book is a succinctly written, incisive and penetrating intellectual and religious homage, a work for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Father Dirvin explores Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton's faith through her own letters and writings. He explores the aspects of Catholicism that drew her to the faith in the first place, and the aspects which she particularly emphasized in her own prayer life and in her leadership.

While I expected more of a biography, this was an interesting way to look at a saint and her writings. It provided many interesting ideas for contemplation in terms of faith, while still revealing a bit about her thoughts and personality. Still, it was a bit hard to follow at times. I can see revisiting some ideas, but not specific quotes or the book as whole.

[Alvaro Hu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely helped that I read a super short introduction to her before reading this, since this book sort of assumes you know the broad strokes of her life and jumps around quite a bit, introducing players in her life with single sentences.

It was nice seeing her own words and quotes, especially in regards to what she found most fulfilling and powerful about the Catholic Church, namely the Holy Eucharist, which eventually caused her to convert from Anglicanism.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author employs many quotes as a methodology to examine the saint’s life. However from a traditional Catholic perspective, I found the work is unnecessarily layered with Vatican 2 quotations and theology.

[A Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a biography of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's life before reading this would have been helpful, but it is well researched and gives a solid sense of the way she lived for God.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically spiritual reading and written in a very traditional style which makes it even more difficult to plow through more than a few pages at a time. That would explain why this is taking me forever to finish. I have read other books about Elizabeth Seton, but this one is a little bit more in depth.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about the spirituality of America's first native born saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton.