Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was born in New York in 1774. Though she was born into a high society, her early life was simple and often lonely. She spent a lot of time reading the bible which became a constant comfort to her. She would continue to love the scriptures for the rest of her life. In 1794 she married William (“Will”) Seton who she was deeply in love with. The first years of their marriage were peaceful and happy, but that was short lived. In four years Will’s father died leaving them in charge of the family business. Soon after the business and Will’s health were failing, and soon he had to file for bankruptcy. In a last attempt to save Will’s health, the Setons went to Italy where Will had business friends. Sadly, Will died in Italy with tuberculosis leaving Elizabeth in charge of their five children. The death of her husband drew her to the Catholic Church. In Italy, Elizabeth captivated everyone by her own kindness, patience, good sense, wit and courtesy. He desire for the bread of life was a strong force leading her to the Catholic Church. She finally joined the Catholic Church in 1802. She and two other young women, who helped her in her work, began plans for a Sisterhood. They established the first free Catholic school in America. 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 was now 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, the sisters had established two orphanages and another school as well. Today six groups of sisters trace their origins to Mother Seton's initial foundation. For the last three years of her life, she felt that God was getting ready to call her and in filled her with joy. She died in 1821, only 16 years after she became catholic. She was canonized on September 14, 1975, becoming the first American to do so. I chose her as my saint manly because I loved her story. It’s really inspiring how she lost everything in her life and then was still able to find her home with the church. I did a little project on her in third grade, but I forgot how inspiring her story is. I hope I can learn a lot from her and become a better person because of her.