Seton Reflections

Seton Reflections

Seton Reflections connects real life stories and wisdom of Mother Seton with the Saints, a holy feast day, or a timely topic. Our hope is that you might find encouragement through these brief reflections. You can read these reflections at setonshrine.org or subscribe to these weekly emails and get them sent directly to your mailbox.

The Holocaust Before the Holocaust: St. Edith Stein and Mother Seton

Mother Seton and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (also known as Edith Stein) witnessed to a way of living and dying modeled on the ultimate sacrifice Christ accomplished on the Cross.

08-09
07:01

Where Grace Abounds: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels

Elizabeth Seton’s ordinary life reminds us that even without divine visions we can discover God’s abiding presence and grace in the everyday circumstances of life.

08-02
05:28

The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive: Saint Irenaeus and Mother Seton

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Irenaeus suffered greatly in their lives and were deeply “acquainted with grief.” Instead of leading to despair, suffering made them fully alive to the beauty of the world and to the gift of God’s grace.

06-28
06:21

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Lightness of Divine Mercy

For humans, finding a balance between justice and mercy is always difficult. But St. Elizabeth Ann Seton understood that God’s grace transcends earthly limits, and allows mercy to fall lightly from heaven on our hearts and minds.

04-25
06:25

Katharine Drexel and Elizabeth Ann Seton—”Sister Saints” Who Changed Education in the United States Forever

These two brave and unselfish women devoted their lives to educating poor children and ministering to the needy. We can see their legacies today in the religious communities they founded, and the thousands of Catholic schools across our nation.

03-03
05:30

St. Josephine Bakhita and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: Women of Great Fortitude

In giving their lives, strength, and sufferings for their daughters and sisters, sons and brothers, St. Josephine Bakhita and Mother Seton are eternally united in the life, strength, and suffering of their Beloved Lord.

02-08
07:49

Don Bosco & Mother Seton: The Great Christian Educators

St. John Bosco and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton presented lessons of love and gentleness to the most vulnerable of children. Their gentle instruction inspired their respective countries through the many thousands of pupils who would be taught by the communities they founded.

01-31
06:14

Epiphany: The Wise Among Us Still Seek the Lord

Reflecting on the journey of the three wise men helped lead Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton to the Catholic Church. The Feast of the Epiphany is a good time for us to ask: Where are we traveling? What are we seeking? What star will we follow?

01-03
06:32

Christ is Born Within the Love of Family

The feast of the Holy Family reminds us of the priceless gift of a family. Christ came to earth within a family, and he can come to each of us today through the love and faith found in family life.

12-28
05:30

Being Carried: The Marian Devotion of Saint Peter Canisius and Mother Seton

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Peter Canisius witnessed to the faith through their charitable actions and works of kindness—a strength they received from relying on the loving heart of Mary.

12-21
09:04

Trusting in the Goodness of God With St. Faustina and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Faustina and Mother Seton inspire us to bring our little bits of good will to the small tasks before us, and trust that God can accomplish great things through them.

10-05
06:15

Mother Seton and the Archangels — Helpers for All Seasons

The angels surround us, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton believed. God and his angelic servants are here to help us whenever we turn to them, in every season of life.

09-29
07:27

St. Vincent de Paul and Mother Seton: A Match Made in Heaven

St. Vincent de Paul and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton weren’t holy card or fairy-tale figures, but flesh and blood human beings who struggled with earthly dreams. Their lives suggest a way forward for all of us who suffer the tension between a comfortable life in the world and a life thrown open to Christ.

09-27
06:58

How the Queenship of Mary Helps Us To Understand Mother Seton’s Courage

We don’t like to put ourselves under the authority of another. For us, power is often synonymous with oppression. But in Christ, and in Our Lady, Mother Seton, and the saints, power exists in the framework of love. And when Love is what rules us, everything changes.

08-23
06:47

Where Grace Abounds: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels

Elizabeth Seton’s ordinary life reminds us that even without divine visions we can discover God’s abiding presence and grace in the everyday circumstances of life.

08-02
05:15

Giving Our Hearts to God with St. Anne and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Throughout their lives, St. Anne and Mother Seton had little idea of the glorious destiny God had in mind for them. They show us how to be faithful to God in all things, and to trust in his perfect plan for our lives.

07-26
07:18

Saint Anthony and Mother Seton Show Us the Importance of the Little Things

Lost car keys or a feverish child might not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of life, but it’s in the small, everyday things that we find a multitude of ways to love.

06-14
06:52

Mary's Immaculate Heart Teaches Us How To Love

The Immaculate Heart, Her Mother, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

06-10
06:24

Mother Seton and Charles Lwanga: Two Saints, One Spirit

The difference is great between the young African tribesman in Uganda and the religious foundress from New York City. But we are reminded of their similarities through their different spiritual gifts in the same Spirit and their different forms of service for the same Lord.

06-02
07:43

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