Category Archives: Elizabeth Ann Seton

April 10, 2014 · 2:39 pm

A Seton in New Jersey

Robert Seton portrait

Portrait of Robert Seton (courtesy Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth)

Guest post by Sister Noreen Neary, SC, Archivist, Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, NJ

The Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth have a unique connection to Mother Seton’s family through her grandson Robert. Born in Italy in 1839, he was the fourth of William and Emily (Prime) Seton’s seven children. While he never knew his grandmother, clearly she had a strong influence on him. As a young man he studied at Mount Saint Mary’s College in Maryland, a stone’s throw from where his saintly grandmother lived, worked, died and was buried. Robert pursued his theological studies at the American College and the Academia Ecclesiastica in Rome where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1865. While in Rome he was made the Private Chamberlain to Pope Pius IX and dean of the Monsignori in the United States.

Upon his return to the U.S. Monsignor Seton was granted faculties in the Diocese of Newark, headed by Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Mother Seton’s cousin. Having spent two years as a curate at Saint Patrick parish in Newark – the site of the founding of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth – he was named the chaplain at our Motherhouse in rural Morris County and served in that capacity from 1867 to 1876. Then Monsignor Seton left the countryside to work with the Sisters of Charity at Saint Joseph parish in Jersey City. He recalled later:

God favored me in letting me find a small but exemplary community of Sisters already established in the Parish and conducting a school alongside the Church. They were angels of kindness and efficiency and a comfort in my long years of trial and discomfort.

His long tenure (1876-1901) as pastor was marked by the building of the rectory, convent and parish school hall. Monsignor Seton returned to Rome in 1901 and was appointed Archbishop of the titular See of Heliopolis in Phoenicia by Pope Leo XIII in 1903.

Upon his retirement in 1921 Archbishop Seton returned to Convent Station. A student at Saint Elizabeth’s Academy recalled the elderly gentleman: “We were also honored with Archbishop Seton’s presence in his retirement years. He was a grandson of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. To escort his Grace on an afternoon stroll usually ended with the gift of a large red apple and a ‘thank your girls.’” (Adria Winser Walsh ’22)

Archbishop Seton wrote a number of books, including Memories of Many Years 1839-1922 (1923), Memoirs, Letters, and Journal of Elizabeth Seton (1869) and An Old Family, the Setons of Scotland and America (1899), a privately published, well researched genealogy of his father’s family.
Archbishop Seton’s generosity led him to donate his grandmother’s desk and footstool to the Sisters who cared for him until his death in 1927. Ave Maria magazine (April 2, 1927) noted that his funeral was attended by representatives of the Daughters of Charity and the Sisters of Charity from Cincinnati, New York, New Jersey and Greensburg, PA, although the Halifax, Nova Scotia, congregation was unable to send representatives in time for the service. Archbishop Seton’s body is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Newark.

Mother Seton desk

Mother Seton’s desk (courtesy Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth)

Robert Seton tombstone

Tombstone of Robert Seton (courtesy Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth)

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Filed under Elizabeth Ann Seton, Sisters of Charity Federation, Sisters of Charity of Convent Station

April 9, 2014 · 11:20 am

Preservation activities: American Rule of 1812

Mary Wootton and Dee Gallo examine American Rule

Conservator Mary Wootton (left) and Provincial Archivist Dee Gallo examine the American Rule of 1812

(Image used with permission of Mary Wootton)
Our collections are unique and irreplaceable, and preservation measures are an ongoing activity for the Provincial Archives. Today, Dee Gallo (right) met with conservator Mary Wootton to discuss conservation treatments for one of the most historically valuable items in our collection: The Regulations for the Society of Sisters of Charity in the United States of America, commonly known as the American Rule of 1812. The American Rule is an English translation of the French rule of the Daughters of Charity, modified by Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Sulpicians for the Emmitsburg community. It was approved by Bishop John Carroll in 1812.

Conserving the American Rule will be a labor-intensive process, as each of the book’s 60 leaves will receive attention. Pages will be cleaned, existing mends will be removed, and new mends will be done with Japanese paper. The book will then receive a new binding and a custom-made box.

We are pleased to be working once again with Mary, whose efforts will ensure that the American Rule will last for many years into the future.

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Filed under Elizabeth Ann Seton, Preservation, Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's, Sulpicians

January 14, 2014 · 1:06 pm

Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s, mission to Philadelphia, 1814

Mother Rose White - page from journal

Page from journal of Mother Rose White, with her account of the journey to Philadelphia

(Image and excerpt from the diary of Mother Rose White used with permission of the Daughters of Charity Provincial Archives)

Preparations are well under way for our next exhibit, which will highlight the 200th anniversary of the start of the Sisters’ mission in Philadelphia, the first mission begun by Elizabeth Ann Seton outside of Emmitsburg. The first Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s to go to Philadephia were Mother Rose White, Sister Susan Clossy, and Sister Theresa Conroy. Mother Rose White’s journal provides an account of the journey of the first Sisters to Philadelphia. A passage from the diary is below.

Philadelphia application having been made by the trustees of the Orphan Asylum of St. Joseph’s, Philadelphia for Sisters to take charge of the Asylum, allowing $600 a year for the support of Sisters and orphans, the traveling expenses to be paid of the Sisters by the trustees. The call had been submitted to the Archbishop, who desired much that the Sisters should be sent, though it was at the time of the embargo, and the sum offered for the support was small as provisions were high. Yet, there was an opening and it was thought we ought not to refuse on account of difficulties, so it was agreed to accept the proposal and send on three Sisters, as three only had been asked for. As it was not safe to go by the packets, as the English were still in the Bay, a private carriage was hired, and Sisters sent by way of Little York and Lancaster with directions to beg hospitality on the way so as to lessen the expense. It was then that a small half flannel shawl was given us to wear, the first worn by the Sisters. One trunk contained all our baggage. We set out September 29, 1814. The good Superior accompanied us as far as Taneytown, giving us lessons of economy all the way.

At Taneytown we parted, he continued his journey to Baltimore and we to Philadelphia. We begged hospitality as far as Lancaster, as we stopped at Catholic families who received us kindly, and would have done the same at Lancaster, but arrived late and felt a delicacy in disturbing a family to whom we were directed, and whom we would have had to find out the best we could as we were all strangers to the place. We stopped at a hotel and had only to complain of the fine accommodations. Next morning very early we set off for Philadelphia and arrived there in the evening; had to inquire our way as we moved through the streets as we knew not even in what street we were. Frequently the driver, who was a friend of our neighbor Mr. Livers, would give us the reins to hold and would get down from his seat and ask at several houses if they could tell us where St. Joseph’s Asylum was. No one seemed to understand him. He became a little tried and one of the Sisters asking him if he had any information to guide him, “O, no,” said he, “you might as well ask a pig about a holy day as to ask those people where St. Joseph’s Asylum is.”

We drove on without knowing where we were going, but our good angel was with us, for wearied with going up one street and down another when the driver stopped and thought he would ask again, when behold! we were before the door of Trinity Church which was next to the Asylum. The carriage being closed. the housekeeper of the priest, a good French woman named Justine, approached the carriage thinking it was a corpse brought to be buried, when she lifted the curtain as if by inspiration, she said: “Are you not from St. Joseph’s?”

“Yes, who are you?”

“Rev. Mr. Hurley’s housekeeper.”

“Will you tell us where the Asylum is?”

“Yes, you are at its door. Will you get out of the carriage?”

“Yes, if you will tell us where the Rev. Mr. Hurley lives; we have a letter for him.”

“O, you are at a very great distance, but give me the letter; I will take it to him.”

So, off she went with the letter and we entered the Church. With gratitude and love we made our acts of adoration and remained an hour. By this time, Rev. Mr. Hurley arrived, took us to the asylum where the good old matron was making every preparation to leave the house, and we could not enter before she left the furniture being hers, we had to wait until things were provided. The children looked poor and miserable; were going to a free school and running the streets like so many little ragged beggars.

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Filed under Elizabeth Ann Seton, Exhibits, Ministries, Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's, Social Work