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The 50th Anniversary of the Canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

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  September 14, 2025, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Born August 28, 1774, in New York City, she grew up during the formative years of the United States. She knew many of the Founding Fathers and lived on the same street as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. She worshiped at the Episcopalian Trinity Church, which many of the influential members of the U.S. government also attended, as New York City was the capital of the country from 1785 to 1790. She and her husband helped host George Washington’s sixty-fifth birthday ball. Of course, none of those notable things are the reasons why she is a Catholic saint. She received that honor because she was a woman of deep faith who converted to Catholicism after the death of her husband, despite the social cost; helped establish the first American order of religious sisters; and contributed to the foundation of Catholic education. She was the first person born on what would be United Sta...

Celebrating the 375th Anniversary of The Sisters of St. Joseph

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  According to The Sisters of St. Joseph U.S. Confederation , the community began with "six women meeting in small kitchen in Le Puy, France in 1650. These six women had a common desire to grow in their love of God and serve the unmet needs of the people around them, whom they came to call their 'dear neighbors.' These women, with the spiritual direction of a Jesuit priest, Jean Pierre Medaille, formed the first community of Sisters of St. Joseph. From their humble beginnings as widows meeting in a small kitchen, the order grew to include communities all over the world. Today, we continue to respond to the unmet and critical needs of our contemporary society and world. Our mission, informed by a deep and pervasive love of God and neighbor without distinction, moves us to respond in a spirit of unifying, reconciling love to the needs of our local communities, the people of God, and the global community in which we live. Starting on Founders’ Day October 15, 202...

"The Lord is My Shepherd" is Free on Kindle May 15th -19th

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  The Lord is My Shepherd: A Novel of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is free on Kindle May 15th -19th.    The Lord is My Shepherd: A Novel of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton by Anne Faye is a lovely story of a courageous woman who loved God, overcame suffering, and pursued the truth relentlessly.   She supported and raised five children as a widow and went on to found schools and a religious order.   I thoroughly enjoyed this book. An easy and comfortable read, it held my attention from start to finish. I think adults, young adults, and even teens would profit from reading it.  - Rosemary Bogdan, on CatholicMom.com An excerpt from The Lord is My Shepherd Chapter One I entered this world on August 28, 1774, the second daughter of Dr. Richard and Catherine Bayley. My mother was the daughter of Rev. Richard Charleton, the rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopalian Church on Staten Island. I sometimes wonder how my life might have been different had my mother lived longer t...

The Lord is My Shepherd: A Novel of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

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 I'm pleased to announce the publication of my new book: The Lord is My Shepherd: A Novel of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton . 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the first native-born American to be canonized. I have known of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton since I attended Catholic school as a child. She was the first American to be canonized and was considered to be the patroness of Catholic schools. She was a big deal! Later on in my life, my daughter attended a homeschool learning community named after her. However, I still knew little about the details of her life. I became more interested in her after listening to a Glory Story CD of her life put out by Holy Heroe s. I wanted to learn more about her and began to think about sharing her story. I read several books about her life to prepare for writing this and was fascinated by her. I also thought it was exciting that she lived on the same street as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr (although, alas, she did not make it into the Hamilton ...