Our inspiration is Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton who began her first school in a tiny house in Baltimore with only a few students. She did this against all odds that a Catholic woman of her day could draw enough children to open a school.
She also believed that a good education was the key to the door of life,
and that all had a right of access.
Elizabeth Ann Bailey Seton was born on August 28, 1774 in New York. In her short life of 46 years she experienced what it means to be a daughter, wife, mother of five children, widow, convert to Catholicism, single parent, and educator.
She was asked to go to Baltimore to begin a Catholic school and this led to the growth of the Catholic school system in the United States. Shortly thereafter she founded a religious order of women, the Sisters of Charity. She, herself, became a sister on March 25, 1809. Elizabeth and her family moved to Emmitsburg where
she trained new sisters to become excellent teachers. Elizabeth Seton was
canonized on September 14, 1974, becoming the first native-born
American to become a saint in the Catholic Church.
Our times and hers bear great similarity. We live in a world of economic uncertainty, political unrest and social instability. This is exactly the social and economic climate that moved Elizabeth Seton to action and so inspires us.
Thus, we name our new school in her honor.
The image of Elizabeth Seton was created by Sister Margaret Beaudette, SC, and entitled "Hazard yet forward."
Elizabeth is seen here as a woman on the move, determined and looking to the future. Contemporary translations of "Hazard yet forward" might be "Go for it!" or "Just do it!" Despite the risks, she forged ahead, accomplishing what most thought to be impossible.