As a Protestant, I've never quite figured out all the ins and outs of how Catholics select people to be canonized as saints, but I certainly know that many of them were people worth emulating, which may be the primary value of naming saints.
One of them I've long admired is Sr. Elizabeth Ann Seton (depicted here), who died on this date in 1821.
She was the founder of the American Sisters of Charity and in 1975 became the first American-born Roman Catholic saint.
Her name today is attached to various Catholic institutions, including schools.
But did you know this Catholic nun was married and had several children? True. That all happened, however, before she took her vows, which was after the death of her husband.
What Mother Seton is especially remembered for is her role in helping to lay the foundation for Catholic parochial school in the U.S., which have added a rich sidebar to the nation's public schools. Two of my grandchildren have attended Catholic elementary school -- until this week, in fact. They are changing to a public school because of a move to a new community.
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STANDING HEADLINE: WHAT ARE THEY THINKIN'?
Everyone who thinks it was a good idea for disgraced evangelist Ted Haggard to go on ABC's "Celebrity Wife Swap," go to your room. Everyone who watched it, stay there for a week. You may come out when you're ready to have a grown-up conversation.
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