Newspaper Page Text
i
PAGE 2—September 25,1975
DETROIT
Women Conference Registrants
Text Of Homily At St. Elizabeth Seton’s Canonization
Following is the text of Pope Paul’s
English-language homily at the
canonization of St. Elizabeth Seton
Sept. 14 in St. Peter’s Square:
Yes, venerable brothers and beloved
sons and daughters, Elizabeth Ann
Seton is a saint.
We rejoice and we are deeply moved
that our apostolic ministry authorizes us
to make this solemn declaration before
all of you here present, before the Holy
Catholic Church, before the entire
American people, and before all
humanity.' Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton
is a saint.
She is the first daughter of the United
States of America to be glorified with
this incomparable attribute.
But what do we mean when we say:
‘She is a saint”?
We all have some idea of the meaning
of this highest title, but it is still
difficult for us to make an exact
analysis of it.
Being a saint means being perfect,
with a perfection that attains the
highest level that a human being can
'reach. A saint is a human creature fully
conformed to the will of God. A saint is
a person in whom all sin - the principle
of death - is cancelled out and replaced
by the living splendor of divine grace.
The analysis of the concept of
sanctity brings us to recognize in a soul
the mingling to two elements that are
entirely different but which come
together to produce a single effect:
sanctity.
One of these elements is the human
and moral element, raised to the degree
of heroism; heroic virtues are always
required by the Church for the
recognition of a person’s sanctity.
The second element is the mystical
element, which expresses the measure
and form of divine action in the person
chosen by God to realize in herself -
always in an original way - the image of
Christ.
The science of sanctity is therefore
the most interesting, the most varied, the
most surprising and the most fascinating
of all the studies of that ever mysterious
being which is man.
The Church has made this study of
the life, that is, the interior and exterior
history, of Elizabeth Ann Seton. And
the Church has exulted with admiration
and joy, and has today heard her own
charism of truth poured out in the
exclamation that we send up to God
and announce to the world: she is a
saint.
We shall not now give a narrative
which glorifies the new saint. You
already know her life and you will
certainly study it further. This will be
one of the most valuable fruits of the
canonization of the new saint: to know
her, in order to admire in her an
outstanding human figure, in order to
praise God, who is wonderful in his
saints, to imitate her example, which
this ceremony places in a light that will
give perennial edification, to invoke her
protection, now that we have the
certitude of her participation in the
exchange of heavenly life in the
Mystical Body of Christ, which we call
the communion of saints and in which
we also share, although still belonging to
life on earth.
We shall not, therefore, speak of the
life of our St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. This
is neither the time nor the place for a
fitting commemoration of her.
But at least let us mention the
chapters in which such a
commemoration should be woven.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is an
American. All of us say this with
spiritual joy, and with the intention of
honoring the land and the nation from
which she marvelously sprang forth as
the first flower in the calendar of the
saints. This is the title which, in his
original foreword to the excellent work
of Father Dirvin, the late Cardinal
Spellman, archbishop of New York,
attributed to her as primary and
characteristic: “Elizabeth Ann Seton
was wholly American.”
Rejoice, we say to the great nation of
the United States of America. Rejoice
for your glorious daughter. Be proud of
her. And know how to preserve her
fruitful heritage. This most beautiful
figure of a holy woman presents to the
world and to history the affirmation of
new and authentic riches that are yours:
that religious spirituality which your
temporal prosperity seemed to obscure
and almost make impossible. Your land
too, America, is indeed worthy of
receiving into its fertile ground the seed
of evangelical holiness. And here is a
splendid proof - among many others -
of this fact.
May you always be able to cultivate
the genuine fruitfulness of evangelical
holiness, and ever experience how - far
from stunting the flourishing
development of your economic, cultural
and civic vitality - it will be in its own
way the unfailing safeguard of that
vitality.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was born,
brought up and educated in New York
in the Episcopalian communion. To this
church goes the merit of having
awakened and fostered the religious
sense and Christian sentiment which in
the young Elizabeth were naturally
predisposed to the most spontaneous
and lively manifestations. We willingly
recognize this merit, and, knowing well
how much it cost Elizabeth to pass over
to the Catholic Church, we admire her
courage for adhering to the religious
truth and divine reality which were
manifested to her therein. And we are
likewise pleased to see that from this
same adherence to the Catholic Church
she experienced great peace and
security, and found it natural to
preserve all the good things which her
membership in the fervent Episcopalian
community had taught her, in so many
beautiful expressions, especially of
religious piety, and that she was always
faithful in her esteem and affection for
those from whom her Catholic
profession had sadly separated her.
For us it is a motive of hope and a
presage of ever better ecumenical
relations to note the presence at this
ceremony of distinguished Episcopal
dignitaries, to whom - interpreting as it
were the heartfelt sentiments of the new
saint - we extend our greeting of
devotion and good wishes.
And then we must note that
Elizabeth Seton was the mother of a
family and at the same time the
foundress of the first Religious
congregation of women in the United
States. Although this social and ecclesial
condition of hers is not unique or new
(we may recall, for example, St.
Birgitta, St. Frances of Rome, St. Jane
Frances Fremiot de Chantal, St. Louise
de Marillac), in a particular way it
distinguishes St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley
Seton for her complete femininity, so
that as we proclaim the supreme
exaltation of a woman by the Catholic
Church, we are pleased to note that this
event coincides with an initiative of the
United Nations: International Women’s
Year. This program aims at promoting
an awareness of the obligation
incumbent on all to recognize the true
role of women in the world and to
contribute to their authentic
advancement in society. And we rejoice
at the bond that is established between
this program and today’s canonization,
as the Church renders the greatest honor
possible to Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton
and extols her personal and
extraordinary contribution as a woman
-- a wife, a mother, a widow, and a
Religious.
May the dynamism and authenticity
of her life be an example in our day --
and for generations to come - of what
women can and must accomplish, in the
fulfillment of their role, for the good of
humanity.
And finally we must recall that the
most notable characteristic of our saint
is the fact that she was, as we said, the
foundress of the first Religious
congregation of women in the United
States. It was an offspring of the
Religious family of St. Vincent de Paul,
which later divided into various
autonomous branches - five principal
ones - now spread throughout the
world. And yet all of them recognize
their origin in the first group, that of
the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s,
personally established by St. Elizabeth
Seton at Emmitsburg in the Archdiocese
of Baltimore. The apostolate of helping
the poor and the running of parochial
schools in America had this humble,
poor, courageous and glorious
beginning.
This account, which constitutes the
central nucleus of the earthly history
and worldwide fame of the work of
Mother Seton, would merit a more
extended treatment. But we know that
her spiritual daughters will take care to
portray the work itself as it deserves.
And therefore to these chosen
daughters of the saint we direct our
special and cordial greeting, with the
hope that they may be enabled to be
faithful to their providential and holy
institution, that their fervor and their
numbers may increase, in the constant
conviction that they have chosen and
followed a sublime vocation that is
worthy of being served with the total
gift of their heart, the total gift of their
lives. And may they always be mindful
of the final exhortation of their
foundress saint -- those words that she
pronounced on her deathbed, like a
heavenly testament, on January 2,
1821: “Be children of the Church.”
And we would add: forever.
And to all our beloved sons and
daughters in the United States and
throughout the entire Church of God
we offer, in the name of Christ, the
.glorious heritage of Elizabeth Ann
Seton. It is above all an ecclesial
heritage of strong faith and pure love
for God and for others - faith and love
that are nourished on the Eucharist and
on the word of God. Yes, brethren, and
sons and daughters: the Lord is indeed
wonderful in his saints. Blessed be God
forever.
PARACHUTIST DESCENDS ~ A parachutist,
carrying a replica of a statue of the madonna which
stands atop the Milan cathedral, sails above the throng
of 120,000 attending the canonization of Mother
Elizabeth Seton in St. Peter’s Square. The feat.
unrelated to the canonization rites, was performed
because Sunday was the second centenary of the date
the statue was placed on the cathedral’s highest spire.
(NC Photo)
Catholic University Collection
Washington, D.C. —_ The annual
diocesan collection for The Catholic
University of America will be taken up
in parishes across the country
September 27-28. This year marks the
72nd special collection for the
university.
With this year’s diocesan collection,
Catholic U. expects to receive an
estimated $4 million from the parishes.
Started in 1903 by Cardinal James
Gibbons of Baltimore, the first
chancellor of the university, the annual
collection is the only one in which U.S.
Catholics are asked to contribute on a
nationwide basis to an educational
institution.
Under the direction of Archbishop
Thomas A. Donnellan of Atlanta,
chairman of Catholic U.’s board of
trustees’ development committee, the
1975 collection drive has re-emphasized
the contributions. of the university as a
center for the development of Catholic
thought.
A new scholarly journal, SOCIAL
THOUGHT, (co-sponsored by the
National Conference of Catholic
Charities and the university’s National
School of Social Service) made its first
appearance this past spring. In the same
period, Dr. Walton invited presidents
and scholars from the leading Catholic
universities in the country to
Washington for discussions on how best
to organize the research capabilities of
Catholic institutions of higher learning.
As a result, an Inter-University
Committee on Research and Policy
Study was formed.
“Though efforts are always being
expanded to secure funds from other
sources, such as the recent Mellon
Foundation and the Catholic Daughters
of America grants, the annual collection
in the parishes remains crucial to the
daily operation of the university,” said
Archbishop Donnellan.
Recently the university was awarded
a $500,000 grant by Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation to strengthen Catholic U.’s
work in early Christian humanism,
focusing on the ideas and culture of
western civilization.
“It is gratifying
Foundation saw
fundamental research
which is so crucial to
of modern concepts
Dr. Clarence C.
announcement of
summer.
that the Mellon
fit to support
in the humanities
our understanding
and values,” said
Walton in his
the grant this
“But while the Mellon Foundation
grant will help support Catholic U.’s
humanities programs, the university is
still caught in the financial crunch that
threatens all private higher education,”
said Walton.
“Grants and endowments are often
earmarked for specific programs or areas
of study but the university needs the
continuing support of Catholics to
provide services and classes to more
than 6600 students each year,”
Archbishop Donnellan added.
A large percentage of the diocesan
collection is allocated annually for
student aid. During the past academic
year, Catholic U. spent more than $3
million of university funds for student
scholarships. About 40 percent of
Catholic U. students receive some form
of financial aid.
Also during the past year, diocesan
collection funds were used to help
establish the new development of
biblical studies in the university’s
School of Religious Studies which
currently includes the departments of
theology; canon law; and religion and
religious education.
POPE PAUL
CHICAGO (NC) - More than 10
percent of the women registering for a
conference in Detroit in November on
“Women in Future Priesthood Now: A
Call for Action” have stated that their
personal desire is to be ordained, the
publicity coordinator for the conference
said here.
the National Coalition of American
Nuns and professor of theology at the
Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley,
Calif.
Sister Mary Daniel Turner of the
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur,
executive director of the Leadership
Conference of Women Religious, and
Dominican Sister Majorie Tuite, training
consultant and faculty member at the
Jesuit School of Theology, Chicago, will
lead a discussion of “Possibility and
Vision: Synthesis and Strategy.”
Speaking on ‘“The Proper Place’ of
Women in the Church” will be Sister
Elizabeth Carroll of the Sisters of
Mercy, staff associate at the Center of
Concern, Washington, D.C. Respondents
to her talk will be Passionist Father
Carroll Stuhlmueller, professor of Old
Testament studies, Catholic Theological
Union, Chicago, and Rosemary Radford
Ruether, associate professor, School of
Religion, Howard University,
Washington, D.C.
Sister Ann Carr of the Sisters of
Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
assistant dean, University of Chicago
Divinity School, will speak on “The
Church in Process: On Engendering the
Future.” Respondents will be Emily
Binns, academic dean, Emmanual
College, Boston, and Father Richard P.
McBrien, professor of theology, Boston
College.
Registrations have been received from
men and women, lay, clerical, and
Religious, in 30 states, the District of
Columbia and Canada, the coordinator,
Sister Patricia Hughes, said.
Invitations have been sent to all the
U.S. Catholic bishops.
“The Conference will show how
serious women are about the issue of
ordination, and that these women are a
force to be considered,” said Sister
Marilyn Seig. “The question of
ordination of woman has surfaced as an
honest question. It deserves reflective
consideration and an honest answer.”
The conference is to be held on
Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28-30, at
the University of Detroit.
New Saint Kept Heritage
VATICAN CITY (NC) - Pope Paul,
receiving three members of the
Episcopalian delegation to Mother
Seton’s canonization, recalled that the
newly declared saint had continued
throughout her life to pray the prayers
and the hymns she had learned and
loved as an Episcopalian.
The Rev. Robert Hunsicker, vicar at
Trinity Church at the top of Wall Street
in New York, recalled the years when
Mother Seton was a devout parishioner
there.
Replying in English, the Pope
expressed gratitude for Mother Seton’s
religious formation in the Episcopal
Church. He mentioned that the prayers,
the hymns and the religious practices
she learned and used there continued
throughout her life.
Entering the Roman Catholic Church
did not mean the destruction of her
religious training and heritage, but
rather a development of it, the Pope
observed.
“The Moral Imperatives for the
Ordination of Women” will be discussed
by Sister Margaret Farley of the Sisters
of Mercy, associate professor of ethics
at Yale Divinity School. Emily C.
Hewitt, assistant professor of religion
and education, Andover Newton
Theological School, Newton Center,
Mass., and Assumptionist Father George
Tavard, Catholic-theologian-in-residence
at Methodist Theological School,
Delaware, Ohio, will be the respondents.
A panel discussion on “Models for
Future Priesthood” will feature Sister
Marie Augusta Neal of the Sisters of
Notre Dame, professor of sociology of
religion at Harvard University; Jesuit
Father William Callahan, executive
secretary of the Priests for Equality, Mt.
Rainer, Md.; Arlene Swidler, author;
Leonard Swidler, professor of Catholic
thought and history, Temple University,
Philadelphia; Eleanor Kahle, pastoral
associate, St. Clement parish, Toledo,
Ohio; and Sister Dorothy Donnelly of
the Sisters of St. Joseph, president of
BISHOP’S BOUNTY -- The sign tells passerbys that they are welcome to
vegetables from the bishop’s farm and the bishop himself, Bishop
Raymond A. Lucker, auxiliary of St. Paul - Minneapolis, is on hand to
encourage people to help themselves to corn, cucumbers and beans. With
him are Mr. and Mrs. John Hennessey and Diane McReynolds. Bishop
Lucker, pastor of Assumption parish, St. Paul, spends free time gardening
organically on a farm across the Mississippi River in Deer River, Wis. (NC)
Indicate Desire For Priesthood