Today we make Lent Madness hist0ry. While Old Testament figures are considered saints in some traditions, we have never before had one participate in the Saintly Smackdown. That ends today as Sarah the Matriarch faces Elizabeth Ann Seton in a pairing that spans many, many generations.
Yesterday, in the Battle of the Consonants, Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky outspelled Nikolaus von Zinzendorf 69% to 31% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen where he'll face Martin Luther.
If you missed yesterday's Limerick Edition of Monday Madness, you can still redeem your entire week by watching it here. Tim and Scott share some limericks (both on air and in print) and, despite some amazing rhymes throughout yesterday's comment section, have officially decided NOT to turn Lent Madness into one giant penitential poetry slam.
Elizabeth Ann Seton
Elizabeth Ann Seton was born in New York City in 1774, two years before the United States declared independence from England. Her father was a very popular doctor, and her maternal grandfather was an Anglican priest. Seton’s parents set examples of service and charity that she would follow her whole life.
Seton had a lonely and difficult childhood, losing her biological mother to death and her stepmother to a family rift. In 1794 she married William Seton at a service performed by Bishop Samuel Provoost, the first Episcopal bishop of New York. She and her family were congregants of Trinity Church.
Three years into her marriage, her father in-law died; a few years later, her husband succumbed to tuberculosis, after having lost the bulk of the family’s wealth and social status. Seton found herself a young widow with five children and few resources. She eventually found solace in the Roman Catholic tradition, into which she was received in 1805.
Her world changed again in the next year when she met the Rev. Louis Dubourg, a Roman Catholic priest who wanted to start a Catholic seminary for women in the United States. This piqued Elizabeth’s interest and drive, and in 1809 Elizabeth founded the Sisters of Charity, the first community of nuns who were also citizens of the United States. She professed her vows and became “Mother Seton.”
Locating their community in Maryland, the sisters dedicated themselves to education, social services, and religious formation. In 1810 the community began
St. Joseph’s Free School, the first Roman Catholic school in America, and launched the Roman Catholic parochial school system in the United States. Mother Seton and her order also founded and operated orphanages in major cities along the East Coast.
Seton remained the Mother of the Sisters of Charity until her death from tuberculosis at age 46 on January 4, 1821. She was the first native-born citizen of the United States to become a saint. Her feast is commemorated on January 4.
Collect for Elizabeth Ann Seton
Holy God, you blessed Elizabeth Seton with your grace as wife, mother, educator and founder, that she might spend her life in service to your people: Help us, by her example, to express our love for you in love of others; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sarah
Sarah (formerly Sarai), daughter of Terah, wife of Abraham, first of the matriarchs in the Old Testament, is the mother of nations.
When Sarah was 90 years old, three strangers came to visit her tent. She and her husband and their household had been living in tents for the last twenty-five years, and she had seen and heard plenty. Abraham and his God were the mainstays of Sarah’s life; even her name had been changed as they journeyed toward a place of promise. She was Abraham’s half-sister and younger by about ten years. Abraham had pulled more than one rabbit out of his hat by diplomatically omitting the nuptial aspect of their association. He was also insistent that God had promised them a child—together. Sarah had heard some crazy things come out of Abraham’s mouth and had seen some crazy things standing at his side, but when she heard the three strangers tell Abraham that she—Sarah—would hold her very own baby in just a short while, she laughed out loud. She had been in the desert a long time, but she wasn’t all the way crazy.
Sarah laughed Isaac into the world and held the living proof of God’s promise in her own hands. If we are honest, we can imagine her making the totally opposite noise some years later when Abraham took the boy off into the badlands, clumsily trying to explain to her that God had asked him to do another impossible thing.
Some years after Abraham and Isaac returned from Moriah, Sarah died. In the first recorded commercial transaction in the Bible, Abraham bought a resting place for the woman who had moved everywhere with him and who had died while he was away on business. And in the first burial recorded in the Old Testament, Abraham lays the bones of Sarah down to rest overlooking the oaks of Mamre from where her daughter-in-law Rebekah would come. Sarah is remembered for her devotion, bravery, tenacity, and laughter.
Collect for Sarah
Ancient of Days, you have called nations into being which number more than the grains of sand on all the beaches in all the world. Thank you for Sarah, who journeyed through deserts toward a land of promise, entertained angels, laughed a promised child into the world, and mothered nations. Help us, like her, to remain faithful to your promises, no matter how unlikely the world may find them. We pray this in the name of your son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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301 comments on “Elizabeth Ann Seton vs. Sarah”
My husband and I were married at Trinity church in Manhattan, same as Elizabeth Ann Seton, but her compelling story got my vote.
Interesting to read about Seton's life and how she nevertheless persisted. But Sarah laughed, and God said, "I'm not joking!" My morning midrash for a saint of Hebrew Scriptures.
Sarah, who laughed her way to become the 'Mother of Nations.'
Sarah for her sense of humor, a gift from God who said "I'm not joking!"
As a Methodist pastor's wife for 5 decades, gotta go with she who was the first spouse in the itineracy!
As President of the Board of Seton Youth Shelters in Va Beach I had to vote for her!
Unfair! I wanted to vote for Elizabeth Ann Seton, but my mother's name was Sarah. How could I not vote for her?
Wow! Just under 3,000 votes and Sarah and Elizabeth are separated by only 16 votes! What an exciting match-up. I thought Elizabeth would be shoo-in, but David Creech's write up of Sarah was just excellent! Thanks, David. I like having an Old Testament saint in the line-up and especially after reading the bio thought about voting for her (also assuming she would be the underdog and could use a vote or two). In the end I had to vote for Elizabeth in honor of a very dear friend of mine who was a Sister of Charity and just died last year. As with every one of these contests, whoever wins certainly deserves to move on. The SEC did a great job of choosing 32 saints for us this year.
Sarah, plain and tall. Or, maybe not, but honest. At least that.
Sarah -- and her tenacity of hope. Loved David Breech's bio.
Elizabeth! All this and she died at 46? Whoa!
I cast my vote for Mother Seton in memory of my great aunt, Sister Mary Dionyonysia - aka Sister Auntie Bessie. A more loving, generous, ecumenical soul could not be found. From her I learned to love everyone.
I find the stories of the Biblical 'saints' inspiring as stories that are not necessarily factual, but real. Mother Seton, on the other hand is both historical and inspiring. I go with her!
Oliver, are you all right? Have you outgrown us?
Mother Seton is the patroness of Seton Hall University, and so as a loyal New Jerseyan...
(whose folks went to St. Peter's)
I had to go with Sarah.
Had to vote for my fellow Marylander.
Oh, this is so hard! I love Elizabeth Ann Seton. Apparently, she was baptized in my parish (when St. George's was a chapel of ease in the Trinity parish) and I _live_ on what was her husband's family's estate in the Bronx. My mom was educated by the Sisters of Charity, and I grew up to love them, too. The traditional habit still includes the bonnet! Growing up RC, EAS beatification and her canonization were big deals. I'm sorry, Sara and my Jewish half... I have to vote for Elizabeth Ann Seton today... and in fact, support her for the Golden Halo. Go all the way in the name of Christian reconciliation! Win it, lady!
I am always amazed that people who don't take the Bible literally (all of Creation in Genesis, eg.) suddenly take the Bible literally. A baby at 90! Really?
I voted for Mother Seton. My mother was trained as a nurse by her order at Saint Vincent's in NYC. I also thought the sisters wore a totally cute old timey bonnet, even through the 1960's.
Many commemorated saints from early Christianity may or may not have existed, so whether Sarah was physically or just mythically real should not matter. But her cruelty to Hagar and Ishmael disturbs me, there are many more saintly figures than Sarah among all the wonderfully and less wonderfully human characters in Hebrew Scripture. How about Ruth? She didn't try to kill anyone to do what she had to do to secure a lineage and future!
It looks as if Elizabeth Ann Seton did not pull an Auggie of Hippo and back out of her family responsibilities when she began her order's good work of supporting families and education. I wish she hadn't had to cross the Tiber to do it, but she gets my vote.
As was oft stated in the comments section of the Battle of the Augustines, A. of Hippo took care of his son, who remained living with his father after his mother return led to North Africa, until his son died at the young age of 16.
WOW-- 50/50 as of this writing. This is crazy!
I'd have liked to vote for Sarah; but on poking around in Genesis I concluded that, apart from her sense of the absurd, she didn't seem to be a very nice person. Her treatment of Hagar and Ishmael, even though she may have had reason to hold a grudge and even though Yahweh vindicated her behavior and protected its victims, was spitefully unkind; and the Biblical account gives us no reason to suppose that she gave a tinker's damn what became of them.
"Tinker's dam" per Wikipedia:
A tinker's dam is a temporary patch to repair a hole in a metal vessel such as a pot or a pan. It was used by tinkers and was usually made of mud or clay, or sometimes other materials at hand, such as wet paper. The material was built up around the outside of the hole, so as to plug it. Molten solder was then poured on the inside of the hole. The solder cooled and solidified against the dam and bonded with the metal wall. The dam was then brushed away. The remaining solder was then rasped and smoothed down by the tinker. In the Practical Dictionary of Mechanics of 1877, Edward Knight makes this definition: "Tinker's-dam - a wall of dough raised around a place which a plumber desires to flood with a coat of solder. The material can be but once used; being consequently thrown away as worthless."
Given that Hagar founds the Arabic line from Abraham, I wonder if sentiment while sending Hagar out to encounter the angel wouldn't possibly be a "tinker's dam," disposable.
Great to see Mother Seton on the slate. I was taught by the Sisters of Charity, (called them "Widow weeds" because of their habit). Great educators and spiritual advisors.
I remember my teachers with great affection and respect.
Wow, is this a close one! Three votes separated the candidates when I went back and looked after posting.
Had to vote for my namesake...m
Surprised to read Sarah's biography and find no mention of Hagar. I have always had a soft spot for Hagar, the first theologian of the Bible (the first person to reflect on God's character and name him). It is because of Hagar and Ishmael's poor treatment at Sarah's behest that I cannot vote for her. I voted for Elizabeth Ann Seton in thanksgiving for her commitment to the well-being and education of women.
I blame Abraham for the treatment of Hagar. He was always coming up with excuses for other stuff, after all. This sounds like yet another case of "She made me do it," sort of like Adam did to Eve. Whatever, Sarah laughed. That's enough.
If my husband and I had a daughter instead of 2 wonderful (grown) sons, her name would have been Sarah. Therefore I must go with Sarah!
Whew! About to get through
The theological 32!
Although I love Sarah (and have a daughter by that name) I have to vote for Elizabeth Seton. My great-great-great-great grandmother, Mary Seton Wilkes, was cousin to William Seton, Elizabeth's husband. I knew that when she died and her children were all small, the son through whom I am descended was only 3 and went to live with Mother Seton and she helped to raise him. What I only learned recently was that the week Mary Wilkes was dying, Elizabeth Seton was over there every day to nurse her, despite the burden of her husband's failing business, his own illness and her own small children. That's a saint! By the way, this branch of the family stayed Episcopalian and actively so, each generation making their own contribution in their own way. I have often wondered if this time with her was not transformational.
wow. very surprised this one is close! How can anyone compete with the mother of nations?
and reading the comments it seems this is a very tough judgmental crowd. Glad I've been too busy to follow much madness this year
On any other day I would vote for Sarah but I am a product of the Sisters of Charity, born in one of their hospitals and received my education in one of their high schools and colleges. Go, Lizzie! You go, girl!