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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born citizen to be canonized a saint, completes the trio of education saints facing the school. She is considered the Patroness of Catholic Schools in the United States. Mother Seton was born on August 28, 1774 and died on January 4, 1821. She married and had five children before her conversion to Catholicism after the death of her husband.
Mother Seton’s face is based on two original portraits painted during her lifetime. She is wearing the original black habit of the Sisters of Charity, the Congregation which she founded, with the characteristic “bonnet”. Her rosary hangs from the habit, a reminder of the emphasis she placed on prayer in her life and the life of her Sisters. She is holding a classic one-room American school house in her hands. Mother Seton established one of the earliest U.S. Catholic schools, St. Joseph’s Academy, shortly after her arrival in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1809.
Mother Seton’s face is based on two original portraits painted during her lifetime. She is wearing the original black habit of the Sisters of Charity, the Congregation which she founded, with the characteristic “bonnet”. Her rosary hangs from the habit, a reminder of the emphasis she placed on prayer in her life and the life of her Sisters. She is holding a classic one-room American school house in her hands. Mother Seton established one of the earliest U.S. Catholic schools, St. Joseph’s Academy, shortly after her arrival in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1809.
Mother holds the American flag in her hand, symbol of her distinction as the first “American” saint. The flag has fifteen stars and stripes, as it would have looked at the time of the founding of her first school. In 1818 Congress reduced the number of stripes to thirteen, allowing only the addition of stars for each new state.
Also emphasizing Mother Seton’s American background are the flora and fauna of the Eastern United States: the Monarch butterflies and Milkweed plant (upon which the Monarch depends), Lazy Susans and the Baltimore Oriole (state bird of Maryland where Mother Seton founded her congregation and school). There are also two hefty Elm trees to the right and left of her cape.
Mother Seton is wearing a precious wedding ring on her left hand, symbol of the Sacrament of Matrimony. She would not have worn this after becoming a nun, but it symbolizes the “treasure” of marriage which she left behind after her husband’s death to seek another kind of treasure. For parents with challenging children, Mother Seton is a wonderful patroness who struggled mightily and grieved deeply over the choices of her wayward son.
In the lower panel is the Shield of Bishop Norman F. McFarland, second bishop of the diocese of Orange (from 1987-1998). The left side of the shield is that of the diocese of Orange with the characteristic Santa Ana mountains, orange tree, mission courtyard and waves of the ocean. Bishop McFarland’s personal arms are on the right side of the shield.
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