HISTORY
‘A saint for our times’
Virtual book club explores the life of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton BY ERIK ANDERSON
The next book club session will run from Aug. 18 through Sep. 22, with virtual meetups from 7 to 8 p.m. each Thursday. This upcoming group will Like so many Americans who lived through the read and discuss “Elizabeth Bayley Seton 1774COVID-19 pandemic, the life of St. Elizabeth Ann 1821: Mother, Foundress, Saint,” by Annabelle Seton was forever changed by quarantine and M. Melville, which the shrine’s staff considers the death. definitive book on St. Seton’s Long before she founded life. an order of nuns and set the The meetings take place course of Catholic education on a shared Zoom call of no in the United States, she was more than 40 participants per a mother of five children virtual room. DiGregory, who lost her husband to who serves as the Book: “Elizabeth Bayley tuberculosis shortly after she moderator, says the Seton 1774-1821: Mother, was quarantined with him in a club’s conversations are Foundress, Saint,” by drafty Italian cell for 25 days. informal with few rules, Annabelle M. Melville Two years before that, she was and that participants of When: 7 to 8 p.m. each by her father’s side when he past sessions have come Thursday from Aug. 18 to died from yellow fever while to think of the club as a Sep. 22 in quarantine. space to feel a sense of Where: Zoom “A lot of what people are community during times of experiencing today, she isolation. Cost: $35, includes experienced in her lifetime,” “I’m not there to take a copy of the book said Anita DiGregory, the charge or anything. I mailed to each particvirtual experience facilitator don’t have a set agenda,” ipant. Register at setonshrine. at the National Shrine for DiGregory said of her role org/bookclub. Registrants will receive an in organizing the Zoom St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in email with instructions about how to join meetings. “I just try to Emmitsburg. “I like to say the virtual meetings. Anyone who is unable facilitate the conversation.” that she’s really a saint for to afford the fee can email anita.digregory@ She tells participants at the our times. She suffered many setonshrine.org for other options. start of every session that they tragedies in her life, including are welcome to join in the talk the deaths of her parents, her even if they haven’t finished husband, her children [and] the week’s readings, that they will still learn a lot friends.” from the conversations, and that she will never Because the country began practicing social isolation to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, call on anyone to answer questions. DiGregory said that while this upcoming and many were suffering the loss of loved ones, session is focused specifically on St. Seton’s life, the time was right for the shrine to reach out to future sessions will include books on related the public with a virtual book club to explore the subjects, such as biographies of other Catholic life of an American-born saint who had endured saints. There is some effort to keep the readings similar suffering, DiGregory said. relevant to the calendar, i.e., the group chose The club proved popular and will remain a “Saintly Moms: 25 Stories of Holiness,” by Kelly fixture of the shrine’s educational programing, Ann Guest, to coincide with Mother’s Day. But no even as the pandemic abates. Special to The News-Post
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Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. matter what book is discussed, DiGregory said the group will always look at how it relates to the life and legacy of St. Seton. When the selected book comes from a living author, the group invites the author to attend the final club meeting for a Q&A session. Melville, the author of the St. Seton biography the club is reading next, passed away in 1991, so the club will invite Sr. Betty Ann McNeil to speak about her newly edited version of the book. Sr. McNeil has added material from newly uncovered historical documents from St. Seton’s life to the most recent edition, including previously unpublished writings of the saint. “We never want someone to feel they can’t join for financial reasons, so we’re always happy to work with anyone if that’s an issue,” she said.
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