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.
[poll id="186"]
301 comments on “Elizabeth Ann Seton vs. Sarah”
Hmm, we need a "like" button on this thread - a lot of great comments! I played Sarah in a church skit several decades ago - now I'm hoping to make it to her age. Sarah it is.
Fond of both these women, and my name is Sarah Elzabeth...but Sarah won out.
Sarah
I leaned toward Elizabeth, but the more I pondered, Sarah has it. I was surprised that you took her from the OT, but she gave so much!
I cannot figure out why Sarah is getting any votes. Seton for me.
My mom went to the college founded by Mother St. Elizabeth Seton and Sisters of Charity in Maryland. She met my dad there at a tea dance in early 1930's. He was a student at Mr St Mary's men's college. Mom was devoted all her life to Mother Seton and passed that on to us....her 11 children! What an honor to vote for this holy woman who helped so very many people!! Go St Elizabeth!!!
I just read The Living Church's daily devotional for today, 3/21. Guess what? It was about Abraham ad Sarah! It double clinched the choice I had already made.
I voted for Mother Seton, after I researched and found out that special provision was made for her to continue raising her children after she took her vows. My opinion of Sarah is tied to her very poor treatment of Hagar.
This was of course difficult; however, I leaned toward our first American Saint, Elizabeth Seton.
I'm usually an advocate for ancient and Biblical saints, some of whom are poorly misunderstood. But I feel like Sarah is familiar and well-understood, at least by those who read those Bible stories. Additionally, Old Testament figures fall outside my parameters for "saints" although I understand why some traditions--including the SEC--include them. If this had been Advent Madness, on the other hand, Sarah the Matriarch for me all the way. (When I saw the bracket, I thought "Sarah" referred to St. Sarah, patron saint of the Romani people.
I'm also a teacher, which makes me appreciate Seton's work itself even more.
My goodness this is a close one! My daughter's name is Sarah....so how can I not vote for Sarah who laughed at God!
For me, it's an Old Testament kind of day so Sarah it is. The fact that a very beloved granddaughter carries this name probably swayed me a bit, too.
If Sarah doesn't win this, I'm gonna blame you, SEC, for handicapping her with the most unflattering rendering of her likeness possible. What the what?!
OK Christian Clowns that bring smiles and laughter to all, Your votes for Sarah are needed now. Sarah not only laughed, "She persisted".
Peanut, the Clown
Anyone who conceives and bears a child at 90, can live with Abraham after he almost sacrifices their son, deserves the Golden Halo. Sarah gets my vote for this round, at least
Almost impossible.
I went to college in Frederick, Md and knew St. Josephs quite well, have to go for a local gal.
In this round, I voted for Sarah, although I had great sympathies for Mother Seton, who had to cope with high levels of bigotry because of her conversion to the RC church.
Leaving aside the legendary and (probably non-historical) bits of Sarah's story, such as the conflict involving Hagar and Ishmael, if it weren't for Sarah and her bloke travelling off into the unknown because of this radical "one-God" notion, none of the great faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam would have come into existence (not to mention their interesting offshoots such as the Baha'is or LDSs).
Sarah's journey into the unknown made every other entrant in this year's LM possible, even my two personal favourites of Nurse Flo for the Gold and Farmer Franz for the Silver. (And the winner of this match-up meets the double-umlaut guy in the next round, anyway.)
I try to vote on the merits of the biographies offered by the "celebrity" bloggers. I have never read the comments before voting. I also try to wait until lunch or later in the day for my Lent Madness Obligations. Why is everybody in such a hurry? Oh my. The morning postings are like the Oklahoma Land Rush. Today I was stumped. The comments section helped me. I will now go and vote for Elisabeth Ann Seton.
Claire, you made me laugh when you wrote "The morning postings are like the Oklahoma Land Rush". Here's a theory (might be wrong): Early in the day, when the polls open, the comments section is blank. People rush to get their comments in because they feel that it increases the chances of their particular comment being read. As the hours go by and the comments pile up, a lot of folks (myself included) simply don't have time to read all 562 of them. Every morning I feel the urge to jump in and type something. I usually don't, but the urge is there.
And then there are those of us who live in time zones (Australia in my case) in which we're asleep when the early posts are put up, and are always among the later voters/posters.
Seton founded an order when her oldest of 5 children could have been no more than 14. What did she do with her children? What did they think of all this? Imagine your mother becoming a nun while you are still a child. I just can't wrap my head around that.
So I voted for Sarah. I love the writeup!
If you read up the page, you'll find that special provisions were made to allow Elizabeth Ann to remain a mother while also becoming a Mother. One of her daughters actually joined the order, making her mother her Mother who then called her daughter Sister. The other two daughters sadly died as teens. One son died in the Navy in his 20s. The other son, like his sister the Sister, lived to a ripe old age. I think someone mentioned that he had a son, which eould mean he became a father and therefore neither a Brother or a Father as far as I know.
It seems so easy for us to judge, discuss, and examine the lives of these women who both served God according to his own purpose for them, in the culture and times they lived in.
I like Sarah and she inspires me, but I can't get over how she treated Hagar, so I voted for Elizabeth.
I could not vote for Sarah because of the way she treated Hagar and Ishmael. She might be the "Mother of Nations", but she set the nations against each other.
Hard decision, but I voted for Sarah, recognizing that saints aren't limited to AD (or CE) times nor to Christianity (sorry, Frs. Scott and Tim).
Voted for Elizabeth Ann Seton. Both were worthy of a vote today! The comments were very interesting and yet didn't make much of a difference today. I somehow I wanted to vote for Elizabeth. She worked so hard and accomplished so much.
This morning when I voted the saints were tied in percents, although Sarah had eleven more votes. If the votes and percents were tied at the end of the day, what would happen?? I am just wondering and would like it if someone could please give me an answer.
Aside from lots of heads exploding, the SEC would pick their personal favorite. It's Lent Madness, not Lent Fairness.
LOL, Freeman! I bet you're right.
But what if that were to happen and Tim's favorite was not Scott's favorite, then there would still be a tie. I can only hope they'd go all early Church (cf. Acts 1:24-26) and allow the Holy Spirit to break the tie by prayerfully casting lots.
Have to go with Elizabeth a lot of my friends go to a Catholic high school just felt right but I really like Sarah too
Have to go with Elizabeth. Godly service and the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized.
I thought this was about Saints not about Biblical figures. How can you put Elizabeth Seton who founded Catholic schools in America versus Sarah the wife of Abraham!? Sorry, but I think this is an unfair competition.
It is called Lent Madness not Lent Fairness for a reason.
Definitely Elizabeth Ann Seton. This vote is in honor of my new daughter-in-law who chose her as her patron when she was confirmed during the RCIA process last year.
Where's Oliver? I miss his words of wisdom!
Maybe he outgrew us.
Could be he's away on Spring Break somewhere away from his computer.