Intercom Articles
Intercom Summer 2009
A Year-Long Celebration: Seton Legacy of Charity 1809-2009
Celebrations continued for the 200th anniversary of the founding of the American Sisters of Charity by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
The College of Mount St. Joseph celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Master of Arts degree in Education program on April 22 at the College. The Sisters of Charity enjoyed a special tribute from the College that evening in honor of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of Charity by St. Elizabeth Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1809. The College expressed appreciation for the Sisters’ legacy of education.
A dulcimer concert, featuring S. Sophia Gilmeyer’s 19th century hammer dulcimer, was held Sunday, April 26 in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Motherhouse. The concert featured Colonial, Antebellum and Civil War selections.
A special liturgy was held in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on May 3 honoring the many “partners in ministry” of the Sisters of Charity. In her homily, S. Judith Metz stated, “All of us are expected to follow our call of Christian discipleship as Jesus spelled out and as his disciples and loyal followers have demonstrated through the centuries. Today we come together to celebrate St. Elizabeth Seton’s founding of the American Sisters of Charity. She, her companions in religious life, and their co-workers across the years and around the world have striven to be faithful followers – and leaders.”
200th Anniversary: Banquet and Concert Celebrations
By Sisters Judith Metz and Alice Ann O’Neill
“Have you ever felt like this must be Heaven? If so,” S. Pat McNally remarked, “you must have been present for the concert at the close of our Congregational retreat.” After our community celebrated with delicious food and a program of anniversary memories at the banquet on June 27 during the Gathering Retreat at Mount St. Joseph, everyone met in the chapel for the 200th anniversary concert “Music in the Life of Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton.” The concert featured a pianist, violinist, cellist, and a soprano with musical selections and spoken reflections that traced the importance of music to Elizabeth and William Seton and their family. The program was planned and researched by S. Alice Ann O’Neill with introductions to each piece that offered insights into the historical background of the music and the various ways in which Elizabeth and her family incorporated music into their lives. S. Pat Wittberg said “the concert brought Mother Seton closer to us,” and S. Joyce Brehm appreciated that “the concert made Elizabeth come alive for us.”
The performers included violinist Sujean Kim, who is concertmaster of the Springfield Symphony, cellist S. Alice Ann O’Neill, pianist Daniel Sachs, and soprano Tiffany Owens, faculty of the music department at the College of Mount St. Joseph. “The lovely clear singing of the hymns and the wondrous rich tones of the cello, the dancing keys of the piano, and the smooth, graceful music of the violin – these were real gifts to us,” continued S. Pat McNally. S. Jane Vogt reflected, “That beauty gave us the thrills we receive when God is the Giver.”
The concert included “Hail Columbia,” our first national anthem premiered at George Washington’s inauguration at Federal Hall (NY) in 1789. Elizabeth Seton described her son, Billy, as able to sing “‘Hail Columbia’ as well as I can,” and wrote of hearing this song upon arriving in Italy. The Francoeur Sonata performed on cello and piano represented Elizabeth’s love of dancing. The Corelli Violin Sonata was a piece that Elizabeth, a pianist, could have played with her son Will Seton, a violinist. Elizabeth Bayley Seton loved to play the piano but also taught music to her daughters, sisters-in-law, and many students at St. Joseph’s Academy in Emmitsburg. She advised Cecilia Seton in a note saying, “mind the E-flat…before you begin to play any thing, examine every note and make yourself sure of the flats and sharps.” Other pieces in the concert by composers Handel, Scarlatti, Mozart, and Haydn may have been heard by Elizabeth at concerts she attended in Italy and New York at the turn of the 19th century.
Performed in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception with its “vaulted ceiling that melts the music into harmony,” the concert was a beautiful tribute to our founder, Elizabeth Seton, and a highlight event among our 200th anniversary celebrations.