Today is the feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. She’s among
the small handful of men and women who have been canonized by the Catholic
Church who are known for their work in what is now the United States. I think
it’s worthwhile looking at the list of American saint, with an eye on issues of
migration.
First, the whole list: there are 11 canonized saints known
for their work in the United States.
1.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. From Italy, worked
with Italians immigrants
2.
St. Junipero Serra, from Catalonia (Spain), came
north from Mexico and worked with native Americans
3.
St. Marianne Cope, immigrant from Germany,
worked with leprosy patients in Hawaii
4.
St. Damien de Veuster, “Damien the Leper,” from
Belgium, worked with leprosy patients in Hawaii
5.
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, from France,
worked with pioneers west of Mississippi and with Native Americans
6.
St. Mother Theodore Guerin, from France, worked
with American pioneers in Indiana
7.
St. Isaac Jogues, from France, worked with
Native Americans in New York
8.
St. John Neumann, from Bohemia (Czech Republic),
worked with German immigrants
9.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, from New York, worked
with the people of Maryland
10.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk from New York,
life of prayer in Montreal
11.
St. Katherine Drexel, from Philadelphia, worked
with African Americans and Native Americans
Of those eleven, eight were immigrants themselves:
1.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, from Italy
2.
St. Junipero Serra, from Catalonia (Spain)
3.
St. Marianne Cope, from Germany
4.
St. Damien de Veuster, “Damien the Leper,” from
Belgium
5.
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, from France
6.
St. Mother Theodore Guerin, from France
7.
St. Isaac Jogues, from France
8.
St. John Neumann, from Bohemia (Czech Republic)
Of the eleven, seven worked with Native Americans.
Obviously, Native Americans are not immigrants, unless their ancestors strayed
south of the Rio Grande for too long. But from the perspective of Native
Americans, settlers of European descent are immigrants. There are host/guest
issues here. Anyway, the seven:
1.
St. Junipero Serra, worked with Native Americans
in Mexico and California
2.
St. Marianne Cope, worked with leprosy patients
in Hawaii
3.
St. Damien de Veuster, worked with leprosy
patients in Hawaii
4.
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, worked with
pioneers west of Mississippi and with Native Americans
5.
St. Isaac Jogues, from France, worked with
Native Americans in New York
6.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha was herself Mohawk from
New York
7.
St. Katherine Drexel, worked with African
Americans and Native Americans
Six of the eleven worked with immigrants or internal migrants
– that is, pioneers:
1.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini worked with Italians
immigrants
2.
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne worked with
pioneers (migrants) west of Mississippi
3.
St. Mother Theodore Guerin with American
pioneers (migrants) in Indiana
4.
St. John Neumann worked with German immigrants
5.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton ran schools – AND worked
with orphans from immigrant families
6.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha lived among Europeans, all
immigrants from her perspective
7.
St. Katherine Drexel worked with involuntary
immigrants – that is, slaves and their descendants
To me it seems bizarre beyond belief that an American
Catholic could be persuaded to adopt an unwelcoming stance – or even hostility –
toward immigrants.