The Life of Mother Seton: A Documentary
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton: The Story as told by Sister Rosalie O'Hara
In 1959 the Catholic Church made venerable Elizabeth Ann Seton, the foundress of the Sisters of Charity. The Sisters were ecstatic about the announcement, and Sister Rosalie wanted to further immortalize the messages that Mother Seton had to offer.
Sister Rosalie took great inspiration from the writings, stories, and moral messages of Elizabeth Seton. As part of her ongoing cooperation with WQED, and to honor the future Saint's messages and life, Sister Rosalie would begin production of a documentary covering the Life of Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton in 1960, demonstrating to a general audience the dawn of the Sisters of Charity.
While the film is technically a documentary, the final product recalls interpretive art film project with consistently somber imagery and thematics. More than anything, the film displayed the overwhelming tragedy that Mother Seton suffered through her life and the perserverance she found through her faith in God.
The film covers themes of loss, misfortune, and motherhood, with Mother Seton herself being the prime example of what it means to be a truly great Catholic woman.
View the Life of Mother Seton film below:
Stills From the Documentary, the Production of the Documentary, and Notable Persons Involved in the Documentary
(Images are high quality and may take a while to load)
An Interesting Fact About the Inspiration for the Movie
While Sister Rosalie obviously took inspiration from Mother Seton in her day-to-day life, the director of the film, John Ziegler, had a very special connection to her and the Sisters in his own way.
Some time before the production of the movie, John Ziegler had a very sickly daughter who, unfortunately, passed away at a very young age. Before she passed, she was in the constant care of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill at the Pittsburgh Hospital, who did everything they could, and then some, to keep her safe. To repay their efforts, Ziegler decided to make a movie to show the world the virtue of Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.
What is important to note about Ziegler is that he was a Jewish man working with a Catholic Sisters to make a movie about a woman who was only recently beatified, not even fully canonized. Coupled with Sister Rosalie's role in the production and direction of the movie, the film as a whole becomes significantly more progressive and stands as a beacon of interreligious collaboration.
