“If the world takes something from us on the one hand, God will give us something on the other.”
St. Louise de Marillac
Divine Providence
By Sebastian Isaacs, Communications intern
Community Historian S. Judith Metz recently had the unique opportunity to reunite the missing pages of Cincinnati’s copy of “Rebecca’s Journal,” following their discovery within an archival financial ledger at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
In January, Research and Exhibitions Specialist at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland, Lisa Donahue, made a startling discovery – one that she described as a “little miracle.”
While reviewing the Shrine’s historical financial ledgers for a project with S. Judith Metz, historian for the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Lisa noticed one account book that appeared dissimilar from the others. Aside from listing financial information, this book had prayer cards and poetry interleaved within its pages, as well as four aged, handwritten sheets that were dated, as if they belonged to a journal.
After consulting with Scott Kiefer, the Daughters of Charity archivist, Lisa came to the realization that these odd pages she happened across belonged to Cincinnati’s handwritten copy of Elizabeth Seton’s “Italian Journal,” also referred to as the “Livorno Journal,” the “Leghorn Journal,” or, “Rebecca’s Journal.”
For many historians, researchers, and followers of Elizabeth Seton, “Rebecca’s Journal” offers the most intimate window into Elizabeth’s life. Beginning in the fall of 1803, when she sailed to Italy with her ailing husband, William Magee Seton, and their daughter Anna Maria, and continuing through her return to New York in 1804, Elizabeth kept this journal for her dear friend and sister-in-law, Rebecca Seton, who died shortly after Elizabeth’s return.
While the Seton family was isolated in a lazaretto in Livorno as William’s health declined, Lisa explained, “you get to know [Elizabeth] better in those five or six months than through any other part of her life,” because she is actively detailing each moment and every emotion that she is feeling. For this reason, so many are able to relate with Elizabeth’s struggles. Before she was a saint, she was a grieving wife and a hardworking mother.
Her resilience amid profound loss deeply influenced early members of the community, including Margaret George and Elizabeth Boyle, who would go on to found the Cincinnati and New York communities, respectively.
Recently, Lisa borrowed and scanned all three copies of “Rebecca’s Journal” that are thought to exist in order to create a footnoted copy for all potential readers to understand. While reviewing these copies, she began to wonder if one was written by Margaret George, and one by Elizabeth Boyle. While the Shrine has not confirmed the authors of these two copies, Lisa pointed out a few unique differences between each one.
“Elizabeth [Seton] did a lot of shorthand, while in the copy Cincinnati has, the words are fully written out and the grammar is standard. To me, that sounds like Margaret George,” Lisa explained. Since she has not been able to compare this copy to Mother Margaret George’s other writings, she continued, “It is possible that Elizabeth [Seton] wrote all of them,” but she finds it highly unlikely.
Another distinction among the transcriptions lies in the level of detail used to describe events. Lisa pointed to one example in which Elizabeth wrote simply in her original journal, “The captain came down the stairs,” while in two other copies, the line appears expanded: “The captain came down the stairs and stood against the wall, afraid to even touch the chair.”
While Lisa has identified multiple cases of these detail embellishments, she said, “There’s not enough changes to discount any one of them.” Each copy has told the story of Seton’s hardships and conversion with the same emotion and devotion to God.
Now that the missing pages have returned to Cincinnati, S. Judy reaffirmed Lisa’s theory about Mother Margaret George authoring the Community’s copy, and even ventured to say that Lisa’s discovery was guided by the “providence of God.”
When S. Judy first learned about the pages, she was surprised. “We never even realized they were missing,” she said about the Cincinnati Community. “It’s a real curiosity. How in the world did four pages from this journal that Mother Margaret kept with her, and was copied probably more than 200 years ago, wind up stuck in some other book?”
She proposed a likely explanation: that Mother Margaret George may have had the ledger in her possession while serving as Community treasurer in the 1830s. It is possible that a few pages of the journal, which she also kept close at hand, were inadvertently separated, some remaining in Cincinnati, others making their way to the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
The content of the four rediscovered pages aligns with what is known from other copies. Written in December 1803, they recount William Magee Seton’s illness and the refuge Elizabeth found in Scripture while she, her husband, and their daughter Anna Maria were quarantined in a lazaretto in Livorno. Even in the face of impending loss, Elizabeth wrote to Rebecca of her faith: “How shall the most unwearied diligence, the most cheerful compliance, the most humble resignation ever enough express my love, my joy, thanksgiving, and praise?”
For S. Judy, “Rebecca’s Journal” remains essential to understanding Elizabeth Seton not only as a historical figure, but as a Catholic convert. After her husband’s death, Elizabeth traveled through Pisa and Florence with the Filicchi brothers, who had befriended the family early in their journey. Her journal entries, rich with descriptions of Italy’s churches and sacred spaces, gradually shift from recounting William’s final days to wrestling with the call to Catholicism.
“It’s one of the great conversion journals in literature,” S. Judy said. Elizabeth’s careful reflection as she returned to America as a single, grieving mother, knowing she would be scorned by her friends and family for her conversion, is an inspiring story to the oppressed, the struggling, and the grieving everywhere.
Drawing on decades of archival work – beginning with the Sisters of Charity Federation project to collect Elizabeth’s writings in 1992, her appointment as Community archivist in 1995, and her ongoing role as historian – S. Judy describes Elizabeth as “an amazing person,” adding that there is “a lot to be learned from her experiences and studying her writing.”
She continued, “There aren’t many published journals where someone writes so intimately to a dear friend revealing their whole thought process, their anguish, their fears – simply pouring themselves out. You don’t find that kind of writing often. In that sense, it’s a real gift to people who care about Elizabeth Seton and who are struggling themselves.”
For the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, the reunion of these pages holds deep significance. “I think it’s been meaningful for many people to have this material brought together,” S. Judy reflected. “It’s been the work of my life.” Elizabeth Ann Seton.
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