Anna Asks…Why is a saint’s feast day celebrated on the day they died? January 4th is the feast day of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. It is the day she died, 200 years ago on Monday. She was born on August 28, 1774. The Catholic Church recognizes that the goal of life is to reach heaven at the end of our earthly journey. The old Baltimore Catechism asked (and then answered), “Why did God make you?” “God made me to know him, to love him, and to serve him in this world and to be happy with him forever in the next.” That “birthday into eternity” is what we celebrate. Whether or not there was a brief time of purgation, the Church declares that the saint is in heaven. So, grab a party hat and celebrate our patron saint – Happy Feast Day!
