It can be easy to see some pious images of saints and think that you have nothing in common. The truth is though, that the saints were people just like us–with a variety of talents, flaws, and interests. If you have a daughter or girl in your life, you may be wondering what sort of saints you might introduce them to; saints that they might look to as an example or ask for their intercession.
3 Women Saints That Will Inspire Your Daughter
Enter Edith, Gianna, and Elizabeth.
These three women saints were all really different from one another, but ultimately had one thing in common: they loved God above all else.
Saint Edith Stein (her religious name was Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) was born in 1891 in what is now considered Poland, the daughter of a widow who ran her own lumber business AND raised eleven children. Edith was a life-long learner, always curious, always seeking. She became a professor and a philosopher at a time when it wasn’t easy for women to be in academia. Born Jewish, she discovered the Catholic Church and was baptized and eventually became a nun. While her life ended tragically in a concentration camp during the Holocaust, she was a witness to her wholehearted love of her people, the Jews, and of Jesus.
Saint Gianna Molla was known for vivacity – her love of life. She loved the outdoors, she loved to dance, and she loved to serve others. Born in Italy in 1922, Gianna helped others from a young age and eventually followed God’s call to be a doctor. She had a special heart for those in need, the elderly, and for mothers. She married the love of her life and became a mother herself. When she was pregnant with her fourth child, she developed a medical problem that put her life and her unborn child’s at risk. She insisted that if the doctors had to choose whose life to save, they save the baby’s. The baby was born healthy, but Gianna died shortly thereafter. A mother and a doctor, she is an incredible example of sacrificial love.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is the first American-born saint and she was also a mother. Elizabeth answered the Lord’s promptings in big ways and in small and left an immense legacy in the American church. As a widow, she founded the first American parochial school and then the first women’s religious order – the Sisters of Charity – that went on to establish some of the first hospitals and American schools.
As your daughters grow up and start exploring how the Lord may be calling them to serve Him, these women are great examples. They demonstrate that you can follow many different paths in life and glorify God through your vocation and your occupation.
Image: Photo by Nikolay Hristov on Unsplash
