Earlier this month, Ann Teresa O'Neill died a faithful Catholic at the age of 78. Along with a life marked by her constant love for her family, Ann is known for an event that occurred when she was just four years old. She was miraculously cured from cancer through the intercession of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. This miracle became part of the process that led to St. Elizabeth Ann’s canonization.
A childhood miracle
Ann was born to Felixena (Phelps) O'Neill and William Richard O'Neill, a U.S. Army World War II veteran, in 1947. At only four years old, Ann was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia, and her prognosis was dire.
She reached a point in her illness where her blood count was low and death seemed inevitable. Ann’s mother, Felixena, stormed heaven with her prayers. In fact, Ann often referred to what followed as her “mother’s miracle.” Felixena took young Ann to the tomb of Elizabeth Ann Seton (who was then not yet canonized a saint) in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and prayed for her intercession.
After the O’Neills' visit, Ann’s blood counts returned to normal and she was cancer-free.
For a man or woman to be canonized, along with living a life of heroic virtue, the Church typically needs to verify at least two miracles that have occurred through the person’s heavenly intercession. This is a confirmation that they are indeed with God in heaven.
Ann’s healing is one of the miracles that was verified prior to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's beatification and subsequent canonization. In 1975, St. Elizabeth Ann became the first native-born American to be canonized.
A story of three mothers
Ann’s life continued through the grace of God and the intercession of Elizabeth Ann Seton. Seton was both a mother of five children and also a founding mother of a religious community. Ann’s own earthly mother’s faith continued to be an inspiration through Ann’s life.
... Mostly, she wanted to talk about Jesus.
Ann too became a mother, as well as a grandmother. Her obituary acknowledges her renown as the recipient of a miracle, but says, “To her family, however, she was simply 'Mom' — a faithful servant of God, a loving mother and grandmother, and a woman whose life reflected God's mercy, grace, and the power of prayer.”
“Ann was a strong, loyal, hardworking, and devout Catholic whose life was defined by her unwavering love for her family, her friends, and her faith,” her obituary relays. “She lived with quiet dignity and compassion and passed from this life as she had lived it — surrounded by the love of those who knew her.”
A legacy of love and witness to Christ
In a recent reflection on Ann’s life, Executive Director Rob Judge of the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton shared that while Ann was constantly asked about the miracle of her life, that wasn’t what she was most interested in talking about. “She wanted to talk about her mother’s faith. She wanted to talk about Mother Seton. Mostly, she wanted to talk about Jesus.”
He went on to share a memory of Ann, who one day took up the gifts at a special anniversary Mass of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s canonization, “Seeing her with her family, you realized that without that miracle and without her mother’s faith, those children and grandchildren wouldn’t be there. It drove home the point that we are all reliant on God’s grace for our lives.”
On July 25, a funeral Mass will be celebrated on the grounds of the Seton Shrine and Ann O'Neill will be buried there, in the place where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is buried and her own miracle occurred.
As her obituary reads, “She leaves behind a legacy of love and a witness to the enduring hope found in Christ.”
