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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Fall 2019

From the Pastor This past year as pastor has been filled with so many blessings and opportunities. Having seen firsthand how the people of SEAS love their parish and their faith, I am truly grateful to be part of such an amazing community. From the liturgies to the dinners and fundraisers, so many participate and contribute their time and effort like pieces of a mosaic coming together to form a beautiful icon.

I have also been amazed so many times this year by how God provides for his people. A situation would arise where we needed people with a specific gift or talent, and behold, they would soon appear at the parish, asking how they could help. If that had just happened once or twice, I would dismiss it as a coincidence. But it has happened repeatedly and has made me even more aware that God is in charge.

At our parish picnic, I announced that, pending the approval of Bishop Perez, we would like to start a fundraising campaign to replace the flooring and chairs. It is remarkable how long that original carpeting lasted, but time and wear and tear have taken their toll. In addition, our current chairs are only able to be used for Masses or talks, but cannot be used individually as seats for funeral luncheons or fundraising dinners. The new chairs will be sturdier, more comfortable, and able to be used for both purposes. We hope to kick off the campaign soon, so be watching for more details.

Toward that end, on Tuesday, December 3rd, there will be a special opportunity for parishioners as well as family and friends, to donate online for WeGiveCatholic Day. There will be more information on this as the time approaches, so please keep current with the parish bulletin and our social media. (Don’t forget to like us on Facebook!)

During the weekend of September 24/25, we will be celebrating the Anointing of the Sick at all the Masses. If you or a loved one is experiencing a serious difficulty because of an illness or even just from advanced age, or if you are going to be undergoing surgery in the near future, you may want to consider receiving this sacrament of healing.

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Finally, if you know anyone who is considering becoming a Catholic, please have them contact me through the parish office so we can have a conversation about how we can make this happen for them. Perhaps you can share with them the words of our patroness, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who said, “I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church, for if faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where true faith first began and seek it among those who received it from God Himself.”

-Fr. Ed

Outreach SocietyKeep Warm Sunday will be held in October. Please watch the bulletin for dates. Blankets, sheets, towels and other linens as well as the second collection will go to Elyria Hospitality Center.

The SOS Society helps clients with short term or temporary needs. Before offering assistance, we visit with our clients to determine the need they are encountering and how we can best assist them. Because we are blest by very generous supporters, we are able to assist with utility shutoffs and other assistance to our neighbors. Along with short term help, we try to guide our clients to agencies and programs that will be able to help them with long term needs.

Clients from outside our area are referred to their local churches. We work with other churches to ensure that all are given assistance.

Do You Shop Online? Sign up for Amazon Smile

What is AmazonSmile?Amazon Smile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you will find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon. Com with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. How do I shop at AmazonSmile?Simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device.

Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their products detail pages. Recurring Subscribe and Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.

Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?Yes, you use the same account on Amazon. Com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, baby or wedding registry, and and other account settings are also the same.

How do I select a charitable organization to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?

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On your first visit, you need to select a charitable organization. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donote 5% of purchase price from your eligible purchases.

200 Club

There are a few numbers left for the 200 Club. For a $50 investment you get an entry in a $50 weekly drawing, a free dinner on our big prize drawing night, and a chance of one of the following prizes: a free membership; two $50; three $100; One $250; one $500 and the big prize of $1000.

The dinner will be held on the second Friday of November which is November 8. Also, due to circumstances beyond our control we will not serve beer or wine. Please join in the fun and take a chance!

Online Giving

Our parish offers Online Giving, a web-based electronic contribution application. We provide this service so that you have the option to manage your contributions online or with your offering envelopes. This service is safe and secure. It is convenient for you and for

our parish. Sign up for Online EGiving by visiting our parish website at www.seascolumbiastation.org and selecting the Online Giving link.

Address/Email Changes

Please contact the church office if you have changed your address or email. Also, if you have disconnected your home phone, please let us

know your cell phone number so we are able to contact you.

Spiritual Life

During the month of October we will pray the Rosary after the 8:00 a.m. Mass each Sunday. If you would like to lead the prayer please call the church office.

Friday, November 1st is the Feast of All Saints, a holy day of obligation. All lay ministers are encouraged to participate by completing the sign-up sheet for daytime and evening Masses. The sheet will be posted on the office door in the entry.

During the month of November the Catholic Church remembers in a special way the Faithful Departed. On All Souls Day we pray for our loved ones that they know eternal light, happiness and peace. The All Souls Service will take place on Saturday, November 2 at 3:00 p.m. in the church. If you have lost a loved one during the past year and would like to have them included in our prayer service, please call the church office by October 28 with their name. We look forward to seeing you on the feast of All Souls.

Our new families…Welcome to SEAS!Andrews Bush BydashCatanzarite Feher HarrisKarasek Karr Kocjancic

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NewtonPacettiRedic/Brown

SawczyszynSchultzStevens

WalshMcClellanBeltavski

UrbanSutula

Our church has a youth group for teens 6th grade thru high school. We have been working hard to make it a fun group. We have fun activities, service projects, bible study and a few fundraisers.

Our bible study meets once a month on the second Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. We begin with dinner and a short meeting followed by bible study. This year’s bible study begins on September 10. Hope to see you there!

Watch the bulletin and check the bulletin board, Facebook,

and our website to learn about upcoming events. To join all you have to do is show up!

Youth Group Events

9/10 Bible Study begins9/14 Movie and a Meal10/25 Rockin R Ranch

11/9 Bowling12/14 Christmas Party

Second Harvest Food Pantry

Thank you to all our hardworking volunteers. Without you this food pantry would not exist.

Last year we helped on the average 51 families (146 people) in need each month. We distribute food to residents of Columbia Station, Eaton, and Grafton on the first Monday of the month. Many are elderly or disabled. Without our help they would have to choose between food and prescriptions.

Monthly we give away about 3 tons of food. This requires man power with abilities to move the cases and boxes of food. More volunteers are needed to help unload the truck and clean up. I thank the two volunteers who signed up at the parish picnic.

The food is obtained in three ways, the donations collected in church, free government food and food we purchase from Second Harvest at a reduced rate. Since we accept government food in order to have more for our clients, we do comply with the government regulations. Our pantry is a charitable ministry. Each month it costs us around $350 to $450 to purchase food and cover the delivery fee. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, the cost of food and delivery was $4,234.00 The money comes from grants from Second Harvest and

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donations made to them with SEAS being designated as the pantry to receive the funds and donations. If you are making a donation directly to Second Harvest, please mark it for the use of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church pantry, so we have direct benefit of the money and not just a small portion given as grants. You can also contribute by placing the money in an envelope marked “Second Harvest” and put it in the collection basket. Thank you for your continued support of this ministry.

Handbell Choir

Handbell practice will begin September 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the church. All are welcome to join in. You do not need to read music to play the handbells. All youth 10 years old and up are asked to join the Youth Handbell Choir. Watch the bulletin for details to come.

Make Every Page Count!

You can recycle paper at our location seven days a week. We earn money for paper dropped off at our green and yellow paper retriever bin. We accept:

Newspaper Magazines Shopping Catalogs Office/School paper Mail / Greeting Cards

Support your parish and help the environment. Thank you!

Download our New Parish AppOur new app is now available to download for IPhone and Android smart phones. Stay connected with our parish throughout the week with instant notifications, and easy-to-access event calendar, and the ability to quickly reply to our share messages via Facebook or Twitter. Also, enjoy a bunch of additional features like prayers, daily readings, and helpful reminders to silence your phone before Mass or Confession and much more.

Have you ever considered joining the Catholic Church?

Are you curious about what the Catholic Church teaches?

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If you or someone you know have ever considered joining the Catholic Church, then RCIA may be for you. RCIA stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and is for:

Those who are not baptized.

Those who were baptized into another Christian denomination and wish to enter full communion with the Catholic Church.

Baptized Catholics who have not received full faith formation or the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation.

For more information please contact Fr. Ed Holland.

In MemoriamColetta Rundle

Joanne Hempel LubomskiPaul Skowronek

BaptismsCason Nicholas ChalkleyWillow Grace Chalkley

Louis James HavensWillow Jean Vallen

Edward Thomas Schaefer III

Pope Francis Five Finger Prayer

The thumb is the closest finger to you. So start praying for those who are closest to you.

The next finger is the index. Pray for those who teach you, instruct you and heal you. They need the support and wisdom to show direction to others.

The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us of our leaders and those who have authority. They need God’s guidance.

The fourth finger is the ring finger. It is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the weakest, the sick, or those plagued by problems.

And finally we have our smallest finger, the smallest of all. Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself.

Social Concerns

So far this year we have been involved with four projects involving our parish, our community and or world.

We held a “Helping Hands” sign up campaign which is meant to connect parishioners with one another by matching people with specific skills and interests with those needing help in those wares. This is a continuing effort so you can participate by calling the church office and requesting to be part of the program – either as one with skills or interest or someone in need of help. All

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information is kept confidential.

In May we held a collection to help others in areas outside our country. We raised $825 to benefit the 45 residents of San Jose Home for the Elderly run by the Little Sisters of the Poor in Tachna, Peru.

Our second project, Pitch the Plastic, involved the environment and focused on

eliminating plastics from our lives. We handed out reusable cotton tote bags and provided a display containing information on how to reduce the items that end up in our landfills and waterways.

Our most recent project involved getting parishioners to be aware of the many opportunities available to them right here at SEAS to share their time and talents. The information is being catalogued and will be furnished to the appropriate parish group leaders .

Coming Soon! On October 23 at 7:00 p.m. we will welcome Jon Gromek from the Lorain Catholic Action Commission. He will speak about Catholic Social Teaching and charitable organizations in Lorain County.

What’s new in PSR?

Our Parish School of Religion (PSR) classes began on September 9 with a Meet and Greet Night held at the church. Please remember that Catechesis is the responsibility of the entire faith community, not only of those who have public catechetical roles. It is the parent’s responsibility to bring the children to Mass, talk about and live their faith at home and at work. This

will give you a better understanding of what your children learn at PSR.

Confirmation students should be working on completing their service projects. Some good ideas would be helping at the pork roast on October 13 and the Second Harvest food distribution held on the first Monday of each month from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. The Confirmation class will attend Mass on September 29 at 11:00 a.m. which will be followed by their retreat.

First Communion students and parents have a meeting for their First Reconciliation at the Columbia Middle School on October 28 and will participate in a Church Search on November 18.

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Mary Sollan recently retired after working in the office for 18 years! She was a friendly face and helping hand every Tuesday and Friday. She will be missed by us all.

We wish her all the best in this next chapter of life!

40 Days for Life - September 25 to November 3

You are invited to join others for 40 days of prayers and fasting to end abortion. You are also invited to peacefully pray anytime between 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. outside Preterm or Planned Parenthood. Please see the flyer on the bulletin board for details.

Do you own the best and cutest pet in Columbia Station?

Do you have a really cute pet? Does your best fur (or feather) buddy deserve to be recognized for their adorableness? Wouldn’t it be great to have your pet recognized for winning over the hearts of the community?

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church is looking for the best pets in our community. We are holding a contest that will run from mid-September to October 4. You can register your pet online for $10 and each vote cast costs $1. The winners will be announced and recognized at our Blessing of the Pets on October 5. The pets that get the most votes will win gift cards from Petco as well as bragging rights. Watch our website and bulletin for details on

registering your pet for the contest.

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