St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church Newsletter — Feb 2023

ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON

Hospital Ministry Brings Christ and Community to Patients in Need

WhenJohn Merced and his wife joined St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, John hadn’t intended to become involved with the Hospital Ministry.

“I never wanted to do it,” he says. “I avoided it. But the Holy Spirit kept calling.”

Having had half a dozen people approach him and ask if he’d consider serving in the ministry, John eventually responded to the call, pondering whether God might ultimately be the one calling him to it. John asked God that if he was meant to pursue this call, to give him a clear sign.

When John arrived at his first patient in the hospital, the woman didn’t want to receive the Eucharist. Ready to turn around and leave, John felt the need to stay.

“Something told me to stop,” he says. “I went back, cracked a joke, and she smiled.”

The two of them began chatting and found a significant amount of common ground. More than half an hour later, the patient agreed to receive the Eucharist. When John got up to leave, she pulled him in for a hug. She shared with John that, prior to his visit, she was in a bad place and praying to God for a sign that things would be alright.

“I left floating on a cloud,” John says. “It was a signal that God was telling me, ‘This is your calling to do this.’ It’s been stories like that ever since. Now I’m the coordinator — I don’t know how I fell into that position, continued on page 5

John Merced visiting the hospital on Christmas Day

PRAYER: Becoming More Generous with Our Stewardship of Time

Aprofessor stood in front of a class, and in his hand was a big glass jar. He put six big rocks in the jar, with the rocks up to the edge. He then asked his students, “Is the jar full?” And they replied, “Yes.”

The professor told the students, “No, it’s not.” Then, he pulled out gravel and put it in the jar. He then asked, “Now is it full?” The students once again replied, “Yes.” The professor responded, “No, it’s not.” He reached down and pulled out sand, which he poured into the jar with the same responses. Then, he reached down again for a pitcher of water, and poured water in, all the way to the brim. Then he asked, “Now is it full?” And the students replied, “Yes.”

The professor then asked, “Okay, what lesson do you learn from this?” The students responded, “No matter how many things you’ve got in the jar, there’s always room to put a little more in.” The professor told them, “No, that’s not the lesson. The lesson is, if I didn’t put the big rocks in first, they would have never fit!”

Most Catholics can appreciate this story — in particular, how it can apply to our own prayer lives. Essentially, every person has to decide what the “big rocks” are in his or her life. And, for us Catholics, prayer should be one of those big rocks in the jar.

As Catholics, we know that prayer is important, and we know that we can and should always pray more. Yet, connecting with God in this way often slips through the cracks of our busy lives.

The stewardship spirituality is about trying to become ever more generous with our Time, Talent, and Treasure. And there is a reason why “Time” is first in line. Time in a stewardship context refers to the time we spend with God in prayer. We need to take time to talk to God and take time to be quiet and seek to listen as He expresses His love for us and wants us to know His inspiration in our life.

There are many different forms of prayer — from weekly prayer, such as the Mass, to daily personal prayer. A daily Rosary is one of the most

universal spiritual practices that can enrich the lives of Catholics around the world. Even if the decades are spread out throughout the day, or even if you pray just one decade a day, you will find yourself growing closer and closer to the Lord each time.

Morning and night prayer are also important disciplines to maintain. Set aside a comfortable place in your home where you can find silence. Maybe focus on a spiritual image and take time to center yourself with Scripture or some other kind of spiritual reading.

For many, spending large portions of the day in silent prayer may not always be possible. But make it a priority to find those moments of quiet throughout the day, and to find ways to incorporate prayer in the midst of your busy schedule. When you get into a vehicle, pray — before a meal, after a meal, if you’re faced with a tough decision. Just pray!

Ultimately, the bottom line is this — just as in any human relationship, communication is a central aspect of a vibrant relationship with God. Prayer is fostering this communion of love with God. He loved us into existence and He wants us to enter into a loving conversation with Him. We’ve got to talk to Him. And we have to listen to Him. He will take care of everything if you just trust Him. He’s knocking at the door and waiting for us to open it in prayer.

The Word of God: Hearing It and Responding to It

Dear Parishioners,

Afew short weeks ago, we completed our Christmas season. We are now in what we call Ordinary Time – but as the month of February winds down, we will begin Lent with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 22.

The Gospel of John begins with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We speak often of the Word in the Church. As most of you are aware, the first part of our Mass is called the Liturgy of the Word. What does that mean to us?

Basically, there are four parts of our celebration of Mass: Introductory Rites; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Eucharist; and Concluding Rites. My focus in this reflection is that second part – the Liturgy of the Word. The main parts of that are a First Reading, a

is important. Are we listening? Do we hear? And then, do we respond in our lives? All of those should be facets of how we approach the Word of God.

For us, the Word of God is the living Word. God is speaking to us as a community, and He asks us to be faithful to His Word. If we pay attention and truly listen, God can nourish our spirit, and Christ can be more real and present to us. The Homily, the Responsorial Psalm, the Profession of Faith, and the Intercessions develop the Word further and complete it. The Profession of Faith is our acceptance of God’s Word.

However, the question for us is, how do we respond to the Word? Does it change our lives? Does it bring us to the conversion necessary to live lives of stewardship and service? It is not easy, I know. Being able to listen, to hear and then to act

Marriage Preparation Guides Couples

Preparing for a wedding and preparing for marriage are two very different things. Although both are important and exciting processes, the details of a wedding can easily overshadow the important work of preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage. In our parish, a priest or deacon will walk couples through the marriage preparation process, which takes place over eight months. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, so the communication that happens in that eight-month process is invaluable for a holy and happy marriage.

“All the requirements can appear to some as an overwhelming series of hoops needed to be jumped through in order to get married in the Catholic Church,” says Fr. Rob Trujillo. “However, couples I have prepared for marriage have said every engaged

couple should prepare this way. They share how they got to learn about each other in a very deep way.”

Marriage preparation involves several steps. One is a questionnaire that helps couples identify important topics that they haven’t talked about yet or areas where they may be in disagreement. The couple takes the questionnaire and goes over the results with the priest or deacon in charge of their preparation. This meeting is an opportunity to open new conversations so that there are fewer surprises down the road.

Another step in the process is to attend a Marriage Preparation Course presented by both clergy and laity. The course is either a full-day or weekend retreat. The purpose is to help couples fully understand the Catholic Sacrament of Marriage.

Dennis and Gilda (Sadio) Kow celebrate their wedding.  Joseph and Allison Layer celebrate their wedding.

on Path to True, Self-Sacrificing Love

A Catholic marriage goes beyond the secular understanding of marriage, bringing both great responsibilities and innumerable graces.

A couple will also be asked to take a course on Natural Family Planning, a scientific and natural approach to spacing children and achieving pregnancy. By learning the biological signs of fertility, a couple will gain a deeper understanding of themselves as well as improved communication as they navigate their fertility as a couple.

The Sacrament of Marriage is based on the same basic principles that underlie our lives as Catholics. Through His life, passion, death, and resurrection, Christ taught us what true, self-sacrificing love looks

like and we are called to model that love in the unique circumstances of our life and vocation.

“Regardless of one’s calling to the married, consecrated, or ordained life, God’s teachings on faith and love are indispensable to living a holy and gratifying life,” Fr. Rob says.

Marriage is a lifelong journey and knowing Christ intimately is the greatest key to success. Marriage preparation gives each couple the basics that they will build on for the rest of their lives.

“Any serious relationship is based on truth and love,” Fr. Rob says. “We can fully know and love God, ourselves, and others only if we accept Christ to be the center of our lives.”

Hospital Ministry

but that’s a blessing.”

Being a retired police officer and EMT, John was familiar with the hospital setting and knows the importance of visitors to patients in need. He also had a certain affinity for serving the seniors he met while working, who often were alone and forgotten.

The Hospital Ministry involves bringing the Eucharist to patients at the AdventHealth hospital. But it also involves ministry members visiting and spending time with those they see. It’s not uncommon for them to make friends along the way.

A few months ago, John encountered a man who was dying of cancer and was depressed. In his final weeks of life, the two men went for coffee, talking and reminiscing together. The man told John that the cancer didn’t bother him as much since they began their visits.

“I get that all the time — ‘I’m doing better since that day you were here,’” says John. “I always try to connect and leave them with a smile.”

The Hospital Ministry has seen some struggles due to the hospital not being Catholic in nature, and at times not supporting the ministry. John encourages parishioners at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to pray for more hospital support towards the ministry.

“They don’t understand the Eucharist,” he says. “You don’t realize, it’s not just walking in and out. It takes a lot out of you when you’re trying to give your heart and soul.”

The process for becoming a ministry member is quite extensive, given the vulnerability of those they serve. Members must also undergo training to become Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion in order to distribute Communion.

For more information about the ministry, or to get involved, please contact John Merced at 732-778-0363.

Understanding Sacramentals in Our Catholic Faith

MostCatholics are familiar with the idea of sacraments in the Church, of which there are seven. Sacraments are the foundation of the spiritual life for an individual and the Church. Sacraments are sources of grace — God’s very presence in our lives and unmerited favor from God. They are signs of God’s love, and these signs make present what they signify. Although a person benefits — receives the gift of grace — from the sacraments regardless of whether he or she is well disposed to them, one must cooperate with what the Spirit is doing in the sacrament to receive its full benefit.

Sacramentals are different. These are also sacred signs that can build holiness, but they do not work on their own. One must be aware and fully conscious of the sacred action. Sacramentals sanctify us to get the most benefit from the Sacraments (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1667). Sacramentals are given to us to make holy certain actions in life and life’s circumstances. There are many such sacred signs that are reminders to us of God.

The sign of the cross is perhaps one of the most fundamental of these signs, and for Catholics, this invocation is done at the start of every sacred action and prayer. Holy water is a sacramental, as it reminds us of our Baptism. By dipping our fingers into holy water and making the sign of the cross, we are combining two foundational symbols of the Christian life and the Paschal Mystery — the passion, dying, and rising of Christ — and bringing them to life in us.

The exchange of peace in the Mass — and at other Catholic rites — is another example of a sacramental. By making some kind of meaningful sign of peace, we are giving the peace of Christ to another person. The chalice and other sacred vessels at Mass also are

sacramentals, as they remind us of what they are to contain — the very Body and Blood of Christ.

It might be helpful to organize the types of sacramentals into categories, as author Michael Pennock lists in This Is Our Faith: A Catholic Catechism for Adults:

“Actions (blessings; genuflections; the sign of the cross; bowing one’s head at the name of Jesus; church processions); Objects (candles; holy water; statues and icons; holy pictures; blessed ashes; palms; rosaries; relics; incense; vestments; scapulars; church buildings; crosses; religious medals); Places (the Holy Land; Rome; Fatima; Lourdes; the National Shrine in Washington, D.C.; and other places of pilgrimage; chapels, retreat centers, and even Catholic cemeteries); Prayers (short prayers we say throughout the day; grace before and after meals; prayers at rising and going to bed; praying the rosary, praying a host of other traditional Catholic prayers and devotions); Sacred Time (liturgy; holy days; feasts of saints; your saint’s name day; special days of prayer; fasting and abstinence; retreats, etc.)” (This Is Our Faith: A Catholic Catechism for Adults, 176-177).

“Sacramentals…prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it” (CCC 1670). In a word, sacramentals, through the prayer of the Church, bring us to holiness in Christ. All devotions of piety, including sacramentals, should point us toward the liturgy of the Church, a connection to a local parish community, and to the Eucharist (CCC 1675).

The Church, through Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, has given us these sacred signs to lead us in holiness, and to better recognize an authentic Christian life. How many sacramentals can you recognize in your life? Probably more than you think.

The Church, through Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, has given us these sacred signs to lead us in holiness, and to better recognize an authentic Christian life. How many sacramentals can you recognize in your life? Probably more than you think.

SETON SHOP

Offers Wide Selection of Catholic Goods to Parish and Local Community

Whenour church was built in 1993, it was only a short time before the pastor at that time, Fr. Fred, discerned the need to open a shop so area Catholics could buy religious items. Other than our own little Seton Shop, the closest physical Catholic store is in St. Augustine.

Sue Shierling has worked in the shop for 18 years and has served as the shop manager for about 10 years.

“I call the shop my ‘home’ — it is where I find peace,” Sue says. “When I was young, I wanted to be a librarian. Then I decided that I wanted to own a bookstore. Well, this is my bookstore! I meet so many special people and I love getting to visit with them and help them find special gifts or items for their own use.”

The shop is filled with various Catholic goods — from statues and art to books and pamphlets. It offers Christmas items, rosaries, and cyclical publications such as the Magnificat and Living Faith . The shop also stocks a selection of items for sacramental gifts such as Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation.

“There are only so many items that I can keep in stock, so I am happy to share my catalogs with customers so they can order things that I may not have,” Sue says.

Some of the bestselling items in the shop include prayer cards, statues, inexpensive rosaries, and Bibles.

The COVID pandemic was very hard on the shop. With the suspension of Masses and the church being closed, the shop was not open to those who wanted to buy Catholic items.

“That was the only year that we were unable to give a check to the church,” Sue says. “We provide a source of income to support the church and it is wonderful to be able to do that. But COVID was a bad year for us and we didn’t make anything to give them.”

Thankfully, the years since have been successful for the little shop.

(Back row, from left) Elena Smalley, Donna Siracusa, Sue Shierling, Rosemarie Passaro, Linda Pouliot, Marie Seeley, Vera Hancock; (front) Ann Pallan; (not pictured — Margaret Brown, Kathy Garonski)

ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON CATHOLIC CHURCH

4600 Belle Terre Parkway

Palm Coast, Florida 32164

www.seaspcfl.org

(386) 445-2246

Seton Shop Offers Wide Selection of Catholic Goods to Parish and Local Community

continued from page 7

“People want beautiful religious things to inspire them,” Sue says. “The Catholic community appreciates knowing that we have a store here and that I am also happy to order for them. Many people don’t like to order these items online, so it is nice that we are able to provide a physical store for them to shop at.”

The shop is currently run by Sue and two others, which makes it possible for the shop to be open during its current hours, but they hope to open on Fridays in 2023. Those who would like to serve as substitutes or to help in other aspects of running the shop are always welcome.

“I am 80 years old — moving the stock around can be hard for me,” Sue says. “So having volunteers to help is always appreciated. In fact, any type of help is appreciated. If you want to come in and help us, I will find a place for you

Make sure to stop by and check the shop for any religious gifts or items you may need in this new year — you may choose from a wide selection of goods or order anything that you may need. The proceeds support the church and our parish community.

Current Seton Shop hours: After all weekend Masses

Tuesdays after 8:30 a.m. Mass

Thursdays after 8:30 a.m. Mass