Tonight we honor St. Elizabeth Seton's 200th Anniversary with a Roast Beef Dinner and Dessert - to go.  For those who made reservations, curbside pickup will be around the back of the church at the entrance to McKeon Hall between 5:30 - 6:30pm.  Just drive over, stay in your car, and enjoy your to go dinner at home with your family.  

You may call Dolores 203-743-9840 or Gladys 203-438-2521 with any questions you may have.  

  

If you have attended a Mass or any kind of sacramental celebration and subsequently test positive for the Coronavirus, please notify the parish office or call to speak to Father Prince as soon as possible following your test result.  Your identity will be kept confidential.

 

Please disregard any email that you may have received from Father Prince requesting help of any kind, such as the assistance with the purchase of gift cards. This is a scam. 

It is with great gratitude that we announce we have successfully reached our 2020 Annual Catholic Appeal goal. The parishioners of Saint Elizabeth Seton raised 214 gifts worth $94,517 from 176 donors bringing the parish to 100.02% of its $94,500 goal.  

Please join us is praying for Matthew Johnston and Megan Golden as they prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage. 

A bishop in Washington, D. C. nearing retirement, had grown tired of the social and embassy parties he was expected to attend just about every other day.   At one such occasion, he entered the reception room, glanced at the familiar cast of characters and slumped into the nearest, comfortable chair. “A spot of tea, bishop?” the hostess asked demurely.  “No tea,” the bishop growled.   “Coffee, bishop?” asked the hostess.   “No coffee,” the bishop grunted.   Being an understanding woman, the hostess whispered into the bishop’s ear, “Scotch and water, bishop?”  Brightened up, the bishop replied, “No water.”

In today’s gospel, Jesus comes from Nazareth to the river Jordan and wades into   the  water   of   Jordan,  the   water  of   baptism.    John   the   Baptist then baptizes Jesus in the river Jordan.  When Jesus emerges from the river, he “saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.  And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit at his baptism in the river Jordan. And when the gift came to him in that baptismal experience, empowering him for his ministry as Messiah, it came to him very gently.  The symbol used to describe the event was a ‘dove,’ the gentlest of birds.  And scripture tells us that John now clearly recognizes Jesus as the promised Messiah.  “I have seen and I am the witness,” John says, “that he is the chosen one of God.”

A few years later, in the upper room where Jesus was at table with his apostles, he had made a promise that through him the Father would send them the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, a comforter, an advocate, a counselor.  In the 20th chapter of John’s gospel, we read that Jesus keeps his promise to the apostles.   He appears to them in his risen body and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  And, as far as we can tell from the gospel account, it is gentle, peaceful experience.  But later, on the day of Pentecost, when Jesus’ followers are gathered together in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit is given to them all.  At this time, the gift comes not gently, but in the form of a mighty wind and fire.  And from that time on, of course, the New Testament becomes a book describing the mighty works of the Holy Spirit.

Did we know that in keeping with the tradition of his time, Jesus’ baptism in the Holy Spirit was by “Immersion?”  And if we picture him wading out of the waters of the river Jordan, we can see that it is a beautiful symbol of the immersion of his whole being in the Holy Spirit of God.  Why go on any longer with the incompleteness and the haziness of our experience of God’s presence, when there is so much more available to us?   Why not simply allow our entire being to be immersed in the Holy Spirit of God who is everything that we look for in this life?

We wish to thank all of our parishioners who have been mailing in or dropping off their donations, and those who have signed up for Online Giving.  We appreciate your generosity and desire to continue to support the parish.  

Please note that we have upgraded our Online Giving Platform.  It is very user friendly.  If you shop or do your banking on-line please consider this format for your donations.  You have the option to make a one time gift or set up a recurring cycle that suits your timing and budget  You can visit the site by clicking the button below.

If you would like to make a one time donation to our Sunday Collection, please click on the button below.  

 

If you would like assist a family in need and add a gift to our Family Assistance Fund, you can do so by clicking the link below.