Stations of the Cross
This week the Stations of the Cross will be held on Friday, March 12th at 7:30pm. Click
here to make your reservation.
Annual Catholic Appeal
I am immensely grateful for your support last year to the Diocese of Bridgeport's 2020 Annual Catholic Appeal. What a challenging year it was and thanks to the generosity of so many we were able to serve thousands of Fairfield County individuals and families through our ministries and programs. Catholic Charities alone served over 1.2 million meals since the pandemic began.
This week you will receive information by mail about our 2021,
Arise Annual Catholic Appeal and how your support assists the ministries and programs our parishes cannot provide to the community on their own. Our parish goal for 2021 is $90,500. We cannot do it without you, and I am immensely grateful for your support of works of Faith and Ministry; Education and Catechesis; and Charity and Pastoral Services the Appeal provides to all people in the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Diocesan Novena to Saint Joseph
On March 19th, Bishop Caggiano will consecrate the Diocese of Bridgeport to the patronage of Saint Joseph, the Patron of the Universal Church, at a Pontifical Mass at St. Augustine's Cathedral in Bridgeport at 7:00pm. We will be offering a Mass simultaneously at St. Elizabeth Seton Church and invite everyone to attend. To prepare for the consecration, you are cordially invited to participate in a special Novena to Saint Joseph that will seek his intercession upon our diocese during this celebratory year. The Novena will begin on Wednesday, March 10th and end on March 18th, and will take place at 7:00pm every evening via Zoom. You will be able to access the novena through the diocesan website. Everyone is encouraged to participate in this diocesan-wide devotion to the Patron of the Universal Church during the Year to Saint Joseph.
Pastoral Exhortation
Bishop Caggiano released a Pastoral Exhortation
'Let Us Enter the Upper Room with the Lord' this past Ash Wednesday. Click
here to read his message of diocesan renewal and to view your invitation to meet in the Upper Room; A Place to be Fed, A Place to Listen, and A Place to Recommit to Mission. In his message he also reflects on St. Joseph as "A Righteous Man" and invites us to partake in a diocesan consecration. Please take a few minutes to reflect on his message as you begin your Lenten journey.
Loaves and Fishes
Food insecurity is the number one issue impacting the many individuals and families in our community who have lost jobs and are struggling to make ends meet due to the pandemic. This year we will not give out Loaves and Fishes envelopes, instead that money will be used to feed families in need. Therefore, we ask that you make your Lenten donation online through
Online Giving, by visiting
Loaves & Fishes - Catholic Charities (ccfairfield.org), or via check made out to Catholic Charities and mailed directly to the Catholic Center in Bridgeport to the attention of "Loaves & Fishes".
Meals On Wheels
Know someone homebound, ill, or recovering from surgery? Contact Meals on Wheels of Ridgefield at
mealsonwheelsofridgefield.org (
203-438-8788) to learn about our delicious, low cost program to help those unable to cook for themselves.
Mass Attendees
Reservation links for weekend Masses are sent out via Flocknote and made available on the website every Monday morning at 9am. Lists will be printed prior to 5pm Mass on Saturday for all weekend Masses.
Please check in upon arrival. If your name is not on the list you will have to sign in and add your contact information to the sign in sheet.
The Mass sign up sheet will be on the counter alongside the Vestry.
- Please remain 6 feet social distance from the parishioner in front of you. If you are arriving with your family, only one member needs to sign in, the rest may take their seats.
- Take a clean pen from the canister
- Add your name and contact information to the sign in sheet
- Place the pen in the used canister for disinfecting after the mass
- Take your seat in the church
Thank you in advance for your cooperation. These are trying times for everyone and we wish to keep everyone as safe and as comfortable as possible.
Notification Request
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.
Parish Office
The Parish Office is open from 9am to 1pm daily, however we request that you first try to handle all church business over the phone or by email if possible. If you need to come in for any reason, we welcome you, please make an appointment before doing so. For the safety of all, we thank you in advance for your cooperation with this request.
Phone: 203-438-7292
Email: stsetonparish@comcast.net
Lenten Reflection
Third Sunday of Lent
A difficult conversation at the well
For someone unfamiliar with Jesus or the Gospel, this story about Jesus' conversation with a Samaritan woman may seem like a simple anecdote about one stranger asking another for a favor in a public place. However, people who lived in biblical times would have noticed many details in the story that hint at a deeper level of meaning. They would have known that not only do women of that time not speak to strange men, but that Samaritans and Jews have nothing to do with one another. They would have understood it as a description of what is often called a difficult conversation.
There are many kinds of difficult conversations. Some deal with sad news, some are overtures to restore strained relationships, some are pleas for help and some are hospitable attempts to create new relationships. Because they can be awkward, people often avoid them or delay them. However, the more you participate in difficult conversations, the more you realize how important they are. As was the case with the Samaritan woman, they change us in many ways. More importantly, they are necessary for establishing God’s kingdom here on earth.
For the woman at the well, it was the most important conversation she ever had. It changed her understanding of herself and her attitude toward people she had always avoided. It also changed her understanding of God’s desire for all people to welcome and value one another. The awkward encounter between two people became an urgent invitation to a whole town to join the conversation, to see their lives in a new way and tell more people all about it.
The ministry of Unbound brings people together and fosters new relationships, sometimes through prayerful support at a distance and sometimes through actual visits. I recall meeting my sponsored friend for the first time. Previously we had exchanged letters and we both were excited about meeting in person. I can only imagine that the joy we both experienced that day was something like the joy of the Samaritan woman when she invited people from the town to experience what she had experienced.
Please pray
O God, may we always be open to understanding ourselves and others in new ways. May we not be afraid of conversations that challenge us. May we welcome the people we meet on the journey of discovering you and working to build your kingdom here on earth. Amen.
This reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent
was written by Father George Brennen, preacher for Unbound.
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The Lenten reflections flow from Unbound's commitment to helping families around the world lift themselves out of poverty and build a brighter future. They were written by members of the community, including some of the priests who preach on behalf of Unbound in parishes throughout the United States. We hope these reflections enhance your Lenten journey and help you more fully embrace the Christ who dwells among and within those who suffer in the world today. Have a blessed Lent and a joyful Easter. Unbound is an international nonprofit founded by lay Catholics and grounded in the Gospel call to put the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable first. To learn more, visit unbound.org.
Thank You!
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.
