spring clothing giveaway - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church

SPRING CLOTHING
GIVEAWAY
Lenten Schedule 2012
Weekday Mass Schedule
• 8:00am Monday – Saturday
• 9:00am School Mass on Thursdays
Your donations of spring and summer clothing will make
this day special for those in need in our community.
We will also be accepting small household items and toys.
For high school students needing service hours, this is a fun
and rewarding way to help those less fortunate.
If you would like to donate items or your time to this wonderful cause,
please call Jeanne Wahl at 575.5983 or Nancy Haines at 576.1798.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish
5890 Buckwheat Road
Milford, Ohio 45150
Setonotes is a publication of St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton Parish and is intended for all
friends and parishioners of St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton. Parish groups who wish to
submit articles or pictures for publication
in Setonotes must submit the information
to the parish office by the 15th of each
month for publication the following
month. If you have questions or comments
regarding Setonotes, please contact the
parish office at 575-0119.
Editorial/Contributing Staff
Fr. Michael L. Cordier, Pastor
Valerie Hofmann
Sue Boruszewski
Patty Norris
Carol Grace
Terri Imming
Margaret Bergh
Catherine Fasano
Layout and Design
Angela S. Foulks – ASF Creative
Address Service Requested
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish
Seton’s St. Vincent de Paul Society is having their annual Spring Clothing
Giveaway on Saturday, April 14th, 9:00am to noon, in the Seton cafeteria.
Volume 11, Issue 2
March / April 2012
Reconciliation
• Every Friday night at 8:00pm, immediately following Stations of the Cross
• Every Saturday from 3:30 – 4:30pm, or by appointment
• March 19, 20 & 21, immediately following our Lenten Mission ~ details below
• Lenten Reconciliation Penance Service Wednesday, March 28, 7:00pm ~ several
priests will be on hand to hear confessions
Eucharistic Adoration
Every Friday beginning after morning Mass at 8:30am and concluding with
Benediction on Saturday morning just before 8:00am Mass
Seton Fish Fry Dinners
Fish Fry each Friday night during Lent from 5:00-7:30pm in the cafeteria, takeout
available, find our menu and prices on our parish website, www.setonmilford.org
Stations of the Cross
Every Friday evening during Lent at 7:30pm in the church
Bible Study
EPIC: A Journey through Church History, is a 20-part study beginning on February
23rd, Thursday mornings ~ 8:45-10:15, and repeated Thursday evenings ~ 7:309:00; book cost is $20; meet in the Wenzel Room of the school. Questions? Call
Patty Norris, 575-0119.
Marian Moms
Drop the children off for school or bring your little ones to play while we pray,
learn, and study scripture. Moving to Fridays in the Wenzel Room of the school
beginning on February 24, from 9:30-11:00am, we will begin the popular Quick
Journey Through the Bible, book cost is $15.
Lenten Mission – Learning to Trust in God Again with Fr. James Sullivan, O.P.
March 19, 20 & 21, Monday through Wednesday, two sessions each day ~ mornings
at 9:00am and evenings at 7:00pm, each lasting one hour followed by confessions
Holy Week Schedule
• Palm Sunday, regular Mass schedule
• Easter Egg Hunt at 2:00pm on April 1st
• Holy Thursday ~ Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:30pm; Adoration following
Mass until 10:45 ~ closing with Night Prayer in the chapel
• Good Friday ~ Mid-Day Prayer at 12:00 noon; 12:30 The Passion; 2:30pm
Stations of the Cross; 7:00pm Evening Prayer with Veneration of the Cross
and Holy Communion
• Easter Vigil ~ 1:00pm Preparation Rites and Easter Vigil Rehearsal;
8:45pm Easter Vigil Mass with a reception in the cafeteria following Mass
• Easter Sunday Mass Schedule ~ 7:30am/9:00am/10:30am/12:00noon
• The Parish Office will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday
Vocations
From
the Pastor’s Desk...
On Friday, February 10, the Minor Prophets (the seminarian basketball team at the Athenaeum) came to the
St. Andrew gym to play basketball against the eighth
grade boys with the rest of the campus in attendance.
The halftime entertainment was a talk with the students by Jeremy Miller about his journey to the semi-
nary and discerning vocations. Judging by the joy
with which these seminarians played basketball,
cheered with the students, and talked about vocations,
they will be priests who will be changing lives.
Bridget Spotts
Dear People of St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton Parish,
On February 22nd, we began the solemn
season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. It is
a time of preparation for the joyous celebration of Easter and the Easter season.
During Lent, we embrace the practices
of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time of doing less (acts of self denial) and doing more
(prayer and acts of charity). The forty days of Lent are followed by fifty days of celebrating the
Easter season.
Please remember that during Lent we are praying the Stations of the Cross in church every Friday
night at 7:30pm. Immediately following, I will hear confessions. Receiving the sacrament of
Reconciliation is a wonderful way to prepare oneself for the glory of Easter. We will have a joint
penance service with St. Andrew on Wednesday, March 28th, at 7:00pm here at Seton.
I invite you to attend our Lenten parish mission. Fr. James Sullivan from St. Gertrude will speak
at all Masses the weekend of March 17th & 18th and then will give faith-filled talks on Monday,
Tuesday, and Wednesday. Please check the bulletin and website for more information.
During Lent, we remember in a special way all RCIA catechumens and candidates. They have
made important life decisions, and are making a great act of faith as they journey to full membership in the Catholic Church. We pray for them in a special way as they get closer to the Easter
Vigil, when they will be able to join us at the altar of God.
If you have never been to an Easter Vigil Mass, consider coming this year. It is the most beautiful
and meaningful Catholic liturgy there is. This year, the Easter Vigil begins at 8:45pm, on
Saturday, April 7th. It will last about two hours.
We look forward to springtime and Easter time. We look forward to celebrating our Lord’s
Resurrection, so beautifully symbolized by the new birth of spring. Enjoy the fifty days of Easter.
Preparations are underway for all our young adults who will receive the sacrament of
Confirmation on Sunday, March 4th, at the Cathedral. Congratulations to all our young men and
women. May you be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit! And our second graders are preparing
for First Holy Communion. I am sure it is an exciting time for them and their parents. Hopefully,
they will be able to receive our Lord every Sunday and Holy Day for the rest of their lives. We
rejoice as we continue these joyful days in the life of our parish.
Please remember that our SASEAS School is holding a fundraiser called ‘The Grand Event,’ on
Saturday, March 17th. Please watch for details in the bulletin and support our wonderful and
important school if you can.
Players, seminarians and all present pray before the game.
Parents of Children with Special Needs Group
Do you have a child with special needs? Are you a
grandparent or other person interested in extending a
welcome to all in our parish community? If so, this
group is for you!
The group will meet on Wednesday, March 7th, at
7:00pm in the Fr. Wenzel Room to discuss the goals
and focus for the year. The vision and scope of the
group includes all areas of diversity including those
with physical (allergies, sensory, and mobility limitations), mental, learning, emotional, and social needs.
Programming is open to the community at large and
peer advising and mentoring is available.
Opportunities are many and the parish is excited to
have the children and their families with us at church,
school, and in all areas of parish life. Any interested
parishioners are welcome to join. Watch the bulletin
for more details or contact Linda Johns or Margaret
Bergh (646-2348).
Margaret Bergh
And finally, I have a note to remind me that the month of March is dedicated to St. Joseph –
whose feast day is March 19th. He is the patron of the Universal Church, and patron of fathers,
workers and carpenters. St. Joseph – pray for us.
God bless you,
Fr. Michael L. Cordier
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Setonotes • March/April 2012
Setonotes • March/April 2012
15
Changes to the Archdiocese Child Protection Program
New Parishioners
Baptisms
Shawn and Alicia Sell
Edward and Carol Grundner
Brad and Jennifer Walker
Jane Blanc
Terry and Pat Foote
Matt and Kelly Kline
Gary Smith
Robert and Lisa Prescott
Brian and Hillary Gatio
Charlie Woodley
John and Emily Frank
James Goecke
Adam and Jessica Schlveter
Robert and Amanda Back
James Nicholas Brossart, son of James and Julie
Andrew Jett Brossart, son of James and Julie
Ashley Anne Grenda, daughter of Brett and Rama
Samantha Nicole Grenda, daughter of Brett and Rama
Elizabeth Blakely Merritt, daughter of Andrew and Stephanie
Felicity Hope Beckman, daughter of Brad and Jennifer
Katherine Mae Gehringer, daughter of Joey and Brittany
Griffin Edgar Seibert, son of Brian and Julie
Over the course of the next few months, you will be
hearing about changes to the Child Protection
Orientation that all volunteers and employees must
take part in. Over the past ten years, there have been
updates and changes to the program, however, those
who are currently approved have never been asked to
retake the class or attend an update. In the summer
of this year, the Archdiocese is implementing a new
Child Protection program that is a national recognized
program named Virtus. All Seton volunteers who work
with children will need to be retrained in this new
program.
Deaths
Highlights for Virtus: www.virtus.org
• Nationally recognized training program
• Comprehensive program that is always updated
• Better, stronger program than the Archdiocese’s
own stand-alone program
• Continued Education – monthly news bulletins
come to your email
• Adult Programs – ways to identify abuses, what
to do, etc.
• Child Programs that can be used in our school –
addresses bullying, safe touching, etc.
Catherine Westerkamm
John Kaim
Matthew Korfhagen
Timothy Nagel
Linda Brown
This program starts in June 2012 and Seton expects to
be fully implemented within a year. As the facilitators
are trained throughout the Archdiocese, we will send
our representatives to be trained and then they will
begin training our volunteers with the Virtus Child
Protection program. We will prioritize our volunteers
and employees so that we are all trained.
school in mid-August. We will then follow with
“regular volunteers” – school parents, boosters, coaches, scout leaders, VBS leaders, etc.
Please remember that all regular volunteers who meet
the following criteria will be expected to be trained in
the new program.
A “regular volunteer” is an adult who is not a cleric
or employee (catechist, scout leader, coach, server
coordinator, etc.), who functions in a regular
relationship with children. This includes interns,
student teachers, and others in similar capacities.
A regular volunteer is one who has contact with
children more than three (3) hours a month, or has
contact with children more frequently than once a
month, or participates in an overnight event with
children. It does not include the occasional volunteer,
such as a driver or chaperone for individual activities
that are not overnight.
We welcome the changes to the Decree on Child
Protection even though it will be challenging to implement. We thank you in advance for your patience and
understanding as we implement the Virtus System this
fall. Please look to the bulletin, Setonotes, and the
website towards the spring for further communications. Additional information will be sent to ministry
heads where applicable. If you have questions, please
feel free to contact me at the parish office.
Valerie Hofmann
We anticipate that the school teachers, PRP teachers,
and employees will be trained prior to the start of
Joint Lenten Penance Service
Wednesday, March 28th, 7:00 pm
at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
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Setonotes • March/April 2012
Setonotes • March/April 2012
3
Saint Joseph – A Man for Today
Ladies of Seton
The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he
was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than
faithfulness in paying debts. When the Bible speaks
of God “justifying” someone, it means that God, the
all-holy or “righteous” so transforms a person that the
individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness,
and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or
her. In other words, God is not playing games, acting
as if we were loveable when we are not.
In January, the Ladies of Seton had a White Elephant
table. This event proved that it was a fact that one
person’s junk was another person’s treasure.
By saying that Joseph was “just,” the Bible means
that he was one who was completely open to all that
God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to God. The rest we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed
and won Mary, and the depth of the love they shared
during their marriage. It is no contradiction of
Joseph’s manly holiness that he decided to divorce
Mary when she was found to be with child. The
important words of the Bible are that he planned to
do this “quietly” because he was “a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame.”
The Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after
the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding
Jesus in the Temple. Perhaps this can be taken to
mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest
family was like every other family, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those
of every family, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature
began to appear people couldn’t believe that he came
from such humble beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son?” “Is not his mother named Mary...” It was
almost indignant, “Can anything good come from
Nazareth?”
St. Joseph was chosen by the eternal Father as the
trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest
treasures, namely his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s
wife. He carried out this vocation with complete
fidelity until at last God called him, saying: “Good
and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”
(St. Bernadine of Siena)
(Taken from Saint of the Day)
St Anthony Messenger Press
The just man was simply, joyfully, wholeheartedly
obedient to God – in marrying Mary, in naming Jesus,
in shepherding the precious family to Egypt, in bringing them to Nazareth, in the undetermined number of
years of quiet faith and courage.
Will or Estate Planning
Are you thinking of putting St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in
your will or estate plans? A bequest through a Last Will
and Testament is the simplest way of creating a lasting
legacy of support for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Suggested
language for making a bequest to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton:
“I give and bequest to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton,
5890 Buckwheat Road, Milford, OH,
(the sum of $___ or ___%) of the rest, residue,
and remainder of my estate for its general purposes.”
4
February finds us getting ready for the Fish Fry dinners held each Friday during Lent. We help supply
and work the dessert table. This year, the Ladies of
Seton are asking anyone from the parish who would
like to donate a dessert for these dinners to please call
Annette Hudson, 575-1246. We ask that you drop
desserts off on Friday afternoon between 4:00 and
5:30pm in the school cafeteria.
During Lent we will also be selling tickets for the
annual Easter Dinner Raffle. The proceeds will be
donated to the parish debt. We might add that this
year a new prize is being added to the gift cards we
give away at the raffle for your Easter dinner. That
prize will be a gift certificate for Elaine’s Beauty
Shop, located on Highway 131. Please help support
our annual fund raising project. Raffle tickets will be
on sale after Masses the weekends of March 3 & 4
and March 24 & 25, and also at all of the Friday Fish
Fry dinners.
Annette Hudson
Setonotes • March/April 2012
Planning Time for Vacation Bible School is HERE!
How quickly time flies! It’s time to plan for this
year’s FUN week of VBS!
This joint venture for the children of St. Andrew and
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishes is in the planning
stage. We are looking for volunteers to commit NOW
to make this a great adventure for our children. You
will be glad you did! It’s as much fun for the adults
as it is for the children! Watch the parish bulletin for
meeting times.
VBS is for children ages three through the completion
of fourth grade. This year the program will be the
week of June 18th – June 22nd. Watch the parish
website and bulletin for registration information. If
you would like to help plan for VBS or volunteer to
help the week of VBS, please contact Lisa Fridley
(237-0350) or Margaret Bergh (646-2348). We are
always looking for NEW volunteers. Come and join
the FUN!
Margaret Bergh
This year we will be off to SonRise National Park
VBS! As our children explore this wilderness adventure park, they’ll learn to depend on Jesus as their allpowerful Guide and Savior. They will connect with the
theological virtues (faith, hope, and love), the Fruits of
the Spirit, and the Eucharist as they explore. Get
ready for exciting wilderness thrills as you head out to
SonRise National Park!
Special Need: The VBS team is looking for a MUSICALLY gifted individual to head up our music area.
If you or someone you know fits that description,
please give us a call.
Setonotes • March/April 2012
13
Planting Seeds for Our Festival
PRP Program News
The year is progressing for the students in the PRP
Program. The program represents a partnership with
parents and teachers in providing instruction in the
faith to our youth. The program serves children three
years old through eighth grade who attend public
school, are home schooled, or go to a private school
not offering religious education.
Our curriculum is taught using a spiral method. Each
year the students go deeper into their learning on a
topic of faith. In that way, each year builds on the one
before it for a broad understanding of the Catholic
Faith.
All the Sunday students and
home school families are parThe students in the third through eighth grade and
ticipating in the Operation Rice
their families will meet on Wednesday, March 14th,
Bowl project during the season
(instead of on Sunday, March 11th) to participate in
of Lent. This Catholic Relief
a “Wednesday Class” which will be on reconciliation. Services (CRS) program helps
All students and their families will be given the
the children learn about
opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of
Catholic Social Teaching and
Reconciliation. This is especially timely in the Season have the opportunity to reach
of Lent. The “Wednesday Class” is a unique opportu- out to help the communities
nity for our students to have access to the church dur- served by CRS. Any parish family wishing to join
ing a class. This enhances the learning that takes
our efforts and participate is encouraged to pick up
place throughout the year on Sunday mornings in
a packet in the narthex and return their donations
the school.
through the collection basket.
Plans are underway for the 2012 SEAS Parish
Festival. Mark your calendar for August 17, 18 and 19.
There are many opportunities, big and small, to help
make the festival a success including booth captains,
booth workers, and committee positions. If you
would like to join in the planning, call Greg Brothers,
575-9439.
Many of the old favorites will be returning, including
Rusty Griswalds on Saturday night, Murray Brother’s
rides, children’s games, baskets, bid’n buy, used book
sale, and games of chance.
The Major Award prize this year will be $10,000,
along with 19 other cash prizes. There will also be
two early bird drawings this year. The first early bird
will be drawn on July 15th at the parish picnic for
$3,000, or one year’s tuition to SASEAS School. The
second early bird will be drawn on August 13th for
$1,000. Watch the bulletin for sale dates.
Watch for updates in future Setonotes and the weekly
bulletin.
New this year will be a video trailer for the teens and
tweens.
Greg and Ruth Brothers
Margaret Bergh
Seton Preschool Students are “Bursting into Bloom”
The preschool classes are “Bursting into Bloom” as
the children get ready for spring by decorating their
classrooms with kites, flowers, caterpillars, bunnies,
butterflies and, of course, green shamrocks to welcome the beginning of spring. Hopefully the weather
will cooperate with our Spring Fever by getting and
staying warmer for the remaining months of school.
our classroom Easter parties April 3rd and 4th. Easter
break begins on Thursday, April 5th, and continues
through Tuesday, April 10th. We will be back in
school on Wednesday, April 11th.
So for now, the preschool staff and I wish everyone a
sunny, warm spring, a relaxing spring break, and a
blessed and Happy Easter.
Registration for the 2012/2013 school year is completed. A special thanks goes to all of you who shared
your good thoughts about our school to your friends
and neighbors. Your support means a great deal to the
teachers and me as we strive to make this the very
best preschool possible. We have a few preschool
openings left in our program, so if you are interested
in enrolling your child or grandchildren for the
2012/2013 school year, please have them give me a
call. The spots are filled on a first come, first served
basis.
Easter break and Easter are just around the corner and
the children are anxious to be outside more often and
to observe the welcoming signs of spring. God’s earth
seems to reawaken during the month of April with
blossoming tulips and warm gentle breezes. We have
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Setonotes • March/April 2012
Terri Imming
Friday Nights at Seton
Lenten Fish Fry and Stations of the Cross
Each Friday night during Lent
from 5:00 to 7:30pm in the cafeteria
The Men of Seton host and prepare our annual fish fry dinners and the Ladies of
Seton provide the desserts. There are many items to chose from – fish and/or huge
shrimp, or salmon with a choice of two sides prepared by Miami Market.
Adults, children’s and ala carte menus – take out is also available.
Also each week we will have Stations of the Cross in the church at 7:30 pm.
Immediately following, Father will hear confessions
Setonotes • March/April 2012
5
St. Vincent de Paul
SMILE News
Your St. Elizabeth Ann Seton St. Vincent de Paul
Conference would like to sincerely thank all of our
donors for your continued generosity! Thanks to you,
and organizations like Kroger and Panera, we are able
to help the less fortunate in our community stay in
their homes, maintain electric and water service, feed
their families, and obtain medicine that they would not
be able to afford on their own.
We would like to share two charts from the 2010-2011
Fiscal Year, to show how your contribution money was
allocated. A future Setonotes article will provide more
detail on both donations and expenses.
Again, thank you for your continued support and for
the funding, food and clothing to help the less fortunate in our community! Demand for our services continues to increase with the ongoing economic situation,
please contact us if you can spare any time at all to
help us serve our neighbors. We always need volunteers to help deliver food to clients, but we are also
looking for people who know how to use a computer,
have internet access, and want to work from home.
Please contact Mike Shumaker at 513-376-0585 for
more information.
Total = $60,347
Mike Shumaker
We’ve had quite a busy past two months! The March
for Life Trip was a great success with 19 parishioners
in attendance. Our High School Retreat followed
soon after with 30 people in attendance. The group
was able to take time out of their busy routines to
have some time with themselves, their peers, and with
God in both experiences. We are very blessed.
April
1
9
15
17
19
20
Below you will see our upcoming events for March
and April. We’re always looking for new faces!
22
SMILE Meeting, St. Andrew Church Hall
Game Night at Homeless Shelter
SMILE Meeting, St. Andrew Church Hall
Market Day Pick-up, Seton cafeteria
Game Night at SEM Villa
Junior High Dance, Seton cafeteria ~ current
6th – 8th grade invited
Pancake Breakfast, Seton cafeteria
Catherine Fasano
March
4
SMILE Meeting, St. Andrew Church Hall
11
Senior Luncheon, Seton cafeteria
12
Game Night at Homeless Shelter
13
Market Day Pick-up, Seton cafeteria
15
Game Night at SEM Villa
18
Pancake Breakfast, St. Andrew Parish Center
SMILE Meeting, St. Andrew Church Hall
March for Life
A few reflections from our students:
“I thought that this was an awesome experience.
It was really nice knowing that I was a part of something greater than myself and that hopefully I was
changing something one step at a time. More importantly I liked how I was doing something that God
has called me to do.”
Total = $5,429
made me feel like I was making a difference. Seeing
all of the signs, hearing all of the prayers and chants,
and feeling the sense of God with us as we marched
for justice all contributed to making this experience
unforgettable.”
Catherine Fasano
“When a single child dies, the world mourns. But
when 50 million+ children die, the world pretends it
didn’t happen.” This was one of the signs I saw on
the March for Life that really caught my eye and
made me think that although it was sad, it was true.
I was angered by this true statement, but then I realized that it was the reason I was there in D.C. on that
inspirational day. Going on March for Life was completely different than what I expected it to be. I was
overwhelmed by the amount of people that participated and traveled all the way to D.C. to march for the
right of the unborn. Just being part of the crowd
On January 22 & 23, members of our SASEAS SMILE
Youth Group, accompanied by several adults, traveled
to Washington DC for the Annual March for Life.
6
Setonotes • March/April 2012
Setonotes • March/April 2012
11
Stewardship at Seton
St. Andrew St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School
March and April are very busy months at SASEAS School. The Grand Event, “An Irish Extravaganza” is a
major fundraiser for our school and will be held on March 17th at the Oasis Conference Center. Our 6th grade
students will be showing their inventions during the Invention Convention. Our 8th grade students will host a
Political Convention. April starts off with our 5th grade students visiting COSI, Easter Break, followed by
Spring pictures, talent shows, and 3rd grade plays.
End of the 2nd
Trimester – March 2nd.
Report Cards
distributed March 6th.
Our 6th grade students will present
their Inventions at the SASEAS
Invention Convention. The Invention
Convention will take place on March
23, 2012. Please stop by the St.
Andrew Parish Center from 6:00 –
7:00pm to view the inventions.
Hispanic Food Day
in all
Spanish classes –
March 8th.
SASEAS Students competed in
Power of the Pen on January 21st at
Summit Country Day. Students will
advance to Regionals on
March 14, 2012.
Grade 5 to
COSI April 3rd
The Stewardship Committee has been busy preparing
for the annual Appreciation Dinner, discussing ways
to raise attendance in the various ministry groups, and
working on setting up a census questionnaire.
Parishioners attending the weekend Masses will have
the opportunity to see a bulletin board with information and photos of a different featured ministry twice
a month. Someone from the group will be present to
answer questions. With the numerous ministries, there
is surely one that would suite you. Every adult female
is a Ladies of Seton member and every adult male is a
Men of Seton member, meaning you may attend any
and all meetings you wish to partake. Those now
attending the meetings would be delighted to welcome new members. The Knights of Columbus could
use a few good men to help them with their numerous
projects throughout the year. These groups are not all
work orientated. They enjoy each other’s company as
they learn, grow in religion, play, and assist the parish
in its various functions. Those of you new to our
parish would benefit by joining one or more groups
where you get to meet new friends with the same
religious beliefs as you.
The prayer groups, Adoration, Communion to the
Homebound…the list goes on and on as to what is
available. You can find these ministries listed on our
website, www.setonmilford.org, or listed in the Parish
Guide Book & Directory.
Watch the parish bulletin each week for the dates and
times of various group meetings, and then try to make
it to one of the meetings. Bring a friend along as well.
Sheila Woodard
Assistance is always needed in the following groups:
St. Vincent de Paul, sacristans, Parish Religion
Program (PRP), Vacation Bible School, Bingo program, assistance on the parish grounds, etc.
Book Fair April 30th
“An Irish Extravaganza”
The Grand Event will take place on
March 17, 2012 at the
Oasis Convention Center.
Easter Break
April 5 – April 10
Classes resume on
April 11
This is a major fundraiser for our
school. All proceeds benefit
textbooks, teachers, and technology.
LENTEN PARISH MISSION
Grade 8
Political Convention
March 30, 2012
St. Andrew Parish Center
For tickets,
please call the school office.
Please visit www.saseasschool.org to stay current with your parish school!
Monday, March 19th ~ Tuesday, March 20 ~ Wednesday, March 21
Luke 12, 2012: Learning to Trust in God Again
Our speaker is Fr. James Sullivan, O.P., a Dominican Friar currently serving the Eastern
Province of St. Joseph as the Novice Master. Fr. James Sullivan is a popular speaker,
his passion for the Truth delivered with enthusiasm and humor will challenge you to think and
make you laugh. Mission held in the church. There will be confessions after each session.
• Morning Sessions: 9:00 – 10:00am
• Evening Sessions: 7:00 – 8:00pm
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Setonotes • March/April 2012
Setonotes • March/April 2012
7
In His Image
In His Image (continued)
We have been hearing about the new health care mandate requiring all employers to provide benefits covering contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion. Let the
eye rolling begin. For most Catholics, and perhaps for
you, the Church’s teaching on these three topics is
irrelevant. This makes me sad and angry, not at you,
because you have been cheated. Cheated out of your
inheritance as sons and daughters of God, created in
the divine image and likeness, through poor catechesis
and fear of rejection by those who know the truth…
and lied to by a secular society that promises happiness
by providing unfettered access to a woman’s body by
suppressing her natural fertility and when that fails
allowing her the opportunity to kill what is growing
inside her. These are harsh statements… but I want
to tell you the Good News, the beauty and dignity of
who you are. The revealed truth concerning man and
woman is that we are created in the image and likeness
of God. That is the absolute basis of who we are. It is
the source of our dignity, and if understood, the source
of our joy and freedom.
I would like to consider what it means to be created in
the image and likeness of God. We cannot understand
this unless we know who God is and what He is like.
If we are to understand the Trinity, we have to move
past the images we knew as children, three leaves of a
clover, three wicks of a candle, ice-water-steam. They
are not sufficient for an adult who has to live in a complicated world. The Trinity is a communion of persons, a family whose life is love. St. Paul says, “I bow
my knee before the Father, from whom every family in
heaven and on earth is named.” (Eph 3:14-15).
This means that my family is only a family because
together we somehow image the Trinity. My family,
your family, all families draw their being from God.
He is the first family.
God preexists time. God is Pure Existence. God is the
source of everything that exists. God holds creation in
existence. God is Love. Love needs an object. We
can’t just be in love unless we have someone to love.
So, prior to creation when God alone existed, not needing anything else, who is He loving?
Consider God the Father, He is all knowing, He has
perfect knowledge of Himself. This perfect selfknowledge has its own existence; we call Him God the
Son. This is not how we usually think of the Son, but
we see traces of this in the scriptures when we read,
“In the beginning was the Word.” (John 1:1)
Since God the Son is everything that God the Father
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knows about Himself, God the Father must give the
Son everything He is. When we contemplate God the
Son in this way, we can understand that God the Father
is eternally pouring all that He is in the Son, holding
nothing back. The Son has always existed, yet He
finds his origin in the Father. In the Creed we say,
“I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten
Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God
from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.”
This is not the complete picture. This exchange within
the Godhead is perfect. The complete outpouring of
the Father to the Son and the Son to the Father has His
own existence as well. The perfect exchange of Divine
Persons is Himself a Divine Person. He is God the
Holy Spirit, “who proceeds from the Father and the
Son, who with the Father and the Son He is adored and
glorified.” God the Father begets God the Son. The
Son is eternally begotten of the Father. The Father and
the Son together “breathe” the Holy Spirit. Sometimes
in poetry or song we hear a lover say of his beloved,
“you are the air I breathe.” This is what the Father and
the Son say of the Spirit.
Only when we understand who God is and how we
were created can we begin to understand the very basis
of the revealed truth of personhood, marriage, family,
and children. A husband loves his wife, pouring everything he is into her, holding nothing back. A wife
loves her husband, pouring everything she is into him,
holding nothing back. This includes their fertility.
Contraception deforms the very basis of self donating
love. Contraception, before it is a practice, is an attitude that separates the need for relationship from the
sexual act. Instead of fulfilling God’s plan for personhood, men and especially women are made into
objects. The simple reality is that objects in their very
nature exist to be used.
The persons in the Trinity are understood by their relationships to one another. Our personhood is defined in
the same way. Each human person can therefore
never be an “object.” We are always a “who” never a
“what.” Each Person of the Trinity is completely contained within the other two Persons, yet there is never a
confusion of Persons. In a marriage, when two persons
come together in complete self- giving, they are one in
a union that respects the uniqueness of each. Two persons of equal dignity in a selfless exchange , which
may result in another person, equal in dignity and
endowed with the same divine gifts and promise as the
mother and father, reflects the image and likeness of
God. (next page)
Setonotes • March/April 2012
Why are contraception, sterilization, and abortion
intrinsically evil? The beginnings of this answer lie
in the Trinity and why and how we were created.
It is not because the Church wants to be the sex
police, or because a bunch of old men in Rome want
to keep women pregnant, barefoot and in the kitchen.
The beauty of the Divine Life which is our very
inheritance is at the very root of this revealed truth.
This is not just about sex. This is a time when each
of us can choose to make a sincere effort to learn
what the Truth is. Another fact of our nature is that
we learn and grow in bits and pieces and that our
journey to God takes a lifetime. It is never too late to
learn, to change and to teach our children who they
are in God’s eyes. We all want to be in control, it is
why Adam and Eve fell from grace. It is why we still
make the same mistakes over and over again, it is
why we need a Savior and why our Savior left us a
Church and the Sacraments. It is why the Church
keeps to these teachings, even when the world has
rejected them. The Church must proclaim the truth
of who we are as human persons, even if it means
ridicule and persecution from without and within.
Please take another look, don’t be afraid. God is all
truth, beauty and goodness. You are created in His
image and likeness. Don’t settle for mediocre when
you were created for the Divine.
Patty Norris
Festival Arts and Craft
The Arts & Craft Booth for this year's festival has
a few needs. We are looking for someone, or a group
of quilters, who could donate a handcrafted quilt for
our raffle this year. Also, we received a suggestion
for a future quilt. It involves a pattern using men's
ties. If you would be willing to work on this quilting
project, please call Sue Adams at 575-3086. The quilt
takes 192 ties, so we also need donations of clean men
ties. However, this project will take some time and
will not be completed in time for this year's festival.
ribbons, other than Christmas, silk flowers of any
kind, baskets in any size, or anything else you
might think our booth could use.
If you have any half completed craft projects or craft
items that you are no longer using, please consider
donating them.
We thank everyone who has always helped with the
booth and for all of your continuing support.
We are also in need lots of completed
craft/sewing/crocheted - any kind - donations for
our booth prizes and silent auction, large-styled
Setonotes • March/April 2012
Sue, Ginny, Kathy
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