Saint + Elizabeth + Ann + Seton + Parish

(October 23, 2021) Father Charles L. Persing, pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, considers the blind man,  Bartimaeus, as a man of great hope and great courage. "How many times have you and I gone to the Lord to ask for things that are impossible, to ask for things for which we personally don't think there's an answer?" Maybe we doubt the power of God in our own lives, Father says, but let us never stop calling out in hope to Jesus.

(October 17, 2021)  In this week's message, Father Charles L. Persing, pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, focuses on examples of servanthood in the Gospel and in a story from the Colonial days of what is now the United States. "Nothing is below our dignity in the eyes of God when we are true servants," Father said. He challenged us to look for occasions to serve each other, because "the closer we come to Jesus, the more we are expected to follow His example."

(October 16, 2021) Reflecting on today's Scripture readings, Father Samuel Dubois reminds us that there is nothing we have gone through or will ever go through that God has not shouldered. "So, if we unite ourselves to Him, we unite ourselves to His saving cross.”Jesus walked in "our very steps," Father Dubois said. He "suffered as we suffer" so that, when we suffer, "we know we have a companion, someone with us." This is all part of God's love for us, he said. "There is no more powerful testament of God's love than the crucifix . . . no more powerful way to share in His love than to be united to Him in our sufferings – whatever they might be." 

Father Charles L. Persing reflects on the life and legacy of Saint Gianna, the patron saint of mothers and unborn children, and  prays for her intercession. 

(October 10, 2021) Deacon David L. Hall reflected on today's Scripture readings. The highlight of his homily is the message that "Each one of us can have a fear of inviting God to cleanse us of anything that distracts us from seeking and loving Him above all  else . . . . If we make even a start to desire what God is offering, we will find that He knows how to give what we truly need. "" ‘What is the desire of my heart? Lord help me to want You more than anything else.’ If we pray that, it is more than a wish; it is a request that the Lord will give to anyone who sincerely asks," Deacon concluded. DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

Father Charles L. Persing talks about Saint Gerard, patron saint of expecting mothers and unborn children.

(October 3, 2021) Deacon William Dwayer asked us to reconsider our relationships in our friendships or in our marriages. Are we leading Christ-centered lives? Christ invites both laypersons as well as clergy to introspection on this crucial part of our identity. "If we wish to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we must receive Christ’s teaching, His love, and His grace with a trusting love of a small child. And in order to do that, we must have God in the center of our lives,"  Deacon Dwayer said.

Father Charles L Persing talks about Respect Life Month and what it means to create and enjoy healthy life relationships with others.

 (September 26, 2021) Have you ever thought of “pew-and-pulpit synchrony”? Father Anthony Eseke, priest-in-residence at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, introduces us to the concept.It relates to the theological and spiritual diversity that is at the heart of the three Scripture readings for today. “The Lord is the one, Who gives his Spirit freely . . . and the Spirit blows wherever it wills.” “How can we today ask for the grace to enhance our tolerance?” Father Eseke asks. It is two-fold. The first one is “through the ‘dialogue of life’ . . . that binds all of us together, regardless of the ways we interpret our spirituality.” The second one, also based on the Scripture, is our need to be open to the walk of the Spirit . . . Who dwells in our hearts,” he said.    It is because we are too tight and too passionate about the positions we hold what we think about who God is . . . "God is bigger than what we can fight for,” Father Eseke concluded.

(September 26, 2021) Father Charles Persing,  pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, reminds us that the Spirit of God is at work in all of us. "Are we responding to the Spirit of God?" Father Persing asks. "It is a gift from God . . . we can use it to serve our community . . . becoming brothers and sisters in the family of God."We are called, he said,  "to look freshly at that Spirit day after day, moment after moment, in our life and . . .cling to God . . . let God hold us.”This week we are challenged, Father said. "We are challenged to look freshly at that Spirit in us; not to hoard it within us, not just share it with the people who are special to us, but to allow that Spirit to empower us, to bring Christ to life in our midst, to bring God’s Kingdom to reality in our presence." Let us witness that "reality in our presence," he concluded.

(September 26, 2021) Father Samuel Dubois, Parochial Vicar of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, asked: "How is Jesus calling you to serve the poorest among us?" The challenge for us, he said, "is to give life to others by the way we live, by the way we love."Father Dubois reminded us that "it is not up to us when God will call us to charity … we must give of ourselves: whether it is just a listening ear; perhaps, it is a prayer for someone in need. If we are blessed with good health . . . place it at the service of the Lord. If we are blessed with a share and the cross of suffering,  also place it at the service of the Lord," he concluded.

(September 19, 2021) It is time to come and join one another at the Church, Father Charles Persing said. It is also time to spend some time in silence of our prayers and follow the words of Saint James and Saint Mark instructing us to become the true disciples of Jesus Christ.  "The challenge for us this week—once again from Mark and from James—is to really open our eyes, to open our ears, and our hearts, and our hands; to take our attitudes and our failures  and sinfulness, and lay them at the foot of that Cross;  to really turn our eyes to Jesus to look full into His face; and to go to a world that is dying and tell His perfect salvation to others who also seek," Father Persing concluded.

Father Charles L. Persing speaks about and prays for children, their parents, and our catechists on the occasion of this year's start of Religious Education classes. 

(September 12, 2021) "Practice what you preach, " is the message at the heart of Father Persing's homily. Reflecting on his message from last week—the Apostle James's invitation to to be " doers, not listeners"—Father said, "If we want to know how to live, another great example is Matthew 25:  'Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, or ill?  Imprisoned, or naked?  When did we see you?'" Father concluded: "Our challenge this week is to really live that faith . . . to open our hearts to the Spirit of God . . . so, let us be those true doers of the Word and not just hearers; Let us demonstrate our faith by our works."DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(September 12, 2021) On this 20-year anniversary of 9/11, Father Samuel Dubois asks, "Where was God that day? He was right there." Father reminds us that without God' s sufferings  and death, we would be without hope. With God, we have hope in darkness and sorrow.

Father Charles L. Persing reflects on Grandparents' Day and prays for all grandparents on this special day. 

(September 5, 2021) Deacon Alex Bogdanoff, of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, invited us to reflect on our practical everyday lives: Is your life centered on seeing the less-fortunate ones through God's eyes? Do you walk an extra mile as a servant of our Lord helping the less-fortunate? How can we give "happy meals"  to those in our lives who need our help? he asked.The answer is close at hand. It is a simple truth: "Love looks like action:  You can have the best of intentions in your heart, but if you do not do anything, perhaps you want to question how deep your love is," Deacon Bogdanoff said.

(September 5, 2021) Deacon David L. Hall reminds us that "being a Christian is wrapped up in an act of faith; through that, we enter a new dimension – a new way of looking at the world . . . God calls us to faithfulness . . . in the Church we are to relate to one another in faithfulness, letting our faith set the standard for how we see the world and one another. "  Deacon Hall cautions, "we are in a spiritual war for our souls -- two opposing sides -- and they are quite different. One side offers us a world of the good life, with a focus on things like nice houses and well-dressed people, and pleasant activities. On the other side, we see the lonely man who claims to be the king of the world; only His crown is made of thorns, and His life seems to have ended in failure. This day it can look like the world of wealth and power is the winner; which side do we believe? [The Apostle] James tells us that what we believe will, among other things, affect the way we respond to social status. Let’s keep

Father Charles L Persing talks about finding the time for and cultivating silence as the foundation of prayer life in this hectic world. 

 (August 29, 2021) Father Charles Persing, the pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Parish, reflected on today’s reading of the Epistle of James regarding a common situation: “We feel like we just want to raise our hand and say to God, ‘I have done enough. I quit. I just want to listen. I do not want to do anything anymore; I just want to hear you. I want to listen.’“Now is our time to do something,” Father Persing reminded us. Saint James “used some words that were very strong. He said to us that we must give birth to the Word of Truth by living it. He uses the words, ‘Be a doer.’  Do not just sit back and listen; get up and do something. You know, get off the grass and move along, get off your couch, get out of your house, get back into your routine. And do not delude yourself, because what we need to do is take care of these things. If you do that, God is going very happy with you,” Father Persing said.