Saint + Elizabeth + Ann + Seton + Parish

(May 9, 2021) Deacon David L. Hall, Pastoral Associate at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, said, "The standard for our life is love, but the idea of love is distorted by our world. We tend to think that love is warm, fuzzy feelings. We think love will make everything good for everybody.  Love, according to Jesus, is doing what is best for another when it is inconvenient––even painful or deadly––to ourselves. And the “others” we are to love are not merely those who love us; the real test of love is how we relate, not to gracious saints, but to rascals."DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(May 9, 2021) Father Samuel Dubois relates the life story of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic priest who  freely chose to suffer death in place of a fellow prisoner in  a concentration camp during World War II.  "If we are to be like Christ," Father Dubois said,  "we have to be willing to carry the cross: the cross of indifference, the cross of apathy, the cross of the cruelty of others, so that we may be made worthy of the Resurrection, so that we may be raised to glory -- but, most of all -- so that our joy may be in Jesus, and in Him it may be complete."

(May 2, 2021) Father Samuel Dubois, Parochial Vicar of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, reminds us that, just as without April showers there would be no May flowers, so without the times of trial and disappointment in our lives, we might be tempted to choose the temporal over the eternal.

(April 25, 2021) On "Good Shepherd Sunday," in his final weekend at our parish  before his June ordination, Deacon Logan Parrish offered thoughts about how those who were listening to Jesus might have responded to His describing Himself as a shepherd. 

(April 18, 2021)  Deacon  David L. Hall says that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ invites us to discover the greatness of God’s love so that our heart is shaken by that love…. and shaken by the horror and weight of sin, so that we fear offending God, and shudder at the idea of being separated from him. DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(April 18, 2021)  Father Samuel Dubois uses the example of "sleeping like a baby" to describe the type of peace that Jesus  offered to the disciples. When babies sleep, they sleep in true peace because they know that when they wake up, there will be someone there to comfort them or to meet their needs. 

(April 11, 2021) Father Samuel Dubois emphasizes that today's feast of Divine Mercy presents a great opportunity for us believers. "It is the best help for us to grow in holiness that we could ever ask for," adds Father Dubois."Jesus I trust in You" are the words of a short prayer Saint Faustina left us, and we should pray it whenever we can. The prayer entails leading us into the unknown while trusting in God's mercy, not of our own choosing. Father Dubois closes with an invitation to the beauty of today's feast through the words "Jesus, I trust in You" which "will make all the difference in our lives."

(April 11, 2021) Each one of us is on a path either to judgment or to healing, says Deacon David L. Hall, Pastoral Associate at Saint Elizabeth Ann SEton Parish. Our healing (and our holiness -- our sainthood) is possible because Jesus took upon Himself the righteous judgment of God. This is Divine Mercy.DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT

(April 11, 2021) Father Samuel Dubois reminds us that only one thing lasts forever: God's love. Everything else fades away and falls apart, except for His grace.  Recalling  Saint Maria Goretti's martyrdom and the story of her murderer, who repented and eventually became a monk. Father  asks, "If God could transform a man with the past like that, what could He do with me?" It is transformation, rooted in the Mercy of God, that is a direct testimony to God's forgiveness and love. Saint Faustina left us a powerful invocation that we can always pray: "Jesus, I trust in You."  In closing, Father Dubois asks us, "How much room will you give God in your life to change, to transform you, to make you a saint? Trust in Jesus and all will be well."

(April 4, 2021)  Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Father Samuel Dubois, parochial vicar of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, invites us to celebrate and live in the joy of the Resurrection.

(April 2, 2021) Observing that, in our church, the shadow of the cross falls up our altar, and those on the altar, Father Samuel Dubois reminds us that the shadow of the cross falls upon us all, on the whole world, as a testimony to what humanity brought about on its own.

(April 1, 2021)  God showed His great love for us by entering into our human life through Jesus, one like us. Jesus knows everything about us, yet He loves us, forgives our sins, and nourishes us through His Body and Blood. 

(April 28, 2021) In his Palm/Passion Sunday homily, Deacon Alex Bogdanoff looks at all those surrounding Jesus in His last hours and says, "Who sent Jesus to the cross? The answer may surprise you."

(March 28, 2021) Deacon David L. Hall reminds us that our everyday words sometimes shock us. Many excuses or misconceptions are reminiscent of the judgment Jesus underwent during his tribulation. However, Jesus keeps coming back to us, giving us reminders of His self-sacrificing love. Turning away from our sins and opening ourselves to our true need for forgiveness is what Jesus is calling us to.

(March 21, 2021)  Father Samuel Dubois encourages us to "invite Jesus in. If you can’t roll the stone away on your own, ask Him to do it. We are destined for the glory of God. All we have to do is ask for his help."

(March 17, 2021) Monsignor describes ways in which Saint Patrick's ordeals and sufferings as a victim of human trafficking became stepping stones for his subsequent ministry to the Celts.  He concludes with a prayer relevant to the world  today. 

(March 13, 2021) Deacon Alex Bogdanoff reflects on the importance of establishing and strengthening our personal relationship with God. To live a Christ-centered life by the grace of God, one must learn first to trust God, regularly receive the Sacraments, and develop a rich, internal prayer life.

(March 7, 2021)  Father Samuel Dubois reflected upon the Gospel reading today about the woman at the well.  Reminding us about the amazing gift of confession, he invited us to allow Jesus to set us free. "Allow Jesus to make you whole," he said, "so that you can bring salvation to your own life and to the lives of countless others."

(February 28, 2021) Deacon Logan Parrish says that trust in God leads us to a transformation: The more we trust, the more transformed we become. Certainly, Abraham's trust in God, when asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, foreshadows the sacrifice of the Lamb of God that was to come.

(February 21, 2021) During these 40 days of lent, may we choose holiness and Jesus, so that these days may renew and transform us to make us more and more in the image of God.