Last Saturday, March 18, the Morning of Recollection was a delightful community blessing for all of us. As usual, the Stewardship Committee did a great job in planning, preparing and in carrying out the time of prayer, of sharing and of praising the Lord. We were invited by the note in the Parish Bulletin and by parishioners who spoke at the Masses on the weekend of March 11-12: Julie and Craig Himel, Helen and Noel Bajat, Liz and Al Landry, and Deacon Ron Chauvin. I am grateful to all who came, to all who were involved in the Breakfast in the Parish Hall hosted by Seton Sunrise Committee, to the speakers who shared from their heart their love of the Lord and their commitment to St. Elizabeth Seton Church: Liz and Al Landry, Helen and Noel Bajat and Deacon Ron Chauvin. Deacon Nelson Schexnayder was the keynote speaker and gave an insightful and challenging teaching on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). The music for the Morning of Recollection was lead by Matthew Ewing; he blessed, inspired and helped us beautifully. My gratitude to all the members of the Stewardship Committee and the Chairperson, Gayle Landry, for their leadership in the Morning of Recollection. My heart as your Pastor was touched many times by the sharing, by the prayer and the devotion of the morning of Saturday, March 18.
The annual St. Elizabeth Seton Church Food Drive on the Feast of St. Joseph was a great success in every way. There were several hundred bags and containers of groceries brought to the Church last weekend. I thank each one of you and your families for sharing your faith, your time and your resources with the needy, the poor and the hungry of our area. The large amount of groceries was brought to St. Joseph Diner by some of the men who are involved in TMIY (That Man Is You) on Tuesday morning; I am grateful to the men for their extra kindness. Lent is for us a special time to become more aware of our blessings and of our need to be more helpful to the needy. Our Lenten penances, prayers and devotions guide us to grow closer to Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, Teacher and Shepherd. As we grow closer to the Lord, we become more gracious, more mindful and more concerned for the spiritual and physical needs of others.
TMIY (That Man Is You) has been in our parish and in our area for several years and has been such a blessing to the men who have participated. A program from TMIY for couples, Choice Wine, was initiated nine weeks ago. Last Saturday evening, March 18, the couples who shared in the Choice Wine program for the past eight weeks had the opportunity to renew their wedding vows at their meeting at John Paul the Great Academy on the Breaux Bridge Road near Immaculata. I was honored to be asked to lead the 40 couples present in the renewal of their wedding vows. The ceremony was touching, was personal and was enriching for the couples. I commend all the couples and I ask the Lord to bless them in their sacrament, to guide them in their homes and to provide for them in the rearing and in the educating of their children. As TMIY has blessed the men of our parish and of our area, Choice Wine has been a great blessing to couples. I pray that both Choice Wine and That Man Is You continue in the future. Both of these programs have my full support.
Last weekend (March 18-19) Father Ron Hoye, a Vincentian Priest, spoke at all the Masses and encouraged us to come to the Mission on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Mission was truly wonderful, enjoyable, uplifting and instructional. Father Ron is a gifted speaker who knows how to present his material, he is engaging, demonstrative and humorous. He is easy to listen to and is effective in making his point. Father Ron did a superb job in his sermons and in the way he shared his faith with us. The Mission was very well attended and all who came were filled with the grace of the Lord to ignite our personal faith in God and in the Church. May we seek to be faithful disciples of the Lord in our prayer and with strength of the Eucharist and the power of the Holy Spirit. We thank Father Ron for his ministry of being a Mission Preacher as he goes from parish to parish to share the message of the Gospel of Jesus, especially during the season of Lent. From St. Elizabeth Seton Church, Father Ron flew to preach this week (March 25 – 29) at St. Patrick Church in Casper, Wyoming. May the Lord bless, protect and sustain him in his ministry.
My prayers, good wishes, love and gratitude to you and to your loved ones for who you are, for all you do for the Lord and for all you do for the good of St. Elizabeth Seton Church. May the words spoken to the Prophet Samuel instruct us: “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
SHALOM! Fr. Gary
Homework for the week of March 26 – April 1
