This weekend, March 18-19, we begin our annual Lenten Mission. We gladly and graciously welcome Father Ron
Hoye, A Vincentian Priest, to St. Elizabeth Seton Church Parish. We await his message with open minds and with
willing hearts. Father Ron will speak on Monday, March 20, Tuesday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 22, at 6:30PM.
His mission talks will not include Mass. I encourage you to do your best to attend each evening of the Mission, if
possible. Lenten Missions are times of special grace, of personal challenge and of a deeper sense of conversion.
This Sunday, March 19, the traditional feast of St. Joseph, is the fourth anniversary of the installation of Pope Francis
as our Holy Father. It was on March 13, 2013 that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires,
Argentina was elected by the Cardinals in Conclave in Rome to succeed Pope Benedict XVI who had retired on
February 28, 2013 for reasons of health. At every Mass we pray for the Holy Father as well as our Bishop, Bishop
Douglas Deshotel, by name in the Eucharistic Prayer. May the Lord continue to bless Pope Francis with good health,
with sincerity of his personal witness to the Gospel, and with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit leading all of us to a
closer relationship with Jesus Christ, especially during this holy season of Lent. May the powerful example of Pope
Francis who lives so humbly, so simply, so faithfully, so kindly and so generously guide us, inspire us and enable us to
share ourselves and our resources more willingly with others, especially the needy, the poor and the elderly.
Because March 19 is on a Sunday, we will celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph on Monday, March 20. We honor and
recognize St. Joseph as the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary and the Foster Father of Jesus. Together with
Mary and Jesus, St. Joseph is the Holy Family. The role of Joseph in the human life of Jesus Christ, the Savior and
Messiah, is essential and significant. Joseph was chosen by the heavenly Father to take care of Jesus as a child and to
provide for Him and for Mary. St. Joseph is the patron of all fathers, he is also the patron of carpenters and workers,
he is the patron of a happy death and he is “a righteous man” who supported and protected Mary and Jesus from harm
and from scandal during the early months and years of the life of Jesus. The biblical references to Joseph are largely
found in the Gospel of Matthew in the early chapters. The words of the Preface of St. Joseph express so well his place
in the plan of our salvation in Christ: ‘For this just man was given by you, O Lord, as spouse to the Virgin Mother of God
and set as a wise and faithful servant in charge of your household to watch like a father over your only Begotten Son,
who was conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.’
At the St. Elizabeth Seton Parish Council Meeting on Wednesday, March 8, a decision was made to begin supporting Faith House, a ministry in our community that helps families who are in troubled and abusive situations, especially women and children. We will send Faith House $500 each month to support their needed service and ministry in our community. Over the past years, St. Elizabeth Seton Church Parish has been sharing our faith and our resources with other ministries and services in our area and in the world. We send on a monthly basis the following: $500 to St. Joseph Diner to feed the hungry; $500 to help Father Charles Thibodeaux, the Jesuit who is in the Missions of Paraguay in
South America; $500 to help Father Michael Champagne with his good works with the Community of Jesus Crucified
in St. Martinsville; $500 to Father Glen Meaux and his Missions in Haiti; $500 to the Missionaries of Jesus to help
Father Joey Evangelista and his Missions in the Philippines and $250 to Family Promise to support and help needy
families.
Sunday, March 26, Faith for Families will have an Easter Egg Hunt after the 10:15 AM Mass, beginning about 11:30 AM
in the Family Center with a meal, games and fun for all of our families, especially for children from 2 to 12. Plan to be
with other families from our Church Parish and enjoy being together building up our community and our faith. I look
forward to being with all of you. Join us for Faith for Families on Sunday, March 26!
My love, prayers, best wishes and gratitude to you and to your loved ones for who you are, for all you do for the Lord
and for the good of St. Elizabeth Seton Church Parish. May the Psalm of the day guide our time at Mass: “Come, let
us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he
shepherds, the flock he guides.” (Psalm 95:6-7)
SHALOM!
Fr. Gary
Homework for the week of March 19 – March 25
Luke 12:28-34
