August 15th’s Feast Day is The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since it falls on a Saturday this year, in the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, it is not a holy day of obligation. However, since it is still a solemnity, its joyful celebration is encouraged.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is St. Mary’s Day. The day is the greatest of all church festivals celebrated in her honor. This is the consummation of all mysteries by which her life was made wonderful. It is the birthday of her greatness, glory, and crowning of the virtues of her life. Mary’s virtues of charity, humility, purity, patience, meekness, and paying attention to God is the most perfect homage of worship. She provided love, praise, and thanksgiving to our God.

The dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950. The proclamation stated that when Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever virgin’s life was finished, her body and soul were taken up to heaven right away. Her body and soul would not lie in a grave. Mary’s body and soul did not undergo the death of a sinner. She was not born with original sin. Mary’s life was filled with light which purified her body from all defilement. Both Mary and Jesus passed through the gate of death into heaven. Mary’s place in heaven abides visibly with us for our refuge, comfort, and hope. She became Queen of the Communion of Saints.

Here is some background information about Mary. She was a Jewish maiden of the House of David and of Judah. Her parents were St. Joachim and St. Anne. They were childless for many years. Mary was probably born on September 8 in Nazareth. Mary met a carpenter Joseph; they were married and through a miracle conceived Jesus. We celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in a stable on December 25.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the fourth glorious mystery when we say the rosary.

Prayer Taken from Lives of Saints
Almighty, ever-living God, You raised to eternal glory the body and soul of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Your Son.
Grant that our minds may always be directed heavenward and that we may deserve to share in her glory. Amen.

Written by:  Parishioner Linda B.
Edited & Approved by: SEAS Pastoral Staff

Dear Fellow Pilgrims,

I’ve learned a bit. Ok, more than a bit. I’ve learned a great deal actually from the time I’ve shared talking and walking with homeless persons in our community. Prone to bouts of arrogance at times, I once believed I had the solutions and they had the problems; I had the insights and they had the shortcomings. Boy, was I in need of an education, and, thankfully, they had the gentle wisdom to teach me.

Here, for your own reflection, I offer the top five lessons I’ve learned from people who have hit rock bottom, lost everything and lived on the streets.

1. You can always laugh. No matter how much you have lost, hurt or suffered, God still gives us plenty of opportunities to lift our spirits with smiles, joy and humor. It is a gift of great value.

2. We really don’t need much, hardly anything really. So many of the things we think we want or need have little or no true value. They do not bring meaning or happiness to our lives, and losing them does not inhibit meaning or happiness.

3. Other people pay the price for our sins. This is a hard one. We don’t like to admit it. Almost every homeless person I’ve met has been a victim of abuse, often, but not always, during childhood. Additionally, they are hurt by social callousness, an absence of love, exclusion from health-care and education systems, and economic injustice. Their lives are the price paid for others’ sins, including our own.

4. Authentic love is always welcome. Sometimes we hold back a bit, not quite willing to risk an investment of our compassion and affection. Are we over-stepping a boundary? What if our love is not appreciated or is rejected? Nonsense! And so what? All people, even if they seem too strong or aloof to admit it, want, need and crave the genuine love of other people. Share it with reckless abandon!

5. True sacred communion happens when we strip away everything else. I have been moved to the brink of tears by the connection, concern and compassion demonstrated by many of the homeless people I’ve met. When you take away the pretenses, posturing and image-guarding, all you’re left with is pure, vulnerable humanity. And that’s where you get a glimpse of the divine.

Peace,
Deacon Steve

Mark your calendar and make plans to join us on Sunday, October 4, at the New Titletown Brewery when the Packers play the San Francisco 49ers at 3:25 p.m. This is Football Frenzy II!

Be a part of the fun as we welcome fellow parishioners and guests to enjoy the tailgate buffet, the oral auction, and the big screen TVs!  We plan to have several Bucket Raffles, a 50/25/25 Raffle, and a Meat Raffle.  There will be lots of chances to win great prizes!

Watch our bulletin and website for more information.  Plan to get your tickets early as last year’s event was SOLD OUT! It’s a winning combination of football, food, fun, and funds to help enrich our ministry programs at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.

We hope to see you there!

The Exodus reading (Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15) for the weekend of August 2, 2015, reveals some pretty basic human qualities that we can relate to. The Israelites “grumbled” because they did not feel they were being taken care of as well as when they were in slavery. They were in uncharted territory and didn’t have a clue where they were going or how long it would take to get there. Like sheep, they had blindly followed Moses out of Egypt. Now they wondered why they had decided to make this change in their lives and follow this God who was supposed to care about them. They were given one day’s worth of food and nothing extra. What was so great about that?

Sometimes we are satisfied to be taken care of on the most basic physical level and change brings about challenges. When life goes along smoothly (the bills are paid, the marriage is happy, the kids are doing well, everyone is healthy, etc…), we don’t have a great need for God. We might kindly thank him for our blessings, but there is nothing too distressing, so we take our situations for granted. Life is good.

But when life throws us a curve, we often find ourselves “grumbling” to God about it. “Hey God, everything was going well. Why did things have to change? Why do I have to relocate because I lost my job? I can’t believe I’m having such health issues. I thought my marriage was going well, but it’s not. I was doing everything right and I thought you were taking care of me.”

At some point, we can all relate to the Israelites. The message is pretty clear. Trust in God in good times and bad. Be grateful for what you have. Your faith will sustain you when you rely on God. Can we recognize the gifts God offers us even in the midst of our circumstances and situations? Can we find the grace, the giftedness, in change and challenges? It’s always good to be reminded of God’s love and care for us.

God Bless,
Gloria Nolan, Pastoral Minister

Most of us have heard of “Christmas in July,” which is an unofficial holiday often celebrated by retailers to re-live the festivities of Christmas. It can also reflect our yearning for cold winter days amid the heat of the summer months. But have you ever heard of “Easter in July?” (I doubt it, since I made it up.)

I’m one of the few members in our household who likes the smell of Easter lilies. When I smell an Easter lily and see the pure white flowers that seem to be trumpeting “Christ is risen!” it brings back warm memories of Easter when I was growing up.

It’s been almost 10 years since I bought an Easter lily plant. I decided that I should give that plant an opportunity to join the other flowers in our backyard. Now, instead of just a few flowers, we’re treated to more than 50 flowers every July…What a treat! (Our God is the great multiplier!)

At Easter time, we celebrate the paschal mystery…the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And, we can extend this great celebration throughout the year by making every weekend a paschal mystery experience. Begin each Friday with a mini-Lenten observance in preparation for Sunday’s Mass – – a little Easter celebration. We are an Alleluia people…Not only at Easter, but all year long!

Blessings to you and your family,
Deacon Mark

In spring, we had Catechist Awareness Weekend here at our parish. The main focus was the following question, “What and who is a catechist?” First, a catechist is someone who helps to teach and pass on the faith. As for who are catechists, they are anyone raising a child in the faith – whether as a parent, guardian, grandparent, or other influential adult in a child’s life. Ultimately, parent(s) and guardians are responsible for teaching their child(ren) about God and our faith. The Church does offer tools such as Faith Formation classes (formerly known as CCD) to assist parents, guardians, etc. with this task. It has been said that if a child is surrounded by at least five positive adult role models of faith, that child will be more successful in every aspect of life.

So, how do we, as adults, come to feel equipped to pass on our faith? First and foremost we must engage in practicing our faith, and going to Mass every weekend is a good place to start. Whether at home, work, volunteering at our child’s school, socializing with friends – the way in which we treat others (and ourselves for that matter) will directly influence our children. If we consistently consider the two great commandments in every dealing we have with others, we will be well on our way to practicing our faith well. In what ways do we strive to love God with our entire being? In what ways do we do our best to love our neighbor whether he/she is difficult or easy to love?

Striving to truly love – erasing judgment, accepting others and ourselves despite their/our faults, openness to the goodness of others whether it’s on the surface or hidden – is what our children will learn from us. It is how we act (and react) that our children will take with them into their own lives. Let them see and experience love and they will reflect the same.

For more information about our Faith Formation classes, or if you would like to help pass on our faith to the next generation, please email us at seas@seasgb.org or call us at (920) 499-1546.

Written by:  Judy B., parishioner
Edited & Approved by: SEAS Pastoral Staff

 

Well, to tell you the truth….quite a bit.  More on that critical connection in a moment.  But first let me tell you about the “we” behind the marketing team at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton parish.  It is truly a talented team of dedicated parishioners – many of whom have years of practical experience in the world of marketing, branding and communications across a wide range of for profit and nonprofit organizations.  I truly feel blessed to have a chance to work with the following SEAS volunteers and staff:

Jan Botz, Jim Botz, Denis Kreft, Claire Williams, Robb Mommaerts, Bill Gerl and Shelly Vann

So what do marketing and evangelization have to do with each other?  The best way to answer that question is to revisit our mission (or purpose) as a church:

To love God, love others, grow as disciples and make new disciples.

And our vision that we launched late in 2014:

Every person touched by our parish community is welcomed, valued and enriched in Christ

There are three ways we can all evangelize:

• Witness – simply living our faith through our good actions and deeds
• Share our faith – by describing how God is working in our lives
• Invite others to experience Christ’s saving love by walking with us

Our task within the SEAS marketing team is to foster ongoing communication that will help us along our faith journey….helping us to become the “best version of ourselves” and turning disciples into disciple makers.  Our goal is to support Father Paul, the parish council and all the ministries get the word out to help bring our mission and vision to life.  That’s why we embarked on a comprehensive digital strategy to complement our traditional means of communication such as bulletins and newsletters.  Those aren’t going away, but there is no denying that many of our parishioners (of all ages) are tuning in to the “new media.”  Our new website and to-be-launched social media channels like Twitter, Facebook and blog provide a great opportunity for each of us to witness, share and invite.  Stay tuned, the journey is underway.

Peace,

Mike Curtin
Marketing Team Chair

Summer is finally upon us, and it can be the perfect time to step back and re-energize ourselves.  The beautiful weather and sun awaken us from what can seem like an unending winter.  Not to mention kids are out of school, we may work different hours, and many of us take some time off.  This is the perfect time to spend with family, friends, and to have a little quiet time for ourselves.  I hear (and say to myself) people are too busy for so many different things.  Why not take advantage of the extended sunlight and the feeling of being rejuvenated to do one thing on your to-do list that you haven’t gotten to.  Specifically use this summer to continue to grow deeper as a disciple of Jesus Christ!  Not only is there Mass here on the weekends, but Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday we have daily Mass at 8:00 a.m., and Thursday at 7:00 a.m. – come and join us before you go to work.

For all of our students in Middle and High School, summer is often a favorite time of the year.  But sometimes it can be hard to find things to do.  Most Wednesdays this summer from 7:00 -9:00 p.m. we have a Youth Ministry Activity Night.  So far we have watched Night at the Museum outside, played night games, and had some bonfires.  Check the bulletin, our website, call the parish office at (920) 499-1546 ext. 111 or email me at YouthMinister@seasgb.org to find out what we’re doing and make plans to join us.  You can even bring your friends!

Christ’s Word and Body helps us respond, as a Christian, to life’s demands.

During one of Fr. Paul’s teaching segments at weekend Masses, he provided insight on the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  He then challenged us to take these Liturgies and live them during the week.  An immediate thought was we are all like a car – we run all week and at the end of the week, we need to refuel our tanks so that we can continue to run.  Thus, each weekend, we need to fill up on Christ’s Word and Body in order to run as our full potential as Christians for the upcoming week.  At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish we want you to fill up your tanks with us by sharing in Christ’s Word and Body.  We want and encourage you to be here.  Our hope is that this will happen if you feel welcomed, valued and enriched in Christ.  Our Worship Committee is dedicated to these principles and welcomes your ideas and thoughts to better achieve these goals.  New committee members are always welcome!

We’re challenged by Christ to fulfill our vision and mission.

Our vision: “Every person touched by this parish is welcomed, valued and enriched in Christ.”  This vision helps us participate in the mission of Jesus Christ.  Christ came to this world 2000 plus years ago to make the connection between God’s love and people’s lives as they actually lived them out in their time.  Christ especially welcomed anyone who was lost, excluded, or simply drifting.

This vision is a long-term, cultural evolution for each of us.  People who become aware of it help us realize how vast a challenge this can be, especially because our society values its privacy, and we oftentimes live a segmented life.  This vision breaks down barriers among people and helps us realize how pervasive Christ’s love is in every phase of our life – public and private.

As Christ gathered people around him, he invited them into discipleship with him – into a relationship with him that empowered them to make disciples of others.  Today, and every day, Christ calls us into that same discipleship.  To be disciples so that we are able to make disciples.  Our vision helps us with this.  When we welcome all who come through our doors, when we value one another, especially when we hear each other interpret how we live out the vision in a different manner, and when we come to the same table of God’s Word and Sacrament to be enriched in Christ, we will further the Kingdom of God in our corner of the world.