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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Lent/Easter 2019

LENT: SPRING CLEANING FOR THE SOUL

My favorite season of the year is Spring. Out of the cold and gloom of winter, we begin to see new life bursting forth all around us. The bright colors and smells of blossoms delight the senses. The days keep growing longer and warmer. It is a time to celebrate! But before we get ahead of ourselves, we have some “spring cleaning” to consider.

Lent, which is actually an old English word meaning “springtime,” is such an appropriate season for us to pass through on the way to Easter joy. It is not meant to be a time of drudgery. Rather, it is intended as a gift for us to get ready for the most important and sacred of our celebrations – Easter!

For many, Lent is a time of sacrifice, when we might choose to give up something. But fasting is only one part of the tradition. Remember, it is prayer, fasting and almsgiving together that are the hallmarks of the season. As such, I always encourage people to try to keep these three together for their Lenten penance. Once example would be to give up a favorite treat – but don’t let it end there. Take the money that you would have spent on that item each day or each week and save it until the end of Lent. In the meantime, choose an individual or organization as a beneficiary of that money. Learn more about that person or group and how they help others and pray for them during Lent. When Easter comes, give that gift that resulted from your sacrifice. In this way, you keep prayer, fasting and almsgiving together and make a difference in your own life as well as in the life of others.

Operation Rice Bowl is a great example of this. Boxes for this cause will be available to those who would like to use them.

Remember, you can practice this tradition throughout the entire year - you don’t have to wait each year until Lent arrives. After all, the new life of Easter is about being transformed into the Risen Christ who offers and shares Himself completely. That’s what Heaven is all about, and if we really want to be there, why not start practicing that very life for which we long?

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Another Lenten tradition is the Stations of the Cross. This year we will offer Stations at 7:00 p.m. each Friday of Lent from March 8 through April 12. Weather permitting; we may be able to use the beautiful outdoor stations for a couple of those dates.

Don’t forget about the opportunities for the Sacrament of Penance. In addition to the regular time at 4:00 p.m. On Saturdays, Confessions will be heard during Lent on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. before the 7:00 p.m. Mass, as well as during the diocesan wide celebration of the Sacrament on Wednesday, March 20 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. To appreciate and prepare for the Sacrament of Penance, we will be offering a video presentation of Forgiven, which presents a fresh and compelling view of God’s mercy on Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m.

This year, our young people will perform their powerful presentation of our Lord’s Passion through mime at 7:00 p.m. on Good Friday. All are invited to experience this moving and prayerful portrayal. Please note that this will be the only performance for Holy Week.

Finally, this Lent we are excited about a new gift we received from the Diocese of Cleveland. Each parish has been given a year long subscription to Formed, an online Catholic site that offers an incredible array of videos, books and other resources. As a parishioner of SEAS, you will be able to access the site and use it to learn and grow in your faith at your leisure. Just go to seascolumbiastation.formed.org on any device to register and you will have an amazing selection of materials to choose from all year long – and remember, it’s all free! So, what will you do this Lent to allow God’s life to grow in you?

-Fr. Ed

Lenten Pierogi/Strudel Sale – One Day Only!

There is a big change to the sale this year. We are offering our delicious pierogi and strudel ONE DAY ONLY!! We will have a sale on March 14.

Orders must be placed by March 10. Our pierogi are sold by the dozen only and the flavors are: potato, potato/cheese, sauerkraut, sweet cheese, prune, apple, or cabbage. Order forms are in the church entry.

You’ve all heard the saying, “He who sings, prays twice.” Well, I’m going to take that one step farther: “He who sings in the choir, prays THREE TIMES!” The Celebration Choir will practice for the Easter Vigil, Easter morning at 11 am Mass and Sundays during Easter season beginning April 7 at 9:30 am in the Church. Won’t you please join us to give this biggest feast of our Church year the proper respect it deserves? May the Spirit guide your heart to join us on Sunday, April 7 at 9:30 am. If you have any questions, stop by the organ after 11 am Mass or call Caryn at 330-815.6940. Help us make a joyful noise unto the Risen Lord!

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The Marian Circle is a spiritual, social, and charitable fellowship for the women of our parish. We toss around ideas, discuss the needs

and wants of the parish as we see them, and through some awesome teamwork, good ideas turn into a joyful offering.

We are taking orders for homemade sourdough and potato bread during Lent. The loaves are large and priced at $5.00 each. Order forms are available after each weekend Mass.

The Marian Circle is open to all women, ages 16 and older. We meet on the third Thursday of each month from September through May. We thank you for supporting our efforts and hope you think about becoming a member!

SEAS Outreach

SEAS Outreach Society helps clients with short term or temporary needs. Before offering assistance, we visit with our clients to determine the need they are encountering and how we can best assist them. We can offer help with utility shutoffs and other emergency assistance and we try to guide our clients to agencies and programs that can help them long term.

Within the past year, we have reviewed and revised our guidelines to enable us to help more clients in our area. Those coming to us for aide from outside our area are referred to churches in their area. We work with the other churches to ensure that all are given assistance after they have approached us.

Finance News

Your finance council, along with the parish office, works hard to keep expenses down. We appreciate our many volunteers who work hard for the parish. They save us much money by their service.

Finance council reviews our expenditures and continues to try to find ways to decrease them. We also try to find ways to increase our income. We have many fundraisers and we really appreciate your support. You can help by buying your gift cards from us after Mass.

We are looking for new fundraising ideas. Let the office know if you have come across a fundraiser you would like to see at SEAS. Thank you to everyone who contributes.

Welcome to Online Giving

Our parish offers Online Giving, a web-based electronic contribution application. We provide this service so that you have the option to manage your contributions online or with your offering envelopes. This service is safe and secure. It is convenient for you and for our parish. Sign up for Online EGiving by visiting our parish website at www.seascolumbiastation.org and selecting the Online Giving link.

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Prayer Inspired by Sermon on the Mount

Jesus, our Friend and Savior:Be our strength when we are weak.Be our courage when we are fearful.Be our comfort when we are anxious.Be the Light when we are in darkness.

Address/Email Changes

Please contact the church office if you have changed your address or email. Also, if you

have disconnected your home phone, please let us know your cell phone number so we are able to contact you. Thank you for your consideration.

Men’s Faith Sharing

Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do. -St. Thomas Aquinas

Men’s Faith Sharing meets to explore our faith, our challenges, and how we live our lives. It also reassures us that others experience the same doubts, concerns or peace when it comes to our faith.

Each meeting starts with a review of the coming week’s Gospel reading. Discussion centers on the message of the Gospel, and how it fits into our world and life situations.

We gather in the kitchen with a cup of coffee on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 9 to 10:30 am. If you are interested, please call the parish office or feel free to just show up.

Second Harvest Food Pantry

We thank all our hardworking volunteers. Without you this food pantry would not exist.

Our pantry is in DESPERATE need of volunteers able to pick up a case of food (12 to 35 pounds). These volunteers are needed for setup at 1 pm. We are also DESPERATE for volunteers to help with clean up at 5 pm. They break down boxes, put tables away and move the food.

Last year we helped on the average 48 families (137 people) in need each month. We distribute food to residents of Columbia Station, Eaton, and Grafton on the first Monday of the month. Many are elderly or disabled. Without our help they would have to choose between food and prescriptions.

Monthly we give away about 3 tons of food. The food is obtained in three ways, the donations collected in church, free government food and food we purchase from Second Harvest at a reduced rate. Each month it costs us $300 to $400 to purchase food and cover the delivery fee. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018 the cost of food and delivery was $4,073. The money comes from grants from Second Harvest (getting smaller each year) and donations from parishioners.

If you are making a donation directly to Second Harvest, please mark it for the use of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church pantry, so we have direct benefit of the money and not just a small portion given as grants. You can contribute by placing the money in an envelope marked “Second Harvest” and put it in the collection basket. Thank you for your continued support of this ministry.

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PSR News

We are happy to again offer the Education Scholarship to help with PSR fees or Catholic school tuition. Information will be furnished to current PSR students and published in future bulletins. The application deadline is April 15 and the winners announced in May.

Confirmation will take place on Sunday, May 5 at the 11 am Mass. Confirmation interviews are scheduled for April 14. Candidates will be challenged to prove their readiness to become adult members of our4 Church.

First Holy Communion will take place on Saturday, May 4 at 11 am.

DATES

Loll

Our Youth Group is open to students 6th grade through high school. We have a bible study on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:00 p.m. It is our best attended activity! We have fellowship and learn more about our faith. Some of our activities have been helping at the Pork Roast and Keep Warm Sunday.

We also had a lot of fun going to Applebee’s for lunch. Watch the bulletin board and our Facebook page for upcoming places such as bowling March, putt-putt in April and Laser tag in May. We will also do the Passion Mime on Good Friday.

Download our New Parish AppOur new app is now available to download for IPhone and Android smart phones. Stay connected with our parish throughout the week with instant notifications, and easy-to-access event calendar, and the ability to quickly reply to our share messages via Facebook or Twitter. Also, enjoy a bunch of additional features like prayers, daily readings, and helpful reminders to silence your phone before Mass or Confession and much more.

Baptisms

Ava Alyn Bechtel

In Memoriam

Fran Bukosky

Michelle Newton

Bernice Liwosz

April 14 – Confirmation Interviews

May 2 – Confirmation Practice

May 3 – Communion Practice

May 4 – First Communion 11 am

May 5 –Confirmation 11 am

May 13 – PSR wrap up at SEAS for the entire family

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The Knights are selling Super Cash Bonanza tickets after Mass in theentryway. The Grand Prize is$ 49,680.00 and there are additional cash prizes at 25 different levels. Tickets are just $5 apiece. The drawing will be held in May. All proceeds from this Super Cash Bonanza are used by the Ohio Knights of Columbus Councils for charitable donations.

We welcome any Catholic male who is 18 or older and is in good standing with the Catholic Church to join the Knights! Some of our upcoming events are:

Fifth Sunday Rosary led by the Knights after 8 am Mass. We also participate as Liturgical Ministers at that Mass.

In May we sponsor a student for the Goll Memorial Scholarship. Anyone attending Catholic High School for the 2019 – 2020 school is eligible.

Car washes to generate money for parish events.

October Pork Roast to help fund the scholarship.

Annual family fishing trip.

If you have an interest in joining, contact the parish office by calling 440-236-5095 or contact one of the Knights listed on the bulletin cover. You can also find out more about our council by visiting our web site. There is a link to it on the parish web site or enter kofc11464.wixsite.com/kofc11464 into your web browser.

Please know that joining the Knights of Columbus will make a difference to you, your family, your church and community. May God Bless you.

Speaker Series

Parish Council is offering a series of talks that a lot of our parishioners will find both helpful and interesting. Plan to attend some or all of the free talks. Light refreshments will be served.

April 29 Connie Duensing; Veterans Administration

May 6 Brian Kljun; Finance and Investments

May 20 Ed Klatka; Wills and Legal Concerns

May 29 Chris Chinchar and Bob DeJohn; Catholic Cemeteries

June 3 Jim Aust; Medicare

Dates, times and speakers may change so please watch the bulletin for details.

It’s That Time Again!

Are you ready? The 200 Club will start up soon. The first drawing will be April 29th. Your numbers reserved and available will be in the entry starting April 14. Tell your friends and family to the join the fun with you. Let’s get all 200 numbers taken this year. This is SEAS biggest fundraiser. For a mere $50 investment you can win any weekly drawing of $50 during the 25 weeks. The ticket holder is entitled to a free dinner on our big prize evening. You must be paid up to be entitled to the dinner and prizes. That night you can win a free membership, two $50, three $100, one $250, one $500 or the big prize of $1000. Join in the fun and take a chance on being the next winner.

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Social Concerns

One of the principles of Social Justice Concerns is building community. People need to feel connected to their parish as well as to other parishioners. Sometimes this is difficult, as we may feel most comfortable only with those who are familiar to us. Our parish community is comprised of a great variety of people with different backgrounds and skills. During this Lenten season we would like to connect parishioners with one another by sharing time and talents that they have.

This initiative is called HELPING HANDS. We will have two sign up lists in the church entry. One will be HELP NEEDED and the other HELP AVAILABLE. Basic information will be listed: name, address, phone, type of help. This will allow you to match your needs to those who might help and match your interests/skills/expertise with those needing help. An example would be someone who needs help gardening might find a match with one who loves to garden. A person who likes to drive could help someone with transportation. Someone who lives alone might appreciate a visitor. The variety of situations is amazing.

This list is intended for parishioners only. It will be kept at the church office and is considered confidential. You can add or delete items as you circumstances require. This is not intended for business purposes and there is no guarantee that matches will be successful. The church is acting as a connection point among parishioners. Individuals contact one another and handle things between themselves.

40 Days for Life

From March 6 to April 14, you are invited to join other Christians for 40 Days for Life – 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion. You are also invited to stand and peacefully pray anytime between 7 am to 7 pm during the vigil in the public right-of-way outside Preterm, 12000 Shaker Blvd or Planned Parenthood, 25350 Rockside Road. Contact John Noall at clevelandpraysforlife@gmaill.com or 216-245-9744 for more information.

Lenten ScheduleConfessions will be heard every Saturday at 4 pm and every Tuesday at 6:30 pm. The Diocesan Evening of Confession will be held on Wednesday, March 20 from 5 to 8 pm.

We will offer a video about the Sacrament of Penance entitled Forgiven on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 pm.

Stations of the Cross will be held every Friday at 7 pm.

Our youth will perform the presentation of our Lord’s Passion through mime at 7 pm on Good Friday.

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Wednesday, March 20 our parish and all of the parishes in the Diocese will offer “An Evening of Confession” from 5 to 8 pm. Individual confessions will be heard throughout the evening. If you have family members or friends who are away from the Catholic Church, please invite them to come home this Lent, and to experience God’s gift of healing through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For more information see www.welcomecatholics.com.