Making plans for the summer? Make sure to plan for your offertory as well! When your summer travels take you away from Sunday services, eGiving lets you continue to support our church and the ministries you cherish. You can sign up from your computer, smartphone or tablet, and set up a recurring donation or make a one-time gift.
 
Recurring gifts sustain our parish through the busy summer months. You'll provide us with consistent support, even if you're away on a Sunday, so the programs, services, and ministries that mean so much to our community will never miss a beat.
You can sign up online at Home - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton - Faith Direct or call Faith Direct customer service at 866-507-8757. 
There are also pamphlets available on the table in the church lobby.
 

If you have been watching The Chosen, you know the streaming release of Season 4 has been delayed. It is only available to churches for viewing right now. Please join us to watch a new episode each Tuesday at 7 pm in the RE classrooms beginning May 21 through June 11. Please let Colleen Huber know if you would like to join us so we can plan [email protected]
 

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11.

This Sunday we reflect on the readings for Pentecost. Pentecost Sunday celebrates the Holy Spirit coming to the apostles. With Jesus now being ascended to the father, the apostles (disciples) find themselves alone yet again in a dangerous world. Jesus told them that they would receive a helper, which will be the holy spirit.
Pentecost has its roots in a Jewish holiday tradition. Shavuot was celebrated fifty days after Passover. It was an offering during the Festival of Weeks.  They celebrated their “first fruits” of the new harvest to God. The people do so in remembrance of the Mt. Sinai event

Good morning. Today is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord! Today is celebrated as a feast of Jesus’s ascending to heaven and concludes the Easter season. The past 80 days of Lent and Easter seem to have gone by so fast. As I look back on these days there has been so much that has changed. I am excited to continue throughout the year with a renewed faith!

Our first reading reminds us of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. We also are told to wait for the guidance from the Holy Spirit; admittedly that waiting part is difficult for me. Another part of this reading I enjoy is the Apostles are asked why they are looking for Jesus in the sky and are reminded He is now in Heaven.  This Lent and Easter I made an effort to focus on the Holy Spirit and to become closer to God through asking for the Holy Spirit to enter me and guide my heart closer to Jesus. I was not certain what to expect, but in reflection I am pleasantly surprised at the transformation in my life. One part I am happy to share is the ability to “let go” of more things. I do not focus on controlling things based on my expectations, but I look for the joyous gifts and signs God has for me in the daily ongoings of life. It is quite far from where I had been not so long ago. Have you felt the Holy Spirit grow in you? Take a moment to reflect, were there blessings you received that you may not have immediately realized?

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton “Right to Life” serves the Parish Community by providing pamphlets in the Lobby.  
Parishioners join our Right To Life e-mail/phone tree for Action Alerts on pro-life issues as directed by the Diocesan Respect Life Office.
Annually for one weekend, we conduct the New Jersey Right To Life Respect Life Raffle.  

Locally, members often join with Morris County Right To Life at weekly prayer vigils events Including 40 Days For Life during Lent and in the Fall, as well as the annual March For Life in Washington, DC, and the New Jersey March For Life on Thursday September 26, 2024 in Trenton, NJ  Events are posted on at: http://morriscountyrighttolife.org/
 

First Reading

In Acts chapter 10, Peter tells Cornelius, who had fallen at his feet, “Get up. I myself am a human being.” Though Peter was “The Rock” and our first Pope, he didn’t feel worthy enough to have someone bow to him. He failed just as we do. Like Peter, we are not any more worthy than anyone else. We should ask God for forgiveness when we fail and strength to do better in the future. 

We also should be welcoming of others. Later in the chapter it says “The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the word.” The Jews were surprised that the Gentiles were included as well, but Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?” We are called to evangelize out into the world, spreading the Word of God to everyone. Through our actions and sharing of our Faith, we can welcome others into the Church.

In Acts 10:25-26, Peter encounters Cornelius who falls at his feet in reverence. However, Peter stops him, saying “Get up stating that he himself is just a man” This highlights Peter's understanding that he is not to be worshipped but to direct reverence to God alone. Verses 34-35 portray Peter's realization that God shows no favoritism but accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
 
Verses 44-48 describe the Holy Spirit coming upon Cornelius and his household, evident by them speaking in tongues and praising God. This demonstrates that the Holy Spirit is not limited by cultural or ethnic boundaries but is freely given to all who believe in Jesus Christ.

The second reading:
In 1 John 4:7-10
The passage starts with an exhortation to love one another, highlighting that love comes from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The passage continues by contrasting love with its absence, stating that whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. The pinnacle of the passage is found in verse 9, where it declares the ultimate demonstration of God's love: sending His only Son into the world to provide salvation for humanity.