Community and Outreach Missions
of the St Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish
Contact List for Parish Missions
General Purpose: To provide parishioners and guests an opportunity for fun and fellowship, while allowing members of the parish community to donate their time and talents for the single largest fund-raiser of the parish year.
The four separate events which comprise the Apple Festival are as follows:
1. A FLEA MARKET is held in mid-August. Donations for the flea market are accepted during the summer. Volunteers sort, prepare, and sell items at a Friday evening and Saturday morning sale. The church kitchen is open serving delicious refreshments.
2. A GOLF TOURNAMENT, usually scheduled on a Friday, is held earlier than the Apple Festival itself. Fees include coffee and donuts, green fees, cart, awards, beverages, and luncheon. The scramble format of the tournament guarantees fun for all.
3. THE APPLE FESTIVAL, traditionally held on the third weekend in September, is an all-day event of food, fun, and games. Activities include bingo and other games of chance, a bake sale, a wide variety of children's games, a silent auction, and the sale of handmade arts and crafts. Refreshments are prepared and served throughout the day.
A RAFFLE is conducted in conjunction with the Apple Festival, and tickets are mailed to each parishioner prior to that day.
4. On the Sunday of Apple Festival weekend, a PANCAKE BREAKFAST is held in the Parish Center, completing the activities for the biggest social event of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton calendar.
General Purpose: To provide parishioners with social opportunities outside of the church facility.
The Tin Lizzie Bowling League meets at 8:40 PM on Wednesday evenings at the ABC West Lanes. The league generally begins in October and runs through March. Any parishioner may join the league for a bowling season of stress-free fun.
General Purpose: To provide the young children of the parish with an opportunity to interact and socialize.
Children's social activities are planned for a variety of holidays throughout the year. A Christmas party and Easter egg hunt are held yearly. Games, crafts, religious activities, and refreshments are included depending upon the occasion. Volunteers are welcome to help conduct and supervise the gatherings.
General Purpose: To make fall and Christmas crafts to be sold at the Apple Festival.
The Crafts Group meets Tuesday mornings from 9:30 AM until 11:30 AM in the Parish Center to create a variety of handmade items, which are popular choices at the annual Apple festival. Mothers are welcome to bring their young children. The group is very flexible, and crafters do not have to attend every week.
General Purpose: To gather the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishioners for food and fellowship.
An informal gathering is held after the 9:00 AM Mass on Sundays form October through May. All are welcome to purchase coffee and donuts and spend some time with old friends and make new friends in the Parish Center. Committee members pick up donuts early Sunday morning, and they oversee the sale of food and beverages during "Coffee and Donuts" time.
General Purpose: To provide fellowship and fun for those parishioners involved in this fund-raising project.
All candy makers are invited to join the fun! The Easter Egg Committee meets on Mondays and Tuesdays from 7:30 AM until 2:30 PM for six or seven weeks prior to Easter to make a variety of candy Easter eggs. These delicious treats are available for purchase in the Parish Center on Tuesdays in Lent from 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM, after weekend Masses and at the Friday Lenten fish dinners. Interested parishioners may help as much or as little as desired.
ELIZABETH'S VISITORS FOOD MINISTRY
General Purpose: To nurture our parish family life through fellowship and ministry, just as Mary visited Elizabeth during her pregnancy (Luke 1:39-40) by providing a meal to the parents of newborns.
Elizabeth's Visitors, a Food Ministry for new moms of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, prepares and delivers a meal to the parents and family of newborns shortly after the arrival of the child. Parents of the newborn are contacted to determine a convenient date and time for delivery.
General Purpose: To generate a family atmosphere among the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishioners while increasing the opportunity to attend Stations of the Cross and Mass during Lent.
The Lenten Fish Dinners are prepared by the Kitchen Committee on Thursday, and are served the following Friday during Lent (except Good Friday). After enjoying their dinner, parishioners are invited to attend Stations of the Cross followed by Mass.
The assistance of many people is needed to guarantee the success of this endeavor. Volunteers plan, cook, set up, serve, clean up, and act as cashiers. Today the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Fish Dinners are a favorite activity for parishioners as well as non-parishioners.
General Purpose: To provide assistance and alleviate stress for the family of a deceased loved one following the funeral.
In an attempt to show support and compassion for the family of the deceased, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish offers funeral luncheons in the Parish Center. Volunteers are asked to prepare food in their own homes, which is then brought to the Parish Center. Additional snack foods, beverages, and needed supplies are purchased by the committee. Volunteers serve the luncheons at no cost to family and friends following a funeral.
General Purpose: To serve the blood needs of the members of the blood bank.
Through a nominal fee, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishioners and their families may become members of the Holy Name Society Blood Bank of Greater Harrisburg, Inc. Donation of blood is NOT mandatory for membership. Benefits are explained by the blood bank as follows:
The Holy Name Society Blood Bank of Greater Harrisburg, Inc. will be responsible for providing you up to a maximum of (50) blood credits per membership year. This limit will apply only if blood is received in a non-participating hospital. We will be responsible to provide you and your dependents an unlimited replacement of blood and/or hospital prepared components when hospitalized in an institution participating in the American Association of Blood Banks Clearing House program.
General Purpose: To cook and assist in the planning of a variety of parish and personal events.
The Kitchen Committee welcomes new people to join them in the task of preparing and serving food for the parish picnic, Forty Hours Devotions, the Apple Festival, and the Lenten Fish Dinners.
General Purpose: To provide spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional support to the members of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton community.
Professionals and non-professionals provide assistance with meals (short term), grocery shopping, transportation, relief of caregiver, and hospice for the physically ill. Visits are made to those who are hospitalized or homebound. In addition, free blood pressure screenings are offered on the third weekend of each month following all Masses.
General Purpose: To provide parishioners with sound, Catholic reading material on all topics pertinent to our faith.
A library of books and other materials, located in the back hallway of the Seton Center, is accessible to parishioners whenever the church is open. Reading material, available on the honor system, is to be returned at the convenience of the borrower. Donations on new and used books, tapes, videos, and CD's pertaining to the Catholic faith are always welcome and can be made by speaking with the contact person listed at the back of this booklet.
General Purpose: To promote good will and fellowship among the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish community.
The Parish Picnic, traditionally held on a Sunday in the beginning of June, is a great family-centered event. The parish provides food (usually hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausages) and drinks, and families are asked to bring a dessert or side dish to share. To help offset the expense of the food, a nominal fee is requested of each family. While adults relax and socialize, children are usually amused by some special activity provided by the parish.
Volunteers are essential to the success of the picnic; help is needed setting up tents and tables, overseeing the operation of the soda machines, cooking on the grills, and cleaning up after the day of fun and food is over.
General Purpose: To assist in the fund-raising efforts of St. Joseph School.
St. Joseph School participates in the sale of food certificates from Giant Food Stores, Karns Quality Foods, and Weis Market. Available for purchase after Mass on a weekly basis, these certificates can be used as cash at the local food stores. A percentage of the purchase price goes directly to St. Joseph School.