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Saint Elizabeth Seton Staff
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In 1995, the collaborative ministry team resigned to
pursue individual church-related careers and Father James A. Shanley
became the church's pastor. This was a great time of transition for the
community and many were saddened to see their pastor-founders go.
As Robert Keeler writes in his book, “Parish!”.
Since the former
team had provided the core of the music program in the talents of Gail
Bellucci and her husband, Art, it became necessary to hire someone to
guide and direct this hallmark of the parish.
Elizabeth Husmer joined the staff as the part-time Director of
Music in 1996. At this time
Cursillo was strong, prison ministry was expanding, a parish e-mail
address was established and increasing needs for staff became more
apparent.
After a search
process conducted by a number of parishioners, Deacon Steve and Fr. Jim,
A library was established in Classroom C, the former Deacon office, and parishioners now had accessibility to many different books, video and audio tapes covering such topics a spirituality, church history, liturgy, prayer and faith development. 1998 brought Bishop Thomas Gumbleton to our parish in an effort to increase awareness of the social justice ministry of the church. Outreach efforts by the community continue to expand on many fronts. The additional numbers of children has brought the importance of religious education to the minds of all and the pastoral council has begun to place additional importance on this important aspect of parish life. Deb Cone who had coordinated efforts in this area decided to step down and the parish discerned the need for a full-time Director of Faith Development. After a lengthy search process, Mary Marsan of Newington accepted this position and a new time of professionalism began to develop. Lori Andrada also joined the staff as Coordinator of the Early Development Program which has grown exponentially over the years. At the end of 1999, the parish along with others in the church and world began to plan for the year 2000 and the Jubilee Year designated by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II.
A huge rendering of the Jubilee logo with hanging doves graced our worship space from the beginning of Advent 1999 and the celebration culminated on Sunday, November 19, 2000 with a brunch for over 800 parishioners at the Hastings Hotel in Hartford followed by Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph which was attended by 1200 members of Saint Elizabeth Seton Community. A large choir, meaningful symbols and the canceling of all Sunday Masses at the church in Rocky Hill enabled the community to truly celebrate the Jubilee Year through pilgrimage, feasting and Eucharist. Recognizing the needs to reach out to the high school age youth of the parish, Elizabeth Delehanty joined the staff as a Youth Ministry intern as the same time that Kitty Kurpiewski left to pursue other interest and Deacon Steve Weaver was transferred to a parish in South Glastonbury. March of 2001 brought the first “Mission to Haiti” as twelve parishioners, including Fr. Jim went to the Diocese of Norwich Mission House in Port au Prince, Haiti for a 10-day immersion experience in Haitian life, culture, political and religious situations. It was the beginning of the ministry which will become well rooted in the life of the parish. Around this same time, Mary Marsan left the staff and Janet Lloyd joined as office support. With Mary’s departure, the Council discerned that perhaps it was now time for the addition of a second Pastoral Associate whose chief responsibilities would lie in the area of Faith Development and a search was begun. The parish picnic included the Second Ministry Fair where the 35+ ministries of the parish showcased their various efforts and encouraged others to join them in sharing their time and talent. The parish soon embraced a new approach to religious education called “Generations of Faith” which resulted in the establishment of “Family Faith Festivals” which invited entire families to join together in experiential learning of the tenets of the Catholic faith. Highly successful, they continue to expand and more and more families are participating. A second Haiti mission took place in 2002 and it seems to have become an annual event. A garage/storage facility was constructed as an addition to the Rectory early in 2002. In June of 2002 Elizabeth Delahanty was named Director of Youth Ministry and she traveled with Pastoral Associate Lisa Orchen and 12 high school youth for a retreat experience at the University of Notre Dame. The Men’s Spirituality Group sponsored their second Pancake Breakfast around the same time that Dan T. Stypa arrived as the new Pastoral Associate. He continues to develop and strengthen many of the programs working in conjunction with Lori Andrada who coordinates the early Childhood Program and Youth Minister Elizabeth Delahanty. In June, 2003, Father Jim was moved to Our Lady of Pompeii Church in East Haven, Ct. and Father Alvin LeBlanc was named as the new Pastor of Saint Elizabeth Seton Church. Fr. Al is a native of St. Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick, Canada but grew up in Hartford. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1982. In August, 2006, Fr. Al was moved to St. Ann Church in Bristol, Ct. and Father Stuart Pinette was named as our new Pastor. Fr. Stu has many pastoral strengths and gifts to offer our community particularly in the areas of Parish Renewal, Community Building & Leadership Development and Pastoral Planning & Collaboration. His gift for presiding at Spirit-filled liturgies readily find expression in our vibrant weekend Eucharistic celebrations.
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