NEW PARISHIONERS

As the Family of God, we warmly welcome all those who desire to register at the Parish Office and become part of our church!  We also invite you to help us in building up the Kingdom of God by sharing your talents and gifts.

MARRIAGE VOWS

Couples may RENEW their Marriage Vows at any Mass

Call the Parish Office at least two weeks in advance.

      489 4889
       
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  MINISTRIES  (VOLUNTEERS NEEDED)
Respect Life Program
Hospitality
Music (Choir)
Guitar Mass Folk Group
Eagles Wings, Pastoral Ministry to the Newly Bereaved
Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
Youth Group
Ministry to the Sick
Men`s Association
Women`s Guild
Kateri Circle
Sacristan
Ushers
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD)
Altar Servers
The Blue Army
Computer Classes
R.C.I.A.
Rite of Christian Initiatiation of Adults
Parish Council
Bible Share

Call Parish Office 489 4889
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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
Chistmas 2006
Citrus Springs, Florida


 

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 SOME OF THE HISTORY OF ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON CHURCH, CITRUS SPRINGS, FL
                    
Our Catholic faith utilizes many physical and material things to emphasize the spiritual and supernatural aspects of that faith. Our churches traditionally are enlivened with colorful Stations of the Cross, stained glass windows, ornate altars and backdrops, statues of Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother and various saints. All are designed to help raise our minds and hearts to things supernatural and to assist us in a more prayerful attitude. Just as we parents strive to pass on special values to our children, so the Mother Church often passes on some of its treasures to a young fledgling and mission church that it has given birth to.
We at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish have been blessed and assisted in our early days with numerous gifts from older established parishes. For example, the large life size central Crucifix over the main altar was originally a part of St. Joseph`s Church in Bradenton, Florida.
The front altar was originally the main altar in Epiphany Church and when the new Venice Cathedral was erected we inherited the main altar. It was built from oak by Monsignor Cummings.
The original tabernacle in our church came from Epiphany Church also. In 1990 a thief broke through one of the windows and stole the tabernacle from the altar. By a wonderful coincidence, it was recovered several months later in Ocala. In the meantime, Monsignor Cummings obtained another tabernacle that had been part of St. Raphael`s Church in Englewood, Florida. Both tabernacles were of the same size and made of gold-plated bronze. The stolen tabernacle was repaired and given to another church near Tampa, while the St. Raphael`s tabernacle is still in use here.
The sanctuary lamp was originally part of the cathedral altar rail in St. Augustine, Florida. During the complete renovation of that historic cathedral for the Quadricentennial Celebration of St. Augustine, most of the furnishings were removed and given away. The altar rail pillars are of green marble and two of them were fastened, together to make the stand, for the sanctuary lamp. The legs for the present tabernacle stand are likewise composed of eight of these pillars.
The Stations of the Cross are mosaic stained glass and were made at the Mueller Studio in Zephyrhills, Florida for the Church of Epiphany in Venice. When the new cathedral church was built in Venice, Father Soy (pastor) gave us the original stations that now hang in our church. The original stations that we started with were small hand-carved stations, and they in turn now grace the walls of St. Michael`s Church in Wauchula, Florida.
The bell tower houses two significant and historic bells.  The large cast-iron bell came from the Benedictine Sisters Convent in San Antonio, Florida.  The sisters were building a new convent and graciouisly donated their historic bell for our tower.  The other bell is bronze, and of course, has a different tone.  Both bells are rung before each Sunday Mass. Te first bronze bell that hung in our tower came from St. James Church in Orlando, Florida (now the cathedral church of Orlando).  It was dated 1889, so on the one-hundreth anniversary of that church, it was fitting and proper that this bell should be returned to Orlando and be used in their new cathedral.  To replace this bell, another bronze bell was procured and that is the one in use.
When our church first opened in 1978 we used makeshift pews and chairs.  About the same time that we opened, another new church was being built in Seminole, Florida.  Their new church would not accomodate the old pews, so we were able to obtain them at a most reasonable price.  A few years later, upholstered padding was added.
We have had organs in our short history.  The first Allen organ was a gift from a parishioner.  It was subsequently replaced by another larger and more complex Allen organ and finally the present one.
The chandeliers were originally in the Army chapel that had been used at the first Church of the Epiphany in Venice, Florida so we obtained these decorative lights.
The various chalices and ciboria (and other sacred vessels) originally came fom Good Counsel Youth Camp in Floral City, Florida.  These over the years have been replaced by additional vessels.
The Baptismal Font came from Sacred Heart Church in Pinellas Park, Florida. It has since been adorned with additional features from its original form.
The statue of the Blessesd Virgin is one of the few items that came to us as new and unused.  It is hand-carved statue from Italy and a gift of a parishioner.

January 2005
Article by Monsignor George W. Cummings
Pastor Emeritus