Archdiocese of Newark

The Roman Catholic Church of St. Anne 15-05 St.Anne Street * Fair Lawn,NJ 07410 * Phone:201.791.1616 * Fax:201.791.1871

The Elizabeth Ann Seton Faith Center Who is Elizabeth Ann Seton? Convert to Roman Catholicism; foundress of the American Sisters of Charity, which was the first sisterhood native to the United States; a wife, mother, widow, sole parent, foundress, educator, social minister, and spiritual leader, Elizabeth Bayley Seton was the first person born in the United States to become a canonized saint (September 14, 1975); What’s going on? Shortly after Fr. Joe arrived as pastor, he expressed a wish to establish some kind of faith library that would enrich the spiritual life of the parish. Great idea! But with one thing and another, it never got beyond pulling a few books together. Fast forward to the great flood of ’07 and the replacement of the flooring on the lower level of the rectory. It was now or never. Fr. Joe zeroed in on the downstairs meeting room. Fortunately, a parishioner had been looking for some way to provide an appropriate memorial to her husband, a dedicated educator. Means and opportunity arrived hand in hand. What is this Center for? The mission statement Fr. Joe wrote sums it up: The Elizabeth Ann Seton Faith Center is an integral part of St. Anne's Catholic Church. As with our Food Pantry and other outreach efforts to the wider community, we seek to be catholic in the best meaning of that word: open to those of all faiths or no faith. Our main aim is to help people reflect intelligently on the place of faith in their lives, on how faith can motivate people to build the human community, and on how it can be an inspiration for efforts to use the best insights available to enhance all of creation. In keeping with our parish's mission, we hope to be a resource in our community for integrating the spiritual dimension of life with all its other dimensions. How is it coming along? New furniture has been set in place in an effort to make this room a welcoming place. A new small-screen TV with DVD and video capability has been added. A library of more than 200 items (and counting) is being prepared under the direction of a Faith Center Board. They envision the use of Center resources for small group discussions as well as personal enrichment. What’s next? Opening day is scheduled for early October. See you there!

Schedule: Sundays 8:00 am -1:30 pm See you there! Meditative Prayer You are invited to spend some time in quiet prayer with the Meditative Prayer Group. We meet on Tuesdays evenings beginning Sept. 16th in the Faith Center from 7:00 til 8:30 pm. Please speak with Deacon McGarry for further information.