St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church Simpsonville, South Carolina

Simpsonville, South Carolina

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church is located in the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina. Our Upstate parish is in the southeast area of Greater Metropolitan Greenville, convenient to Simpsonville, Mauldin, Fountain Inn and Five Forks. In contrast to some larger area churches, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton stands out as an uncrowded, warm and friendly parish providing a more intimate worship environment. Our pastor is Reverend Patrick E. Cooper.

Letter From Father Cooper

April 6, 2020

Dear Family of SEAS:
Due to health risks imposed upon the common good by the COVID 19 pandemic, the current restriction of priests from offering the Sacraments of The Church to parishioners except in extremis danger of death poses a grave privation to you the faithful.

Ordinarily, the Church imposes such grave privations as sanctions upon “Those who are excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.” (Canon 915) Such sanction certainly does not apply to you in these circumstances. Nevertheless, the privation is felt by you to be no less real. This great longing you feel for the Sacraments of God’s mercy and Holy Communion witness to the Lord’s reply: “Scripture has it, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”‘ (MT 4:4)

Be assured God’s graces are never lacking to those, who through no fault of their own, are deprived of access to His Devine Mysteries (the Sacraments of the Church). In such cases as this, access to his graces is available nonetheless.

Unable now to worship God in the temple of this parish church, worship God in the temple of your heart. Jesus says: “Here I stand knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him, and he with me”. (Rev 3:20) There are many prayers and devotions by which one can raise their minds and hearts to God seeking communion. Of particular importance the Church emphasizes four: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for at least one-half hour; pious exercise of the Way of the Cross; recitation of the Marian Rosary; the devout reading or listening to the Sacred Scriptures for at least a half an hour.

The mercy of God and reconciliation are ordinarily obtained through the Sacrament of Confession. Even so His mercy is not withheld from those who, through no fault of their own, are deprived of access to absolution in integral confession to a priest. As water is essential to the Sacrament of Baptism, so the three acts of a penitent are essential to absolution in the Sacrament of Confession. These acts are: Contrition, Confession, and Satisfaction (the penance imposed by the priest). In the present circumstances, it should be noted “Where the individual faithful find themselves in the painful impossibility of receiving sacramental absolution, it should be remembered that perfect contrition, coming from the love of God, beloved above all things, expressed by a sincere request for forgiveness (that which the penitent is at present able to express) and accompanied by…the firm resolution to have recourse , as soon as possible, to sacramental confession, obtains forgiveness of sins, even mortal ones (cf. CCC no. 1452)” (Note from the Apostolic Penitentiary on the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the current pandemic N .200320d)

In this time of testing, we have the opportunity of growing spiritually in an ever greater awareness of our need for God, and of His desire to draw each of us without exception to Himself. Trusting in His Goodness, we can get through this with stronger Faith, Hope and Love of God and neighbor.

With prayers and best wishes I am blessed to be your pastor,

Father Patrick Cooper

Letter from Bishop Guglielmone

March 24, 2020 7:30pm

Dear My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Over the last 10 days, we have all experienced new challenges in our day-to-day life. The advent of COVID-19 has caused a great deal of pain and anguish as we adapt to this new normal. To ensure the protection of the Catholic faithful and the community as a whole, I have decided along with the recommendation of the College of Consultors to suspend all Masses until further notice. However, we will continue to livestream Masses, including those that will be offered during Holy Week and Easter Sunday.
This is a serious virus that continues to spread across our state that we must take seriously. By continuing our efforts to bring Mass into people’s homes, we can safeguard everyone’s health while still providing the faithful an opportunity to participate in Holy Week and Easter Sunday Masses. I know this is difficult news to hear during this challenging time.
The Diocese will livestream Holy Week and Easter Sunday Masses from the Chapel of the Holy Family at our Pastoral Center during the following days and times at facebook.com/DioceseChas and YouTube.com/DioceseChas:
Palm Sunday, April 5

Mass in English at 11:00 a.m.
Mass in Spanish at 12:30 p.m.

Monday, April 6

Mass at 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday, April 7

Chrism Mass at 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday, April 8

Mass at 8:30 a.m

Holy Thursday, April 9

Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper at 8:00 p.m.

Good Friday, April 10

Liturgy at 3:00 p.m.

Easter Vigil, April 11

Mass at 8:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday, April 12

Mass in English at 11:00 a.m.
Mass in Spanish at 12:30 p.m.

Additionally, all the faithful are dispensed from Fast and Abstinence for the duration of Lent, except for Good Friday.
During this time of great uncertainty, we pray that the Church in its response will provide comfort to those isolated in their homes and away from their loved ones.
We will update our special COVID-19 webpage on the diocesan website as needed. I also ask that you stay in touch with your parish by following their social media pages.
My dear friends, this is a time where our beliefs are an asset and a true blessing. We need look no further than the Resurrection to find the ultimate story of faith, hope and love. May we all continue to invite Christ into our hearts, even as they ache. Take this remaining time in Lent to embrace the works of mercy with zeal. Practice a spirit of gratitude and generosity to others, albeit remotely. Remain hopeful, pray unceasingly, and be assured of my prayers for you and your families.
In the Lord’s Peace,

Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone
Bishop of Charleston

R.C.I.A. Classes

Interested in learning more about your Catholic faith, in becoming a member of the Catholic church, or in sponsoring a candidate in their faith journey? If you answered yes to any of these please plan on attending R.C.I.A. classes at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Classes are held in the parish center from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Contact Deacon Hudson at deacon@seas-church.org for additional information.

About Child Protection

The Diocese released a document called Information about Child Protection and Sexual Abuse Allegations within the Diocese of Charleston. You may access it here.