Our History (continued)
The Fourth Decade: Renovation 1992 – 2002
The Evolving Catholic Church
The Changing World
The Neighborhood
New homes continued to be built in the area as the number of remaining farms dwindled. The Long Island Developmental Center was sold by New York State . Despite the efforts of community action groups including our Journey to Justice Ministry, the commitment to affordable housing by the Town of Huntington and the property developer was limited. Condominiums for those 55 and older are built in our local area, addressing the needs of a community whose median age is rising.
The Parish
By
1992, the morale of the parish had lifted with the completion of
the Church renovation. The Pastoral Team and Finance ministry had
evidenced fiscal and pastoral responsibility. In the winter of 1993,
the Pastoral Team surfaced the names of about forty potential Pastoral
Council members. These parishioners had proven themselves in parish
ministry. From that number, eight agreed to commit themselves to
a three year term. Unlike the hands-on approach of a Parish Council,
the ‘Pastoral’ Council members are encouraged to be visionary leaders
along with the Team, who guide the parish toward the realization
of the parish vision statement.
A full-time director of Liturgy and Music was hired in October 1994. The three-year parish spiritual renewal program (RENEW) was completed in the fall of 1994. Over three hundred adults participated in small groups sharing on the Scripture. The results were positive: increased participation and understanding of our Sunday Eucharist; the Bible coming alive; and a hunger for deep prayer. While RENEW was still going on, parishioners were invited to participate in a year-long study process to research and develop a follow-up program to RENEW. A Small Christian Community model was thought to be the direction to take. This concept was then introduced to the parish in January 1995. It was hoped that small group sharing and prayer would allow for continual renewal and attract inactive Catholics. Today, about 200 gather weekly for faith sharing and prayer. When the diocese decided to promote RENEW 2000 in preparation for the Jubilee Year 2000, we quickly joined in with small faith sharing groups using the RENEW 2000 materials.
Our Parish Social Ministry (PSM) was also thriving. In August of 1995, the position of Director of Parish Social Ministry went from a part-time to a full- time position. In September, 2001 a certified social worker and substance abuse counselor joined our Team to direct PSM. In preparation for going to one assigned priest in the parish on June 26, 2002 , the previous PSM Director took on the position of Pastoral Associate. Her ministry included many of the responsibilities that would traditionally be those of a priest – associate.
For a half dozen years we have been a covenant parish for Habitat for Humanity, with our parishioners aiding the construction of area homes on donated land. We have recently joined LICAN (Long Island Congregations, Associations, and Neighborhoods), a grass-roots, community based organization that surfaces justice issues from the local community in Nassau and Suffolk County, and lobbies for change in the political system.
In 2000, in order to encourage many of the non-participating parishioners (who come to Mass on Christmas and Easter or for funerals and weddings) to become involved, the Team and Council began working on a strategy that would re-imagine the parish in more manageable neighborhood communities of 300 families or less. We are called this model for evangelization Parish Neighborhood Movement (PNM ) and introduced it in a pilot area in January, 2002.
In
the summer of 2000, we added a Summer Bible Camp under the direction
of our Director of Youth Ministry. Some one hundred children and
their youth counselors and parents participated.
Stewardship
The spirituality of Stewardship (time, talent and treasure) was an idea which was first considered at St. Elizabeth in 1991. At that time, financial difficulties necessitated that the stewardship of treasure be stressed and St. Elizabeth become a tithing parish. In January, 1995 the St. Elizabeth Stewardship Committee was formed and stewardship weekends were conducted in the fall and spring of each year. As a result of stewardship, a number of new ministries emerged. Over the years, we have annually tried through stewardship weekends, to widen the circle of committed parishioners. In our parish, as in most, about ten percent of registered parishioners, three hundred families, provide the majority of financial and volunteer support to the parish.
The impact of Stewardship on parish life has been considerable during the fourth decade. Parishioners began to see that their involvement in the work of the gospel can produce a rich harvest. Our parish ministries burgeoned with a count of more than sixty. Parish income grew by some forty percent. Through good fiscal management we accumulated savings to cover economic downturns, emergencies and future projects. We modernized and renovated most of the parish buildings with new windows, energy-efficient lighting, and air conditioning where needed. The covered entranceway to the church, circular drop off area with handicapped parking, and landscaped islands were completed early in 2002.
Parish ministries began using modern technology to encourage stewardship. A Stewardship Video Committee was created in 1997. Their video was shown at all the parish masses and was honored by the National Stewardship Office. In 2001, a new video committee was organized to develop an updated video (and DVD). In 2002, the St. Elizabeth stewardship video was shown at Diocesan Stewardship Day events where it was introduced by Bishop William Murphy. The video and the video committee were profiled in the Long Island Catholic and the video was shown at all the parish Masses on Pentecost weekend. Our Website Committee created www.stelizabeth.org , our parish website, in 1997. With the help of a professional web site designer, our website ministry has made it more informative and user-friendly and continues to update the content and presentation.
Spiritual Life Center
In 1998, the Pastoral Team and Pastoral Council dreamed together of a parish building totally dedicated to the development of parishioners’ spirituality. To that end members of the team, council, and finance committee, spent a year planning and moving toward the creation of a Spiritual Life Center (SLC ). In 1999, the director of the new Spiritual Life Center was hired and the dream began to be realized. Hundreds of parishioners have now taken courses, been updated in the spiritual traditions of our church, and found in the Spiritual Life Center a place of refreshment and peace where they have listened in silence to the voice of the Lord.
Building and Grounds
Again,
with the involvement of the Team and Council, Finance Committee,
and Liturgy Ministry, a plan was developed to help us obtain a new
pipe organ. A search committee was formed and with the help of the
diocese a fund-raising campaign was organized to raise money for
the new pipe organ and a stained-glass window depicting the life
of St. Elizabeth of Hungary . The drive was successful with over
300 parishioners making pledges on the $400,000 campaign. The window
and Pipe Organ were blessed by Bishop John Dunne on February 18,
2001 .
Going Forward
At the conclusion of the 40th Jubilee celebration, we again looked to the future. The next forty and more years will bring new challenges and opportunities, some predictable and others not. What is certain is that the Lord, who cannot love us more, will be present bringing about a new creation, fashioned in his likeness. The predictable and ongoing challenge will be in addressing the continual and gradual decline in Mass attendance and the shortage of priests to serve in parishes.
As to the other unknown challenges, we confidently leave them in the caring hands of the Lord, who has bonded us to himself in a covenant of love that can never be broken.
Go Back to read about the First Decade
Understanding the Sunday Readings: Sixth Sunday of Easter