Amy Marciniak

In 2005, I became a member of SEAS and attended church almost every Sunday with my husband and son, but was not really involved in the parish.  Then one Sunday in 2011, as I flipped through the bulletin at church I saw the announcement about the women’s ACTS retreat.  It caught my attention, but when I got home the bulletin went in the recycle bag.  Then about three weeks later, I heard them announce the retreat at Mass right before we started singing “Hear I am Lord.” I thought to myself as I walked out the door that I needed to take this leap of faith, plus it was an easy one-time commitment.  I signed up for the retreat.   It was an amazing weekend.  I really enjoyed building community with other women from our parish. 
 
Upon my return from the weekend, I felt energized to find other ministries that the Lord was calling me to use my talents.  Reflecting on my gifts from God I knew I needed to get involved with Children’s ministry.  I started with VBS, another short term commitment.  I had so much fun that summer not just teaching, but learning from kids and seeing my faith through the eyes of a child.  After that summer, I knew the Lord was still calling me to go deeper.  However, I did not feel I could teach faith formation classes since I was not brought up in the Catholic faith and what if kids asked questions I did not have answers to? 
 
I again felt the Lord telling me to trust and use my talents.  A friend called and asked me to teach a class with her and not just any class, but high school confirmation class.  I squeaked out a yes and started a wonderful journey with young adults who did have questions—a lot of questions!  Some of the questions I did not have answers to on the spot, but we were able to explore our Catholic faith together and grow in our knowledge that year.
 
I have also learned that in this large parish, there is a ministry for everyone and that ministry might change as your life changes, but you have to start somewhere.   Right now, I love serving through being an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Seton Cub Scouts, CREW, ACTS, Agape, Cancer ministry, VBS, and being a Catechist.  My prayer is that everyone will take a leap of faith and find a ministry that is right for them and be able to see St. Elizabeth Ann Seton not as a large parish, but as a large loving family.