St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church 2023 Capital Campaign Brochure

Growing in Faith

Building on Our Foundation for the Future

They are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance. — Luke

A Letter From Our Pastor

My Dear Parish Family,

In 1915, to serve the needs of a group of Polish farmers who had settled in the area, the first Catholic Church of Flagler County was established as St. Mary’s, Korona. During the next 65 years, St. Stephen and Santa Maria del Mar were established to serve the growing area, culminating with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Palm Coast and our first church dedication in May 1979.

Today, almost half a century after the founding of our church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton continues to serve our community.

As your pastor, I have witnessed Christ at work in our parish community, and I know He has guided this community in building its rich history. I am blessed and privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of all that is happening here at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. I am also grateful to the individuals and families who have come before me to build the church we today enjoy and laid the foundation we hope to pass on to future generations.

After months of prayer, study, and consideration, our parish leaders have decided to move ahead with this exciting new building project. With the theme, Growing in Faith: Building on Our Foundation for the Future , we are launching an ambitious $7 million campaign, to help make this project a reality.

The centerpiece of this plan is a state-of-the-art new Family Life Center, which will serve us for large parish events, meetings, ministry and formation opportunities, and also serve as a gymnasium for our parish and the school.

We also will finish ongoing maintenance and repairs to the school, culminating with a full update to Seton Hall. Finally, and most importantly, we will renovate our church, making it even better than its original design. The church renovation will include a major update to our Holy of Holies, allowing us to better adore our Risen Lord in the Eucharist.

The information in this brochure explains the exciting details of this project. I understand this campaign is a serious challenge. All of us must pray for the success of this campaign, lend our many God-given talents to its completion, and make a financial sacrifice on all our parts to make it happen.

Thank you for your generosity and all you have done to make St. Elizabeth Ann Seton such an incredible parish community.

God bless you all,

Overview of the Project

Let Us Be Good Stewards Caring for the facilities gifted to us by God

The Needs

The current church building was completed in January 1994, and over the years, it has met our parish’s needs. However, the building is more than 25 years old, and the facility is showing its age. For our community to continue to thrive and grow, it is time to address these critical maintenance issues for the present and future. Currently, there are significant problems with the roof. Leaks are causing water damage to the ceilings and walls and there are unsightly discolorations. The interior, including the gathering space, sanctuary, and Holy of Holies, all need a major update to ensure its continued beauty. Finally, even though we have made some recent updates to Seton Hall and our parish school buildings, we have outgrown the current facility and have an immediate need for a larger, more modern space for parish events, ministry activities, and school functions/sporting events.

Overview of the Project

The Solution

After much prayer and consideration, the time is now to undertake a major building and renovation project. In addition to a plan to make repairs, updates and renovations to the church, Seton Hall, and school buildings, the centerpiece of this new project will be the construction of a new, modern Family Life Center. These plans provide for the future of our parish — both in longevity and in beauty. Here are the four key components of the plan:

Church Building Interior Renovations

There are many areas where the interior aesthetics of the church need attention and we hope to make it look as good as it did when it was first dedicated. Upon entering the church, our plans include repainting and refurbishing the Narthex, and updates to our restrooms. Moving into the sanctuary, we will install a new sound and video system, repaint the sanctuary walls and ceiling, and repair,

Overview of the Project

Overview of the Project

Family Life Center

A brand-new Family Life Center will be a multipurpose building with room for large parish gatherings of at least 500 people. Ringed with various rooms for ministry activities, faith-formation programs, and more, this large space will also double as a gymnasium for the parish and school to host sporting events.

The new space will match the architecture of our parish campus and provide an unrestricted opportunity to carry out the mission set forth by Christ Himself — to Go and make Disciples. The result will be increases and improvements in the practices of evangelization, outreach, hospitality, adult and youth faith formation, and much more, solidifying St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s presence in the Palm Coast community. The budget for this part of the project is right at $4.5 million.

Overview of the Project (continued)

MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM below

MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM

lobby

colonade

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

MEZZANINE FLOOR PLAN

Exterior Repairs to the Church

The church roof needs major rehabilitation, including replacement or repair of rotted wood fascias, flashing, gutters, and downspouts. There are many places where there are leaks around the flashing. Additionally, the entire exterior of the building needs to be re-caulked. In many places, the walls are damaged along the ground and need repair, and any of the rotting wood underneath will also need to be repaired. Finally, the doors of the exterior mechanical rooms, as well as exterior lighting, need to be replaced or repaired.

Seton Hall and Parish School Updates

As expected with buildings the age of our parish hall and school, they need a facelift. We’ve made a good start already with some updates to the school, but we have more needs. From new paint to new windows, to electric and plumbing updates, and an assortment of little things here and there, it’s time to refresh the school buildings. The parish hall also will get some improvements, with updates to the floors, walls and ceilings, restrooms, and kitchen. Finally, the exteriors of all the buildings will be painted where needed.

The Costs

The improvement of our campus has been on the minds and hearts of our parish leadership teams for many years. This past year, a building team looked into what it would take to make the necessary improvements. The group met with several contractors and took bids on the project. After careful consideration, we have finalized our plan to administer the project, and we are now ready to begin Growing in Faith: Building on Our Foundation for the Future .

The cost of the project is $7 million. Any additional funds raised above and beyond the goal will be used to address future building needs. This will allow us to conserve financial resources to use for future development of our parish facilities.

Ultimately, this campaign is not just about money or buildings; it is about God’s people. It is about how we can be fruitful and grow our community to serve the mission He has given to us at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.

The Phases

Per the request of our diocese, the campus updates will be completed in the following order, as the funds are received in total for each phase, as follows:

Phase IA

Church Renovation: Exterior Repairs ($725,000)

Phase IB

Church Renovation: Interior to include Holy of Holies, Sanctuary and Entrance ($765,000)

Phase II

Seton Hall Renovation ($85,000)

Phase III

School Maintenance ($925,000)

Phase IV

Build New Family Life Center ($4,500,000)

Our Campaign Prayer

Almighty God,

We faithfully acknowledge Your mercy and generosity. Give us the grace to respond to Your call for discipleship and evangelization. As humble stewards, we fully invest ourselves in attaining the goal of our Capital Campaign with loving generosity for You and future generations. With the intercession of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, grant us all that we need to complete Your mission, through Christ our Lord. Amen

New Family Life Center & Campus Renovation Project

HOW CAN I/WE SUPPORT THE GROWING IN FAITH CAMPAIGN?

Make a Five-Year Financial Pledge

There are many ways for us to raise the money needed for this project, but no matter the method, we rely upon the generosity — the good stewardship — of you, the people of the parish. We strongly urge you to consider an ongoing gift over the five-year life of the campaign. We can’t achieve our goal with one-time gifts — although all gifts are important. We are grateful for all sacrifices, regardless of the size and scope of the gift. A pledge to a campaign is not legally binding; it is merely a statement of your faith and intentions.

What can I use to make a pledge?

Pledges can be made with cash, check, or a credit/debit card. Complete the pledge card, making sure to indicate both the method of payment, as well as the time frame for the payment (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually). You will be sent payment reminders in accordance with the payment schedule you select.

Do you accept gifts of property, life insurance, or annuities?

Yes, we can work with you on the ways to give using those resources. Contact the parish office for more information.

What about gifts of stock and securities?

This type of gift is possible. If you wish to make a gift of stock or securities, contact the parish office for information and to make the necessary arrangements.

Have Your Gift Matched

With matching gifts, it is possible to double your donation. Many companies sponsor matching gift programs for employees and, sometimes, for retired employees. To find out if your company has a matching gift program, check in with your human resources department.

Please keep in mind the two facets of giving: Offertory

Your weekly or regular contribution to the parish collection is just as important now as ever. Please do not deduct from that to make a gift to the campaign.

Growing in Faith: Building on Our Foundation for the Future Campaign

Commitments and payments to the campaign are in addition to your regular offertory contributions. Gifts to the campaign are restricted to the goals and purposes of this particular campaign.

A Letter From Our Chairpersons

Fellow Parishioners,

We feel fortunate to be longtime St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church parishioners. This faith community is incredibly unique with its rich foundation of history, warm hospitality, and ongoing work in the surrounding community. Our faith lives have grown through our continual involvement in parish life.

Like you, we want to continue the good works of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish by Building on Our Foundation for the Future. This church has tremendously impacted us and the development of our faith. That is why we are willing to serve as the chairpersons of this campaign to raise the $7 million needed to complete a series of transformative projects that will allow our parish to flourish for generations to come.

Our current facilities do not provide adequate space for meetings, faith formation and ministry activities. Seton Hall is outdated and unable to host large parish events, and although it has served its purpose for many years, our parish community has outgrown the facility. We are unable to hold the types of events and meetings we need to host. This is especially true during the day when it is in use by the school. What’s more, our parish doesn’t have a gymnasium-type space to use for sports and other fun activities.

With that, we believe the construction of a new Parish Life Center and the renovation of current facilities is necessary for current families and future generations to flourish. These repairs and improvements will protect the space for all parishioners to worship, greet newcomers, help form us, and our children, in our faith, and empower us to go out into the world serving the Lord as God’s disciples and help us continue to be the welcoming and inviting parish we are at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

We all are blessed by those who came before us and helped establish our parish community. We also have been blessed with the leadership and guidance of our pastor, Fr. Jose.

We are honored to serve as chairs for the capital campaign, and we thank you for your generosity in all that you have done to make St. Elizabeth Ann Seton a place where people can feel welcome. As you are well aware, completing a project of this magnitude is very costly, as there are many upfront costs for planning and site prep. Parish leadership has engaged in discussions, reviewed the facilities study, and carefully considered many different options to bring us to this point today.

As we embark on this exciting new chapter in our parish history and launch our Building on Our Foundation for the Future campaign, we must consider this a tremendous opportunity to give something back to the parish of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in an incredible way.

Blessings,