Fr. Phil's Message

Dear Friend, let me take this opportunity to welcome you to our parish grouping website. If you are looking for a spiritual community to call home, we hope you’ll consider Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. If you are simply surfing the web, then give yourself a few minutes to find out about our patroness, Elizabeth, and the people who make up the community named after her. If you are anywhere in Southeastern New Brunswick visiting, come and worship with us. We would love to have you. Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity is comprised of four unique, Roman Catholic faith communities in four towns: Holy Ghost (Riverside-Albert), Holy Family (Moncton), St. Jude’s (Salisbury) and Immaculate Heart of Mary (Riverview). While we work at being one, we don’t want to lose our diversity. As St. Paul would say, we are “many parts making the one Body.” More precisely, I would say we are a community that is continually in the process of “becoming”. This becoming includes allowing ourselves to be molded in the Potter’s hands and, of course, realizing we are a work in progress and never a finish product. In the broadest sense, we hope to be a community based on hospitality and spirituality. In other words, we hope that everyone would feel welcome here and once here feel nourished at their deepest level…in their spirit. Our spiritual life together falls under these six categories:

Liturgy:Good worship builds faith, plain and simple. Vatican II called for “full, active, conscious participation” by all members at each liturgical celebration. This also our aim as well. We are dedicated to celebrating the sacraments with the best insights the Church can offer.

Community Life:We aim to live as a community, as the Body of Christ, and not just a bunch of individuals. Visits in hospitals and homes, anniversarycelebrations, support of families, outings, potlucks, variety shows, and fellowship groups are some of the ways we build community.

Youth Ministry:We strive to help our young people to live a fulfilled life as followers of Christ in the various arenas of their lives such as in their families, at school, in parish settings, and in their recreation time.

Children’s Catechesis:We challenge ourselves to not just help children to obtain sacraments but to help them to be rooted in the knowledge and love of Christ. By being rooted in the gospel, Christ will forever be their guide. By the good example of our lives, and not just by books, do we hope to pass on our faith to our children

Adult Faith Development:Through on-going teaching, lots of sharing, and genuine hunger, we hope to encourage every parishioner to grow in their knowledge of our wonderful and awesome God. Growing in our faith is a life-long journey.

Justice and Solidarity:We challenge ourselves to use our talents and energies to attend to the needs of the poor, the weak, and the powerless at all times and not just on special occasions. Most often social concerns and injustices are aplenty right where we are, but sometimes our invitation to solidarity calls us beyond our country. Our Catholic faith, when lived to the fullest, requires quite a commitment. That commitment began in the waters of baptism where we were forever grafted on to Christ. It is that same Christ, the One we are all trying to follow, who alone can lead us to fullness of life. As pastor, my hope is always that we grow, from Sunday to Sunday, more and more into the likeness of Christ. This “becoming” Christ also requires us to take the gospel out into the world through a life of Christian witness. Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity wants this of all its parishioners. These are only some of the offerings you will find here in our parish grouping. If you are not already a parishioner, please join us for any of our liturgies; we would love to meet you.

In Christ’s Peace, Fr. Phil Mulligan Pastor