Bishop Richard Ackerman of Covington purchased property for a new parish in 1977. His successor, Bishop William Hughes, established the parish on September 8, 1980, naming Msgr. John Rolf as pastor. The first Masses were celebrated on September 13-14, 1980 in a storefront in Gainesway Shopping Center. Fr. Rolf stressed lay involvement with the goal of building a church community before erecting a church building.
As the SEAS community grew, greater emphasis was placed on the Eucharist, education, and families ministering and serving together. It was only fitting that the first American-born, newly canonized saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, become our patroness, as her life embodied those realities. Community- and faith-building activities continued. Ground was broken for the church building and fellowship hall in August 1984. We moved to our new facilities in February 1985. Parish membership grew quickly. The continuation of a volunteer spirit helped add new programs and ministries. In August 1989, we opened a preschool, answering a community need, and foreshadowing things in God’s plan.
Our second pastor, Fr Wil Fraenzle, continued working to build the church as community, also focusing on completing the building phases and paying off our debt, doing so by the year 2000. Sr. Eileen Golby was employed as pastoral associate in 1996, with the charge of bringing CRHP (Christ Renews His Parish) to enrich and build upon the community spirit in the parish. Sister remained with us for sixteen years.
The diocesan United in Faith campaign accelerated the dream of a parish elementary school. Seton Catholic School opened its doors in August 2005. The school has been a catalyst for more growth and development of the parish. In 2012, it was named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence as an exemplary, high-performing school, ranking among the highest achieving schools in the nation.
Our third pastor, Fr. John Moriarty, led us with an emphasis on biblical stewardship as a way of life, including prayer, ministry, and finance. His cheerful personality, spiritual leadership, and homilies with a tote bag filled with giveaway props, are all fondly remembered.
In 2009, the Special People in Catholic Education committee was formed to assist parishioners with special needs to become more actively involved in the life of the parish.
Fr. Danny Schwendeman became our fourth pastor in 2017. The pandemic began during his four years with us. He oversaw a variety of plans to keep everyone healthy.
Our fifth and current pastor, Fr. Charles Howell, is a son of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish! His evangelical background comes to the forefront in his dynamic preaching.