St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church sits on the south side of Route 60 in Quinton, New Kent County, a half mile east of the local Food Lion grocery store. The parish serves the entire county of New Kent and the entire county of Charles City, with one small exception carved out for another parish near Eltham and the James City County line. Founded in 1986 and elevated to parish status in the years that followed, the church has grown from a handful of families gathering in an elementary school auditorium to a community of more than three hundred households worshiping in a converted multi-purpose building on Pocahontas Trail, with renderings for a new sanctuary now in hand.
A Parish Born in a Stage, a School, and a Barbershop
The Catholic presence in New Kent County began in early 1986, when a small group of Catholic families asked the pastor of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in West Point, Reverend J. Scott Duarte, to help them establish their own mission. Bishop Walter Sullivan approved the request and named the new mission Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Father Duarte drove twenty miles from West Point each Sunday to celebrate Mass in the auditorium of George W. Watkins Elementary School, where parishioners set up an altar on the stage, brought vestments and supplies, and struck everything down again before the school week began. Two Trinitarian Sisters, Sister Mary Alma Jankowski and Sister Mary Agnes Nagle, helped during the first year, and priests from the Benedictine Priory in Richmond pitched in so that the congregation could also gather for a Wednesday evening Mass in a member's home.
Watkins School served the mission for several years. When that arrangement ended, the community met for three months in a converted barbershop in Quinton, and then accepted an offer from the pastor of Kentwood Heights Baptist Church to use his new sanctuary on Saturday evenings. That ecumenical arrangement lasted until the mission was large enough to buy land on Pocahontas Trail near Bottom's Bridge. The property was dedicated on September 7, 1991. A multi-purpose building and an open pavilion were the first structures on the site, and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was raised from mission to parish status.
Father Duarte returned in 2008, and over the next several years the parish grew by nearly seventy-five percent. The multi-purpose building was renovated into a church, the open pavilion was enclosed and turned into a social hall, a Religious Education building was added, and a parish rectory was purchased. Today three Masses are celebrated each weekend in a worship space that uses the original bones of that first building, and a New Church Planning Committee made up of Father Scott Duarte, Greg Barlage, Paul Tran, and Harold Wayne has been working with an architect to design a sanctuary that will accommodate the parish into the future.
Liturgy Schedule
The parish follows a steady weekly rhythm. On Saturday evening, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered at 5:00 PM, followed by the Vigil Mass at 5:30 PM. On Sunday, Mass is celebrated at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM. A daily Mass is offered at 12:00 noon Tuesday through Thursday, and Wednesday evenings include Adoration at 6:30 PM. The Rosary is prayed the first weekend of every month at all weekend Masses and every weekend before Mass during the months of May and October. Recordings of past Masses, going back more than five years, are available through View Mass, and daily Mass is on EWTN for those who cannot attend in person.
The Liturgical Ministry committee coordinates the many ways that parishioners take part. Music is supported by a parish musician, Michael Horvath, and a choir, cantor, and instrumentalists use a pipe organ, a baby grand piano, and a sound system that the parish is proud of. The Altar Guild cares for the altar cloths and sacred vessels, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist with distribution at Mass and bring the Eucharist to the homebound and hospitalized, Lectors proclaim the readings at weekend and daily Mass, Greeters and Ushers welcome worshipers and assist with seating and collections, and Altar Servers - usually drawn from the youth of the parish - assist at regular Masses, Holy Days, and funerals.
The Seven Sacraments
The parish prepares Catholics for the full sacramental life of the Church. Infant baptisms are celebrated during weekend liturgies, and parents complete a Baptism preparation course called Belonging through Ascension Press before meeting with the pastor. Children who have reached catechetical age (about seven) and who are in second grade or higher prepare for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion through a two-part program that runs in tandem with their regular Religious Education classes, with sacramental preparation on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 PM and Religious Education classes on Sunday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Confirmation is celebrated in the Diocese of Richmond with youth who are at least fifteen years of age and in tenth grade or higher, using materials from Ignatius Press and including a Confirmation retreat. Adults seeking baptism or reception into the Catholic Church participate in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), a year of prayer, study, faith sharing, and gradual participation in parish life. Couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact the parish office nine to twelve months before their anticipated wedding date, and the parish directs them to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond Center for Marriage, Family & Life for further guidance. Those considering Holy Orders are encouraged to speak with Father Duarte or visit the Diocese of Richmond Vocation office, and parishioners who are ill or facing surgery may request the Anointing of the Sick through the parish office.
Registration and sponsor forms for the sacraments are available in both English and Spanish, reflecting the parish's growing bilingual community.
Faith Formation for Children, Teens, and Adults
The parish runs a full K-12 Religious Education program on Sunday mornings between Masses, with three sessions per month from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. The program uses USCCB-approved curriculum from Sophia Institute's Spirit of Truth series at the elementary level and the Mystery of Redemption parish series at the high school level, with program costs covered by the parish. Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion is layered on top of the regular curriculum, and parents are encouraged to use the parent guides provided to walk through the preparation at home. The parish follows the Diocese of Richmond's Safe Environment regulations, and all parents who wish to volunteer with children are asked to complete background screening and Virtus training.
Youth in grades 7 through 12 are invited to a monthly Youth Group that meets on Wednesday evenings after Adoration and offers additional service and social opportunities throughout the month. Every winter the teens travel to the Diocesan Youth Conference, a weekend gathering of high school youth from parishes across the Diocese of Richmond.
Adults have several ways to grow in faith. A Returning to Our Faith Ministry reaches out to inactive Catholics through a Catholics Come Home hospitality and discussion program. The Ladies' Group meets on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 PM in the SEAS Conference Room during the school year, with studies lasting six to eight weeks; recent topics have included Habits for Holiness, Opening the Holy Door, and works by Stephen J. Binz. The COR Men's Prayer Group, hosted by the Knights of Columbus, gathers monthly on Saturday mornings for fellowship, prayer, and discussion, with breakfast provided. Adult faith formation video series are offered on Sundays in the Religious Education Conference Room, with recent offerings including Forgiven from the Augustine Institute. The parish also maintains a Lending Library in the Commons Area of the church, where parishioners can borrow books for up to three weeks. Private prayer time in the church during the week can be arranged through the parish office.
Vacation Bible School is offered most summers for younger children, with a Rainforest Falls program planned for July 2027 and the most recent program being True North in 2026. The parish also runs a "Flat Jesus" program that sends families off with a small figure of Jesus to take on vacation, encouraging prayer and reflection throughout the summer.
Knights of Columbus Council 14034
Council 14034 of the Knights of Columbus meets the first and third Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM in the SEAS Social Hall, with the first meeting of the month dedicated to officers and directors and the third to membership and business. The council supports the parish through a Knights in Action parish support program, Poor Clare Nuns travel assistance, Food for Families, Helping Hands, and ongoing seminarian support, and it hosts an annual Parish Picnic and a Parish Rosary Guild that recruits volunteers for the first-weekend Rosary and the May and October Rosary weekends. Hampton H. Hart, Jr. currently serves as Grand Knight, with Father Scott Duarte serving as Chaplain.
Social Outreach
Social Outreach at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton answers the Church's call to serve the poor and the marginalized. Volunteers support a Bereavement Committee, a Christmas Giving Tree, Lenten Rice Bowls, a Nun Run Food Drive, Thanksgiving Food Baskets, and Respect Life initiatives, working with parishioners throughout the year to identify needs in the wider community and to respond with acts of charity. The committee encourages parishioners to build a culture of life through their families, formation, and worship, and through outreach to those in crisis and good citizenship.
Parish Councils and Stewardship
The Pastoral Council advises the pastor on the spiritual well-being of the parish, provides guidance on the methods and resources needed to serve the people, and encourages parishioners to share their gifts and talents. It is composed of the pastor and five parishioners and gathers every other month on the third Monday of the month at 6:30 PM. The Finance Council provides financial oversight, develops the annual budget, and offers an annual report to the congregation, meeting quarterly under the chairmanship of Greg Barlage. A Building and Grounds Committee cares for the parish facilities and grounds, recruiting carpenters, electricians, plumbers, landscapers, and grass-cutting volunteers. There is also a Planning and Development Committee and a Parish Community Life Committee. Parishioners who feel called to any of these areas of service are invited to complete a Ministry Questionnaire.
The parish supports electronic giving as a way to automate the regular weekly offering, with one-time and recurring donations accepted online through a secure donation portal. Registration forms for new parishioners are available at both entrances to the Sanctuary in both English and Spanish.
A Mission Rooted in the Eucharist
Parishioners describe their mission as living the gospel of Jesus Christ as individuals and as a community through worship, learning, and service, with everyday acts of love directed to the elderly, young adults, teenagers, children, the poor, the hospitalized, the lonely, and all who need the Lord. Under the patronage of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton - the first native-born American saint, who was a wife and mother, educator, foundress of the Sisters of Charity, and convert to Catholicism - the parish gathers as a community of faith, hope, and love, calling upon the Holy Spirit to stir hearts and make them new so that each member may teach the gospel by their lives. The parish prayer asks, through the example and intercession of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, for the grace to express love for God in love for neighbors.
The parish office is open from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM, Monday through Friday, and can be reached at 804-932-4125. The Religious Education Office can be reached at 804-932-3388, and the rectory at 804-557-3962. Email reaches the parish office and the Coordinator of Religious Education at seascatholicchurch.org.