What is that little gold vessel on the ambo (pulpit) side of the church that's on the wall just below the pictures of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton & St. John Neumann?

            That is a reliquary.  That's the big church-word for a 'relic holder.'   In the center of the reliquary is a little circle inserted.  It looks like a little sun or moon.  That is the part which holds the relics.   Relics are objects which are connected with either Jesus or a saint.  This can mean something which the saint wore, touched, or even part of the saint such as a piece of hair or a chip of the saint's bones.  In our case the relics are little pieces of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's bones.  She was the first native-born American to be canonized by the Catholic Church.  

We are actually very blessed to have these relics.  When she was canonized on September 14, 1975 our priest, Fr. John Biller was privileged enough to be at the canonization.  He brought these relics home to our church.