January 3, 2008. Serra Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. The Board received thank-you notes from His Excellency, Bishop Hurley, and from Msgr. Duncan for the Vocations Dinner. Also, our club issued the Diocese a check in the amount of $5,000. We thank Chairman Bob Paul for his excellent work.
January 14, 2008. Installation of new members and reception, 5:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart. R.S.V.P. to Tim Hile in one of the following ways: thile@ottawa-kent.com, thile@okins.com, or 437-1404.
January 19, 2008. Serra Board Planning Meeting, 8:00 Mass, 9:00 Meeting at Sacred Heart.January 28, 2008. Member-guest reception, 5:30 p.m. at Louis Benton Steak House.
Please notify Membership Chairman Tim Hile if you wish to invite anyone. Again, notify Tim at thile@ottawa-Kent.com or thile@okins.com. Tim's preferred method of communication is e-mail, but you may also call 616-437-1404.
Other important dates.
January 10-13. USA Council Super Weekend, Chicago, Illinois. For more information, go to serraus.org or call toll-free 1-888-777-6681.
January 13-18. National Vocation Awareness Week.
Looking ahead...
February 3. World Day of Prayer for the Consecrated Life.
February 6. Ash Wednesday.
February 24-28. Planning Conference for District Governors and Regional Directors.
August 12-17. Serra International, Aguas de Lindoia, Sao Paulo State, Brazil.
A Tribute to a Great Lady. Grace Hauenstein, wife of Charter Member Serran Ralph Hauenstein, passed away on Tuesday, December 25. The Hauensteins had been married 75 years. Over the years, the couple left their mark in the area, helping to open the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University in 2001, Aquinas College's Grace Hauenstein Library in 2005, and Saint Mary's Health Care Hauenstein Neurosciences Center, which is expected to open in September, 2008.
Originally from Big Rapids, Mrs. Hauenstein graduated from the nursing education program of St. Mary's Hospital. She was an active member of St. Stephen Parish for more than 60 years and received the Bishop's Award for her work. She was a member of the guild at St. Stephen's, the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and the Nazareth League, which helped take care of foster children. She was also a Lady Commaner of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, an international organization with roots in the Crusades whose purpose is to serve the Church in the Holy Land.
Family friend Peter Cook said Ralph Hauenstein's best memory of his wife was her patientlly raising their three children while he spent four years as a top Secret Service official in Europe during World War II. "Grace was such a supporter of him," recalls Mr. Cook. "When he was in Europe and couldn't tell her much,...she just kept raising the kids, with no complaints."
Aquinas College President Ed Balog said the couple's generosity and loving ways go beyond their donations. "It's very hard to find people who are nicer to everybody, and they were kind and generous and admirable in every way."
"I've never heard her say an unkind word about anyone," says Ralph. A common refrain spoken by friends of Grace Hauenstein is that she was one of the finest individuals in West Michigan, a model for men and women alike in the manner in which she lived her life for 96 years.
Gleaves Whitney, director of the Hauenstein Center, agrees. "She had a great sense of humor. She was a great lady. We will all miss her."
Mrs. Hausenstein's funeral mass took place at St. Stephen Parish on Saturday, December 29, at 11:00 a.m
Source: The Grand Rapids Press, December 27, 2007.
Please Note: Members may send contributions to Serra International in Mrs. Hauenstein's name. A Mass in her name will be said for each contribution.
New Directories for 2008. We are preparing (typing, proofreading, revising) our 2008 directory, which we hope to distribute at the Installation for New Members on January 14.If you have any changes to report for now, please send an e-mail to njking50@hotmail.com or call 662-4569. We will also welcome any changes in information throughout the coming year so that we can maintain accurate, up-to-date records.
...Most families and their college students have ony a limited understanding of what makes a college or university meaningfully or distinctively Catholic. Research suggests that relatively few even give the matter much thought. Only one in every six Catholics now in college attends a Catholic institution, and of thse only 10 to 15 percent considered "the religious affiliation/orientation of the college" as a "very important" influence in their decision to attend a particular Catholic institution. Ranking considerably higher are factors relating to an institution's academic reputation, proximity to home, affordability, and size.
The qualities that unite the nation's 220-plus Catholic colleges and universities tend to reflect their common spiritual origin. Pope John Paul II, in Ex Corde Ecclesiae, wrote that the fundamental responsibility of a Catholic university is " to consecrate itself without reserve to
the cause of truth." He added that every Catholic university must exhibit four essential characteristics: Christian inspiration, research and reflection in the light of the Catholic faith, fidelity to the Christian message, and an institutional commitment to service. In addition the Holy See and the U. S. bishops have itemized specific ways in which universities should institutionalize their Catholic identity.
Catholics have a right to expect that the Catholic faith will hold a privileged position at Catholic schools and that church teachings will be taught. They should be lively centers for the pursuit of all truth, where Catholics and others are prepared for leadership in a wide range of professions and occupations, and where ethical decisions, virtuous behavior, and Christian faith are modeled. Catholic universities also should apply their expertise to solving societal problems and to advancing justice and peace. And, of course, they should be Christian communities where prayer, sacraments, and spiritual development are integral.
Today's Catholic colleges and universities, diverse in many respects, are working to strengthen their Catholic mission and their service to the church. One indicator of success is that these institutions, which educate only one-sixth of the nation's Catholic college students, taught 42 percent of all the men ordained as priests last year. May God continue to bless our schools, and may more Catholic families support them. USC
By Richard Yanikoski, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
Reprinted from U. S. Catholic, November, 2007.
Serra International News. Serra International has named Mark Kubik to its nominating committee for 2008. Also, an explanation of the Serra International meeting of December 4, 2007 can be found at serraus.org.
Serra Local News. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Scoville for the birth of their granddaughter on November 14, 2007. Also, congratulations to Pat Polega, our newest member. We begin the new year with a membership count of 55.
A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans:
As 2007 comes to an end, I would like to thank all of you for your help and support of our programs and events over the past year. Our club is fortunate to enjoy such a diverse membership that lends its time and talents to our cause.
On Saturday, January 19, the Board will hold a strategid planning session to quantify the goals and objectives set at our 2005 session. To maintain consistency, the Board is grateful to Bob Paul, who moderated the 2005 session, for agreeing to do the same for the 2008 meeting.
On Charter Night in 2008 we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the chartering of our club. A number of volunteer organizations like ours have survived over the years, but not all have maintained as high a level of activity in the community as ours. The accomplishments of our club are admirable.
I am proud as your president to represent our club at Serra events, both domestically and internationally. Our past history lends itself to an anticipation of success in the future. We owe at least some of our success to strong leadership within the club, and we have shared that leadership on a regional and international level. Not all cities the size of Grand Rapids can boast of such a high level of leadership over such a long period of time.
Please remember that our two club meetings in January will occur in the evening, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Monday, January 14 will be our investiture ceremony at Sacred Heart, with vespers in the church, and refreshments to follow in the rectory.
Monday, January 28 will be our next Member/Guest reception at Louis Benton Steak House. Complimentary valet parking will be available at the Ionia Avenue entrance. Please forward names of potential members to Tim Hile at thile@ottawa-kent.com or telephone 616-437-1404.
I look forward to seeing you at our meetings over the next few weeks. Your participation and support ensure our continued success.
Very truly yours,
Mark A. Kubik, President
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