Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, February 2009

Calendar of Events: February is a busy month for our club
February 5, 2009. (Thursday). Adoration at Sacred Heart of Jesus, 6:30 p.m. Benediction at 7:00 p.m. Vocations Chair Len Gross encourages those who cannot attend the regularly scheduled Adoration to spend Quiet Time with the Lord either at their own parishes or at other locations where Adoration is taking place.
February 8, 2009. World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.
February 9, 2009. Member-Guest Reception, 5:30-7:00 p.m. at Louis Benton Steak House. Please forward names of potential members to Tim Hile so that he can send the invitations.
February 15, 2009. Celebration Mass for Boy Scouts, 2:00 p.m. at St. Robert of Newminster Parish, Ada. Father Lou Stasker, Celebrant.
February 16, 2009. Serra Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
February 18, 2009. (Wednesday). Saginaw Club Vocation Endowment Dinner. Price per ticket $40.00 each or $300 for a table of eight. Fr. William Baer, Rector-President of St. John Vianney College Seminary, St. Paul, MN, will speak. Call Pam McKenzie at 893-5233 if you wish to attend. Ride sharing arrangements tba.
February 21, 2009. Sisters' Appreciation Dinner at Brophy Center, St. Jude's Parish. Mass at 4:00 p.m. Social Hour 5:00-6:00 p.m. Dinner and program to follow. See below for further information.
February 20-22, Serra USA Planning Meeting, Kansas City, MO.
February 23, 2009. Prayer Service and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.

Other Important Dates:
May 3, 2009. World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
June 6, 2009. Ordination of two priests and one deacon, St. Andrew's Cathedral.
August 27-30, 2009. Serra International Convention, Omaha, NE.

Correction: Father John Henry Newman is not yet a saint. He is the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman. January 5 is not his feast day, as reported in the January newsletter. We celebrate the anniversary of his death, which occurred on January 5, 1836. (Information courtesy of Elizabeth Bjork).

We pay tribute to another great Catholic leader. Less than one month ago we celebrated the life of Cardinal Avery Dulles by marking his departure from our earthly world to the next. Today we again mourn the passing of one of America's great public intellectuals, Catholic Priest, and friend of CatholicVote.com--Father Richard John Neuhaus--who died (on January 8, 2009). When he was hospitalized on December 26, 2008, word spread quickly that Fr. Neuhaus was gravely ill. He had been diagnosed with cancer and suffered from an infection from which he never recovered.
Born in Canada, Neuhaus was ordained as a Lutheran minister in 1960. He converted to Catholicism in 1990 and was ordained a priest one year later.
As with Cardinal Dulles, (who contributed regularly to First Things), we celebrate his rich life and contributions to the role of faith in America. He will certainly be remembered for his compelling defense of the role of religious faith in public life and his fruitful efforts to enliven the theological dialogue between Catholics and Evangelicals.
His books include Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, and the Splendor of Truth, and Appointment in Rome: The Church in America Awakening.
We join those Catholics, Christians, and all Americans in praying for the repose of the soul of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus. Sources: CatholicVote.com and Newsmax.com.

A Word about the Sisters' Appreciation Dinner. Especially for our new members and for those who have not yet participated in one of these dinners, we wish to supply you with information about the event, and we urge you to get involved. Many Serrans rate the Sisters' Dinner at the top of the list of our club's many enjoyable and rewarding activities. February 21 will mark our Sixth Annual Dinner. If I remember correctly, Nate McKenzie first came up with the idea, and after our experimental first year, Serrans have voted unanimously to continue the custom. Judging by their response, we believe the sisters heartily agree. This year Mark Kubik and Nate will serve as head chefs. The menu will feature Cornish hens, among other dishes. The entertainment is in place, the invitations have been sent, and we are happy to report that we have made contact with several new groups of sisters this year. Nate has been accepting r.s.v.p. messages, and the sisters, especially those who have attended at least once in the past, sound very excited about the event.
Join one of the several teams of helpers:
a) Set-up crew, to report to the Brophy Center on Friday, February 20 at 6:00 p.m.
b) Hors d-oeuvres makers. Social hour starts immediately after Mass on Saturday. The sisters especially enjoy these special treats. Make them at home and get them to the Brophy Center by 5:00 on Saturday.
c) Dessert makers. President Pam has a special idea for desserts this year. She plans to prepare them starting at 10:00 on Saturday morning.
c) If you're attending the Mass, pick up your name tag beforehand at the Brophy Center. Helpers and greeters will report for duty immediately following the Mass.
d) Clean-up Crew: Many hands make light work. We should be finished by 10:00 on Saturday night.
e) Prizes, gifts for the sisters. The sisters appreciate just about anything. We especially recommend stationery, holy cards, books of meditation, small personal items,kitchen linens and kitchen utensils (the fun ones), soaps and lotions. If you have any other ideas, we welcome those as well.

Pam circulated sign-up sheets at the January 26 meeting, but please call her at 893-5233 if you were not there and would like to help. The joy you will feel in helping with the Sisters' Dinner will last for a long time after the event is over. We hope to see you there for at least some of it. We also like to include spouses, friends, children, and grandchildren in our Sisters' Dinner Team.

Venturing Update. At the January 26 meeting Aaron Gach gave a brief report on Venturing.
Not only is the West Catholic group off to a good start, with 26 young people and 6-8 adult advisors, but also several Aquinas students are forming a Venturing Crew as well. He will keep us posted as to the plans and accomplishments of both crews.
Also, as noted above, Fr. Lou Stasker will celebrate a special mass for the Boy Scouts on February 15 at 2:00 p.m.

News from Catholic Radio. Two Grand Rapids Serrans have joined the board of Holy Family Radio. Dan Grady is Treasurer, and John Osterhart is serving as Director of Communications. Broadcasts are now available (beginning February 2) on WTKG, 1230 AM, weekdays from 6:00-8:00 a.m. and on 1680 on Sundays from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, and repeated at 7:00-10:00 p.m. We look forward to the opportunity to promote our club through these broadcasts.

2009 March for Life. The 36th Annual 2009 March for Life took place on Thursday, January 22, beginning at noon, in Washington, D. C. Although supporters of the March turned out in record numbers, media coverage of the event was all but non-existent. Please note that a documentary film of the event is scheduled for release in March, 2009. Producer Jack Cashill and actress Jennifer O'Neill were on site to capture an immense amount of footage for the documentary feature, Thine Eyes: A Witness to the March for Life.
The film is slated as an awareness and recruiting tool as well as a fundraising appeal for general support of the prolife cause. Executive producer Steve Sanborn and Production Director Mike Wunsch of Outpost Worldwide were also on site. The film will offer open rights for use upon its release.
Supporters are asked to visit http://www.thineeyes.org/ for more information. Tax-deductible donations for the project are being accepted and pre-ordering of the DVD is also available on the website.
"We're really hoping that people will forward the information to as many others as possible,"Sanborn said.
"This is the right year for the project... After thirty-six years of Roe v. Wade, it's obvious that prolifers have to do their own media and marketing work. No one will do it for us, " Sanborn said.
Visit http://www.thineeyes.org/
Donations may be mailed to:
Thine Eyes Fund: SCCF
706 Lindenwood Drive, Suite 100
Olathe, KS 66062

Editor's Note: I attended my sixth consecutive March this year, along with my daughter Leslie. I have heard only one estimate of the size of this year's March for Life: 300,000 plus, as opposed to 200,000 in recent past years. Undoubtedly the documentary will provide some answers.

Good News for Vocations. Pope Benedict XVI greeted 49 newly ordained priests of the Legionaries of Christ, encouraging them to let the love of Christ invigorate their ministry. After praying the Angelus December 21 with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father addressed the newly ordained.
The priests were ordained on Saturday, December 21, 2008 by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinalsl, in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. More than 3,000 people participated in the ceremony. Thirty-four of the new priests were ordained deacons June 29, the first day of the Pauline Year, convoked by the Pope to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of the Apostle of the Gentiles. The Legionaries of Christ invoke St. Paul as a special protector of their religious congregation.
The new priests range in age from 29-37 and come from 13 countries: 23 from Mexico, six from Spain, four from the United States, three from Germany, three from Brazil, one from Argentina, two from Colombia, two from Italy, and one each from Canada, Chile, France, Ireland, and Venezuela. Source: National Catholic Register, January 11-17, 2009. (Information courtesy of Beverly Shields).

A Message from the President. Dear Serrans: Our newsletter is full of opportunities this month. I hope you will get involved and join in on the fun!
Your Serra Board members have put together a survey, and we need everyone's input. If you did not get a survey yet, it has been forwarded to you by e-mail, or if you receive a paper newsletter, it will be included in this mailing. Remember to fill out both sides. Please notify Nancy King if you have any problems receiving it. Your name doesn't need to be on the survey, but the information you write will be used for future planning. If you enjoy and like something we do--tell us. If something needs improving--tell us. If you have a new idea--tell us. If you know how to transmit the information via the Internet, you are special! Otherwise, please return your completed survey via the US Mail by February 13, 2009. Thank you to Bob Paul for his work on this project.
I have heard from only one Serran interested in going to the Saginaw Dinner. We need to get out our RSVP by February 10. The Dinner is Wednesday, February 18, and the cost is $40 per person. Please call 893-5233 if you are interested.
Our moving Chalice is available for you to take home. At the present time Bob and Beverly Shields are praying for vocations. They will bring it back to the Member-Guest Reception on February 9. For Serrans with children, the Chalice provides a good opportunity to pray for vocations during Lent. This commitment at home is usually a two-week commitment. The plan is to pick up the Chalice at one meeting and bring it back to the next. Occasionally the time runs a bit longer when there are five Mondays in a month.
We know of at least six guests who are interested in hearing more about Serra. If you know of people you think would make good Serrans but have not furnished their names to Tim Hile, invite and bring them anyway. We need all the Serrans we can get to keep Serra's mission of praying, fostering, and promoting vocations active!
Many church bulletins are promoting the Seminarian of the Week, as well as including a vocation prayer or other material about vocations. If you bulletin or church is doing something especially for vocations, please share it at a meeting or in the newsletter. News about vocations is always the best headliner for my eyes to see!
Remember to look over the dates in this newsletter for opportunities over and above regular luncheon meetings to get involved.