Serra Newsletter

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, February 2009

2009-02-01T07:42:00.000-08:00

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.

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, January 2009

2009-01-01T04:54:00.000-08:00

January Dates to Remember.

January 4, 2009. The Epiphany of the Lord.
January 5, 2009. St. John Newman.
January 8-11, 2009. Super Weekend, O'Hare Mariott, Chicago.
January 11, 2009. The Baptism of the Lord.
January 11-16. Vocation Awareness Week.
January 12, 2009. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Louis Benton Steak House. Note our guest speaker, Father Mark David Janus. Please consider inviting a guest.
January 19, 2009. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Louis Benton Steak House.
January 26, 2009. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Sacred Heart.

February Dates to Remember.

February 8, 2009. World Day of Prayer for the Consecrated Life.
February 9, 2009. Member-Guest Reception, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Louis Benton Steak House.
There will be no noon meeting on February 9. Please supply Tim Hile with names of prospective members so that he can send invitations.
February 16, 2009. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Louis Benton Steak House.
February 21, 2009. Sisters' Appreciation Dinner, St. Jude's. More information to come in Februrary newsletter.
February 23, 2009. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Sacred Heart.

Two Converts, Two Cardinals.
At the Vocations Dinner last December Father Matthew Barnum told us the wonderful story of his conversion and his call to the priesthood. In this January newsletter we honor especially two distinguished converts to the Catholic faith, John Cardinal Newman and Avery Cardinal Dulles, whose great contributions to the Church deserve special note.

John Henry Cardinal Newman, 1801-1890) became a convert to the Roman Catholic Church in 1845, and was made a cardinal in 1879. Before his conversion, he had distinguished himself as a scholar and a preacher of the Church of England at Oxford University. In 1833 he joined the movement within the church to rid it of political domination and to ground it more firmly in traditional belief (The Oxford Movement). The movement helped strengthen the established church, but Newman shocked his fellow reformers when he joined the Roman Catholic Church. In 1846 he became a Catholic priest.
Newman was born in London. For most of his life as a Catholic, he lived in Birmingham as rector of an oratory, a group of men devoted to prayer and studies. He was considered one of the great thinkers of the 1800's.
Cardinal Newman's autobiography, the Apologia pro Vita Sua (1864), was an answer to an attack upon him by Charles Kingsley, an Anglican minister and author. Among his many lectures is "The Idea of a University" (1852). The Grammar of Assent (1870) was his answer to religious skepticism. He alwo wrote the famous hymn, "Lead Kindly Light". We observe his feast day on January 5.
One legacy of Cardinal Newman is the Newman Apostolate, a Roman Catholic organization whose presence was established on a number of college campuses throughout the United States. It was formed to serve students on campuses of universities and colleges not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. In its original form it sponsored lectures, seminars, conferences, and study groups and conducted educational, leadership, religious, and social programs, with a chaplain serving at each center. Today chapters of the Newman Apostolate can be found in a number of dioceses throughout the United States.

Avery Cardinal Dulles died on December 13, 2008. Brian Burch, of Catholic Vote.com, writes of him:
"This morning we were greeted with some difficult news. Cardinal Avery Dulles, S. J., a premier Catholic intellect and champion of the unborn, died this morning at the age of 90 in New York.
Dulles was actually once an agnostic. But after his service in the Navy, Dulles entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1956. His father was John Foster Dulles, who served as Secretary of State from 1953 to 1959, after whom Dulles Airport outside Washington D. C. was named.
In 2001, Pope John Paul II made him a Cardinal in the Catholic Church because of his renowned scholarship.
The legacy of Cardinal Dulles is impossible to sum up, and his writings will be considered one element of Dulles's prolific life involved in his dedication to the truths taught by the Church on the dignity of all human life.
This past election featured several public disputes over these topics, with some politicians who profess the Christian faith claiming that religious views should be censored from the public square, or that some truths chared by religious believers should not be 'imposed' on others. Cardinal Dulles soundly rejected this falsehood:
'Many politicians, like much of the American public, seem to be unaware that abortion and euthanasia are serious violations of the inalienable right to life. These are not just Church issues, but are governed by the natural law of God, which is binding upon all human beings. The right to life is the most fundamental of all rights, since a person deprived of life has no other rights.'
Cardinal Dulles was right. The truth about human life is not a "Catholic thing" or an exclusively religious doctrine. The priority of protecting all human life is a truth fundamental to all people. We must care because we are human, too.
More than anything, Cardinal Dulles was a model of holiness, living a life of prayer and scholarly service of his Church and country.
We will miss this strong voice for the unborn. May he be welcomed today in the arms of Our Heavenly Father, where we hope one day to join him."
Sincerely, Brian Burch, CatholicVote.com

Let us Remember in our Prayers these two Cardinals, as well as all priests and religious.
As for those in our own diocese who passed away this past week let us pray for Fr. Ed Bielskas, our diocese's oldest priest, and for Consolata Sister Maria Guadalupe. Fr. Bielskas, 93, died on Wednesday, December 31, after a brief illness. Sister Maria Guadallupe Herrara went to be with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, January 3. Service arrangement is to be announced.
Also, keep in mind the USA Council of Serra International Board's message to encourage Serrans throughout the United States to pray for all Serrans throughout the world who need healing.
One more miracle is needed to submit to the Church body examining Father Serra's cause for canonization. One way to do so is to pray the Father Serra Novena, available online or in PDF. for the healing of ailing Serrans. Pray this novena and any other devotions for sick Serrans as often as possible. Source: Home Page, serraus.org.
Another cause to pray for in January is the March for Life, scheduled for January 22, in Washington, D. C. and in other locations throught the United States. The March for Life is a prayerful observance of the dignity of all human life.

Two further notes regarding the 2009 March for Life.

As the date approaches, colleges are already making plans to travel to Washington for the annual March for Life in January. At Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N. C., director of campus ministry Jenny Ryan...says more students than ever are signing up for the school's bus ride to the January 22 march. The entire student body of Christendom College, over 400 strong, will fill several buses in a caravan from their Front Royal, Virginia campus to the march. According to Christendom spokesman Niall O'Donnell, the majority of the faculty and staff accompany them. About 300 students from The Catholic University of America officially signed up for last year's march. At the same time, the school opened up their gym as cohost with the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for an overnight stay before the event for 1500 marchers coming from across the country. Even more students are expected this year.

Other campuses with strong support for the march are the 65 students of Magdalen College in Warner, N. H, along with several hundred students from Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. Vice President of Students for Life says, "We had early sign-ups this year. That included an extra week of sign-ups and plans to fill at least seven or eight buses...(These students) are worried FOCA could hurt the pro-life movement the most," she said of the proposed Freedom of Choice Act, "They want to have a presence in Washington, D. C. Source: National Catholic Register, December 14-20, 2008.

In our diocese, Sister Colleen Nagle, F. S. E., has been working with Parish Pro-Life Ministries and Students for Life groups. She has been interested in organizing a Vespers Service for Human Life before the March in Washington, D. C. She may be reached at cnagle@dioceseofgrandrapids.org or 551-5633.

(Editor's Note: The participation of young people in the March for Life and the pro-life activities of the week serves always as a tremendous source of inspiration, with respect both to their large numbers and their enthusiasm and dedication to the cause).

Tim Hile has supplied the following information regarding a documentary film to be shot this January 22:

The 36th annual March for Life in Washington, D. C. will be filmed for a documentary which will be available in March, 2009. Producer Jack Cahill and Actress Jennifer O'Neill will be 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 to be an awareness and recruiting tool as well as a fund raising appeal for general support of the prolife cause. Executive producer Steve Sanborn and Production Director Mike Wunsch, of Outpost Worldwide, will also be 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 preordering of the DVD is also available on the website...

"After thirty-six years of Roe v. Wade, it's obvious that prolifers have to do their own media and marketing work. No one else will do it for us," Sanborn said.

Donations may be mailed to: Thine Eyes Fund, SCCF, 706 N. Lindenwood Drive, Ste. 100, Olathe, KS 66062.

Our Vocations Committee, headed by Len Gross, has been arranging for presentations to several elementary schools and the two Catholic high schools. Len has given Paul Nelson a DVD, "The College Connection." DVDs also available are those aimed at Parish Vocations committees and the Parish Contact Program, which focuses on having at least one Serran in every parish. Pam McKenzie has planned three visits to fourth graders. She will be talking about vocations and asking for the students' help in praying for our seminarians. She will leave the Chalice with them for a time after each visit as a reminder to pray for vocations. St. Thomas School will be holding vocation actitivies each day during the week of January 12. Parishes throughout the diocese have received a note to add vocation prayers to their intercessions each week.

News from Mundelein Seminarians. Len and Robbie Gross have informed us that 25 Third Year Theologians, including David Gross, accompanied by three professors, have been studying in the Holy Land since the first week in December. They will spend time in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the Notre Dame Center until mid-February. Len and Robbie will join a group of 40 Mundelein Seminary contributors to take part in a scheduled tour of the region. They will leave Chicago on January 24 and will return February 4. They anticipate seeing David on three different occasions. Let us praya for the safe return of all.

Local Catholic Radio Information. Two local radio stations, WTKG (1230 AM) recently began Catholic programming for two hours a day, 6:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m., Monday through Friday.
These are prime morning drive hours. Also, WPRR (1680AM) has scheduled three hours of Catholic radio, on Sundays from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
Catholic radio is growing. In 1997 there were only seven Catholic radio stations in the U. S. In 2007 there were 160 stations. In October 2008 the FCC granted 175 more Catholic radio licenses. Within the next two years, there will be 300 Catholic radio stations in the U. S.
What can we do to help the cause?
1) Volunteers from each parish are needed to help promote Holy Family Radio with bulletin announcements, brochures, and the like. Volunteer with Pat Ryan joparyn@comcast.net or 243-7431.
2) Mary Lou Harig, Rita DeFouw, and Jane Wilmer will be organizing a prayer committee for continual prayers for the needs of Holy Family Radio. Reach Mary Lou at micharig@sbcglobal. net or 233-8998.
3) Grant Writing is also needed. The committee will be looking at several avenues of funding.
4) Send donations. Editor's Note: Please check this information before donating: Holy Family Radio's new address is P. O. Box 150154, Grand Rapids, MI 49515 -0154. Make checks payable to Holy Family Radio, Inc.

Our President's Message:
Happy New Year Serrans!
All of my days of late have run together and I've been having a hard time keeping track of the day of the week as well as the date.
This new year offers much hope for our club and vocations for our diocese. By working together as a club, with the Diocese and the Vocations Office, we can make a difference.
January is full of Vocation Awareness opportunities (as noted earlier in the newsletter).
Our first meeting this year will be at noon, Monday, January 12, at Louis Benton Steak House. Our guest speaker is Reverend Father Mark David Janus, Paulist Father and head of the Catholic Information Center, as well as Rector of the Cathedral of St. Andrew. Father Mark David has made quite an impact since moving to the recotry at St. Andrew. He is a dynamic speaker, and this would be a great time to bring a guest.
The board has decided to ask the membership for more input in the form of a survey. Ths survey will be presented at the January 26 meeting at Sacred Heart. Bob Paul has compiled questions and ideas and will make a presentation before handing out the survey. Please plan to attend and give our input for the future of our club. If you cannot attend, you will receive the information via snail mail or e-mail. Please respond as soon as possible; every answer counts and you will get the results in a future newsletter and in future meetings.
We all have friend we want to introduce to Serra, but our plans somehow slip through the cracks. Well, now is the time to get those names and addresses to 'Tim Hile for the Member/Guest Reception scheduled for Monday, February 9 at 5:30 p.m. Again, this event is for the future of our-YOUR-club. New members bring energy and ideas for vocation related endeavors. Your help is needed--please respond with names to Tim Hile.
Have you missed our in participating i the Sisters' Appreciation Dinner? The date is set for February 21 at St. Jude's Brophy Center. This will be our Sixth Annual Appreciation Dinner. Nate McKenzie and Mark Kubik have been busy planning the menu. Invitations have been written and mailed to the various Orders in our diocese: Franciscan, Carmellite, Dominican, Mercy, and Consolata. If you know of any Sister who has not attended or is new to the area, please, please let me know. We do not want to miss anyone. More information will be coming in next month's newsletter for times to work and what is needed. We do need hors d'oeuvres for the social time as well as gifts for the sisters. About 100 ladies typically attend, and the gifts can be anything you think a sister would like.

We have received an invitation from the Saginaw Club as follows:
Saginaw Serra Club
Fourth Annual Dinner for the Bishop Robert J. Carlson Seminarian Endowment Fund
Wednesday, February 18, 2009.
6:00 p.m. Social Hour, 7:00 p.m. Dinner
Swan Valley Banquet Center
Saginaw, Michigan.
Keynote Speaker: Fr. William Baer, Rector-President, St. John Vianney College Seminary, St. Paul, MN. Donation $40 per person. Donation for a table of eight is $300.
The Saginaw Club has supported events here in Grand Rapids many times. It would be very nice if we can have one or more tables at their dinner. R. S. V. P. is needed by February 10, 2009. If you are interested in car-pooling, please call me at 893-5233 and I will co-ordinate the reservations with Saginaw.
As you can see, we are off and running in 2009. Thank you to everyone who helped make our 2008 vocation opportunities successful. Working together, we will make 2009 a GREAT year for vocations.
Respectfully, Pam McKenzie

Grand Rapids Serra Newsletter December 2008

2008-11-30T06:18:00.000-08:00

Dates to Remember for Our Club.

December 5, 2008. First Friday Adoration at Sts. Peter and Paul. Mass at 7:00 p.m. followed by Adoration until 10:00.
December 15, 2008. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
January 12, 2009. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
Watch for other dates in the January, 2009 Newsletter.
February 9, 2009. Member-Guest Reception, 5:30 p.m. at Louis Benton Steak House.
Please give names of potential guests to Tim Hile.
February 21, 2009. Sisters' Appreciation Dinner. Details to follow.

Celebrating Advent. Dates to Remember.

December 6. St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was the great fourth-century bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. His love for the poor, especially, children, has linked him in tradition with gift-giving. Children tradtionally receive gifts--chocolate coins, in particular--in their shoes from St. Nicholas.
December 8. The Immaculate Conception. On December 8, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception: God prepared Mary to be the mother of Jesus by preserving her from original sin. Many prepare for this feast by praying a novena beginning on November 30.
December 9. St. Juan Diego.
December 12. Our Lady of Guadalupe. Juan Diego remained firm in his account of the Blessed Virgin Mary's appearance to him, even in the fact of doubt from his bishop. We celebrate Mary's appearance as Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and of the unborn, on this day. December 13. St. Lucy. St. Lucy was a young woman martyred by the Romans in the early fourth century. A Scandinavian custom celebrates the light of her Christian witness in the tradition of a young woman of the house wearing a wreath with lit candles upon her head.

Prayers for Advent.
Prayer starter for Week 1: In hope, I wait for the fullness of your presence, Lord. Come, Lord Jesus!
Prayer Starter for Week 2: Lord Jesus, I hear the call of John the Baptist. I come to You in sorrow for my sins, open to Your grace.
Prayer Starter for Week 3: Lord, I rejoice at the Good News of Your coming. Make my heart ready.
Prayer Starter for Week 4: Lord, I wait for You in trust and hope.

The O Antiphons. From December 17 to 23, the O Antiphons are chanted during Vespers in the Liturgy of the Hours. The titles of Jesus in the antiphons are all titles of the Messiah, rooted in the prophecies of Isaiah.
December 17: O Sapienta (Wisdom)
December 18: O Adonai (O Adonai)
December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
December 21: O Oriens (O Morning Star)
December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
December 23: (O Emmanuel (O Emmanuel)
Source: Our Sunday Visitor pamphlet, 2007. Inventory No. P426.

Serra USA and International Dates to Remember.

December 15, 2008. District Governor Visit Reports due.
January 8-11, 2009. Superweekend, Chicago, Ill.
January 11-16, 2009. National Week of Prayer for Vocations.
February 8, 2009. World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.
February 20-22, 2009. Serra USA Planning Conference, Kansas City, MO.
May 3, 2009. World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
August 27-30. Serra International Convention, Omaha, NE.

More on Venturing. Serra Club of Grand Rapids Forms First Venturing Crew Using the Matching Serra International Foundation Grant.
Congratulations are in order for Dennis Leiber, of the Serra Club of Grand Rapids, Michigan ,and the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting, on forming the first Serra Club chartered Catholic Venturing Crew for students at West Catholic High School.
Source: Serra USA Homepage.
Dennis recently announced the formation of a second Venturing Crew at Aquinas College.
Details to follow.

Eatra Prayers for Vocations. On December 8, the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will supply His Excellency Bishop Hurley with a list of names of those who have committed to praying an extra Rosary for vocations once each week. These prayers will continue until Pentecost.

Ora et Labora. Pray and Work. Monastery Gifts for Christmas, handmade by monks and nuns.

Something Sweet. Abbey Brittle. Benedictine monks in Subiaco, Ark sell this product. Search "Abbey Brittle" on YouTube.com to watch Father Richard Walz make it. Order from subi.org or call 479-934-1001.
Something Spicy. Also available at subi.org. Father Walz came up with his fiery concoction while stationed in Belize, Central America. (Editor's Note: Nate McKenzie and John Osterhart might be interested in this product).
The following may be ordered from monasterygreetings.com or 800-472-0425:
Nun Better. Order Nun Better Cookies: Sisters of the Holy Spirit, Cleveland, OH.
"Praylines": St. Benedict Monastery, south of Amaarillo, TX.
Trappist Preserves: St. Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, MA.
Genesee Cakes: Abbey of the Genesee, Piffard, NY.

Holy Java. The cloistered Carmelite monks in Clark, Wyoming have been selling Mystic Monk Coffee since 2007 at mysticmonkcoffee.com or 877--751-6377.
Candy from the Abbey. Sisters at Mount St. Mary's Abbey in Wrentham, MA, offer a number of selections at abbey.msmabbey.org or 866-549-8929.
Creamy Caramels. Cistercian nuns at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque Iowa sell an assortment of caramels at trappistine.com or 866-556-3400.
Gourmet Confections: Priory of Our Lady of Consolation, Amity, OR. Order from brigittine.org or 503-835-8080.
Creamed Honey, so thick an creamy you'll need willpower not to eat it straight out of the jar, is available in a variety of flavors at redwoodsabbey.org.
Divinely Original Mustard, made by the Benedictine Sisters in Mount Angel, OR, can be ordered from monasterymustard.com.

Fruitcakes, etc.

Fantastic Fruitcakes. Holy Cross Abbey, Berryville, VA. Trappist monks make fruitcase, but their world famous dark chocolate-covered fruitcake slices, called FRATERS, are most renowned. The monks also harvest a clover honey in several flavors. Order from monasteryfruitcake.org or 540-955-9494.
World Class Fruitcakes. Assumption Abbey, Ava, MO. Order from assumptionabbey.org or 888-738-0117.
Gethsemani Gifts. Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY was Thomas Merton's monastery. Order fruitcake, handmade cheeses, or Butter Walnut Bourbon Fudge from gethsemanifarms.org or 800-549-0912.

Cleaning and Healing.

Premium All-Natural Handmade Soap, beeswax salves, lotions, and wax candles by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration are available at monasterycreations.com or 877-672-7627.
Desert Refreshment. Benedictine Monks of Christ in the Desert offer alll-natural lip balms, made from almond oil, beeswax, and peppermint. $3 each from christdesert.org.

Monasticism began when St. Anthony of Egypt sought God alone in the Scriptures and the emptiness of the desert and large numbers followed his life of "ora et labora'--prayer and work. Religious across the country live this philosphy as they make handmade gifts and treats.
Source: National Catholic Register, November 9, 2008.

Editor's Note: I have tried each of the above websites and have found them to be accurate. If you have any difficulty ordering, give me a call or send me an e-mail and I will try to correct your problem. Even if you're not sure you want to place an order, you will enjoy a cyber-tour of the beautiful, peaceful places mentioned in the web addresses. Some addresses include Gregorian chant as well as information about the monasteries and the products they sell.

Here's an idea for gifts of women's clothing. Preview the online catalog at http://www.jockeyp2p.com/. Call Aggie Cloyd if you have questions.

Special Prayers for these priests: Father Tom DeYoung retired on November 30. Father Michael Danner plans to return to work next month. Fr. Mark Przybycz 's illness has not been diagnosed. May we keep them, and all priests and religious, in our prayers.

Prayer for Healing through the Intercession of Blessed Junipero Serra. The USA Council of Serra International Executive Committee encourages Serrans throughout the USA to pray for All Serrans around the world who need healing.
"All USA Council of Serra International members are urged to take part in the effort to cononize Blessed Junipero Serra. We are aware that one more miracle is needed to submit to the Church body examining Father Serra's cause for canonization. Perhaps someone you may remember to pray for will be that miracle cure. One way to do so is to pray the Father Serra Novena for the healing of ailing Serrans. One may find the Serra Novena on the home page of the USA Council of Serra International's web site, http://www.serraus.org/. Look at the right hand column toward the bottom entry. Pray the novena and any other devotions for sick Serrans as often as possible."
We appreciate your thoughtful consideration to join us in this prayer.
Sincerely,
The USA Council of Serra International.

A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans: What a wonderful way to start Advent--attending the Vocatioans Dinner. The committee can be very happy with this year's event. The accommodations were delightful and th food was delicious. The music, the conversations with friends, the messages delivered, and the prayers we prayed all contributed to the wonderful time. Our thanks go out to the Serran who tied the evening all together, Joseph Scoville.
Those who did not attend missed a great evening. Sometimes we think only about the bottom line of how much we made. Yes, that is paraat of the picture, but listening to our speakers was the bottom linle for me. Father Matt's enthusiasm and hearing about the results of our first Youth Rally were inspiring. Our youth are the future of the Church, and all of us together can help them make a difference for our Church and for our world. Congratulations to all who worked so hard and to all who attended and supported the work of vocations in our diocese.

January is coming, and Vocations Awareness Week looms at the top of the list. Len Gross and his committee are busy planning vocation presentations to our Catholic high schools and middle schools. All are welcome to call Len to find out where and when the presentations will be held. If you'd like to assist in any way, please let him know.

February will find us busy cooking and serving our many faithful Religious Sisters. The date is Saturday, February 21 at St. Jude"s Brophy Center. We will be needing gifts for the sisters. If you are a craft-type person, your handmade gifts are always a hit! If you're not, the ladies always enjoy a nice box of candy, a good book, stationery--the sky is the limit. Nate McKenzie and Mark Kubik will serve as head chefs and have just about finalized the menu. Please mark the date and plan to help out. The dinner also presents an opportunity to involve our children and grandchildren.

As noted in the Bishop's radio message, I hope all of us can slow down to listen to the Scriptures of Advent, with the theme of remaining watchful for the coming of the Lord. Enjoy your Christmas gatherings with family and friends, and may 2009 bring peace and prosperity to all.
Merry Christmas! Pam McKenzie.

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, November,2008

2008-10-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events.

Nobember 7, 2008. Mass and Adoration, 8:30-10:00 a.m. at St. Stephen's.

November 8, 2008. Youth Rally at Cathedral Square. Our club will preside over a table at the rally. We will distribute NDVI materials and information about Serra. Call Len Gross if you want to help with setting up on Friday or working on Saturday. A 4:00 mass will conclude the event.

November 10, 2008. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.

November 17, 2008. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.

November 24, 2008. NO MEETING. ENJOY YOUR THANKSGIVING WEEK.

December 2, 2008. Eighteenth Annual Vocations Benefit Dinner at the Conference Center at Cathedral Square. Social 6:00 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m.

February 21, 2009. Sisters' Appreciation Dinner. Please note the correction. The October Newsletter reported the date as February, 2008.

News from West Virginia, October 10-12. John Osterhart moderated the two back-to-back Membership meetings and Nate McKenzie served on the panel. One of the themes of the discussion was Recruiting the Next Generation of Serra, looking for a more diverse and younger membership. Let us congratulate John and Nate for their part in an excellent presentation.

Another highlight of the conference was a message by Bishop Emeritus of Wheeling-Charleston Bernard Schmitt. The bishop, one of a family of seven boys, recalls his grandmother. She had always thought about a religious vocation, but instead married and had nine children. She attended two masses every day and prayed fervently that one of her children would feel called to serve the Church with a religious vocation. At one time one of her daughters decided she wanted to become a Sister but left the convent after six months. However, the next generation of the family produced seven priests and six religious sisters. The Lord's ways are not necessarily our ways, the Bishop observed. The Lord answers our prayers, but not always in the way we would have envisioned.

A second point the Bishop made was that there is no easy way to Salvation. The job of Serra, he reflected, is planting seeds, getting ready so that when Christ comes around, we need to make sure that He will find good ground. "Lukewarmness is the great enemy of the Church. Be like St. Francis, he advised, on fire with love of God. In our time, Mother Theresa, beginning with nothing, founded the Sisters of Charity, now more than 700 members strong."

Third, the Bishop inquired why we are not more upset about the lack of vocations in the Church. We need to make people aware of the situation. Good families, he said, provide the good ground to sow the seeds of vocations.

As one might expect, the Oglebay Conference offered a wonderful opportunity for prayer and fellowship in a beautiful setting.

Prayer for the Second Day of the Divine Mercy Novena. Today bring to Me the souls of priests and religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy.

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service, that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard--upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Excerpt from Boston Tough. Military Chaplain is Vocations Director to the World.

Father John McLaughlin became the first vocations director for the Arthdiocese for the Military Services, USA, in June, 2008.

National Catholic Register Interviewer Tim Drake spoke with Fr. McLaughlin from his office in Washington, D. C.

Where are you from originally? I'm from Woburn, Mass., 12 miles north of Boston. We call it the "holy city." One parish in particular has had more priests per capita than any parish in the country, with more than 80 priests ordained from it. In 1995, I was the sixth guy ordained in six years...

What led to your own vocation? I was in real estate and owned my own properties and coached high school wrestling for about 10 years. One night in 1986, a car accident killed two of my wrestlers on the last day of the season. My captain was left a quadriplegic, and another young man was left in a coma. Both of them came from very religious families. John Turner came out of his coma and is doing well. I baptized two of his children.

I accompanied the other young man, Tim Donovan, on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 1988. Tim was in a wheelchair. I thought I was taking him on the pilgrimage, but in the end, it was he who was taking me. That experience brought me back to my faith.

What was it about the pilgrimage that moved you? There's a great peace you get there. A lot of people look for that peace. I was working, doing what I was supposed to do, trying to make more money. That didn't give me the same peace that I got from the prayer that was going on over there. That propelled me toward the priesthood...

How dire is the need for Catholic military chaplains? It's pretty great. We have around 300 for all the services. When you think of the number of people in the military and the fact that 24 percent of them are Catholic, that's not a great number. The chaplains can't be everywhere, so sacramentally--bringing the Eucharist, anointing the sick and dying, and hearing confessions--they're not able to minister to the men and women as they should.

Some dioceses have been really good about freeing up men for service to the Military Archdiocese, and some haven't been supportive--perhaps because they are facing shortages of their own.

What's the biggest challenge of your work? We're the largest diocese in the world because we go all over the place. Time management is a big concern. Because of the huge distance that I cover, I can't randomly stop into all the bases..I've been traveling to different bases and talking to men who have an interest in religious life. I just got back from Fort Bragg, where I met with three different men...I'm soliciting people to become priests or religious, but am not just soliciting for the Military Archdiocese; they have to be sponsored by another diocese. We do not have people who are priests just for us. If they want to come into the Military Archdiocese or become priests, I direct inquirers to their diocese or diocesan vocation director.

Are there particular qualities that make those who have served in the military good candidates for the priesthood or religious life? The young people I've met are tremendous. Their sense of duty, discipline, and their willingness to sacrifice brings them to a willingness to sacrifice for God.

What can families do to encourage religious vocations? That's the big problem. People wonder why the numbers are going down. Internationally, the numbers in third-world nations are really high. The comfort level in America is at the highest in history. That's part of the reason. Vocations are nurtured. If people aren't going to church or talking about the priesthood in the family, it's not being supported.

Source: National Catholic Register, October 12, 2008.

Items of Interest. Pam McKenzie gave a presentation about vocations to St. Stephen's third,
fourth, and fifth graders on October 29. The students were introduced to the Vocations Chalice...SDVI Scholarship recipient Katie O'Connor (2006) recently called Pam to volunteer for an extra leaf-raking session with the Consolata Sisters. Several members of her family joined in the November 1 effort. Also to be noted is that Katie went back on her own for a second NDVI session...Prayer cards have been sent to Father Tom DeYoung, who will be retiring this month, Julie Klein, and the Msgr. Ancona family. Pray also for Fr. Mark Przybysz and Fr. Danner...Paul Nelson, along with several other Serrans, continues his College Connection work at Aquinas.

Pray the Rosary for Vocations. The following note is being circulated among the parishes of our diocese: Pray for Vocations. Bishop Hurley, we, the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, will pray the Rosary weekly for ministries within the Church, especially the priesthood, the religious life, and the deaconate through May, 2009. The forms are to be returned to Mary Burk, 734 Stewart Street, Fremont, MI 49412, by December 1. They will be presented to Biship Hurley by December 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conception. These prayers can be said at one's convenience, in any setting, and do not require a special meeting, time, or place.

A Letter from Serra International President Cesare Gambardella. October 30, 2008. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Serra: When a family is united and one of its members has a difficult problelm, all get together in an effort to help and support him.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the case for the Serra Family, due to the nature and characteristics of each Serran: the spirit of friendship freely given and of fraternity.

Joe Donahue of the Serra Dlub of NW Denver in Colorado U. ?S.l A. and also a member of the International Board of Trustees, communicated that he has been diagnosed with cancer of the liver and pancreas, because of which (in his own words) there is little hope.

We, all together and united, can be a great help to Joe: the certainty of our prayers for him and his family.

However, I am asking more. I have Joe's permission to ask all Serrans to pray to ourPatron Blessed Junipero Serra to intercede for a cure, and if this be God's will, to make this initiative a worldwide effort.

It is my dream: could Joe be the instsrument of the miracle needed for Blessed Junipero Serra to be recognized as a saint of the universal Church? It is a fact that we are waiting his canonization for a long time.

To this end, I ask you to inform Chicago Headquarters or me directly on what initiative you have or will be taking.

Mary, Mother of Vocations, pray for us!

Yours in Serra, Cesare Gambardella, S. I. President

Remembering our Beloved Dead. When Benjamin Franklin wanted to convey the inevitability of taxating by governments, he used death as an analogy. "Death and taxes" entered our vocabulary as a piece of folk wisdom. People of all religious beliefs around the world have acknowledged the place of death in the cycle of things, and have connected some of their deepest beliefs and most profound rituals to it. Those of us in the Christian tradition are no different. But what makes death different in our lives is that we connect the life of the departed not only to our own lives and the lives of those he or she knew and loved, but also to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Our celebration of the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls) on the Lord's Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to recall that on each Lord's Day we celebrate the mystery that Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. Moreover, as we remember and celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us in faith, we take comfort in our sorrow by remembering that their lives--and their deaths-- are intimately bound up in the life of Christ, who lives forever, no more to die. Source: Our Llady of Sorrows Bulletin, November 2, 2008.

November is the month of the remembrance of the dead.

Prayer for the Dead. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.Amen.

A Message From Our President. Dear Serrans: November is upon us and it is the time of year when we remember those who have departed. We certainly want to remember the deceased Serrans who have served our Grand Rapids club over the past 60 years, as well as the priests and religious who have served the Church. May they rest in peace.

With the West Catholic venturing crew off and running, I am happy to report that a second venturing crew is forming. This is a smaller group of men attending Aquinas College. They are discerning about the priesthood. Several priests have been talking and working with them. The
group has scheduled meeting times about every other week as their schedules permit. I will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Len Gross and the Vocations Committee have some busy days coming. The Youth Rally will take place on November 8. A big thank you to the Serrans who have volunteered to help. Also, don't forget about adoration on Friday morning at St. Stephen Parish. Then on Sunday, November 9, we have been asked to provide hospitality at Grand Valley State University. Father Don Andrie is putting together a social time after the 5:30 mass at DeWitt Center on campus. He called me to see whether I could get about six people to help him. I accepted. This is the first time that I know of for Serrans to meet and mingle with Grand Valley students. If you are interested in helping, please call me at 893-5233 and I will give you the particulars. Stay tuned for more news...

I know all of you have been talking to your friends and neighbors about attending the Vocations Dinner on December 2. Even though the early bird opporunity is over, you can still promote and sell tickets. The Programs Committee is looking over the final plans, and the evening will be very enjoyable.

Our traveling chalice is making its way to Catholic elementary schools. The third, fourth, and fifth graders at St. Stephen were happy to help pray for vocations, including our 10 seminarians. While talking to the students, I learned that one of them has a cousin in a seminary. We decided to add the cousin's name to the list. Boys and girls do know a lot about vocations and discerning about a religious way of life. I am always energized after giving one of these presentations.

Thank you to Dr. Larry Burns for his enlightening presentation on stem cell research and Proposal 2. Don't forget to vote! November 10 is our next meeting date at Louis Benton Steak House. We will have a break the week ofThanksgiving, and then comes the gala Vocations Dinner on Tuesday, December 2, at Cathedral Square.

May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Pam McKenzie

Grand Rapids Serra Newsletter, October, 2008

2008-09-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events.
October 3, 2008. Monthly adoration at IHM. Mass begins at 9:00 a.m. with adoration immediately following.
October 10-12, 2008. 2008 Serra Super Regional Convention for Regions 2,3,4,6, and 7, Oglebay Resort & Conference Center, Wheeling, West Virginia. Nate McKenzie, John Osterhart, Mark Kubik, and Nancy King plan to attend. Find complete information at http://www.wheelingserra.org. Featured speakers are as follows: The Most Reverend Michael J. Bransfield, Biship of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, WV; The Most Reverend Bernard Schmitt, Bishop Emeritus, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, WV; the Most Reverend Edwin F. O'Brien, 15th Archbishop for the Diocese of Baltimore; and Heleln Alvare, Associate Professor of Law at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.
October 13, 2008. Member-Guest Reception, Louis Benton Steak House, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
There will be no luncheon meeting on October 13. There is still time to submit names to Tim Hile.
October 20, 2008. Serra Board Meeting, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 Noon.

October 23, 2008. Leaf raking with the Consolata Sisters. Those who wish to help will join West Catholic High School students in assisting the Sisters with this necessary yearly task. Bring rakes and leaf blowers. The project will take place from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The Sisters will provide coffee and donuts. Call Abe Rossi at 735-3312 if you wish to become part of the leaf raking team. Aside from the spiritual rewards of doing something good for the Sisters, consider also the benefits of the fresh air and exercise! Plan B, in case of rain, is as follows: Saturday, October 25, same time, same place.

October 26, 2008. Priesthood Sunday. Promotion for Priesthood Sunday appeared in the Summer 2008 issue of the Serra Leader with the Liturgy Guide as the center of the publication. Readings for the day are as follows: Reading 1: Exodus 22:20-26; Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18:2-4, 47-50; Reading 2: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; and Gospel: Matthew Matthew 22:34-40.

October 27, 2008. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, Sacred Heart, 12:00 Noon.

November 8, 2008. Diocesean Youth Rally, Cathedral Square. This event will feature music, adoration, Mass, inspirational speakers, and small group meetings. Our club will have a booth there. Details will be finalized in the November newsletter.

December 2, 2008. Vocations Dinner, Cathedral Square. Serrans should have received invitations within the past few days.

February 21, 2008. Sisters' Appreciation Dinner, St. Jude's. Along with our other needs, President Pam McKenzie urges fellow Serrans to devote some thought to door prizes and the distribution thereof. Details about the dinner will follow as they become available.

Reflections from Serra International. At the September 8 luncheon meeting, Fr. Ed summarized the theme of Cardinal Rigali's address to the International Convention, Vocations, the Dream of God.
The following excerpts from the speech clearly define the role Serrans can play in our promotion of vocations:
"In your work for the promotion of vocations you are collaborators in the divine plan for the salvation of mankind through the growth of the Church. As we reflect on this vital and challenging mission, it is helpful to consider the nature of the 'work' of promoting vocations in the Church. Of course we think of the many and varied programs, initiatives and activities that the Serra Clubs sponsor to promote vocations, but we must also remember that the primary, and necessary, 'work' of Serrans is to pray for vocations. It is this 'work' of prayer which must underlie, direct, sustain and support all of Serra's other many and varied activities to promote vocations.
Does not the Lord command us: 'Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest' (Mt 9:38)?
This passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew teaches us several things about the work of promoting vocations in the Church.
First, Jesus reminds us of the necessity of prayer, and its primacy in our efforts to nourish and support vocatins. While prayer is not the only part of our work, it is clearly the most important part. Without it, we are not only being unfaithful to the Lord's clear directive, but we run the risk of substituting our work, our ideas, our efforts for the plan of God Himself.
Second, this passage from Saint Matthew's Gospel tells us clearly that the harvest belongs to God who is the Lord of the harvest. It is He who sill send out laborers into His harvest. Indeed, it is a conforting thought that the challenge of promoting vocations in the Church does not depend solely upon our efforts, but is tryly the work of God Himself. He asks us to do our part by praying to the Lord of the harvest to supply the needs of the Church in our time, and in the future, for the evangelization of the world and the salvation of souls...
...Our faith is in Jesus Christ and the power of his Pascal Mystery transmitted to us in the Eucharist and through the Church. It is through the mystery of the Eucharist that the power of the live-giving Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord is given to each of us. It is through the Eucharist that we are empowered to pray and work for vocations inthe Church, trusting not so much in ourselves and our efforts, but in the loving Providence of God to provide for His Church in response to our prayers, offered in a spirit of humble faith and with an attitude of trust...
...It will be through your devotion to the Eucharist, and your commitment to prayer which is constant, unwavering, and full of trust that you will overcome any obstacles to the growth of an ever greater ecclesial community of one heart and mind for the good of the Church...
...And so, dear Serrans, let us listen to Mary, Mother and Model of the Church, who speaks to each of us in our hearts, saying:
'Do whatever he tells you'
'Do not waver; trust in the words of my Son.'
And listen to, and heed the word of Mary's Divine Son who tells us:
'Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest' (Mt 9:38).

Father Ed's message of urging the faithful to listen to the Lord and gaze upon the Eucharistic presence ties in nicely with Nate McKenzie's announcement regarding Adoration opportunities at St. Isidore Chapel. As of the September meeting, the following time slots needed to be filled:

Sunday 7:00-8:00 p.m.., five to eight weeks only.

Monday, 3:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m.
Tuesday 12:00 noon-1:00 p.m.
Wednesday 3:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m.
Thursday 12:00 Midnight-1:00 a.m.
Friday 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.-3:00 a.m.
Saturday 5:00-6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.

Call Mary Lou Harig at 233-8898 for an update. Both Nate McKenzie and Dan Grady have long been regular participants in St. Isodore's perpetual Adoration program and highly recommend the spiritual benefits derived from this regularly scheduled quiet time with the Lord. This invitation to Adoration reinforces the theme of the 66th Annual Serra International Convention.
In his September 8 address Father Ed also spoke of the need for prayer for those already ordained. We need especially to remember in prayer those who have been placed on medical leave: Father Tom DeYoung of St. Adalbert's, Father Michael Danner of St. Jude's, and Father Donald Lomasiewicz of St. Isidore's. Also, pray for all of the priests of our diocese as they participate in their fall retreat this week.

Other Prayers. Pray also for the repose of the souls of Msgr. Ancona's sister, Illuminata Antoinette (Ancona) Herp; Father Bob Hart, and long-time Muskegon Serran Tom Hebert, all of whom passed away in September.

The College Connection. Serra Clubs in over a dozen dioceses implemented the College Connection program to help Catholic young adults who graduated from high school in 2008 to become connected with the Catholic Campus ministry or parish nearest to their campus. Club leaders can receive more information on the program through serraus.org or by writing to Dick Stolly at dikstoly@wcoil.com

Christ's Humility. Our age has been called the Age of Entitlement. We seem to have lost the ability to distinguish between needs and wants. Advertisers frequently urge consumers to grasp at more and more goods because "you deserve it." Our expectation of reward seems to be disproportionately high for the effort we put forth to earn it. Certainly everyone deserves the basic rights of human life: food, clothing, shelter, freedom, and peace. But this language of deserving doesn't seem to be applied to these things. It is inevitably appended to the desire for luxuries, honors, and riches. It seems to be designed to appeal to our greed rather than our need. In that context, Paul's simple statement about the humility of Christ stands in stark contrast: "Christ Jesus...did not regard equality with God something to be grasped." (Philippians 2:6). And how did he humble and abase himself? By becoming human, one of us. What could we possibly think ourselves entitled to?
Source: Our Lady of Sorrows Bulletin, September 14, 2008.

An Invitation from our Franciscan Friends. Franciscan Center's 20th Annual LIFE fest will take place on October 18, 6-10 p.m. and a family picnic on Sunday, October 19, 12-4:00 p.m. Saturday's speaker will be Charlie Aeschliman, former Navy SEAL and National Character Education Foundation representative. Tickets are $60 per adult, with dinner included, and $50 per student in grades 7-12. Emcee will be John Varineau. Sunday's event will begin with Mass at noon, with live music all afternoon, plus games, crafts, and silent auctin. Admission is $7.50 per person or $25.00 per family. The Francisdan Life Process Center is located at 11650 Downes Street, Lowell, 49331. Call 616-897-7842 for more information. All proceeds to go the Franciscans' scholarship funds and programs.

Venturing News from Serra USA Vocations Committee to Serra USA Leadership:...Congratulations are in order for Dennis Leiber, the Grand Rapids Serra Club and Diocesean Catholic Committee on Scouting for forming the first Serra Club chartered Catholic Venturing Crew for students at West Catholic High School. In 2006, the Serra International Foundation provided a $7,000 grant to fund the establishment of Serra Club chartered Venturing Crews or Sea Scouting units in Catholic high schools, Each Serra Club will receive funding for half of the expenses for chartering a Venturing Crew. Crew 2207 of West Catholic, charatered by Serra Club of Grand Rapids, with 30 male and female members, ages 15-18, is the first unit launched under the new Serra Club program. The Serra Internatinal Foundatin fund are a matching grant administered by the USA Council Vocations Committee to reimburse expenses of establishing a Venturw crew in and with a Catholic high school...Source: Letter of September 29.

A Message from our President. Dear Serrans: This letter is sent while all of our priests are in Traverse City attending their fall conference with Bishop Hurley. Of course, by now youknow their number is one less by the passing of Father Bob Hart. Father Bob suffered for a long time, May the angels greet him with open arms and may his soul rest in peace. Speaking of priests, keep in mind that October 26 is Priesthood Sunday, a good time to give your priest a card of support or some other greeting or gift. Our priests are special people. Let us show our appreciation for them.

The Member-Guest Reception is set for Monday, October 13. This reception has proven very helpful in increasing our membership and making other Catholics aware of the Serra mission.

Two upcoming events offer excellent opportunities to get to know our young people. We need adult supervision for the October 23 leaf-raking. Also, Len Gross is organizing the table and workers for the November 8 Youth Rally at Cathedral Square. We hope to play more Bible trivia with the young people at that event.

The invitation has been written and mailed for our Vocations Benefit Dinner. I have received a few telephone inquiries about the dinner, so I have decided to give some explanations. Over the years this dinner was held at Duba's Restaurant, but Duba's is now closed. Many of the details were handled by Duba's, and we did not have to do much. As we know, times have changed and costs have gone up. For several years, even though costs had gone up, we did not pass those costs on in the ticket price. This year, at the Bishop's request, we are holding the dinner at the new conference center within Cathedral Square. During our planning sessions we posed many questions. There are now guidelines available for using this new facility. One item is that cash bars are not allowed. Adult beverages are allowed; however, the costs of such beverages needs to be included in the ticket price. Several people have also asked why we do not give more money to the Bishop. At one time we donated $10,000, but during the past few years we have given only $5,000. We may not be able to return to the full $10,000 this year, but we should be able to exceed $5,000 while still keeping our Club's projects supported. The Programs Committee should be commended on their fine job in planning this large event; it was not an easy task. Please support the Grand Rapids Serra Club by selling tickets, buying a table, or giving a donation to our major fund-raising event. The evening offers time to visit the new center, socialize with old and new friends, and learn of the progress being made by our club as well as the Diocese in the area of vocations. I look forward to seeing all of you there on December 2, 2008.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pam McKenzie

P. S. Committees are busy at work. If you are not on a committee, please get involved. We need everyone! If I have forgotten to list your name, I'm sure you will let me know.

Programs. Joseph Scoville, Patty Hughes, Bill and Elizabeth Bjork, Weldon Schwarta, Bob Paul, Joe and Kathy Westdorp, Monica Westdorp, Philip Weber, Pam McKenzie. Vocations. Len Gross, Deacon Dale Hollern, Pam McKenzie, Bob Gabridge, Bev Shields, Larry Mulligan, Abe Rossi, Carl Rossi. Communications. Nancy King, Barb King, Darlene Braunschneider, Mark Kubik, John Osterhart. Membership. Tim Hile, Mark Kubik, Ralph Hauenstein, Chris Grady, Carlton Failor, Nate McKenzie. Finances. Pat Leikert, Dan Grady.

Chalice News.

Monica Westdorp has possession of the Vocations chalice during this month. If you would like to be the next person or couple to have it in your home, please let Monica know.

Reminder: The invitation to the Vocations Benefit Dinner reads as follows: The Serra Club of Grand Rapids requests the honor of your presence at the Eighteenth Annual Vocations Benefit Dinner, Tuestday, December 2, 2008, Conference Center at Cathedral Square. Social, 6:00 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m. One hundred dollars per person. R. S. V. P. enclosed. Proceeds will benefit vocations to the priesthood and vowed religious life. Conference Center at Cathedral Square, 360 Division Avenue South, Grand Rapds. Please note the opportunity of a $10.00 savings if the reservations, with payment, are sent in by October 30.

Finally, let us pray for this project. Our Muskegon Serra Club friends invite us to pray for their Bible reading project, October 5-11, 2008. "Faith is learned through hearing, and what we hear is the Word of God;" a public reading of the entire Bible from cover to cover. This will take 12-14 hours per day, Sunday through Saturday.

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, September 2008

2008-08-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events.

September 8, 2008. Luncheon Meeting, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 Noon. Dennis Leiber, our club's appointed delegate, will speak about the Serra International Convention he attended in July.

September 15, 2008. Board Meeting, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 Noon.

September 22, 2008. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, Sacred Heart, 12:00 Noon.

September 15, 2008. Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Actually, Father Ted Kozlowski, Pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, reminds us that the entire month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. The following information sheds light on a special Rosary commemorating the Seven Sorrows of Mary.

The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady is a popular way of sharing in the major crises of Mary's life. As we pray one Our Father and seven Hail Marys for each sorrow, we ponder the pain she endured with her Son. We ask her to help us understand the evil we have done and to lead us in repentance. By mixing our sufferings with Mary's, as she joined her sacrifices with those of her Son, we participate in the work of our redemption.

In public recitation say with the priest:

O Lord, Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for my sins. I humbly ask your forgiveness, and I promise with Your help to prove worthy of Your love by sharing in Your Passion and Death, through Our Blessed Mother's Sorrows. Amen.

The First Sorrow: The prophecy of Simeon

Mary listened to Simeon predict that her Son would suffer so much to redeem the human race, it would cut her to the heart like a sword. For the rest of her life she dreaded the day the prophecy would be fulfilled. One Our Father, seven Hail Mary

The Second Sorrow: The flight into Egypt

To escape Herod's plot to kill her infant Son, Mary left home and friends and endured the fears of sudden flight by dark and uncertain life in a foreign land. One Our Father, seven Hail Marys

The Third Sorrow: The loss of Jesus

Returning from Jerusalem after the Passover, Mary lost her Son in the crowd. She worried and searched for three days before finding Him in the temple. One Our Father, seven Hail Marys

The Fourth Sorrow: The meeting at Calvary

Mary met her Son, tortured by the cross and the crowd, on the road to Calvary, and she was powerless to help him except by her presence. One Our Father, seven Hail Marys

The Fifth Sorrow: The Crucifixion

Mary watched the death agony of her Son on the cross, and witnessed His last will, which made us sinners her children. One Our Father, seven Hail Marys

The Sixth Sorrow: The wake of Jesus

Mary embraced her Son's body, lowered from the cross, and tried to comprehend that the Author of life was dead and the Creator had been killed by his Creatures. One Our Father, seven Hail Marys

The Seventh Sorrow: The burial of Jesus

Mary and her friends washed and anointed the battered body of her Son. They wrapped it in linen and laid it to rest in a fresh tomb. One Our Father, seven Hail Marys.

Three Hail Marys, said in sympathy with the grief of our sorrowing Mother, close the Rosary.

Another Special Observance. As our readers undoubtedly know, Pope Benedict XVI announced a special Jubilee Year dedicated to St. Paul. The Jubilee year, which began on June 28, 2008, will end on June 29, 2009, to mark the approximately 2000th anniversary of the saint's birth.

St. Paul was born in Tarsus, in what is now Turkey, at the start of the Christian era, sometime between A. D. 7 and 10, according to church historians. After his conversion on the road to Damascus, he became one of the church's foremost evangelizers, first among Jews and then among gentiles.

The commemorative year will include symposiums and special publications devoted to the writings of St. Paul. The saint's letters are a primary source of information about the life of the early church and have strongly influenced church thinking through the centuries.

St. Paul's life holds a lesson for modern Christians, the pope said. The action of the church is credible and effective only to the extent that Christians are willing to "pay personally for their faith in Christ, in every situation," he said. Where this commitment is lacking, the appeal of the Gospel will be weaker, he said.

"The church is, by its nature, missionary; its primary task es evangelization," said the pope on the occasion of this announcement. "At the beginning of the third millennium, the church feels with renewed strength that Christ's missionary mandate is more pressing than ever."

View this bulletin online at http://www.catholicweb.com/

Mark Your Calendar for the following important dates for October and beyond.

October 10-12, 2008. Regional Meeting, Wheeling, West Virginia.

October 13, 2008. Member-guest Reception, Louis Benton Steak House, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Every Serran is urged to bring guest who is interested in learning more about our club. There will be no noon meeting on that day.

TBA: Leaf raking with the Consolata Sisters, Belmont. Abe Rossi is in charge of the fall leaf raking. He will work with West Catholic's Cathy Pearce to schedule this event, but we must wait until late October for maximum results.

December 2, 2008. Vocations Dinner. We urge all members to attend and bring guests. We will need two hundred plus attendees to make this event a success. The Programs Committee met on August 29 at Cathedral Square to tour the banquet facility with Patty Hughes. The final decision as to venue for the dinner will be announced in the October newsletter.

The Serra Chalice. Serrans Nate and Pam McKenzie purchased our club's chalice from Rome, where it received a papal blessing. The chalice can be moved from home to home or from meeting to meeting. It has already been placed in two fourth grade classes for one week each. The prayer cards that accompany the chalice have been written by the Detroit Oakland club. These prayers, or any others relating to vocations, can be used, but the decision as to which prayers are to be said is left up to whoever is hosting the chalice. At this time Joe and Kathy Westdorp have it in their home and will bring it to the September 15 meeting for someone else to take.

Serra Pins. Membership Chairman Tim Hile has Serra pins available for the bargain price of $5.00. If you've lost or misplaced yours, or if you never received one, please take advantage of this opportunity, as the new price will be $7.50.

Venturing. Ever since our club began working with the Gerald R. Ford Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the term venturing has made its way into our vocabulary. At the recent Serra picnic, Program Director Aaron Gach further described venturing, and former Eagle Scout Dennis Leiber explained how his experiences as a judge led to his interest in reaching out to the youth of our community.

In 2006, when Serra International Foundation approved a $7000 grant to fund the establishment of Serra Club chartered venturing crews or sea scouting units in Catholic high schools, Dennis saw an excellent opportunity to devote his time and talent to two of his favorite organizations at the same time--Serra and the Boy Scouts. Dennis is now Vice-President of Venturing at the Gerald R. Ford Council. At the picnic Pam McKenzie accepted a framed certificate naming us as the first Serra Club in the USA to join the scouts with the venturing opportunity. Under the rules of the Serra International Foundation, each Serra club will receive funding for half of the expenses incurred for chartering a venturing crew. The cost of starting up a venturing cres is minimal to the chartered organization. The fee is $20, which covers liability insurance for the chartered organization and administrative support from the local council.

What is venturing in general? Ten years ago, the Boy Scouts of America launched a youth development program for young men and women 14-20. Venturing's purpose is to provide positive experiences to help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible adults. Specifically, teens need to test their capacity to 1) accept and meet new challenges, 2) make independent decisions and choices, 3) make important contributions to a team effort, 4) make ethically morally, and spiritually sound decisions, and 5) contribute something of value through service to a community or family.

Working with local Catholic high schools, Serra club units are intended to allow each young person to grow in religious belief using the Pope Pius XII Religious Emblem and provide opportunities for various outdoor, sports, and career oriented resources of Venturing and Sea Scouting. Serra clubs could offer further support for the religious components of various scouting projects and provide additional opportunities for young people to discern religious vocations. We look forward to watching how our venturing project contributes to the spiritual development of our young people. Father Larry King, pastor of St. Patrick's of Portland, attended the picnic in order to learn more about venturing.

Congratulations to Father Jim Wyse. Father Jim, pastor of Christ the King in Howard City and St. Francis de Sales in Lakeview celebrates the 21st anniversary of his ordination this month.

Pray especially for these Serrans and Spouses: Deacon Dale Hollern, Bob Gabridge, and Paula Mulligan.

A Message from our President. Dear Serrans: As I travel north and pass the apple orchards, I see that the apples are red and ripe and ready to eat. Fall is here and the Club is busy as ever with new ideas and vocation projects, among them writing a club history of the past 60 years, adoration not only for vocations but also for healing for our club members who suffer from a variety of illnesses, the 18th annual Vocations Dinner, the Fall Youth Rally in November, Vocations Awareness Week in January, and the member/guest gathering in October--the list goes on and on. I thought I knew what I was in for as president but really didn't have a clue!

It was a pleasure to see so many folks at the picnic on August 28. Aaron Gach and the Boy Scout facility certainly made this event most enjoyable, especially with the campfire and roasting marshmallows. It is always a pleasure to have Ralph Hauenstein join us for such meetings with his busy schedule. The picnic provided the Boy Scouts with the opportunity to award Ralph personally with the Citizen of the Year Award which he so richly deserves. In addition, Aaron explained more about our Venturing opportunity with the Boy Scouts. Tony Oleck, a student from West Catholic, told how the students from the high school are able to use the scout facilities as they meet to discuss their Catholic faith in today's world. (Editor's note: Tony was one of the students our club sponsored for Notre Dame Week in 2007, and he went back on his own this past summer). Imagine that--high school students talking about their Catholic faith! God does answer prayers. Cathy Pearce, West Catholic Advisor and Campus Minister, also thanked us for sponsoring this faith based student club. opening the door for teachers to use the scout facilities, too. Nate and Mark outdid themselves with the food menu and they even let me help! In the coming weeks we will be hearing more about Venturing. We will learn about what the West Catholic group is doing and maybe even sponsor a second group. I will add, as Dennis Leiber told us, we are the first Serra Club in the USA to join the scouts with the Venturing opportunity.

Aquinas College is back in session and the group of discerning men will be meeting again. Keep them in your prayers. In coming meetings we hope to have Terry Marshall and others from the Aquinas staff join us as we pray and talk about vocations and how we can make a difference. The reding from Romans 12:1-2 comes to mind:

I urge you, brothers and sister, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves
to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what
is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Also, this is a reminder that December 12 is our 18th Annual Vocations Dinner. We need you to invite other Catholics to come and hear about Serra and vocations in our Diocese. Joseph Scoville and the Programs Committee have plans in the works for a super great evening, and we need to fill the room to capacity! As long as we are inviting--don't forget to send potential member names to Tim Hile for the October 13 Member/Guest Reception from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Louis Benton Steak House.

Football is here----GO BLUE...Go Irish....Go Green....Ohio State who???

Peace to all,
Pam McKenzie

Serra Club of Grand Rapids August,2008

2008-07-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Dates to Remember.

August 11, 2008. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Our guests will be our two NDVI students and their parents. The two students, Danielle LaVille and Gabe Anzivino will speak.

August 12-17. Serra International Convention, Aguas de Lindola, Sao Paulo State, Brazil.
Grand Rapids Serrans Dennis Leiber, Mark Kubik, and Moderator Father Ed Hankiewicz will attend. Dennis Leiber will serve as the delegate from our club.

August 18, 2008. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.

August 22, 2008. Muskegon Serra Club Shrimp Dinner, 5:30 p.m. at Muskegon Catholic Central High School.

August 25, 2008. Serra Picnic, 5:30 p.m. at the Boy Scout Center, Walker Avenue NW. There will be a special presentation of Citizen of the Year award to Ralph Hauenstein. President Pam McKenzie has composed the following invitation:

When: Monday, August 25, 2008--rain or shine.
5:30 p.m. Gather and tour the grounds.
6:30 p.m. Dinner.
8:30 p.m. Campfire with S'mores.
Cost: $15 per c0uple or $25 per family..
Cooks: Nate McKenzie, Mark Kubik.
Where: Boy Scout Headquarters
3213 Walker Avenue, Walker, MI
Directions: Take I-96 toward Muskegon. Exit at Walker Avenue. The Boy Scout sign
is at the end of the exit on the right. Follow signs to the brown building. Plenty
of parking is available.
RSVP: Please respond by Friday, August 22 with number attending.

An RSVP is required and may be sent to Joe Westdorp at 866-6024 or
jawestdorp@chartermi.net

Save these dates:

October 10-12. Fall Conference for Regions 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7, Wheeling, West Virginia. Registration fee $125 before August 1, $150 thereafter. Spouse registration fee is the same. Please make your lodging reservations directly with the desired lodging facility. Our host facility is Oglebay Park's Wilson Lodge, 1-800-624-6988 $125/night reduced, $155 afterward. Please mention that you are attending the Serra Conference and make your reservation by August 8 to guarantee room availability and receive the discounted rate. Nearby lodging is also available at the Hampton Inn 1-304-233-0440 ($102 or $119), and Marriott Spring Hill Suites at 1-304-232-8903 ($109 or $129). Make conference checks payable to Serra Super Regional Conference.

October 13, 2008. Member-Guest Reception, 5:30 p.m., Louis Benton Steak House. There will be no noon meeting on that day.

November 8, 2008. All high-school age young people are invited to attend the Diocese of Grand Rapids inaugural God Persistently Seeking (GPS) Youth Rally on November 8 at Catholic Central High Schol, 319 Sheldon Avenue SE, Grand Rapids. Look for additional details to follow in the coming weeks on the diocesan Web site at http://www.dioceseofgrandrapids.org/ and in Faith GR Magazine. The Board will decide in the next several weeks whether our club will be represented at a display booth . The cost of renting such a space is $30.

December 2, 2008. Vocations Dinner. The location has been moved to Cathedral Square. Details TBA.

Leaf Raking at Consolata. The exact date of this annual event remains to be announced, but it will take place late in October.

Vocations Chair Len Gross announces the following Adoration Schedule. This schedule extends through June, 2009.

September 5, 2009. (Friday). St. Isidor. Mass at 8:45 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m.
October 3, 2008. (Friday). IHM. Mass at 9:00 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m.
November 7, 2008. (Friday). St. Stephen. Mass at 8:30 a.m. Adoration 9:00-10:00 a.m.
December 5, 2008. (Friday). SS. Peter and Paul. Mass at 7:00 p.m. followed by Adoration. Benediction 9:50 p.m.
January 2, 2009. (Monday). Holy Spirit. Mass at 8:00 a.m. followed by Rosary. Adoration 9:00-10:00 a.m.
February 5, 2009. Sacred Heart of Jesus. Adoration 6:30 p.m. Benediction 7:00 p.m.
March 6, 2009. St. Isidore. Mass 8:45 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m.
April 3, 2009. (Friday). Mass at 9:00 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m.
May 1, 2009. (Friday). Mass at 9:00 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:00 a.m
June 5, 2009. (Friday) SS. Peter and Paul. Mass at 7:00 p.m., followed by Adoration. Benediction 9:50 p.m.

Please note that there is also Adoration following a 7:00 p.m. Mass at SS. Peter and Paul every first Friday except in July and August. The schedule is always as follows:
7:00 p.m. Mass, followed by Adoration, with 9:50 p.m. Benediction. This information provided courtesy of Barbara King.

Two thank-y0u notes:

Dear Pam,
On behalf of the diocese of Grand Rapids, I send my heartfelt thanks to the members of the Grand Rapids Serra Club for their service to the liturgy, Saturday, June 7, 2008. Their presence at the Ordination Mass was generous and deeply appreciated.
This year's Ordination Mass was blessed with good weather outside and loving spirits on the inside. Your group welcomed and seated all visitors and guests with great courtesy and commitment to ministry. In addition, it seems that many of the Serrans were already acquainted with some of the guests at the Mass (not including the many priests whom they knew), and this contributed an extra measure of welcome.
I am aware of the generous nature of the Serra Club, especially regarding this diocese, and I cannot send enough thanks for your labor of love in regard to this particular diocesan liturgy. Bishop Hurley joins me in sending thanks. We are truly appreciative of your effort and your kindness.

Best regards, with thanks,

Dr. Patricia Hughes
Director, Pastoral Services Division

and.....

July 24,2008

Dear Serrans:

Thank you very much for the opportunity to attend ND Vision. I learned the importance of a strong relationship with God as well as a deeper meaning of the word "vocation."
Thank you for your generosity in awarding me a scholarship to attend this program. God bless you!
Sincerely,

Danielle LaVille

More Vision Week News. Serrans Nate McKenzie, Bob Gabridge, Len Gross, Beverly Shields, and Tom Vereecke attended the very inspiring pilot follow-up program on Thursday. The emphasis was on getting students to do something to help the community and becoming active in the Catholic faith.

Something wonderful happened on May 7, 2008. Editor's note: For quite some time I have pondered whether the article I am about to reprint from the National Catholic Register is closely enough related to vocations to merit an appearance in this letter. You, the readers, can be the judges, but I can't get this story out of my mind. Not only does it recall the astounding beauty of the Requiem, but also it gives witness to the power of God working through His instruments: Pope Benedict XVI, Mozart, and the Chinese musicians, and Father Tham, to name a few. And who could resist thinking about the implications for vocations in a converted China? At any rate, I hope you enjoy ithe article as much as I did. Also, because China is hosting the Summer Olympics this year, the article may help to provide another perspective on China and its people.

Evidently in response to Pope Benedict XVI's invitation to restore diplomatic relations between China and the Vatican, the Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus performed Mozart's Requiem on May 7, 2008. Legionary Father Joseph Tham was among those present.

...The press saw this (event) as possibly a warming of relations between China and the Vatican...I saw it as something more: Chinese musicians praying in the universal language of art and the Mass in the heart of the Catholic world.
(In Mozart's Requiem) the choir and the orchestra ensemble sing out the different parts of a funeral Mass in Latin, interspersed by the voices of the soloists: soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor and base. I could not help thinking to myself: "If only the musicians knew what they were singing (and praying) for!" Being enraptured in the beauty of the voices, I find myself praying along, and on behalf of the Chinese people.
In the entrance hymn, Mozart begins the piece dramatically. At one point, the chorus repeatedly intoned Exaudi, exaudi orationem meam (hear, hear my prayer). Many times, without even knowing it, we ask God to hear us. There is in the depth of the human heart a yearning to be heard.
The Chinese people, represented by the choir, without knowing what they were saying, are crying out to the heavens to be heard.
In the Latin Mass, the only words in Greek that have been preserved from the ancient liturgy are melodiously repeated: Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison... I found myself praying: "God have mercy on me, and on the Chinese people who did not know you."
We then arrived at the spectacular sequence of Dies Irae, Dies illa (The day of wrath! That day!) It was a rather frightening warning about the reality of the Last Judgment.
The choir continues alternating with the soloists: Quantus tremor est futurus, Quando judex est venturus, Cuncta stricte discussurus! (What trembling there shall be when the Judge shall come to weigh everything strictly!).
As if to placate the divine ire, the stanzas followed with a plea for the mercy of God: Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? Quem patronum rogaturus, Cum vix justus sit securus? (What shall I, a wretch, say then? To what advocate shall I appeal when even the just man is barely safe?)
The tune turns to a very sweet melody of petition Salva me, fons pietatis! (Save me, fount of merciful love!). ..
Recordare, Jus pie, Quod sum causa tuae viae. Remember, merciful Jesus, that I am the reason for the path you trod!) The choir sang under the immense sculpture of the Risen Christ arising among the tortuous branches symbolizing the tree of life. It appeared to me as if Christ is stretching his saving hands to embrace China under the benevolent gaze of the Pope.
The most moving part for me came from the Offertory: Quam olim Abrahae promisisti, et semini ejus (as once you promised to Abraham and to his seed). The word promisisti was repeated many, many times. Yes, God has promised us his salvation through our Father in faith. He will not abandon us; he will not abandon a quarter of the world's population...
The rest of the Mass was sung, in Mozart's characteristic composition of majesty alternating with sweetness: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,..Osanna in excelsis...Agnus Dei...
At the end, the applause lasted for almost 10 minutes. The Pope was visibly pleased. He went up to greet and shake hands with the director and the soloists. One of them must be Christian, because he kissed the Pope's ring. Benedict XVI then gave a speech thanking the musicians and organizers of the event. He noted how the interpretation of Mozart by Chinese artists "brings together their own musical talent and Western music..."
Last, the Pope sent his greetings to the entire Chinese people, and "with a special thought for those of your fellow citizens who share faith in Jesus and are united through a particular spiritual bond with the Successors of Peter."
The Olympics will no doubt be a great tribute to the human spirit. But this calling out of the human spirit to the divine is imbedded in my memory now.
Pray for China with the Pope--and pray with China in the Mass.
Legionary Father Joseph Tham teaches bioethics at Rome's Regina Apostolorum College.
As for the Promisisti, he writes, "(God's) promise is mysteriously and providentially united to our mission to spread Christ's Kingdom of love. Surrounded by 400 others of my Legionary family, I felt this to be a part of our call to evangelize China, my extended family and patria.
From the National Catholic Register, July 6-12, 2008

Let us pray for the success of Father Tham's call. nk

Pope Benedict XVI calls World Youth Day a new Pentecost.
Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 27, 2008 (Zenit.org). World Youth Day was a new Pentecost from which the pilgrims were sent to be apostles to their contemporaries, says Benedict XVI..."I still have this extraordinary occasion," he said, "in which I experienced the youthful face of the Church, on my mind and in my heart: It was like a multicolored mosaic, formed by young men and women from every part of the globe, all gathered together in the one faith in Jesus Christ...
Commenting on the week of events, the Pope called the catechetical sessions "moments of reflection and recollection that were indispensable for making the event one that, instead of being a merely external manifestation, would leave a deep impression on the conscience."
"The evening vigil, in the heart of the city, beneath the Southern Cross," he said, "was a choral invocation of the Holy Spirit; and at the end, during the large Eucharistic celebration last Sunday, I administered the sacrament of confirmation to 24 young people from all different continents, 14 of whom were Australian, inviting all present to renew their baptismal vows.."
World Youth Day was "transformed into a new Pentecost," the Pontiff said, "from which the mission of the young people, called to be apostles to their contemporaries, was relaunched."

A Message from the President.

Dear Serrans:

We are in the "dog days" of summer. I hope everyone has had at least one opportunity to enjoy some summer fun. Nate and I have had some interesting times painting our kitchen. You all know how a painting job can grow, and grow, and grow. I have spent the month of July on the project with Nate supervising, and we have it done. Now we have the rest of the house to get back in order.

Our club committees are busy planning for the coming months. Len Gross and other St. Stephans are sharing our Serra story after all lthe masses this weekend. We hope to do the same for other parishes. Thanks to Mark Kubik, Monsignor Gus Ancona, and Joe Westdorp, we have a fresh new brochure to hand out.

The Vocation Dinner plans are underway. Please mark the date and start asking your friends and family to attend on Tuesday, December 2, 2008. This is our major fundraising event and it is essential for all members to do their best in selling three or four tickets. There will be an early bird signup, so please watch for more details in the coming weeks.

It has come to my attention that new members are getting confused by hearing about international conventions and regional conferences. I will take a short stab and try to explain. Serra International is the world wide organization to which we belong as the Serra Club of Grand Rapids. The International has divided the world into councils. We belong to the United States Council of Serra International (USAC). Within the United States there are groups of states forming regions. These regions hold regional conventions, and the International holds an annual meeting. Approximately every third year the International Convention is held outside the United States (this year in Brazil, next year in Omaha, Nebraska). Both the International and Regional conferences offer optional opportunities to learn more about vocations and what other clubs do. Our Grand Rapids club has been blessed with members who are interested in participating in the larger areas of the organization. Because of this participation, we are learned more and have been exposed to more. I hope this explanation helps.

Keep Dennis and Margaret Leiber, Mark Kubik, and Fr. Ed in your prayers as they travel to Brazil on August 14. We look forward to hearing about their adventures in September.

August 1 is the last call for early bird registration for the Fall Regional Conference. Remember also that lodging reservations are due by August 9 for a reduced rate. For additional information call Chris Freeman at 1-800-523-2153 or visit the website at SerraSupReginal@aol.com

The past few weeks, I have enjoyed every weekend Mass and the parable stories. Each parable is unique, and we have had many great discussions around them. We all have many blessings and gifts to be thankful for especially the gift of being a Serran and working for vocations for our church. See you at the picnic, and summer blessings!

Pam McKenzie

Membership. Membership Chairman Tim Hile has accepted the resignations of Jeannie Host, Tom Carnegie, Pat Rossi, and Don Herzog.

Secretary Joseph Westdorp has prepared an updated version of our roster. It is available online and will be sent under separate cover with this newsletter. If you would like a paper copy, please let Joe know.

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, July 2008

2008-06-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events for July and Beyond.

July 7, 2008. Mass, Rosary, and Adoration at Holy Spirit Parish, with Mass beginning at 8:00 a.m. Rosary and Adoration will follow.
July 14, 2008. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Louis Benton Steak House. July 14 also marks the beginning of NDVI week. Our two attendees are Danielle LaVille and Zach Anzivino. We need a driver for that date, with departure at approximately 1:30 p.m. and again for Friday, July 18 for their return. The students are to be picked up at 12:30 on that day. Call Pam McKenzie if you can help.
July 21, 2008. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Louis Benton Steak House.
July 28, 2008. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, Sacred Heart Parish.
August 11, 2008. Serra Picnic. Details TBA.
August 13-17, 2008. Serra Interational, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fr. Ed, Mark Kubik, and Dennis Leiber plan to attend. Dennis will serve as our club's delegate.
August 22, 2008. Shrimp Dinner, Muskegon Catholic Central.

Speaking of dates in July, Leonard Grotenrath calls our attention to presentations given by the Grand Dialogue Community, whose website and be found at http://www.granddialog.org/ This interesting and stimulating series of public lectures concern science, philosophy, and belief.
July presentations will take place at Calvin College and they are scheduled as follows: Wednesday, July 2 in the Seminary Chapel, July 9 and July 16 in the Gezon Auditorium.
All events will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Meet our Newly Ordained.

Ordination of Reverend Michael F. Cilibraise (Priest) and Reverend Mister Michael E. Burt and Reverend Mister Aaron Ferris (Deacons) took place at the Cathedral of St. Andrew on June 7, 2008.

Reverend Michael Cilibraise is the oldest son of Charles and Charlene Cilibraise of Sheridan, Michigan. Father Cilibraise has two brothers and one sister. St. Paul Campus Parish, Big Rapids, is his home parish. He graduated from Ferris State University in 1982 with a bachelor of science degree in social work. He also earned an associate's degree in criminal justice from Kellogg Community College. Father Cilibraise received his master's degree in divinity from St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois in May 2008. He has been assigned to St. Thomas and Our Lady of Grace in Muskegon, and when school is in session, he will be spending one day a week with students at Muskegon Catholic Central High School.

Reverend Mister Michael Burt was born in Petoskey, Michigan to Anne and the late Edward Burt. He has one sister, Catherine, and one brother, David. St. Paul Campus Parish and St. Mary Parish, Big Rapids, are his home parishes. Deacon Burt graduated from George Washington University with a bachelor of science degree in health science in 1993 while serving in the U. S. Navy. After serving 22 years, he retired from the U. S. Navy with an honorable discharge in 1996. He will be entering his final year of seminary at St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois this fall and is a candidate to receive his master's degree in divinity in May 2009.

Reverend Mister Aaron R. Ferris is the youngest child of Brian and Pauline Ferris of Newaygo. Deacon Ferris has a brother, Jacob, and a sister, Danielle. All Saints Parish, Fremont, is his home parish. He graduated from Seton Hall University in 2004 with a bachelor of arts degree in classical studies. Deacon Ferris will be entering his final year of seminary at St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois this fall and is a candidate to receive his master's degree in divinity in May 2009. Source: Diocese of Grand Rapids.

Congratulations...to all of our priests who celebrated ordination anniversaries in June:
Rev. Michael J. Alber, Rev. Msgr. Gasper Ancona, Rev. Matthew Barnum, Rev. Mark Bauer, Rev. M. Thomas Bolster, Rev. Charles Brown, Rev. Thomas Brown, Rev. Patrick Cawley, Rev. James Chelich, Rev. Michael Danner, Rev. Thomas DeYoung, Rev. George Fekete, Rev. Joseph Fix, Rev. Edward Hankiewicz, Rev. Victor Kynam, Rev. Donald Lomasiewicz, Rev. Paul Milanowski, Rev. Troy Nevins, Rev. Phillip Nguyen, Rev. Thomas Page, Rev. Mark Peacock, Rev. Anthony Pelak, Rev. Phong Pham, Rev. Anthony Russo, Rev. R. Luis Quintana, Rev. Leo Rosloniec, Rev. Chris Rouech, Rev. Ronald Schneider, Rev. R. Louis Stasker, Rev. John Thome, Rev. Dung Anton Tran, Rev. John Tuller, Rev. John Vallier, Rev. Peter Vu, Rev. Thomas Vesbit, Rev. Joseph Wiekerak, Rev. John Wisniski , and Rev. William Zink. Please pray for them. Please pray also for those who reside at St. Ann's Home: Rev. Edward Bielskas, Rev. Lionel Harnish, Rev. Thomas McKinney, and Rev. Kenneth Wing.

At the June 23 meeting our club congratulated our Moderator, Fr. Ed Hankiewicz, who celebrated 29 years on that day.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for us.

News from the Serra All-American Conference, Notre Dame, Indiana, June 19-22.
The theme of the conference was "Vision of the Church in 2025."

All four Michigan District 15 Serra Clubs were represented at the conference. Attendees included Judge Tom Linck, Muskegon (please pray for Tom's brother, who is very ill); incoming District Governor Louis Rapin, Saginaw Serra; Robert O'Roark and wife Pat, Tom Berringer, from Detroit/Oakland; and from Grand Rapids outgoing District Governor Nate McKenzie, Grand Rapids Serra President Pam McKenzie, and John and Ellen Osterhart.

Our club was presented the Outstanding USAC Newsletter of Region 6 Award.

Resolution of USA Council restructuring issues have been largely resolved, with special thanks to Serra USA Council Episcopal Advisor Bishop Blase Cupich, Serra International Episcopal Advisor Justin Cardinal Rigali, and Consultant "Jim the Baptist" Jones.

A Vocations presentation led by Judy Cozzens of Southwest Denver Serra included the following:
1. School Vocations Awareness Program (Santa Clara Serra)
2. College Connection Program.
3. Parish Vocations Committee Programs were highlighted with materials and presentations from multiple Serra clubs. Judy Cozzens may be reached by e-mail at jcozzens@msn.com
or by phone at 303-795-0050.

Other Friday presentations included "A Vision of the Church in 2025," by Serra USA Council Episcopal Advisor Bishop Cupich, of Rapid City, SD, "The Changing Face of the Catholic Church," by Timothy Matovina, Director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame, and one given by Donald Herman, North San Diego County Serra, mailto:conherm@juno.com or 760-749-2321), who made an appeal for clubs to volunteer to adopt a newly formed sister Serra Club in a developing or third world country. Don's club is helping a Serra Club in South Africa. Greg Lynch, Serra USAC Membership VP and member of the Serra Club of Santa Clara, led a presentation with emphasis on MEMBERSHIP, MEMBERSHIP, MEMBERSHIP. Our club will have an opportunity to participate in a Membership presentation at the Region 6 Conference scheduled for October in Wheeling, WV. We will present further information as the time comes, and we thank Vice President, Membership Chairman Tim Hile for his role in adding new members to our club.

A number of the Saturday presentations addressed changes in the Church directly related to the question of vocations: Mark Plaiss spoke about the increasing role of deacons in the Church. Sister Amy Hoey addressed the preparation and integration of the currently over 30,000 lay ecclesial ministers into parishes and their role in the future. Brother Paul Bednarczyk discussed the trends, opportunities, and challenges in vocations to the avowed religious life in the United States.

On Friday evening Bishop Cupich presided over the liturgy at Little Flower Church. Father David T. Link celebrated mass at Christ the King Church in South Bend on Saturday. Fr. Link, 71, decided to become a priest after the death of his wife and he was just recently ordained. On Sunday Serrans attended mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. On a personal note, Serrans witnessed quiet courage as a blind student walked to mass with her seeing eye dog. After entering the Basilica she took Ellen's arm for assistance in finding a seat.

Submitted by John Osterhart, who writes, "My recapitulation does not do justice to (our weekend). I just hope that all of our members will take advantage of the wonderful experience of attending a Regional, National, and/or International Serra Conference when the opportunity is available." Thank you, John for this information.

About the Budget. Dan Grady submitted a treasurer's report for 7/1/07 to 5/19/08.
We have forwarded a copy of this budget by e-mail to those who receive the electronic newsletter. For those receiving a paper newsletter, we plan to include a copy of the budget in the July mailing.

Msgr. Ancona, Mark Kubik and Ralph Hauenstein are writing a history of our club, and the Board approved the application of the Cavera Fund, amounting to approximately $400, to this project and possibly to developing a tri-fold informational brochure about our club. A subcommittee headed by Dan Grady is working on a donation policy. We will publish the policy as soon as the details have been worked out and the board has formally adopted it.

Reflections on a June Scripture Reading. The scriptures of June 15 employ mixed metaphors--images of sheep and shepards, priests and people, harvest and laborers--all of which intermingle to create a web of meaning on which we have based our understanding of Christian vocations. Above all, these images help us see Christian vocations as an extension and expression of Jesus' own ministry in the world. They lend themselves especially well to a reflection on the vocation to ordained priesthood. The scriptures for that day help us to understand the role of the ordained in the life of the Church. They also encourage us to pray for an increase in the number of candidates for priestly ordination, for "the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few" (Matthew 9:37). Source: Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Bulletin, June 15.

Pray especially for these Serrans and Friends: Deacon Dale Hollern, Abe Rossi, and Paula Mulligan. Pray also for the brother of Len Gross, who has returned to the United States from missionary work in Ghana and who is recovering from an illness, and for Franciscan Sister Colleen Sue Nagel.

St. Paul's Year Begins. Sunday, June 29 was the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul (Liturgical Year A, Cycle II). At 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI solemnly opened the year of St. Paul, marking two millenia since his birth. At 9:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, he gave the pallium to metropolitan archbishops at St. Peter's. The pallium is a wool liturgical garment.

The Vatican has granted a plenary indulgence during the Pauline Year for those who fulfill the requirements of confession, Communin, and prayers for the Holy Father's intentions "in total detachment from sin," and also:
1. Make a pilgrimage to St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome and pray for the Holy Father's intentions at the altar of confession, invoking the Blessed Mother and St. Paul.
2. The Catholic faithful in any local church can obtain indulgence by participating with devotion in a liturgy or other public event dedicated to St. Paul--in any sacred place on the opening and closing days of the jubilee year, and on other days in places designated by the local bishop. The sick must intend to as soon as they're able...
Pope Benedict XVI, in announcing the year of St. Paul last year, gave some lessons we can learn from St. Paul.
1. Evangelization is necessary to Christians...
2. Disagreements are human nature, but charity is eternal. The Pope also pointed out that the year opens on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. They were very different figures with different roles in the Church, and there was tension between them, the Pope said, but together they helped build the Church and showed the world "a new way of being brothers." Paul also had a famously sharp disagreement with St. Barnabas, so acrimonious that they split. When the Church seems polarized, we can take comfort that there have always been big disagreements in the Church--and even greater charity.
3. Our Church is built on the sacrifice of the apostles. It was only a few decades ago that Peter's tomb was found to be buried deep beneath the center altar of St. Peter's Basilica. Now Vatican experts have discovered a roughly cut marble sarcophagus deep beneath St. Paul Outside the Walls, which, said Pope Benedict: "according to the common opinion of the experts and unopposed tradition holds the remains of the apostle Paul." It should strengthen our faith to know that our Church was built on the martyrdom of the apostles.
4. Be ready for martyrdom. These are scary times, with new legal challenges making it criminal to be a believing Catholic on some issues in Canada and elsewhere. Don't worry, said the Pope. The Church's actions are credible and effective only to the extent that Christians are willing to "pay personally for their faith in Christ, in every situation," said Pope Benedict. Where this commitment is lacking, the appeal of the Gospel will b weaker, he said.
Paul "lived and worked for Christ; he suffered and died for him. How current is his example today!" By Tom and April Hoopes. Source: National Catholic Register, June 22, 2008.

A Message from our President.
Dear Grand Rapids Serrans:

I am writing this message after attending weekend celebrations at both churches I serve. What a great gift to celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul at weekend mass and hear stories about their lack of faith, and how they were transformed. Of course I am partial to the Psalm responses, and this week's, "The angel of the Lord will rescue those who hear him," rang so meaningful and so true.

The angel of the Lord was watching over John and Ellen Osterhart and Nate and me as we traveled to Notre Dame for the Regional Conference last week. It is always nice to be with old friends and make new ones. I had the opportunity to visit with both Louis Rapin, our new District Governor from Saginaw and Joe Dietrich, ournew Regional Director from Ohio. Both man are excited to be working with the clubs of our region and district. In the coming months, I know we will be hearing from both of them. Many thanks to Nate McKenzie for serving as District Governor for the past two years. I also learned that one of our past regional directors, Doug McRoy, is now president elect for the U. S. Council. It was also a great pleasure to accept the award for outstanding newsletter for our region on behalf of Nancy King. She works very hard to keep us informed and is very deserving of this award. Congratulations, Nancy.

I understand that many of the differences that had been troubling both the USA Council of Serra and Serra International have been ironed out. There is still some work to finalize before their plan can be presented to the membership. Because of the timing, nothing will be happening until next summer at the International Convention in Omaha, Nebraska.The presentations were all exciting, informative, and interesting. We want to keep the newly ordained Father Zinck in our prayers. At age 71, he is on his sixth career. We are never too old to begin anew, and I know the angel of the Lord will keep watch over him.

Our club's committees are moving ahead with planning for the coming months. If you have not notified one or more of them to join a committee, please do so. Our club has many repeat projects, and we are brainstorming and starting new ones. Don't be left out, and please find the committee you find most interesting. Committee chairmen are as follows: Vocations, Len Gross; Programs, Joseph Scoville; Communications, Nancy King; and Membership, Tim Hile. They will welcome your participation, and the angel of the Lord will be watching, too!
There are some pending opportunities for July and August. Watch your e-mails as we finalize our plans. We will look forward to hearing from our students attending Notre Dame Weekend and from Dennis Leiber, our delegate to the International Convention in Brazil. An Adoration schedule is being prepared for the year. For July we invite you to participate in Adoration at Holy Spirit Parish on Monday, July 7. Mass starts at 8:00 a.m., followed by Rosary. Adoration will take place from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. If possible, set aside some quiet time for the Lord that day, praying for vocations either at Holy Spirit, at home, or at work.

We are have prepared a financial statement for your review. Those taking the electronic newsletter should have received it under separate cover. Those receiving the paper newsletter may view it as part of this mailing. I will listen to any comments. Thank you to Pat Leikert and Dan Grady for compiling this information.
This week we celebrate Independence Day. Many blessings for a safe holiday weekend, and the angel of the Lord rescues those who fear him.
Peaceful blessings,
Pam McKenzie

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, June, 2008

2008-06-01T04:53:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events.

June 6, 2008. Adoration, First Friday, June 6 at IHM, 9:00-10:00 a.m.

June 7, 2008. Ordination of one priest and two deacons, St. Andrew's Cathedral. Mass begins at 10:00 a.m. Those Serrans serving on the hospitality team may report at 8:40 in the chapel for prayer time. These times are different from the ones previously published. The prayer time is optional. Hospitality duties begin at 9:00 a.m. All Serrans are invited to attend the mass, even though only 10 Serrans will be serving on the hospitality team.

June 9, 2008. Luncheon meeting, 12:00 noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Fr. Ed will be the speaker. Catholic Lawyers of Grand Rapids will join us on this day as special guests.

June 16, 2008. Board Meeting, 12:00 noon at Louis Benton Steak House.

June 20-22, 2008. USAC Super Weekend with Regional Conference, Notre Dame, Indiana.

June 23, 2008. Prayer service and luncheon meeting, 12:00 noon at Sacred Heart. Investiture of new members is tentatively scheduled on this day.

Additional June Dates. Pledge your prayers for the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City, June 15-22. Whether or not they attend, all the faithful are encouraged to make the International Eucharistic Congress Pledge:

Jesus, I pledge to respond to your invitation to take part in the Sunday Eucharist with my brothers and sisters gathered together.
For where two or three meet in my name, I am gathered there among them (Mt. 18:20).
I pledge to listen carefully to your Word. I will meditate and pray on your Word. I will put your Word into practice and do what you say, day after day.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us (Jn 1:14).
I pledge to support priests in their mnistry and recognize that You arte acting through them in the Eucharist and in other sacraments.
While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat: this is my body" (Mt. 26:26).
I pledge to welcome your love by partaking of your Body and to take the time to prolong our encounter in prayer and adoration.
I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry; whoever believes in me will never be thirsty (Jn 6:35).
I pledge to recognize you in all people, especially those who are most difficult to love, seeing in everyone a brother, a sister, because God's spirit dwells in everyone.
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you? (1 Cor 3:16).
I pledge to stand by you, Jesus crucified, along with your mother, the Virgin Mary, helping my brothers and sisters who suffer in body, mind, and spirit.
Just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me (Mt. 25:40).

Through the generosity of the Knights of Columbus, Canada's Salt and Light Television Network (http://www.saltandlighttv.org/), in conjunction with EWTN (http://www.ewtn.org/), will telecast these events. For more information visit the International Eucharistic Congress Web site: http://www.cei2008.ca/.
Source: http://www.catholicweb.com/. Secondary source: Our Lady of Sorrows Bulletin, June 1, 2008.

Recommended related reading: The Seven Secrets of the Eucharist, available at Catholic bookstores.

Mark your calendars for the following other important dates:

August 12-17. Serra International Convention, Aguas de Lindoia, Sao Paulo State, Brazil.
Among the speakers will be His Eminence Justin Cardinal Rigali, who will complete his third three-year term at this year's International Convention; His Eminence Zenon Cardinal Grocholewski, who was appointed Prefect of the SacredCongregation for Catholic Education in November, 1999 and was elevated to the College of Cardinals in February, 2001; and His Eminence Odilo Caradinal Scherer, named by Pope Benedict XVI Archbishop of Sao Paulo in March, 2007 and elevated to theCollege of Cardinals in the Public Consistory at St. Peter's Basilica.

Friday, August 22, 2008. Muskegon Club's Annual Shrimp Dinner, 5:30-7:00 p.m. at Muskegon Catholic Central High School. Approximate cost $15 per person, with soft drinks and adult beverages available.

October, 2008. Fall Regional Conference, Oglebay, West Virginia. More information to come.

News from Asia: Bangalore Vocation Camp. We thank Serra International President Emeritus Dennis Leiber for the following note from Chainarong Monthienvichienchai regarding the Bangalore Vocation Camp:

May 1, 2008. Dear Salena: It's always a joy to receive news from the Serra Club of Bangalore in India. Not only are you alive and well, but also you promote vocations with dedication. Indeed, what your club under the leadership of Jeanette has done is truly a role model and (provides) an inspiration for all of us to follow your beautiful example of the Bangalore Vocation Camp. It clearly reflects your strong faith in the Lord.

As Pope Benedict XVI said early this year, we can only serve the Lord energetically if our faith thrives and is present in abundance in us. The Holy Father also quoted the Lord, who said over and over again to those He healed that it was not the physical touch, it was not the external gesture that was operative, but...that those sick people believed.

The Holy Father added that future priests and preachers of the faith must receive good theological training. We need good major seminaries and qualified theology teachers who not only impart knowledge but inculcate in students an intelligent faith so that faith becomes intelligence.

Again, I sincerely commend the Serra Club of Bangalore for the wonderful deeds. Congratulations on the success, and I look forward to hearing more news from you...

Thank you for sharing this most delightful news with us. Praise the Lord! Mary, mother of vocations, pray for us.

Yours in Serra,

Chainarong

P. S. Please note that the next Serra Asian Convention will be held in Singapore in April, 2010. The Serra Club of Singapore has kindly agreed to be the host, and the preparation has already begun. Please plan to bring as many members as possible to this event, which promises to be a great convention for Serra in Asia. Meanwhile, the upcoming Serra International Convention will be held in Brazil in August of this year. More details at http://www.serraconvention.org/

Congratulations to Father Ted Kozlowski, who celebrated his 50th anniversary of ordination on June 1, 2008, at Our Lady of Sorrows. Congratulations are also in order for Fr. Zink of St. Mary's Parish, Marne, 50 years; Fr. Lou Anderson of Carson City, 45 years; and Fr. Troy Nevins, IHM, 11 years.

We extend our best wishes to Serran Past President Mark Kubik, who recently completed the MBA program at the University of Michigan School of Business.

Pray for the continued recovery of these Serrans: Deacon Dale Hollern, Fred Platte, Abe Rossi, and Paula Mulligan.

Catholic Central grad Joe VanderZee writes of his discernment: Over the last few years many of you...have asked me one seemingly innocuous question: "What did you do after high school?" I often replied that I was unsure. My story moved from architecture to engineering to "maybe psychology," to no idea whatsoever. They were all lies. While I knew the honest answer to your question more firmly and longer than even I realized, I refused to acknowledge it. Now I would like to share what I previously lacked the courage to reveal.

My discernment began when my new third grade teacher seemed to fly into the room on our first day as he catapulted himself toward the ceiling. I do not remember if Mr. Fochtman reached it that day, but he would try periodically throughout the year. It was a very high ceiling, often just out of reach. He was a remarkable teacher who expected my classmates and me to take ownership of every assignment: our own high ceiling to grasp. I became a motivated and hardworking student, and I joined the Boy Scouts. I learned much about teamwork and the importance of service. I gained enough experience as a leader to realize that only with personal sacrifices could I really make the troop a better place and help others reach their potential.

However, my reflections on serving and perhaps leading others were driving me down a very uncomfortable path. I found myself entertaining thoughts of becoming a priest. This, my psyche clearly informed me, was not socially acceptable; it would mean sacrificing too much. I happily let the world's ideas of wealth, power, and happiness bury this humbled aspiration one sophisticated shovelful at a time...

Editor's Note: As Joe describes his numerous experiences at Catholic Central, he goes on to describe his participation in CORE:

I was given the privilege of participating on the CORE team where all important decisions were made by consensus. The system forced us to acknowledge each other's perspectives and synthesize forty visions into one. I forged inspiring new friendships that sprang from letting go of my personal wishes to find what was best for our whole class.

When I saw my future bearing down quickly, at the end of my junior year, I realized what a mistake it would be to base my life's most significant decisions on an aspiration motivated by the world's ideas of success and not my honest talents, passions, or faith. I wondered how I could build a life around moments like those that had inspired me: when I left my own wishes behind to share in the growth of others. Before long the replacement dream of a career in arthitecture was no longer adequate to silence the now very loud voice in the back of my head that hinted at a life dedicated to spiritual leadership.

When I reached COREX, I opened a letter I had written during freshman year. My jaw dropped when I read the confident words of my younger self: "You are going to become a priest." It went on to explain the truths about myself I thought I had only then discovered. I realized that priesthood had been my real dream all along; I had simply refused to admit it, even to myself. Though I unearthed the old dream, I kept it closely guarded.

I have spent the vast majority of this year avoiding the question or lying outright when asked to specify to what heights I aspire. I mistakenly felt convinced that if (people) knew, they would never treat me the same way, share the same jokes, or speak with the same candor. I worried that everyone would stereotype me as weird, or as much holier than I am, or worse yet, as someone who thinks he's better than everyone else. Furthermore, telling anyone with conviction that I intend to become a priest would give away not only career ambitions but exactly how I will live my life: a psychological nakedness for which I did not feel prepared. However, should I successfully construct my life to imitate that of a man who offered himself up to death, I suspect it will often be uncomfortable.

The time has long passed to own up to the truth, even if I find it awkward or politically incorrect. I hope a new commitment to honesty might make up for the missed opportunities for conversation that my lying caused. Perhaps it is too late. Yet I know what I have learned at Catholic Central will inspire me in the future to do a much better job living out one certain reality. One ceiling hangs above any skyscraper, free of all limits, and beyond the sky. I want to use my life to support the dreams and hopes of the people around me as we lead each other to God. After all, it is lowly church rafters that hold up our familiar cathedral spires as they ring out noisy calls to prayer, elevate the cross for all to see, and point directly toward heaven.
Source: Senior Issue, Blue and White, May 20, 2008. About this article Serran Tim Hile writes: "The real reason I am forwarding this article is that I hope it will give us more insight as to how to reach young people like Joe. I think it points to all the little touches we can have with younger children to help them understand it is all right to feel called to be closer to God. As a club, how do we take this and aid more young people in nurturing their journey? How can we create more awareness within the Catholic schools and the Faith Formation (CCD) programs throughout the diocese?"

www.serraus.org provides a link to the College Connection Program, the purpose of which is to help high school graduates locate the "Catholic Presence" when they arrive on campus. We especially thank Serrans Nate McKenzie and Paul Nelson for their work with local colleges and universities.

A Message from our President:

Dear Grand Rapids Serrans: May was certainly a rich, liturgy-filled month, starting with the Ascension of our Lord, Pentecost, Holy Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi. When we add in First Holy Communions, Mother's Day, May crownings with devotions to Mary--how did we find at date for the 60th Anniversary Charter Night Celebration?

Many thanks to Hon. Joseph Scoville and his committee for a greatly successful evening. The Mass of Thanksgiving was inspiring, giving praise and thanks to our God for the past 60 years and asking for continued guidance in the years to come. We thank His Excellency Bishop Hurley for joining us, and we thank the Lord for the presence of the Honorable Chair and Charter Member Ralph Hauenstein. We also thank Joe and Kathy Westdorp, along with the Diocesean Choir, under the direction of Dennis Rybicki, for the outstanding music. We thank Patty Hughes for coordinating all of the details at the cathedral. The St. George banquet facility was very accommodating. (And then there was that description of a drill sergeant from District Governor Nate McKenzie...I was a little confused, as I thought I was attending the Serra Charter Night Dinner, not entering boot camp)...

Mark Kubik has been an ambitious president, and we thank him for all of his hard work. I especially look for his continued guidance as me remains on the board as Past President.
Again, my appreciation to everyone who helped make the evening a time to restate who we are and what we do as Grand Rapids Serrans.

We have already held our first board meeting of the new term. I shared my focus ideas for the coming months: to continue what has been happening in recent years of growth in membership; to provide informative programs to help us promote, foster, and pray for priestly and religious vocations while enriching our own Catholic journey; to keep communications open; to develop a working budget; and to spend more energy on vocation-related projects, activities, and events. Focusing on vocations, our club urges all members to become involved with a committee or a subcommittee. The vice-presidents will be asking for your help and involvement. If you have a particular area of interest, let them know.

Pentecost Sunday always reminds us of the great story of how the Holy Spirit appeared to the Twelve and how this same Holy Spirit is present to us in the world today. May we continue with our whole hearts, minds, and souls to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, continuing His work as we foster, promote,and pray for priestly and religious vocations.

I look forward to seeing you on Monday, June 9 as we gather with a group of Catholic Lawyers to share a meal and listen to our Moderator, Fr. Ed Hankiewicz. The peace of the Lord be with you. Pam McKenzie

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, May, 2008

2008-04-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events.

May 12, 2008. Chaarter Night. By now, the arrangements have been completed, and all Serrans should have received their invitations. Mass begins at St. Andrew's Cathedral at 5:30 p.m., with reception and dinner to follow at St. George's Banquet Center, LaGrave Avenue SE.

Investiture of new officers will take place at the dinner.

May 26, 2008. No meeting (May 26 is Memorial Day).

June 7, 2008. Ordination of one priest, Michael Cilibraise, and two transitional deacons, Michael Burt and Aaron Ferris at St. Andrew's Cathedral. The Bishop has asked for ten Serrans to provide hospitality services. Those volunteering for this event should arrive at St. Andrews no later than 9:30 a.m. Abe Rossi and Len Gross will co-ordinate the Serrans' Hospitality Team.

The diocese has specified that exactly ten Serrans will serve on the Hospitality Team, although all Serrans are welcome to attend.

June 9, 2008. Serra Luncheon Meeting, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 Noon.

June 16. Board meeting.

June 18, 19, 2008. 2008 USAC Officers' Meeting.

June 19-22, 2008. Serra All American Conference, Notre Dame, Indiana. See the April Newsletter for details, or go to serraus.org for details. Tom Hausladen and Dick Dornbos are serving as chairmen for this event.

June 23, 2008. Prayer Service and Luncheon, Sacred Heart Church, 12:00 Noon.

October 13, 2008. Member/Guest Reception, 5:30 p.m. at Louis Benton Steak House.

December 2, 2008. Vocations Dinner.

Serra Nominations List for 2008.

President: Pam McKenzie

President-Elect: Dan Grady

Secretary: Joseph Westdorp

Treasurer: Pat Leikert

Vice-President, Communications: Nancy King

Vice-President, Vocations: Len Gross

Vice-President, Membership: Tim Hile

Vice-President, Programs: Joseph Scoville

Trustees: Abe Rossi, Bob Paul, John Osterhart, and Paul Nelson.

Past President: Mark Kubik.

Thank you, Bob Paul, for serving on the Nominations Committee.

Many Thanks...to all who helped in any way with the Sisters' Appreciation Dinner on April 12. Approximately 75 sisters attended, and by any standards one would care to apply, the event was a great success. The club received a number of thank-you notes, as follows:

From the Marywood Sisters: Thanks so much for inviting us to share in the beautiful mass, delicious hors d'oeuvres, dinner, and enjoyable entertainment. I also appreciated the opportunity to reconnect with people from the different parishes, where I served over many years. Thanks also for the food containers that enabled me to take home what I couldn't eat, and have enough for another meal. God bless you all, Sr. Marie Joy Yuhasz, O. P.

Thank you so much for your gracious hospitality and self-giving in providing such a beautiful celebration for us Sisters. We could not ask for more. We are most grateful to you! Be assured of our love and prayers and gratitude. God bless each one of you. Sister Carmella Conway.

Many thanks for inviting the Sisters to share Liturgy of the Mass with you. The German dinner that followed was most delicious. We tryly enjoyed the entertainment and our nice, firendly servers. Also thank you for all the work you do for others. Sister Margaret Kiemstra, O. P.

Thank you dear friends...God Bless your many good works. Peace. Sister Roseanne.

Everything was wonderful--the dinner, the music, and the friendship. Thank you. S. Thomasine.

God Bless you for your generosity to us. Everything was great. Sister Mary Jo Beckett, O. P.

What a lovely banquet. Thanks and thanks again for the wonderful time! Sr. Carol Ann.

Blessings on you for the special Religious Appreciation Mass, dinner, and entertainment and all your hours spent in preparation. Gratefully, Sr. Rose Serafhine, O. P.

Thanks much for your superb menu, your music, and your graciousness. SM

What a delightful evening and wonderful meal you gave us. God bless you for everything. S. Omma.

Had a wonderful time. Thank you so much. Sr. Marybride.

Your efforts to share a wonderful evening were much appreciated. S. Audrey.

Thanks so much for a marvelous time! My stomach is still rejoicing! Sister Monica.

Thank you so very much for your gracious love and service. The meal was delicious. What beautiful persons you are. Love and prayers, Sr. Phyllis Lopez, O. P.

What a delightful time...Appreciation and prayers, Sister Edith.

A super celebration@ Thank you. We'll keep you in prayer. Sister Angelina and Sister Adrienne.

Many, many thanks. All was so great. Dinner was most delicious and the munchies before were great, too. God bless you much. With much gratitude, Sr. Catherine Ann.

May God bless you many times over for a grand evening of prayer, a meal, and entertainment. I loved hearing, "I'm my own grandpa!" I hadn't heard it in ages. Years ago in New Mexico one of the convents had a record with the song on it. Gratefully, S. Michael Anne.

Thanks for a lovely supper, gracious service, and great music and door prize. Sister Juliana.

Thanks for going "all out" for us. Sr. Olga.

Thank you fir the five star dinner and entertainment. You certainly outdid yourselves. Sr. Janet Hertz.

Thank you very much for the support you continue to give us throughout the year. But today we would like, in a very special way, to thank you for your prayers, the five-star dinner, and the care package you sent us home with. We tryly had a wonderful time connecting with other religious sisters and with all of you. We assure you of our prayers for each one of you and your loved ones. May Our Lady Consolata intercede with God for you and grant all God's blessings of Peace, Love, and Health. Sincerely, Sr. Zelia M. Cordeiro and the Consolata Missionary Sisters.

It was a wonderful evening. The Mass was so prayerful. The dinner was pure delight. Please, thank all the persons who planned, cooked, served, etc. Everyone was gracious. Ifelt like "a Princess." I will hold all of you in prayer. Sister Fran, R. S. M.

Please extend my personal gratitude for the lovely evening provided by the persons associated with the Serra Club. The dinner provided with a "German flair" was delicious. Gratefully in the Heart of Mercy, Sister Karen, R. S. M.

Dear Mr. Kubik, Thank you so much for your leadership of the Serra Club and the lovely Appreciation Dinner the club hosted for Religious Sisters. Being German, I especially enjoyed the food! We had great conversation at our table and I was renewed by talking with other sisters and many Club members. Fr. Lou Anderson was an inspiring presider at the liturgy. He was so soncere in expressing his support and encouraging others to do the same. With the renewal of hope and healing evident in the Pope's recent visit, my prayer is that many will be open to God's call an consecrated life. May God continue to bless your work. Sincerely, Sister M. Rosita Schiller, R. S. M.

The Saturday evening event was superb! The Serrans outdid themselves. A big thank you to each of you. It is much appreciated. Blessings, Sister Patrice.

Dear Friends. What a wonderful celebration we had onSaturday night at St. Jude's. The hospitality, the wonderful meal and music--to say nothing of the thoughtful prizes--were truly great. Thank you all so much. In these days, as we age, our lives and life's work can easily be forgotten. The Serrans have not forgotten us. Thank you for your kindness and love for us! Sister Janice Mankowski, O. P.

We were greatly blessed on Saturday evening. Thank you for all of your kindnesses. We had a grand time. I haven't danced a polka in several years. Sr. Carmen Rostar.

Another kind of Vocation Appreciation. Serran Darlene Braunschneider informs us that the following priests will celebrate ordination dates in May:

Rev. Ernest Bernott 5/22/48
Rev. John J. Kenny, CSP 5/1/58
Rev. Peter Hoang-Xuan-Nghiem 5/20/72
Rev. Leonard Sudlik 5/15/76
Rev. Charion O. Mason 5/19/79
Rev. Mark David Janus CSP 5/15/79
Rev. Mark Przybycz 5/19/90
Rev. Msgr. William H. Duncan 5/19/90

We give thanks for these vocations.

Notre Dame Weekend. The Serra Board approved two scholarships @$ 350 for students attending the Notre Dame Weekend. More details to follow as to the dates of the events and the criteria for choosing applicants.

Just in case you missed these...items from the Spring 2008 issue of serraUSA. See a) "Vocations to the service of the Church-mission," the Message of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for the 45th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, April 13,2008", p. 3, and Grand Rapids nun's sculptures are created in God's image, p. 4+. This article feagures Dominican Sister Phyllis Mrozinski's works created in her studio at the Dominican Center at Marywood. The publication also provides a registration form for the Serra All-American Conference in South Bend.

The Pope Brought Down the House. Rally was the right word for what took place in Yonkers, New York, April 19. The occasion, of course, was Pope Benedict XVI's visit to pray with and inspire young people, seminarians, and disabled children at an outdoor event.

An exuberant crowd of about 25,000 danced to Christian music until the Holy Father arrived at sundown--at which point they rallied indeed around his message of hope, truth, and salvation.

"Ultimately, truth is a person: Jesus Christ," he said.

Pointing to his firsthand experience with the "clenched fist of repression" in Nazi Germany, the Pope urged young people to reject relativism and embrace a life of prayer and contemplation. "Do not be afraid of silence or stillness," he said. "Listen to God."

"As young Americans, you are offered many opportunities for personal development, and you are brought up with a sense of generosity, service, and freedom," he said. "Yet you do not need me to tell you that there are also difficulties."

"The power to destroy does remain," he added. "Yet it never triumphs; it is defeated."

As it happened the rally fell on the thrid anniversary of Benedict's election as the 265th successor to St. Peter. Nostalgia was high; many participants recalled the exhilaration they felt three years ago during the papal transition and related to the Register how Benedict has influenced their lives.

Eric Wagner, 26, is in his third year of studies for the priesthood at Aquinas Institute in St. Louis. He said he and some of his classmates drove 17 hours to get to New York. "It's worth it," he said. Like many young men at the foot of the stage, Wagner was wearing a cassock and a bandana the color of the papal flag around his head.

"This event has been very significant for me," Wagner said, while taking a break from dancing. "How often do you get a chance to see the Pope?"

Wagner said he is not disheartened when he hears people talking about the dearth of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. "That hasn't been my experience," he said. "The Spirit seems to be at work and a gathering like this helps encourage (vocations)."

Inside the seminary, the Pople blessed disabled children and their families and watched a performance of the Arthdiocesan Deaf Choir. He walked back and forth from side to side of the chapel aisle, blessing the children and caressing their faces. Many of the children hugged him...

Outside, while the wait was on, the energy level occasionally bordered on the frenetic. Friars played hacky-sack with seminarians in cassocks and cowboy hats while waiting for the shuttles to take them to the seminary. Food was free, but people had to wait in line for hours to get anything to eat or drink. Those gathered in the field were entertained by half a dozen rock and rap artists, including Father Stan Fortuna, the Franciscan friar who's also a rap artist, and pop star Kelly Clarkson, winner of the first "American Idol" TV show...

Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York, acknowledged the challenges young people face. "This is not an easy time to be young," Cardinal Egan said. "Attractions of much that is unworthy of brothers and sisters abound--movies, Internet, TV are constantly calling people away from what is holy. They need to hear another voice, the voice of the Vicar of Christ."

As this event came at the end of the Pope's fourth day in the United States, the crowd was quick to forgive him for sounding a little weary as he read a prepared speech while seated on stage. "Pray for me," he said during his address, "because I have just had a birthday." The young people responded with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" in German.

As the schedule wound to a close, camera bulbs sparkled. People waved white and yellow bandanas. And the ecstatic cries went up, "We love you!"

Judging by the Pope's joy, I'd say he heard every voice.

By Tucker Cordani. National Catholic Register, April 27, 2008. Tucker Cordani is studying for the priesthood at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary.

News from Boy Scouts of America and Serra Club of Grand Rapids. Gerald R. Ford Council BSA Program Director Aaron Gach suggests the following three websites regarding the national Catholic Committtee on Scouting. http://www.bsagrfc.org/ describes the Serra partnership. http://www.scouting.org/ is a national site, providing great overview information on venturing, and www.ncss-bsa.org/activities/SerraVentruing.php and http://www.nccs-bsa.org/ present more excellent information. Keep posted as our BSA/Serra Venturing activities develop.

A Message from our President. Dear Serrans: It has been three years since I was nvested as your president and began writing my monthly president's message. It is hard to believe that this time has passed so quickly. We are about a week away from celebrating the 60th anniversary of our chartering as a club and the investiture of new officers for the next fiscal year.

This year CharterNight marks another great milestone in our club's history. Many clubs and organizations such as ours celebrate the milestone anniversaries, but few in today's world can celebrate with the vibrancy of our club. As I reflect over the past three years, I am continually amazed at the level of commitment our organization receives from its membership, thus creating the rich history we share today.

The three international presidents from the Grand Rapids club, Bernard Haviland, Ralph Hauenstein, and the Honorable Dennis Leiber, have represente our club in a most exemplary manner. Because of their service to the international organization, clubs around the world are aware of our club's rich history of service.

The commitment to the Serra mission from our founders continues today, and we are fortunate to have Ralph Hauenstein as a charter member of our club and honorary chairman of the 60th Annual Charter Night celebration. Our club's history speaks for itself because so many of our members have moved into other voluntary positions within the heirarchy of Serra.

We as members owe this history to our founders and have an obligation to continue our positive contributions to our club and to Serra International. Our founders' and past club leaders' service provides an example of how we should strive to carry on the mission of Serra. The innovative business model we have adapted for creating growth of membership has become the envy of clubs throughout the United States. Because of this approach, our club's activities and involvement in the Diocese have never been greater.

We must continue our innovative approach for membership and the fostering of vocations. As we share our time, our talent, and our treasure with the club, I am confident of our ongoing success.

I would like to thank you for all of your support over the past three years. It has been an honor to serve you. I look forward to seeing you at Charter Night on May 12.

Very truly yours,

Mark A. Kubik

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, April 2008

2008-03-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Dates to Remember:

Monday, April 7. Adoration at Holy Spirit Parish, 2230 Lake Michigan Drive NW from 9:00-10:00 a.m. Call Abe Rossi at 735-3312 if you have questions. Note that this is a change from the information in the March newsletter.

Friday, April 11. Set-up for Sisters' Appreciation Dinner, St. Jude Brophy Center, 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 12. Sisters' Appreciation Dinner. Joseph Scoville is program chairman.

Mass will begin at 4:00 p.m. Social time and hors d'oeuvres will take place after Mass. Dinner, with a slightly German theme, will be served at 6:00 p.m. Entertainment will follow. We are especially in need of hors d'oeuvres for the social hour and door prizes for the sisters. Those who wish to help in any way should notify Joseph at jscoville8@comcast.net or call him. Serrans are also welcome to bring spouses, friends, and/or older children or grandchildren to help.

Sunday, April 13. World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

Sunday, April 13. Our Lady of Sorrows Spaghetti Dinner, 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Tickets are $7 in advance or $8 at the door. Call 243-0222 if you have questions.

Monday, April 14. Meeting at Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 noon. Speaker TBA.

Monday, April 21. Board Meeting, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 Noon

Monday, April 28. Meeting at Sacred Heart of Jesus. 12:00 noon prayer service followed by lunch.

Monday, May 12. NO NOON MEETING. Charter Night. All Serrans and their guests are cordially invited to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Club's founding. This will be a special, black tie optional event, to reflect the importance of the occasion. We begin with a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew at 5:30 p.m. Bishop Hurley will celebrate Mass, with a number of concelebrants, including Father Hankiewicz, Monsignor Ancona, and Minsignor Duncan. Immediately afterwards, we will have a reception and catered dinner at St. George's Banquet Center, 336 LaGrave Avenue SE. The St. George's location represents a change from our original plans, and it will allow us to accommodate many more people than before. See the President's Message for more information. Lloyd Crockett, President of Serra International, will be the featured speaker. Ralph Hauenstein, one of our founding members, will serve as honorary chair of the event. The cost of the dinner will be $60 per person. See our president's message for further information.

Monday, May 19. Board meeting for new and outgoing board members, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 noon. Remember that Bob Paul is serving as chairman of the Nominations Committee.

Monday, May 26. MEMORIAL DAY. NO MEETING.

Saturday, June 7. Ordination of one priest and two deacons, Cathedral of St. Andrew.

Our club has been asked to serve as ushers and greeters. Those who wish to participate should arrive at 9:00 a.m.

Monday, June 9. Meeting, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 Noon. Guest speaker TBA.

SERRA USA COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING AND SUPER WEEKEND. This year the USA Council of Serra International and the Serra Clubs of Indiana are sponsoring the Serra All American Conference at Notre Dame, Indiana. 2008 USAC Officers will meet on June 18 and 19, and all Serrans and guests are invited to attend during the weekend of June 19-22.

Dick Doornbos spoke at our March 24 meeting at Sacred Heart to provide information about the meeting. He outlines the highlights of the conference as follows: Serrans and guests will enjoy

a) meeting in the newly completed Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center at St. Mary's college,

b) hearing extraordinary speakers Bishop Blase Cupich, Episcopal Advisor to USAC;, Sr. Amy Hoey, RSM, PhD; Br. Paul Bednarczk; Deacon Mark Pliess; Tim Montovina, PhD, and more,

c) obtaining up to date and first-hand knowledge regarding USAC actitivies,

d) attending daily mass,

e) seeing old friends and making new ones at various panel discussions and workshops,

f) concluding the conference with Liturgy on Sunday, June 22 at 10:00 a.m. in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart with a rosary at the famous Lourdes Grotto at Notre Dame.

Tours, golf, and other activities are available as well. There will also be an opportunity to see
Put the Nuns in Charge, now in its third year. The $30 show ticket price is included in your registration fee.

Serrans who use the Internet will find all the information they need at serraus.org. Co-chairs Tom Hausladen and Dick Dornbos have sent paper copies of all of the information to the Communications Committee. Those who have questions may call Ed Verbeke at 888-777-6681, Ex, 226 or FAX 888-777-6803, or Dick Dornbos at 574-271-7853 (home phone), in South Bend, Indiana, or FAX 574-272-3183 (Harris Branch Library). Promotional tickets are also included in the mailing. The raffle allows us not only to raise money for our own club, but also includes 12 prizes, among them four football tickets to a Notre Dame football game in the fall of 2008. Dick Doornbos reminds us that those who can't sell any of these tickets, or don't care to, may send a donation to the South Bend Club to help defray expenses for the Super Weekend.

August 12-17. Serra International will met at Aguas de Lindois, Sao Paulo State, Brazil.

December 2. Vocations Dinner. Dinner Chairman Bob Paul will keep us posted as the arrangements become finalized.

News from SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary. Serran Mark Levandoski sends us a letter from the Chancellor of Orchard Lake Schools. We include the following excerpts:

Dear Friends (of the Orchard Lake Schools),

They are Tomasz, Adam, Karol, Leszek, and Marcin. They are just some of the 38 seminarians on campus who have come from various regions of their native Poland to study for the priesthood.
Perhaps you are unaware that they are pursuing their studies for the priesthood to serve the Church here in the United States. They have taken leave of their families and their homeland to support the needs of the various dioceses and archdioceses in the United States...Of the 435 men ordained for the priesthood in 2007, thirty-one percent were immigrants from other countries. Eight of those were from our seminary here at Orchard Lake.

We cannot continue to prepare future priests without your help. Today, we have the young men ready to respond to God's call who need financial support. That's where you can help...

Of course, I also ask for your prayers for our current seminarians and those who are still discerning whether or not they have a vocation. This gift of your prayers is precious, and only you can give it...We pray that your gift of charity will be returned to you in the form of blessings for you and your family....

Gtatefully yours in Christ, Rev. Timothy F. Whalen

Donations may be sent to SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary, 3535 Indian Trail, Orchard Lake, MI 48324-1623. Telephone 248-682-1885, or visit the website at http://www.orchardlakeschools.com/

A Letter from a friend in Japan. Serrans John and Mary Stepanovich received this letter from a dear friend, Fr. Graham McDonnell, written on New Year's Day, 2008.

Dear Mary and John:

Here it is, the beginning of the year, when a long, restful silence settles on Kyoto. The whole country closes down for about ten days, from December 29 until January 6. As usual, at this time each year, unsent Christmas cards are resting on my desk, with a number of your cards awaiting answers. Last year marked my 80th birthday on Mary 31st. Forty-eight of those years have been spent in Japan...

During the year there was lots of activity on our home page, with a special Christmas slideshow of stained glass windows in Japan, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Your, Ohio, and Michigan. I took the photos and Tomiko Minakuchi, whom you met in Kyoto, worked miracles with the editing. As our computer guru, whe keeps the editorial department of the "Light of the Heart" going.

Our annual Christmas pamphlet featured the windows of Saint Patrick's Church in Cleveland, Ohio. These windows were installed more than 100 years ago, when my dad, then about eight years old, was entranced by the dazzling colors. Those windows still glow with the story of Christmas keeping our Faith warm and vibrant. The pamphlet was so popular that we had to repring. We like those kinds of problems.

The small Catholic community in Japan is looking forward to the beatification of 188 Japanese martyrs in October...In June, 2008, I will teturn to the States for my 50th anniversary of ordination.l I am grateful for the time and good health the Lord has allowed me to live in Japan. I pray for each of you. I am looking forward to seeing you in June. I would like to meet the Serra Club, if there is a meeting when I am home.

With prayers, Graham McDonnell.

A Fellow Serran Asks for your Help. Some time ago Darlene Braunschneider offered to take over a project once performed by Joe Cavera, who sent birthday and anniversary cards to each of our diocesean priests. Darlelne has encountered some difficulty in carrying out this work and would like someone to assist her, especially with obtaining the necessary information.

If you'd like to become part of this activity, notify her at xdarlenex2002@yahoo.com or call her at 364-4355.

The Eucharist: The Foundation of our Faith. The Disciples of Emmaus: return with hope. Everything had gone wrong. Jesus' friends, who had harbored the hope he would demonstrate the power of God and that he was the Messiah, who came to free them from oppression, now believed it had all failed. So two of them decided to abandon Jerusaleml, and feeling discouraged, as though they had failed, and hopeless, they embarked on the journey toward Emmaus. There was no reason left to hope.

Emmaus is the name of several cities in Israel, but it seems that this one is located some six miles from Jerusalem. It is not well known who the disciples were, but they could have been a married couple. The name of one of the disciples is not given. But along the way a stranger who appeared to have no idea what had happened approached them. They spoke to him about what had happened to Jesus and their anguish. Jesus began to speak of the Scriptures and everything the prophets had said about the Messiah. Even with all this, the disciples did not recognize Jesus, but felt comfort and a spark of recognition of the promises of God. With everything that had occurred, they could not perceive how these promises could still be realized. They thought it had all ended with the death of Jesus. But they felt better with the stranger and invited him to stay so that they could continue talking. They recognized Jesus when he broke the bread, a gesture he had done often with them. He took the bread, blessed it, gave thanks, and broke it.

It was not just this physical action that seemed so familiar; it was in the action of giving thanks that they had witnessed during the multiplication of the bread, when everything appeared to be scarce and insufficient. In the blessing and breaking of the bread, which they had witnessed just prior to the final anguish, abandonment, betrayal, and the apparent failure of their plans, it was the absolute surrender that Jesus had asked them to repeat. "This is my Body, which is given up for you. This is my Blood, which is spilled for the world's salvation.

Then Jesus disappeared from their sight, leaving them with the strength of hope that allowed them to return to Jerusalem, possibly to endure danger and persecution. They returned to Jerusalem to do what Jesus had asked of them: Proclaim hope and repeat his actions; take bread and give thanks for the memory and security of everything they had, break it and give to themselves and others. Only then could they be filled with hope and strength. They had become witnesses to the power of the Resurrection of Jesus which conquers death and evil, despite all appearances, and brings us surrender and an abundance of grace and joy.

Source: Bulletin, Our Lady of Sorrows, April 6, 2008.

Please Pray for the Following Serrans and Friends of Serrans: Monsignor Ancona's friend Monroe Sullivan and his sister Annette, Deacon Dale Hollern, Paula Mulligan, and Abe Rossi.

Make these changes to your directory: Carl Rossi's business phone, 453-8818, is no longer in service. He has also changed his e-mail address to rossi58@att.net. Add the following new members:
Nancy Mulvihill, 2247 Anderson Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506. Telephone 245-1672. E-mail address: ncmulvi@cs.com

Robert VanderLaan, 822 Brownwood, Grand Rapids, MI 49504. Telephone 454-0054. Business telephone: 454-0900. E-mail address: vanderlaan@triton.net

Other online news: Dominican Sister Rosanne looked us up online so that she could make Sister's Dinner Reservations for 35 Dominicans. Also, pope2008.com provides a link to news of the upcoming papal visit to the United States. The pope plans to be in Washington, D. C. from April 15-17 and in New York City from April 18-20. The Serra Leader Newsletter Online can be found at serraus.org.

Our President's Message: Dear Serrans: In just over a month we will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the chartering of our club. The Honorable Joseph Scoville and members of the Progrms Committee have finalized the details. Formal invitations will be forthcoming.

The evening of May 12 will begin with mass at the Cathedral of St. Andrew at 5:30 p.m. with the Most Reverend Walter A. Hurley as the principal celebrant. This signature event will be black tie optional, and will include Lloyd Crockett, of Nashville, Tennessee, the current president of Serra International as our keynote speaker. Dimmer will immediately follow at St. George's Conference and Banquet Center located at 334 LaGrave Avenue SE. St. George's is just a block from the cathedral. Parking is readily available around the facility. To better acquaint you with this exquisite environment I have included the website address:
http://www.stgeorgebanquetcenter.com

The setup will be similar to that of our Vocations Dinner, and the St. George's facility will allow us to accommodate more guests for our celebration. Please consider inviting family members, fellow parishioners, and prospective members who would enjoy this event. Charter Night will be a feature topic at our April 14 meeting at Louis Benton. I am confident that all who attend Charter Night 2008 will truly enjoy the evening.

I look forward to seeing you at future meetings.

Very truly yours,
Mark A. Kubik, President

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, March 2008

2008-02-25T05:01:00.002-08:00

Calendar of Events.

I. Meetings.

March 12. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Louis Benton Steak House.
March 26. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, Sacred Heart.

Other Events in March.

March 13-16. U. S. A. Council Executive Committee Planning Conference.

Diocesean-Wide Lenten Mission, March 8-12, 2008 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew.
March 8. Mass at Cathedral of St. Andrew, 4:00 p.m.
March 9. Mass at Cathedral of St. Andrew, 10:00 a.m. and Mass at the Catholic Information Center, 6:00 and 7:30 p.m.
March 10-12. Special guest, Paulist Preacher Fr. John E. Collins, CSP. Evening mission events include special music, prayer, fellowship, and talks.
March10. "What Good is God?" 7:30 p.m.
March 11: "Why Prayers Don't Work." 7:30 p.m.
March 12: "Ten Kinds of People We Don't Have to Love." 7:30 p.m. Find Internet links at http://www.catholicinformationcenter.org/ or search Paulist Fathers Grand Rapids.
March 14. St. Patrick's Day celebrated, with dispensation from abstinence from eating meat.
March 17. Holy Week Begins.
March 21. Good Friday
March 22. Easter Vigil
March 23. Easter Sunday.

March 29. Spring Leadership Training, St. Stephen's, 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 Noon. R. S. V. P. to District Governor Nate McKenzie. See the following for important details:

WHEN: Saturday, March 29, 2008 8:00-12:00 Noon
WHERE: St. Stephen's Catholic Church
Wege Center--Konrad A/B
750 Gladstone SE
East Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Parking at north end--Reed Street Lot
WHO SHOULD ATTEND: All Officers
New Incoming Officers
New Serrans
All Serrans

This is an excellent opportunity to get new ideas and help the club as you begin to plan our club's 15-month calendar.

Please RSVP before March 26:

Nate McKenzie
District Governor
fderlance 71@att.net
616-893-5235

Other Important Upcoming Dates.

April 1. Adoration, St. Jude's, 9:00 a.m. Abe Rossi has made the arrangements for the March and April adoration hours.
April 12. Sisters' Appreciation Dinner, St. Jude's. Mass begins at 4:00, with social hour, dinner, and entertainment to follow. Join us for an excellent evening. We need hors d'oeuvres for Saturday's social hour, which immediately follows the mass. We also need help with cooking, setting up and decorating the dining room, and clean-up for Friday and Saturday evenings. Notify Dinner Chairman Joseph Scoville by e-mail at jscoville8@comcast.net or call him if you'd like to contribute your time and talent to this event.
April 13. World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

May 12. Charter Night. This year's Charter Night promises to be the best ever as we celebrate our club's 60th anniversary. Mass at the Cathedral of St. Andrew begins at 5:30, with dinner to follow. Bishop Hurley will celebrate Mass, with the following priests concelebrating: Moderator Fr. Ed Hankiewicz, Msgr. Ancona (Moderator Emeritus), Msgr. Duncan (Vicar General and former Serran), Fr. Morrow (Chancellor), Fr. Hutchinson (Director of Vocations), Fr. Cron (Rector of the Cathedral), and Fr. Mark-David Janus (Director of the Catholic Information Center). Reception and a catered dinner in the Parish Center will follow. Mark Kubik will serve as Master of Ceremonies, and International President Lloyd Crockett will speak. We will extend invitations to others, within the maximum seating capacity of 240. Black tie optional.
June 18-22. Annual Meeting, Board Meeting, and Super Weekend.
August 12-17. Serra International Convention at Aguas de Lindois, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Congratulations to New Serrans Robert D. VanderLaan and Nancy Mulvihill.
Add the following information to your Serra Club directory: Robert D. VanderLaan, 822 Brownwood, Grand Rapids, MI 49504. Telephone: Hm. 454-0054, Bs. 454-0900. e-mail: vanderlaan@triton.net.

Nancy C. Mulvihill, 2247 Anderson Drive SE, E. Grand Rapids, Mi 49506. Telephone: 245-1672. e-mail: ncmulvi@cs.com.

In Memoriam. Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of Reverend James C. Kowalski, who died Friday, February 22. He was ordained December 20, 1968, at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. He served a number of parishes in the diocese, including St. Adalbert, St. Mary of Muskegon, St. Mary Magdelen, St. John Vianney, St. Robert, Holy Family, and St. Paul the Apostle. He also served as chaplain at St. Mary's Hospital and Father Friar of the Squires of the Michigan Knights of Columbus. His contribution to Catholic education in the diocese was significant as well. He was principal of Catholic Central High School in Muskegon and St. Joseph's Seminary and was active at Catholic Central and West Catholic High Schools Aquinas College, and the diocesan deaconate formation. At his family's request, memorial contributions may be made to Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools, St. Paul the Apostle/Daniel J. Donnelly Education Foundation, or the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony.
We thank the Lord for his vocation and for his many contributions to our Diocese.
(Source: Grand Rapids Press.

Paper Copies of our club's directory are available upon request. Notify Nancy King at njking50@hotmail.com if you would like one.

Nominations Committee. Bob Paul will chair the special committee to nominate officers for 2008-09.

Recommended Reading: Magisterium: Teacher and Guardian of the Faith, by Cardinal Avery Dulles, S. J. Sapientia Press, 2007. $12.95. To order: http://71.149.198.161/shop/ or 1-888-343-8607. Review by Stephen Mirarchi, writing from St. Louis.

Imagine if religion were like a mystery novel: secrets of salvation hidden in benighted catacombs, furtive clerics aspiring to domination, and we, the tortured heroes, unsure of what to believe at any turn.

Such esoterica does not lead to heaven; like the fate of the star-crossed detective embroiled in such a miasma, it drowns in its own chaos. Thankfully, religion is not a mystery. We are certain and sure of what we believe, and we trust those who teach us--right?
Therein lies the heart of this volume from Cardinal Avery Dulles, one of the foremost experts on why we trust those who teach authoritatively in Christ's name. A weighty subject indeed, yet the book is both approachable enough for inquisitive believers and footnoted enough for those who keep a Catechism by the bedside.

Cardinal Dulles begins with two oft-overlooked truths about the magisterium, ordinarily the College of Bishops with the Pope as their head (CCC 880). , the magisterium is the servant of the Word of God. No bishop may "make up" a law, directive, or dogma; everything necessary for the salvation of mankind has been revealed through Christ. The Church's heirarchy, therefore, serves the whole Church across time and space, transmitting the sving truth of the Gospel to every creature.

How, then is the Gospel preserved from contamination, error-prone as humans are? A crucial question, and for the answer Cardinal Dulles points to the Incarnation.
"In establishing the magisterium," he writes, "Christ responded to a real human need. People cannot discover the contents of revelation by their unaided powers of reason and observation.
...If God deems it important to give a revelation, he will make provision to assure its conservation.

As the title of this book hearalds, the magisterium guards the deposit of faith it teaches, clarifying beliefs an dmaking moral certainties explicit for every generation. The salvation of souls can never be a matter of mystery, for Christ promises us the eternal assistance of the Holy Spirit, who guides our priests in teaching, sanctifying, and ruling.
The cardinal's extensive experience at conferences and synods shines through his writing. He imagines his readers around a Harkness table following right along with him. As we rightly expect, Cardinal Dulles draws freely from Tradition and Scripture, highlighting especially the patristic sources that make pellucid the irrefutable origins of apostolic faith. When the cardinal progresses into daunting topics such as dissension and natural law, he achieves an engaging combination of the conversational and the academic, at once succinct and profound.

And like that full-on press to snag the professor after class, readers are going to want more. With the main text coming in at only 113 pages, many discursive inroads remain unexplored.
If the book's brevity is its shortcoming, it prompts the cardinal to update his aging tome
Models of Revelation, a perfect companion for Magisterium.
Buttressing the cardinal's momentous treatments is an anthology of document excerpts relevant to the topic of teaching authority in the Church. Collected appendices, the treasury of works allows the reader to investigate subtopics from infallibilitiy to non-definitive teaching.
Mystery novels make for good entertainment, but as Cardinal Dulles reminds us, every believer has the right to know and rejoice in the absolute truth of the Gospel. Case closed.
Source: National Catholic Register, February 24, 2008.

A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans:
The other day I was reading an article on organizational leadership in The 1999 Best of the Harvard Business Review. There was an article by Peter Drucker entitled, "Managing Oneself." The article discussed scenarious where individuals in corporations were asked to perform duties that did not coincide with their skill sets. Such requests in turn led to underperformance with regard to their professional duties and responsibilities.

You may have heard me comment before on the overall strategy of the Serra Club of Grand Rapids. "We are a group of Catholics who meet not only to promote vocations to the ministerial priesthood and religious life, but also to foster our own Catholic faith formation."

Our club's activities are centered on this strategy. Our monthly meetings cover (1) the annual theme for our lecture series to foster our own faith formation, and (2) the working meeting and
midday prayers at the second meeting. Our various activities within the diocese are focused on promoting and fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

In order for these activities to run smoothly, we have been blessed by an abundance of talented members who volunteer their time and talent to our cause. As we prepare for our 60th Anniversary Charter Night, which includes the investiture of new officers, please consider participating in our club activities that coincide with your skill set.

Over the past two years Bob Paul has been leading the board in the development of our strategy which developed the current model on which we operate our club. His efforts have resulted in an intellectually stimulating lecture series, leading to a substantial increase in our membership and a business model of checks and balances for our dlub operations.

I am grateful to Bob for agreeing to chair the 2008 Nominations Committee. He will maintain a consistency with our club business model and objectives as the membership is integrated into club operations. This successful operations model we developed in Grand Rapids has provided a high profile for our club, as we are now the fastest growing Serra Club in the United States.

At the 2007 International Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, I was asked to serve on the nominations committee for the International Board. I will be meeting with the nominations committee on March 7-10 in Nashville, Tennessee. We will spend three days meeting and interviewing candidates from around the world who are interested in serving on the International Board for the next year. I will be traveling back to Grand Rapids on March 10 and will not arrive until after our luncheon meeting. I look forward to seeing you later in the month at Sacred Heart of Jesus for midday prayer and our working meeting.
Sincerely yours,
Mark A. Kubik

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, March 2008

2008-02-25T05:01:00.001-08:00

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, February 2008

2008-01-28T05:51:00.000-08:00

Calendar of Events for February, 2008

February 3. World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.

February 6. Ash Wednesday.

February 11. Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.

February 18. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.

February 22-24. Serra USA Planning Conference for District Governors and Regional
Directors.

February 25. Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart Parish. Prayer service and luncheon.

March 6. GVSU Radio fundraising event, 8:00-11:00 p.m.

Important Upcoming Events. Programs Chairman Joseph Scoville has just notified us that the Sisters' Appreciation Dinner will be held at St. Jude's Church on Saturday, April 12. Mass will be held at 4:00 p.m. with dinner to follow. Charter Night will be held on Monday, May 12 at 5:30 p.m. Details to be announced. We are beginning to plan for these occasions. Anyone interested in serving on the planning committee for either evening should notify Joseph Scoville by e-mail at jscoville8@comcast.net We especially invite our new members to participate in the Sisters' Dinner. It's great fun and an excellent way to get to know fellow Serrans.

Even those who cannot attend that evening are invited to furnish appetizers, aka hors d'oeuvres, for the occasion. We need many of them, and they go fast! Check your recipe books for your favorites. Also, we need help with cooking, setting up the dining room, and cleaning up.

We'll keep our readers posted regarding our needs for Charter Night.

Thank you Notes from Seminarians.

Dear Serra Club Members: Thank you so very much for the gift card that I received for Christmas! It came in handy for many of the small post-Christmas purchases I had to make. Thank you also for your support of the Grand Rapids Seminarians and your many prayers for us. It helps more than you will ever know. May God bless you all! In Christ, David Gross.

Dear Serra Club: Thank you so much for the gift card. Your prayers and support are much appreciated! God bless each one of you! Deacon Mike Cilibraise, Mundelein Seminary.

Dear Serrans of Grand Rapids: Thank you for the Christmas gift. I appreciate your generosity. Thank you for continuing to think of me during the Christmas season. Please continue to pray for me and all of the seminarians of our diocese. Also, know that your prayers do not go unanswered. You are all in my prayers. In Christ, Scott Nolan.

Thank you very much for your generous gift this past Christmas season. Your prayers and support are much appreciated. Know that I will continue to keep you in my prayers as I hope you will continue to do for me. Thank you again and God bless! Prayers, Lou(is Krupp).

Notes from the Board's Planning Meeting, January 19, 2008. Facilitator Bob Paul gave an overview of the process and the expected outcomes of the meeting.

Father Hankiewicz reported that he spoke to Msgr. Duncan, the Vicar General, concerning the Bishop's expectations for the club for the coming year. Msgr. Duncan stated that the Bishop wants us to continue in our supportive role of the Diocese's efforts to foster vocations. "The diocese leads, we follow." Father also shared his vision of the educational component of future luncheon meetings, which will focus on Catholic social teaching, with an emphasis on life issues, across the board.

Dan Grady presented a thorough five-year financial recap of income and expenses. He said that future financial statements will more clearly show the relationship between dues and membership activities. He also presented an analysis of the results of the Vocation Dinner, which is our principal source of money to support vocations activities. He emphasized the small surplus that we have to fund requests by third parties to support their projects.

In addition, board members identified a variety of issues important to the club.

As for future steps, we will work on improving the results of the Vocation Dinner, including a new venue, perhaps a new date. Dan will work on reformulating the financials. We will reinvigorate the committees and get every member assigned to at least one. Mark will review other issues, prioritize them, and bring them to the board throughout the coming year.
Submitted by Joseph Scoville, interim secretary.

Serran Weldon Schwartz submits this article from Juratus, an on-line publication of West Michigan Catholic Lawyers' Association. One of the most difficult challenges in deciphering vocation data is the risk of over-generalizing based upon absolute comparisons. For example, it is often reported that there are fewer priests now than in 1965. Hidden in this comparison, of course, are recent trends in vocations which suggest signs that some positive change is occurring.

Perhaps the most significant change is the renewal of female religious life. There is a persistent and growing trend of young women ansering the call to serve, according to charisms ranging from teaching to the comtemplative, cloistered life.

One order worth noting is the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist (Ann Arbor, Michigan). Over 80 women have entered this community since its founding in 1997. Another, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia (Nashville, Tennessee), have seen well over 100 new sisters enter its community since 1988, for a total of 226 sisters. A new high school staffed by the sisters is scheduled to open next year. Local attorney Leo Clarke of Drew, Cooper & Anding is the proud father of two young women who have joined the Nashville Dominicans.

Comtemplative orders such as the Cistercian nuns in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, have also witnessed growth. The Cistercians in Wisconsin are known for baking altar bread for use at Masses across North America. They are currently involved in a capital campaign to construct a new monastery, in part to accommodate an unanticipated influx of new postulants over the past two years.

Certain male religious orders parallel this trend. The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, for example, which started in 1988 with 12 members, now has over 180 priests and 107 seminarians, with a median age of 33. The recently-formed Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, which began in Chicago in 1998, currently has 6 priests, with an additional 12 either in formation or currently enrolled in seminary. Other orders like the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign and the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, founded by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, have experienced similar growth. With growth, however, come new challenges: in new religious orders, demand often outpaces resources, stunting growth that would otherwise occur.

Vocations at the diocesan level can be more difficult to measure because often demographic changes is a significant factor. The southern states have witnessed an unprecented growth in the Catholic population over the past decade. The Archdiocese of Atlanta, for example, ranked third in Crisis Magazine's report, The State of the Catholic Church in America, Diocese by Diocese. From 1995 to 2005, Atlanta witnessed a 50 percent increase in the number of active priests, while the relatively new diocese of Tyler, Texas, topped the list with an increase of 128 percent, jumping from 25 active priests to 57. The Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico, topped the list of most ordinartions, (3 in 2005), followed by Savannah, Georgia (5 in 2005). To account for the varying sizes of dioceses across the country, Crisis ranked ordinations as measured against the diocese's total presbyterate (i.e., Las Cruces ordained three new priests per 21 active priests.

If measured according to absolute methodology, Chicago would top the list with 17 ordinations in 2005, followed by St. Paul, Minnesota (15), and Newark, New Jersey (12). Chicago and Newark are two of the 10 largest dioceses in the country, with 2.34 and 1.3 million Catholics, respectively. As measured against the total presbyterate, Chicago ranked 38th, while Newark ranked 43... and Detroit ranked 112th. The Diocese of Grand Rapids ranked 99th.

Like any methodology, the one employed by Crisis is not perfect....In addition, the study does not account for the percentage of "homegrown" vocations, which is a fundamental indication of the state of a diocese's overall spiritual health.

There are noticeable trends by which vocations can be measured, and not merely demographic trends, but social and cultural trends, a renewal in faith, fidelity, and tradition. A more in-depth look into vocations reveals that, where this renewal ocurs, vocations often follow.

Source: Juratus, Volume I, issue II, P. 3.

We Pray with our Feet. Those of us who participate in the annual March for Life in Washington, D. C. look upon our activity as a prayerful exercise, as opposed to a march. This year anecdotal reports point to the January 22, 2008 event as largest march ever, with participation by young people at an all time high.

Many of my fellow parishioners said that they would not have heard about the March for Life if I hadn't told them. While we may lament the lack of coverage by mainstream media, we do not march for television cameras. We know that the Lord hears our prayers, and that is enough for us. Added to the usual Right to Life Convention, the Vigil Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the Youth Rally and Mass at the Verizon Center on the day of the march were additional masses to accommodate the overflow and Holy Hours conducted by seminarians, not only from the Washington, D. C. diocese, but also from throughout the country, with adoration in the Crypt Church from midnight to 6:00 a.m. on the 22nd.

This year I was especially blessed by the presence of several family members, including three grandchildren. Our ten-year-old, a first time marcher, standing in the cold and the rain as we waited for the speeches to come to an end, became impatient and wondered whether she would be able to go the distance. "Look at it this way," I told her. "By walking in this march, you might be saving a baby. You never know." That perspective seemed to satisfy her doubts, and she looks forward to going back next year.
I did not see the Fox News broadcast which briefly covered the march, but heard about it second-hand, including the "Fair and Balanced" follow-up in which several observers expressed concern that with so many participants, and with so many young people on the Pro-Life side, the future of Roe v. Wade might by threatened. It just might, if we persist. Let us keep praying.
By Nancy King.

Membership Chairman Tim Hile reports on January 28 Member/Guest Reception.
We had seven guests and three commitments and expect two or three more. Also, Tim has two or three referrals who could not make the Monday meeting but expect to join our ranks soon. District Governor Nate McKenzie and Programs Chairman Joseph Scoville spoke to the group about our programs and about what Serra means to their lives and to their Catholic faith.

"Thank you to all Serrans for keeping the lifeblood of our chapter flowing. We are making a difference and furthering our own formation and quest. God Bless. Mary, Mother of Vocations, pray for us."

Tim Hile

New! A visit to serraus.org offers the first all-online version of the Serra USA Magazine.

A Message from our President. Dear Serrans: 2008 marks a significant milestone for our club as we celebrate our 60th anniversary. I just received confirmation that the Serra International President, Lloyd Crocket, will be joining us for our Charter Night celebration. Further details will follow under a separate cover from the Program Committee.

The longevity of organizations like ours is not typically 60 years. Many volunteer groups are fortunate if they survive half of that time. We are a vibrant and active organization because of you. Our club has been recognized by Serra International and by the United States Council because of our increase in membership and the quality of our membership.

Last week we hosted the winter Member/Guest Reception, and I would like to thank Tim Hile for organizing the event. Thanks also to Nate McKenzie and Joseph Scoville for their presentations. We are privileged to be members of a club like ours that serves not only the church, but also the fostering of our own Catholicism. Please share that privilege with our professional colleagues, fellow parishioners, neighbors, and friends by asking them to become part of our club.

On another note, I was just informed by the Gerald R. Ford Council of the Boy Scouts of America that our charter member Ralph Hauenstein will be presented with their 2008 Distinguished Citizen Award on Thursday, March 6 at the 2008 Building Character Celebration. Some excerpts from Ralph's Curriculum Vitae which led to this award are as follows:

* Chief Intelligence Officer in Europe during World War II. He describes this time in his life in his book, Intelligence was my Line: Inside Eisenhower's Other Command.
* Philanthropic leader in Greater Grand Rapids. Ralph has created the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at GVSU, the Hauenstein Parkinson's and Neuroscience Center at St. Mary's Hospital, and the Grace Hauenstein Library at Aquinas College.
* Honorary Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation and Trustee of the VanAndel Institute.

Ralph is 96 years old and he has never retired. I invite you to join me in honoring him. The details are as follows:

2008 Building Character Celebration

Thursday, March 6, 2008

DeVos Place, Steelcase Ballroom

6:00-9:00 p.m.

$50 per person

Reservations are due by Thursday, February 21. Call 888-272-4732 for reservations and mention that you are a member of the Serra Club of Grand Rapids.

I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, Monday, February 11 at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Our moderator, Fr. Edward Hankiewicz, will be our featured speaker.

Note from our Editor. Upon request Serran Joseph Scoville has sent Jeanne and me a schedule for the Gregorian Chant Schola at the Latin Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.

February 10, First Sunday of Lent

March 9, Passion Sunday

March 23, Easter (tentative) OR March 30, Low Sunday (tentative)

April 13, Third Sunday after Easter

May 11, Pentecost

The Latin Mass begins at 12:30 p.m.

Also, we are working on the 2008 Membership Directory. Please keep us informed of any changes in your address, telephone numbers, and your e-mail. I thank John Osterhart for his assistance in preparing this publication.

Nancy King

Serra Newsletter January 2008

2007-12-30T05:59:00.000-08:00

Dates to Remember. First, our meeting schedule for January, 2008.

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.

A Continuation of, "Do Catholic Universities Make the Grade?" submitted by Serran Don Nelson. The first portion of this article appeared in our December newsletter.

...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

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, December, 2007

2007-11-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

Calendar of Events.

December 6, 2007. Vocations Dinner, Noto's. Social Hour 6:00 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m.

December 14, 2008. Registration Deadline, Super Weekend.

December 17, 2008. Board Meeting, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 Noon.

For our January, 2008 meetings, it is important to note two changes from our ordinary schedule: a) The locations of the meetings will be reversed, and b) there will be no noon meetings during January. Membership Chairman Tim Hile sends the following message: Dear Serrans: Please reserve Monday, January 14, 5:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart. We will be having our New Member Investiture Service in the church at Sacred Heart and then moving to the rectory for a cocktail reception and appetizers. Please mark your calendars now. Also, please forward this message to any members you do not see on the list.

January 19, 2008. Grand Rapids Serra Club Planning Meeting. Exact time and location TBA.

January 28, 2008. Member-Guest Reception at Louis Benton Steak House, 5:30 p.m. Those Serrans still receiving a paper copy of the newsletter will find a special Member-Guest enrollment form included in this mailing. Those receiving the electronic version, please find Tim's November 17 e-mail and click on Attachments. Otherwise, just let Tim know if you need one of these forms and he will send one to you. Fax him with your request at 616-457-4050 or send him an e-mail at thile@ottawa-kent.com

OTHER SERRA REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS:

January 10-13, 2008. Super Weekend at O'Hare Mariott, Chicago, IL. The USA Council Finance Committee Meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. Those interested in attending can get in touch with the USA Council Office in Chicago as follows: USA Council of Serra International, 65 E. Wacker Place, Suite 802, Chicago, IL 60601. Toll free:888-777-6681, or at serraus@serraus.org
For our new members who may not be familiar with Super Weekend, Super Weekends are scheduled twice a year so that the USA Council Board and USA Council Committees have an opportunity to work on the here and now but also toward the future.
The USA Council of Serra International schedules three Board Meetings during the Serra year. The first of these meetings is scheduled to occur during the Serra International Convention. The second and third meetings occur in September and January. The September and January meetings are characterized as "Super Weekends." All Serrans are encouraged to attend Super Weekend.

January 13-18, 2008. National Vocation Awareness Week.

Looking Ahead. The 2008 Serra International Convention will be held August 12-17 at Aguas de Lindoia, Sao Paulo State, Brazil.

A Gift for our Seminarians: At the November meeting, the Board agreed upon a $25 Visa gift card for each of our seminarians. We will pass the cards on to Father Ron, and he will distribute them.

Register on-line to receive the Serra USA electronic newsletter at serraus.org.

Congratulations to our newest member, Dr. Patricia Hughes, D. Min, Director of the Pastoral Services Division of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Welcome to our club. Also, Joseph Scoville has offered to take the temporary secretary position in Monica's absence, and we have accepted his offer.

A Thank-you Note. Dear Pam and Members of the Serra Club: Thank you for your prayers during my recent illness. I truly appreciate your gift of Masses on my intention at the National Shrine of St. Jude. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families. We truly have much to be thankful for. With gratitude, Sr. Zelia M. Cordeiro.

Please Pray For Father Bob Hart, of Prince of Peace Parish, Muskegon. He is very ill.

Serran Paul Nelson submits an article that he believes would make for an interesting discussion. The article is called, "Do Catholic universities make the grade?"
Because of its length, we will present it in two installments.

HOW CATHOLIC SHOULD A CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY BE? "As Catholic as possible," is the proper answer, but what that means will vary from institutin to institution. Consider these different approaches: The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in New Hampshire educates a small number of highly committed Catholics and requires everyone to spend a semester in Rome. In contrast, Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, the most Protestant state in the nation, serves students from diverse religious backgrounds and seeks to educate all of them in the Catholic and Benedictine traditions. Christendom College in Virginia requires all professors to be Catholic, and each must make an annual profession of faith to the diocesan bishop. The University of Notre Dame in Indiana, on the other hand, requires all professors to be exceptional scholars in their fields and strives for a predominant number of Catholic intellectuals, but imposes no creedal tests. As these examples reveal, Catholic colleges and universities manifest their Catholic identity in very different ways, depending upon their founding charism, mission, resources, sponsorship, size, and student body. Yet each is Catholic and adds to the Church's mission in unique ways.

In Catholic Higher Education (Oxford University Press), Melanie M. Morey and Father John J. Piderit, S.J. identify four models of Catholic higher education, each representing distinctive rather than mutually exclusive points of emphasis.

Immersion colleges serve only staunchly Catholic students , who are required to take at least four courses in Catholic theology and philosophy. Campus life is infused with Catholic moral teaching, sacramental opportunities, and spiritual vitality. Faculty are all or overwhelmingly Catholic. Most institutions in this category are relatively small and located outside urban areas, such as Southern Catholic College in Georgia. With nearly 2,000 undergraduate students, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio is considerably larger than the typical immersion college.
Persuasion schools seek to instill in all students, Catholics and others, "a certain religious maturity in knowledge of the Catholic faith." Required Catholic courses number about half of what is expected in immersion schools. Persuasion universities provide Catholic worship services and activities, but participation is encouraged rather than expected. Catholic professors are actively recruited but do not necessarily predominate. This type of institution is most common and includes, for example, Villanova University in Pennsylvania and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Diaspora universities, often located in inner cities or in predominantly non-Catholic regions, serve a student body in which Catholics are a minority--although Catholics are actively recruited. These institutions encourage but seldom require students to take courses on Catholic teaching. Catholicism anchors the institution's character and provides a clear guide to activities and policies, while a predominantly non-Catholic faculty strives to blend Catholic teaching with interreligious sensititivy. DePaul University in Chicago is the most prominent of the diaspora institutions.
Cohort universities attract academically distinguished students who as graduates are expected to exercise considerable social influence in promoting viewpoints informed by Catholic teaching. Among an internationally distinguished faculty and student body, Catholics are well represented but typically in a minority. Students usually are not required to take Catholic courses but may do so. Catholic students, who form a "cohort" at such institutions, are given generous resources to strengthen and express their Catholic faith outside the classroom. Georgetown University in Washington, D. C. is the most prominent of the cohort institutions.
There are also many other types of institutional distinctions. Some Catholic universities, such as Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland, have on-campus seminaries, while most others do not. Nine Catholic colleges are diocesean institutions, such as Loras College in Iowa, while most others are sponsored by religious orders and a few are governed by lay incorporators.
All this variety, while unsettlilng to some people, helps to address the complex and seemingly endless needs of the church in secular society. Across-the-board uniformity among Catholic colleges and universities would diminish rather than enhance the church's impact in the world. In part for this reason, Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter Ex Corde Ecclesiae guarantees a generous degree of autonomy to institutions.
Some critics urge Catholic families to walk away from Catholic institutions that serve significant numbers of non-Catholics, that allow any notable presence of non-Catholic or secular voices, or that invite controversial speakers or artists to campus. The core of this strategy is to purge Catholic institutions of distracting influences, leaving as "authentically Catholic" only institutions of the immersion variety. However, if immersion colleges continue to serve only ardent Catholics (who constitute a minority of all Catholics), who is to teach and inspire all the others?
Fortunately, more than 200 other Catholic institutions take up the complex challenges of educating a broad range of Catholic students, including those who come from families where knowledtge and practice of the Catholic faith are weak. In such institutions, leadership and inspiration are possible, but control is not. So, to paraphrase one of Jesus' parables, most Catholic colleges gamely work at growing intellectual and Catholic wheat in the midst of the world's weeds, even when society's spiritual soil is parched. The work of these Catholic colleges and universities has an almost missionary or prophetic quality to it--requiring respect, sensitivity, patience, love, and acknowledgement of freedom of conscience. These Catholic institutions contribute profoundly--if not always perfectly--to fulfilling Jesus' instruction to go out into the world to spread the Good News.
By Richard Yanikoski, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. U. S. Catholic, November 2007. To be continued...

Serran Leonard Grotenrath recommends this follow-up on Father Thomas Simon's address at the Serra luncheon on November 12: http://catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=7832. The article provides commentary on what is at stake in Pope Benedict's effort to reform the post-Vatican II liturgy.

A Message from our President: Dear Serrans: The 17th Annual Vocations Dinner is just a few short days away, and I would like to thank Bob Paul and his committee for all of their work on this year's event. This is the largest project we are asked to lead by our bishop to assist financially the Office for Priestly Vocations in its ministry. For many of us, the Vocations Dinner marks the beginning of the Christmas season. Having chaired this event in the past, I recall the amount of planning and hard work that is the key to its success. This year's committee has worked for many months, and we can be proud that nearly 200 people will be joining us this year.
As we conclude 2007, I believe that we can be proud of our accomplishments for the past year. Our membership has increased 23.6 percent, bringing our total number of active members to 60. Our efforts and success have been recognized on both the national and international levels. This success can be attributed to the model our club employs in carrying out its mission to
"Foster vocations to the ministerial priesthood and religious life," but in making a strong effort to foster our own vocations as lay men and women and permanent deacons through our club activities and lecture series carried out each month.

At the next board meeting, scheduled for December 17, the 2007-08 officers will begin formulating the agenda for our annual planning meeting to be held in January of 2008. Between the December and January board meetings, the officers will be working on strategies and models for their respective offices to follow for 2008-09. Please offer suggestions to me at mkubik@umich.edu by Sunday, December 16 so that they may be included in our planning agenda. Suggested items may concern the operations of the club, programming, and social and club activities.
I look forward to seeing you on Thursday, December 6 and wish you and your families a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Very truly yours, Mark A. Kubik, President.

A Prayer to the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit, come. Encircle us with light. Raise our consciousness of being one with You. Help us to hear each other with open hearts.
Guide us as we seek to know our purpose. Give us a vision of what it is we want and need to do for self, community, and all humanity.
Help us to empty ourselves and and make room for faith and hope. Speak through us as we meet together. Uplift our hearts and minds.
Empower our words and actions which are helpful to people, and buffer the ones which are not. Forgive us our shortcomings and help us to forgive ourselves and each other.
Come, Holy Spirit, Come! Come as the wind and blow! Come as the Water and quench! Come as the fire, and burn until we are wholly yours. Amen.

Serran Bill Bjork's recommended reading. Bill Bjork sends our readers some details on the book recently published written by Fr. Bob Miller (born in 1950), who was originally from Grand Rapids.

Both Prayed to the Same God
Religion and Faith in the American Civil War
By Robert Miller
Lexington Books, a division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Copyright 2007

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, November 2007

2007-10-14T11:49:00.001-07:00

Calendar of Events for November, 2007 and Beyond.

November 12, 2007. Luncheon Meeting, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 p.m.

November 19, 2007. Board Meeting, Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 p.m.

November 26, 2007. Prayer Service and Luncheon, Sacred Heart Parish, 12:00 p.m.

Mark these dates on your calendar:

December 6, 2007. Vocations Dinner at Noto's. Chairman Bob Paul reminds all Serrans to R. S. V. P. as soon as possible. Reserve a table, invite guests, or at least send in your own reservation now! Please keep in mind that our club has guaranteed attendance at 200. Also, please refer to President Mark Kubik's address at the conclusion of this newsletter.

Seminarian Luncheon. TBA.

January 10-13, 2008. Super Weekend, to be held at Mariott-O'Hare. Make reservations no later than December 14, 2007. Serrans may register online at http://www.serraus.org/, but because the address is not a secure site, someone from the USA Council office will call you to get your credit card information. Forms may also be obtained by calling the USA Council of Serra International at 888-777-6681.

January 14 and 28, 2008. Of course, you will put these dates on your calendar because they are the regular meeting dates for our club. HOWEVER, PLEASE NOTE THAT BOTH WILL BE EVENING MEETINGS, AND THE LOCATIONS OF THE MEETINGS WILL BE REVERSED. The January 14 meeting will take place at Sacred Heart and will feature the installation of our new members, with a reception to follow in the rectory. Hors d'oeuvres will be served. The January 28 meeting will be a Member/Guest reception at Louis Benton Steak House, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

News from the Board: Tim Hile, Bob Paul, Pat Leikert, Nancy King, and Mark Kubik attended the October 15 meeting. They discussed updating our membership records with Serra International, the Vocations Dinner, and possible dates for the Seminarian Luncheon and the induction of our newest members. The Board also approved sending a check to the Saginaw Club to defray expenses for the recent Regional Conference. Depending on the available funds in our treasury, the Board agreed on an amount ranging between $150 and $250.

Congratulations are in order! Congratulations to our newest member Carolynne Etheridge, who, along with her friend Pat Polega, joined Fr. Ed, Mark Kubik, and Nancy King on a recent pilgrimage to Rome. Welcome to our club. Also, congratulations to Nate and Pam McKenzie, who were married on October 13 in a beautiful ceremony at St. Anthony's Parish. And finally, congratulations to Father Peter McCormick, who was inducted into West Catholic High School's Hall of Fame on October 10, 2007. For those who would like to send Fr. McCormick a card, his mailing address is Holy Cross Vocation Office, P. O. Box 541, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556.

Meet Our New Members: We welcome new Serran Leonard Grotenrath, who is a member of the Latin Mass community of Sacred Heart. Although he now resides in Ada Township, he grew up on the north end in a home his father built on Dean Lake. He and his family were members of St. Jude Parish.

Receiving his primary schooling at the parish school, Leonard then attended St. Joseph's Seminary to discern a vocation to the priesthood. Although coming from a family who boasted of two priests belonging to the Congregation of the Most Precious Blood, Leonard did not follow in their footsteps; instead, he went on to attend Northview High School and the University of Michigan, graduating in 1971. Deciding against a doctoral program in Constitutional history, to which he had been invited personally by one of the university's more celebrated professors, he came home and took a summer job with the City of Grand Rapids in the Public Works Department. He retired from the Public Works Department in 2004.

In 1978, Leonard took a leave of absence and went to Spain, where he was privileged to study under the inimitable Thomistic philospher, Dr. Frederick D. Wilhelmsen. It is to Dr. Wilhelmsen that Leonard attributes his understanding that Catholicism is (to quote G. K. Chesterton), "not a thing like a theory, but a thing like a love affair."

Leonard has served in a variety of capacities over the years. He was Family Life Commissioner on the St. Jude Parish Council; Vice-president of Michigan Right to Life Political Action Committee; Chairman of the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapter of Catholics United for the Faith, RCIA catechist, and founding member of ACCORD, a local group of Catholic professionals and intellectuals dedicated to the defense of the Catholic faith in the public square.

If asked to encapsulate his vision of the Catholic faith, Leonard is quick to respond with the following lines from Chesterton's, "The Ballad of the White Horse":

Out of the mouth of the Mother God
Like a little word come I;
For I go gathering Christian men
From sunken paving and ford and fen
To die in a battle, God knows when,
By God, but I know why.

National Catholic Register sends us the following information about the latest in Vocations. Vocations Awareness Week will be observed the week after January's Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. Good Shepard Sunday will be celebrated on the Fourth Sunday of Easter. SerraUS.org offers the parish-based program, "Called by Name." Vocation.com
offers a parish-based adoration for vocations program that is promoted by the U. S. Bishops.
EPriest.com offers "Best Practices" and "Vocations Promotion" for the following:

"Traveling Chalice and Statue Spur Vocations" is an article about St. John's Parish in Foley, Minnesota, in the Diocese of St. Cloud. "Knights Energize Youth & Churn Out Vocations" gives information about St. Boniface Church in Lafayette, Indiana, Diocese of Lafayette.

Other web sites to note are FranciscanFriars.com, which tells some great vocation stories, while Hawthorne-Dominicans.org features a video about religious women's vocations. Finally, USCCB.org allows viewers to watch the excellent "Fishers of Men" video online.
Source: National Catholic Register, October 7, 2007.

A Thank-you Note. October 8, 2007. Dear Serra Club: On behalf of the priests of Grand Rapids I would like to thank you for your generous donation to the 2007 Priest Convocation. It is a wonderful opportunity for the priests of the Diocese to come together for relaxation, camaraderie, and learning. Thank you again for your continued support! Peace, Rev. Mark Przybysz, Director of Continuing Formation for Priests.

News of recent club activities. 44 West Catholic students assisted with the leaf raking day at the Consolata Sisters' headquarters in Belmont. West Catholic freshman raked leaves, with seniors serving as work captains. Serrans who assisted with this project were Abe Rossi, Fred Platte, Bob Paul, and Nate and Pam McKenzie.

Sister Zeila is at home in Belmont resting comfortably from cander surgery and would welcome your prayers. The Serra Club will send her a healing Mass card, but she would appreciate other cards as well.

Grand Rapids Serrans who attended the Regional Conference would award high ratings to the Saginaw Club, who did an excellent job of organizing the event. The Double Tree was a great place to hold the conference, and the food was deemed the best ever.

Last week Dale Hollern and Nate McKenzie enjoyed an excellent visit with Catholic Central principal Steve Passinault. Mr. Passinault is now on board with the Serra Club and our mission of fostering, promoting, and praying for vocations. Nate and Dale will report to the membership regarding this meeting.
Source: Pam McKenzie

Recommended Reading: Serran Bill Bjork recommends the recently published book, Both Prayed to the Same God, by Fr. Bob Miller (born in 1950), who was originally from Grand Rapids.
Both Prayed to the Same God
Religion and Faith in the American Civil War
By Robert J. Miller
Lexington Books, a division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Copyright 2007.

In case you missed this item: Book collector Randy Bergers has donated his copy of "The War in Three Pages," by Dwight Eisenhower, along with 450 other books by U. S. Presidents, to the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University. Bergers chose the Hauenstein Center over other organizations as a tribute to Ralph Hauenstein, who served as colonel and chief of intelligence for the Army's European Theater of Operations, along with Bergers' late father, James Berger. We thank Ralph for all he does for our club and for our community.
Source: The Grand Rapids Press, Thursday, November 1, 2007. Pages A1+

A Message from our President. Dear Serrans: Serra Clubs around the world serve at the pleasure of their bishops. Over the years our club has been asked to lead various projects throughout the diocese as requested by our bishops. We are very fortunate to enjoy the support and participation of Bishop Hurley at many of our club's activities.

The Annual Vocations Dinner, to be held this year on December 6, originated under Bishop Rose's administration as the Sabbatical Dinner. In the past, funds raised at the dinner were applied to the support of priests who went on sabbatical. When Bishop Britt was invested as our bishop, he asked that this event become the Vocations Dinner, whereby the funds we supplied would be used to promote vocations activities at a grass roots level. He suggested that we retain 40 percent of the funds we raised from the dinner for our treasury and allow him to use the remaining 60 percent for diocesan activities to promote vocations. Bishop Hurley's administration has kept the same formula for revenue sharing from this event. We used to proceeds from our portion last year as follows:

* Sponsored the Sisters' Appreciation Dinner for all religious women in the diocese.
* Funded two scholarships for the Notre Dame Vocations Initiative, allowing high school
students to spend a week at the University of Notre Dame discerning what their vocation
in life will be.
* Sponsored the annual Seminarian Luncheon for seminary students and their parents to join
us as we celebrate their journey to the priesthood.

Your efforts will not only ensure the success of this evening but also allow the club to continue its support of vocations activities for the next year. This evening is a wonderful opportunity to introduce potential members to our club, demonstrating one of our major initiatives with work towards the support of vocations. Please invite your business associaties, neighbors, friends, and fellow parishioners to join us on December 6. Call chairman Bob Paul at 616-949-9133 for questions or to make additional reservations.

At the September Member/Guest reception, District Governor Nate McKenzie explained how Serra has made him a better Catholic through participation in regional, national, and international events sponsored by the organization. This past month several of us were fortunate to join our Moderator, Fr. Ed Hankiewicz, on a pilgrimage to Rome. The week was highlighted by an audience with His Holiness, Benedict XVI. I can truly say that our experiences during that week have deepened our faith and added to our knowledge of the history of the Catholic Church.

I look forward to seeing you at our November 12th luncheon at Louis Benton Steak House. Our speaker, Revrend Thomas Simons, will address the topic of Liturgy.

Very truly yours,

Mark A. Kubik, President.

Editor's Note: We, Nancy King, Carolynne Etheridge, Pat Polega, Mark Kubik, and Fr. Ed, are grateful that our recent pilgrimage to Rome, including the papal audience, turned out to be such a blessing beyond our expectations both for our club and for each of us personally. On Thursday I flew to Berlin for a reunion with dear friends whom I first met in 1988 in the former DDR (East Germany). Carolynne and Pat joined a Globus Tour already in progress and continued on to Florence and Venice. Mark and Fr. Ed, who stayed in Rome until the end of the week, experienced two fantastic encounters with friends of Serra. Msgr. Ancona provided the lead for one of those meetings, and the other proved all the more exciting because it was totally unplanned. Stay tuned in subsequent issues for Mark's account of these wonderful people.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us.

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, November 2007

2007-10-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter October, 2007

2007-09-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events for October, 2007 and Beyond.

October 8. Luncheon meeting, 12:00 noon, Louis Benton Steak House.

October 10. All school mass at West Catholic High School, 10:00 a.m. in the cafetoria, with reception to follow. At that time West Catholic alumnus Reverend Peter McCormick, C. S. C., will be inducted into West Catholic's Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed upon West Catholic's graduates who answer the call to the priesthood and the religious life. Fr. McCormick graduated from West Catholic in 1995 and then earned a B. S. degree in biology from Grand Valley State University in 1997. He graduated from Notre Dame University in May, 2007 with a Master's Degree in Divinity, and was ordained on April 14, 2007. He has served in various capacities at St. John Vianney Parish in Goodyear, Arizona, and at Notre Dame University, where he now directs the Freshman Retreat Program and was recently appointed Assistant Director of Vocations.

October 15. Board meeting, 12:00 noon, Louis Benton Steak House.

October 19, 20, and 21. Regional meeting for Regions 5 and 6, sponsored by the Saginaw Serra Club, to be held at the Double Tree Hotel inBay City, Michigan. It's still not too late to sign up. All of the latest news, including recent revisions, can be viewed at the Saginaw Club's website at http://www.saginawserraclub.org/page5.html. Page 4 of the Saginaw club's newsletter contains a tentative schedule of events, and page 5 gives detailed information on speakers and participants.

Also, those who cannot attend the entire event may consider attending at least some of the sessions.

October 22. Prayer meeting and luncheon, 12:00 noon, Sacred Heart Parish.

October 25. Leaf raking with the Consolata Missionary Sisters, 6801 Belmont NE, from 8:00 until the job is finished. West Catholic students will arrive at 8:30 and will work until 11:30. The Consolata Sisters will provide lunch. For those who wonder why the event is not held on a Saturday, West Catholic sponsors an all-school community service day each year, and this year that day falls on Thursday, October 25. West Catholic provides transportation to various service destinations, including Belmont, and the students are freed from their regular classroom obligations on that morning.

Vocations Director Abe Rossi invites all Serrans who want to help with this project to provide assistance and adult supervision for the students. Bring rakes and leaf blowers and any other useful equipment. Although the students must be back in school for the afternoon, Serrans will stay on until the job is finished.

October 28. Priesthood Sunday. Serrans recently received a copy of the Summer 2007 Serra Leader,
which announces Priesthood Sunday and contains a parish planning guide. At the September 24 meeting, some discussion took place at to how we might observe this special day. One problem is that the North American Council of Catholic Bishops does not officially recognize the Serran version of Priesthood Sunday, and our members concluded that, at least for this year, it was too late for us to follow any of the outlined suggestions within our parishes. We may look into the cost of an ad of appreciation to be published in the Grand Rapids Press.

December 6.17th Annual Vocations Dinner. Serrans should have received their invitations by now. Chairman Bob Paul urges each Serran to make an all-out effort toward the success of this wonderful event. By now everyone should have received the mailing announcing the Vocations Dinner. Act as soon as possible to reserve a table of eight or to become part of someone else's table of eight. The early bird reservation program will continue, with group reservations made before October 30 at $65 per person and individual reservations at $70. All reservations made after October 30 will be $75.

The evening will be celebrated at Noto's Old World Restaurant in the presence of His Excellency Walter A. Hurley, Bishop of Grand Rapids. It is our major fundraising event of the year, and proceeds go to the Bishop to help support his vocation-related activities. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served at 6:00 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7:00. If you have questions, please call Bob Paul at 616-949-9133.

Our next member/guest reception will be held in January. Exact date and time TBA.

Serran Larry Mulligan sends us this good news, the title of which is What Vocational Crisis? We include this information not to encourage complacency but to encourage our members to persevere in fostering and nurturing religious vocations.

32oo Youth Show Readiness to Follow Call.

When the leaders of a Loreto youth rally made a vocations call, some 2,000 men and 1,200 women stood up to show their readiness to become priests or consecrated persons.

The September 3 rally gathered about 100,000 youth from the Neocatechumenal Way, as a follow-up visit from Benedict XVI, who had been with the youth the two days before.

Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, presided over the meeting, accompanied by several other bishops. The rally was animated by the founders of the Neocatechumenal Way, Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernandez, along with Father Mario Pezzi.

A Neocatechumenate communique explained that since Pope John Paul II's 1984 meeting with youth in Rome, the movement has called together its young people for a vocational meeting in order to harvest the fruits from the encounters with the Holy Father. The meeting included a procession of about 1,000 priests and a reading of the Gospel.

Archbishop Rylko commented on the Gospel reading, saying: "The Holy Father wants to convey a message to all young people, that being a Christian is beautiful."

After more commentaries, the leaders invited those youth who think they have a call to the priesthood or consecrated life to stand and receive a blessing from the bishops. That's when 2,000 young men came forward to show their interest in the priesthood. And 1,200 women expressed a similar desire for alife consecrated to God.

"The large number of participants--mostly Italian, but also many delegations from all countries of Europe--is a sign that in many families, the faith is being taught to the young people," the communique said.

To prepare themselves for the meeting with Benedict XVI, the youth made a pilgrimage, stopping in streets and plazas to witness to their faith and talk with other young people.

Cardinal George Pell of Sydney was inspired by the rally and invited the young to engage in a similar preparation for World Youth Day, to be held in Australia next July.

Source: National Catholic Register, September 16-21. Also, Zenit, the world seen from Rome news agency.

Get reacquainted with long-time Serran Aggie Kempker-Cloyd and husband Brian Cloyd. When membership chairman Tim Hile sent us this information, we decided to turn the tables a bit, and we present this good news about Aggie and Brian in lieu of our usual Meet our New Members column.

Agnes Kempker Cloyd wears an unusual necklace--truly one of a kind. The necklace was a gift from Brian, something he had made especially for her on their first wedding anniversary 33 years ago. The charm shows their first initials, A and B, connected by an infinity symbol, representing their connection, which they describe as limitless and everlasting.

Though certainly not as romantic as the charm on her necklace, the idea of perpetuity is part of what attracted the Cloyds to Grand Rapids Community Foundation.

Aggie and Brian met at freshman orientation at the University of Detroit. He was from St. Louis and moved to West Michigan after graduation to start his life with Aggie, who was from the area. Today he is vice president of global community relations for Steelcase, and Aggie is an attorney with the Department of Justice U. S. Attorney's Office.

Brian and Aggie first became donors to the Community Foundation when Brian was asked to serve as a trustee in 1996.

"The Community Foundation has a legacy of involvement and sustainability," Brian said. "We want to give to an organization that respects its donors' wishes, stewards the funds responsibly, and will continue to give. The Community Founcation has the processes in place to have a lasting impact. It is not going away." With a gift through their estate plan, the Cloyds hope to help the Community Foundation continue to expand, influence, and regenerate.

Influenced by his work, Brian is interested in diversity, education, and economic development. "Our community is becoming more diverse, and we need to make sure all people here have the opportunity to learn and develop. This influences our local economy," he said.

Aggie is passionate about the arts and programs that meet basic human needs. The latter she attributes to her experience in Upward Bound as a teen. "The experience taught me that we are all one person; potential exists in each and every one of us. The only thing wrong with the poor is that they lack money. I believe everyone should be treated with dignity and respect," Aggie said.

The Cloyds describe giving as part of their belief structure--a concept they've passed on to their adult children, Barrett and Brandon.

"When they were growing up, we gave the boys an allowance. We taught them that a portion went to the bank, part was for them, and the rest should go to helping others," Aggie said. During high school, both Barrett and Brandon served on the Community Foundation's Youth Grant Committee.

"For us, giving back to our community is an obligation. We have been blessed with resources. Community is a place where everyone can participate, and it is our responsibiolity to help in any way we can," Brian said.

Source: The Metz Society magazine.

Congratulations to our newest members, Leonard Grotenrath, Joe and Kathy Westdorp, and Chris Grady. Their profiles will follow in subsequent newsletters. Now that Chris has joined our club, Mark Kubik has graciously surrendered his title as our youngest member. Chris, among others, helps to bring the demographics down a bit, and that's a good thing. Also, let us keep prospective member George Lewis in our prayers, as he has lately experienced a bit of a setback in his recovery from hip replacement surgery.

Good News from our area's newest parish. Grand Rapids Press reporter Matt Vande Bunte writes that attendance at the first mass of our diocese's newest parish, St. Luke University Parish in Allendale, was much larger than anticipated. The turnout of 170 or so people pushed the crowd into the gym of the Allendale Christian School for the time being.

Paulist Fathers Rev. Donald Andrie and Rev. Brad Schoeberle will take on the responsibility of building the new parish and establishing an ongoing Catholic presence at Grand Valley State University. Along with celebrating weekly masses, they envision regular office hours, counseling, retreats, mission trips, and educational programs as part of their campus ministry.

Sunday mass is held at 10:30 a.m. Learn more about the new parish at lukespot.com

Source: The Grand Rapids Press, Saturday, September 29, 2007.

Let us wish Abe and Anne Rossi and their family a safe and wonderful trip!
Abe and Anne left for Europe on September 28. Their plan was to spend a few days in France and then move on to Tuscany, where a total of 33 of their family members have rented two villas in the vicinity of Assisi.

A Message from our President.

Dear Serrans:

I am confident the members who attended the fall member/guest reception had a wonderful evening. Fr. Hankiewicz and Nate McKenzie did a wonderful job describing the objectives of our organization and what the club means to them. Special thanks to Tim Hile, our Membership Co-ordinator, who organized the event. We are proud to announce our newest members: Chris Grady, Leonard Grotenrath, and Joe and Kathy Westdorp.

Just over two months away is the 17th Annual Vocations Dinner, which we be held at Noto's on 28th Street in Cascade. We will once again be in thepresence of our Bishop, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Walter A. Hurley. The Programs Committee and Bob Paul have been working diligently to make this a wonderful evening and successful event raising monies for Bishop Hurley to promote vocations in our diocese. A portion of these monies are used to fund our Notre Dame Vocations program, providing scholarships to high school students to discern their calling to the ministerial priesthood or religious life and to allow us to host the Sisters' Appreciation Dinner. If you did not receive your official invition, or if you have further questions, please call Bob Paul at 616-949-9133.

This event provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce your colleagues, neighbors, and prospective guests to an example of the work our organization does. Please take a moment and invite them to attend or to join in sponsoring a table. For many Serrans this moment has become the "kick-off" to the Christmas season; I look forward to seeing you there.

Dr. Patricia Hughes from the Diocese of Grand Rapids will be our featured speaker at the October 8 luncheon at Louis Benton Steak House. As a reminder for new members and the guests you will invite, parking is available in the City of Grand Rapids structure next to the restaurant. The entrance is located on Ionia Avenue, with complimentary one-hour parking.

From October 21-18, Fr. Hankiewicz will be leading a pilgrimage to Rome. Nancy King and I will be attending, along with two prospective members of our club, Pat Polega and Carolyn Etheridge. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you upon our return.

Very truly yours,

Mark A. Kubik, President

Grand Rapids Serra Newsletter, September, 2007

2007-08-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events for September, 2007

September 10, 2007. Member-guest reception, Louis Benton Steak House, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Membership chairman Tim Hile is still taking names and addresses of prospective new members.

September 24, 2007. Prayer service and luncheon meeting, 12:00 noon,
Sacred Heart Parish, with orientation for new members.

Coming up...

Regional Conference. The Great Lakes Conference of Serra USA will take place on October 18-21 in Bay City, Michigan. Everything needed to sign up is at http://www.saginawserraclub.org/.

Priest Appreciation Day. Priest Appreciation Day will be observed on October 28, 2007.

Fall leaf raking with Consolata Sisters in Belmont. Date TBA.

Vocations Dinner, December 6. Noto's Restaurant. Chairman Bob Paul urges all members to participate in inviting guests to this event, as we are committed to 200 in attendance. We also welcome sponsors. Please do all you can to make this event an unprecedented success. Tickets will be $75.00 per person, but those who reserve a table or pay early will be offered an incentive of $65.00 per person. Remember, the Vocations Dinner is our major fundraiser of the year and provides funds for the Bishop to carry on his work in fostering vocations.

Sister's Appreciation Dinner. The dinner is scheduled for April 12, 2008 at St. Jude's Parish.

Notes from our Board. The Serra Board met on August 20 at Louis Benton Steak House. Two guests, Dennis Rybicki and Sarah Clapp, spoke about the formation of a Catholic Choral Group for grades 2-8. The vision of the group is to introduce young people to singing sacred music and becoming involved in the Church. Dennis asked about the possibility of support from Serra Club, and board members recognized that vocations could result from this group. However, the board ultimately decided that significant financial support of this activity was a bit too far afield from our mission, but that we would perhaps invite the group to perform for our club on certain occasions and give a stipend for doing so. Individual Serrans interested in contributions to the Catholic Choral Group may visit http://www.catholicchoralacademy.org/

The Board also acknowledged recognition of our club by the International Foundation of Serra because of contributions by Charter Member Ralph Hauenstein. A banner presented to the club in honor of this occasion will be displayed at all future Serra meetings. The Board announced that a healing card would be sent to Ralph following eye surgery performed in early August. Let us keep Ralph in our prayers as he recovers.

Serrans Honor the Memory of Long-Time Member Harry Mika. Harry E. Mika, ( a long-time memer of the Grand Rapids Serra Club), age 87, of Grand Rapids, passed away on Tuesday, July 31, 2007. Born in Bay City in 1920, Harry moved to Grand Rapids in 1934 and graduated from Central High School in 1938. Harry lived a life exemplified by service to his church, to his professions, and to his community. A member of St. Alphonsus
Church for more than fifty years, Harry was a leading proponent of parochial education and was actively involved in significant parish and diocesean development activities, including extensive renovation of the church in the late 1970s.

After a number of years as an owner of the East End Super Market, Harry set home sales records in the state as a leading realtor in Michigan, and finally, as a banking executive, was involved in several of the more significant bank mergers in West Michigan. He occasionally taught courses in real estate and labor and industrial relations for the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

For more than fifty years Harry served on many professional and community boards and associations in the Grand Rapids area. As a board member of the Grand Rapids Urban League, he was among the longest serving Urban League directors in the country. Harry was a religious and caring man who was deeply devoted to his family, the pillar of his support. From humble beginnings, Harry devoted his life to public service, driven by his conviction that God-given talents must be used for the betterment of others. He touched the lives of many people and will be remembered for his gentle and caring manner, his integrity, and his compassion...

The Mass of Christian Burial for Harry Mika was celebrated on Saturday, August 4, at 12:30 p.m. at St. Alphonsus Church. Interment was in Fairplains Cemetery. The family greeted friends and relatives on Friday, August 3 at Arsulowicz Brothers, Remembrance Mortuary, in Walker. Those who still wish to extend an expression of sympathy may make a contribution to Hospice of Michigan. Source: The Grand Rapids Press.

Seminarian David Gross Shares Reflections on his Retreat. After considering my options and consulting with my spiritual director, I decided to embark on a 30-day Ignatian Retreat at Creighton University this summer. I was looking to deepen my relationship with the Lord, learn more about myself, and reduce my dependence on material goods. The experience gave me all of this and more. I was a little bit nervous about not being able to talk for 30 days, but I was more nervous about how to fill four to five hours of prayer time every day. The hardest part of the silence was not knowing how my family was doing back home and being out of touch with what was going on in the world.

The retreat began on Friday evening, June 29, and I quickly settled into a daily routine of spiritual direction, prayer, mass, meals, rest, and recreation. The first three days I prayed over the Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises before moving into the first week, praying about the love of God, my own sinfulness, and how I have let God down. The surprising thing was how much joy I felt at the end of the week ad I became more aware of the tremendous love that God has for me and how wide his mercy and forgiveness are. The remaining three weeks I spent meditating on the life of Jesus and putting myself into the events of the gospel. I gained a new appreciation for many of the Bible stories that I had heard countless times, and this led me to a more intimate relationship with Jesus. Finally, on the last evening of the retreat I experienced a breakthrough in which I realized deep down in my heart that I have a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus, who is the same amazing and wonderful God who created me and the entire vast universe. While I had said many times before that Jesus is God, suddenly those words took on a whole new meaning.

The experience of the Spiritual Exercises helped me to appreciate that God has been calling me to the priesthood for most of my life. I also discovered that following God's will is the only thing that can bring me true happiness. I realized that it is not about what I do, but rather what I allow God to do with me. This thought brought me a feeling of great joy and peace. I am grateful for the opportunity that I was given to participate in this retreat, and while I don't have a desire to do it again, the graces that I was given will stay with me for the rest of my life.
S0urce: David Gross.

Serrans could benefit from the Jesus prayer: breathing God. The Jesus prayer is a prayer of the Eastern Desert Fathers. Some patriarchs also call it the prayer of the heart. It is a very short prayer repeated often throughout the day. It can say something like, "Lord, have mercy," or "Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

This is one of the deepest and most mystic prayers and it is constantly repeated as part of a personal relationship with God. For those who say it constantly, it becomes part of breathing and thus becomes part of the whole person.

When practiced constantly, the Jesus Prayer becomes automatic and spontaneous. Some people consider it part of meditation, but since it is not reflective meditation, it could be considered rather as a part of contemplation. In this prayer there aren't many words, but a simple being with the Lord, being in God.

The prayer probably originated in the desert of Egypt. The remains of an inscription containing fragments of the Prayer of Jesus were found in the ruins of a monastery in the desert of Egypt. The remains are from the 13th century.

Theologically, the Jesus Prayer could be considered as an extension of the lesson of Jesus about the Publican and the Pharisee. The Publican is the one who, correctly and humbly, says: "Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner."

The Eastern monks often say this prayer up to hundreds of times a night. The monk tries to internalize the prayer to bring the presence of Jesus to his heart and mind. It can also be used as a prayer of repentance. To say this prayer is to move and breath in God constantly, even in the midst of daily tasks and concerns. It is a way to remind oneself of our purpose in life, what we are doing, and the constant presence of God in our lives.

If a person is in prayer in this way, all of his or her reactions, actions, thoughts, and desires will be dominated by the presence of God. There won't be any room, therefore, for things that are not in the spirit of the Lord, like anger, selfishness, pride, or violence. This is, therefore, a prayer that unites the person with God in such a way that the person acquires a new personality and identity.
Source: Our Lady of Sorrows bulletin, August 5, 2007.
Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me, and Mary, Mother of Vocations, pray for us.

A Message from our President. Dear Serrans: I am confident that all who attended the annual picnic at the Franciscan Sisters' property in Lowell had a wonderful evening. Our thank go to Fr. Hankiewicz for celebrating mass, Pam Szczesny and Nancy King for preparing a wonderful meal, and the sisters for allowing us to use their facility. Also, thank to all who made donations to the Franciscan Sisters that evening.

In August a handful of Serrans traveled to the International Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Grand Rapids has always enjoyed a good representation at these events and we should be proud of our accomplishments. The programming is always done very well, and the hosts are from area clubs. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet Serrans from around the world and get a picture of the role our organization plays in the Universal Church worldwide. Next year's convention will take place in Brazil; details will be forthcoming. There are several members who are already planning on attending this event. I will forward information as it becomes available. The Brazilians are excited and look forward to hosting us in 2008.

September 10, 2007, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. will be our fall member/guest reception at Louis Benton. If you have not invited potential guests yet, please do so personally and forward their contact information onto Tim Hile at thile@ottawa-kent.com or 616-437-1404 so that he may send them a formal invitation. There will be a social hour with heavy hors d'oeuvres from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The formal presentation will begin at 6:30 and conclude no later than 7:00 p.m. Complimentary valet parking will be available at the Ionia Avenue entrance of the restaurant. The member-guest receptions are one of the most important activities we sponsor as a club. This evening is an informal way of sharing our SERRA experience with our co-workers, friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners. We all benefit from the camaraderie and friendships we establish in the club; we ask that you please share that experience with others.

The autumn is always an exciting time of the year, but this year is a little busier than usual for two Serrans. I am pleased to announce that Pam Szczesny and Nate McKenzie will be married on October 13. On behalf of the club I would like to extend them our congratulations and best wishes.

I look forward to seeing you on September 10 at Louis Benton.

Very truly yours,

Mark A. Kubik, President

Miscellaneous Items.

A new diocesean poster featuring our seminarians will be published this fall.

A new CD titled, A Pictoral History of Serra International is now available. Ask Pam Szczesny if you're interested in obtaining one.

And finally, muchas gracias to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist for hosting our picnic with the South-of-the Border theme. Thanks to some of our fellow Serrans and their guests for becoming cornhuskers for a time, although we have little information about their sentiments toward Nebraska.

Life Fest 2007 will take place during the weekend of September 7-9 at the Franciscan Center. The Life Fest is advertised as a weekend for the heart and soul and features a Friday retreat, a Saturday dinner and auction, and a Sunday family picnic. For complete information about the Life Fest or the Franciscan Life Process Center in general, visit http://www.lifeprocesscenter.org/

Pray for Vocations.

Serra Newsletter August 2007

2007-07-22T04:57:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events

August 13, 2007. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steakhouse.

August 9-12, 2007. International Convention at the Hilton Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. Fr. Ed, Mark Kubik, and Dennis Leiber plan to attend from our club. Mark will serve as our delegate and Dennis has been designated the alternate. Information may be found by visiting the Serra International website.

August 17, 2007. Shrimp Dinner at Muskegon Catholic Central, beginning at 5:00 p.m. This dinner is the Muskegon club's principal fundraiser for sending students to Steubenville for a week of prayer, reflection, and fellowship. Those who have attended in the past highly recommend it.

August 27, 2007. Serra Picnic with the Franciscan Sisters at the Franciscan Life Center, 11650 Downes St. NE. If you haven't been there before, find driving directions on the Internet. The evening will begin at 6:00 with Mass in the chapel, with Fr. Ed as celebrant. Committee members Joseph Scoville, Pam Szczesny, Nancy King, and Barbara King will furnish everything you need.The menu is planned for a South of the Border flavor. Also, we're hoping for fresh, picked-the-same-day sweet corn, seasoned with real butter and salt and pepper to taste, and some homemade desserts, along with a number of other good dishes. The cost will be $7.50 per person, $15.00 per couple and $25.00 per family, with a family consisting of grandparents and grandchildren or parents and children, for example. Serrans are invited to bring friends, relatives, children or grandchildren. Note for new members: We can't make any guarantees because one can never predict the future precisely, but judging from past history, when G. R. Serrans put on a spread, the results are usually VERY GOOD! Remember that there will be no noon meeting on that day.

Mark These Dates on Your Calendar.

September 10, 2007. Member-Guest Reception will take place at Louis Benton Steakhouse, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Tim Hile is still taking names of prospective guests. There will be no noon meeting on that day.

October18-21, 2007. Regional Meeting hosted by the Saginaw Club at Doubletree Hotel in Bay City, Michigan. District Governor Nate McKenzie urges either your attendance or your support in some form, including monetary contributions. Nate reiterated that regional conventions were started so that people who could not attend the International Convention would have a chance to get together and stay current on Serra issues. Dick McKinley would like to speak to our group to promote the regional meeting, but the time and place have not yet been confirmed.

Grand Rapids Serrans should have received a mailing about the event from the Saginaw Club. If you're planning to attend, remember that early registration makes life much easier for the hosts.

October 22, 2007. Regular meeting at 12:00 noon at Sacred Heart. The program for that day will include orientation for new members.

Looking ahead...

December 6, 2007. Vocations Dinner at Noto's. Chairman Bob Paul reminds his fellow Serrans that this is the major event of our year and the primary source for funds that support the Bishop's and the club's vocation efforts. We have guaranteed an attendance level that will support these activities. Therefore, we need every Serran's support to make this event a success.

Other upcoming events for which the dates have not been confirmed: Seminarian Luncheon, which will take place between Christmas and New Year's Day; and Sisters' Appreciation Dinner, which will be held sometime in April. Pam Szczesny is working with Father Danner so that the dinner can be held at St. Jude's.

Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us.

News from Notre Dame Week. West Catholic students Katie O'Connor and Anthony Olin left for Notre Dame on Monday, July 16, with Father Ed extending them a blessing upon departure. Abe Rossi and Jeanne Host drove the students to Notre Dame, and Pam Szczesny and Nate McKenzie brought them back. The students will speak to our group on August 12, and their parents will attend that meeting as well.

Thanks, Aaron. Seminarian Aaron Ferris ended his internship at Sacred Heart on August 1. Aaron looks forward to a pilgrimage in the Holy Land, a Diaconate Retreat in Rome, along with sightseeing, and further studies. His Diaconate ordination is planned for June of 2008, and a Mass of Thanksgiving is on the calendar for June 9, 2009 at Sacred Heart. At the July 23 meeting the club presented Aaron with a thank-you card and a gift certificate for the fine work he did in planning and conducting our prayer meetings at Sacred Heart.

Farewell to a Beloved Mother

The family of Mary Ancona wrote the following tribute in her honor. Mary departed earthly life on July 6, 2007.

Born in Grand Rapids in 1916 and baptized as Maria Antoinette, Mary was the first child of Illuminata and Pietro Mancusa. Italian was Mary's first language. Her father died when she was eight years old and Mary had many household responsibilities when she was very young.

From her upbringing and her faith, she learned the virtues of anticipating the needs of others, providing for them and serving them with joy. "Providence" for Mary meant not only the Lord's watchful care for us, but her own watchful care for her family and for the needs of others. She "looked ahead" in order to serve. These were the gifts she brought to managing her household with great orderliness.

Mary also had the gift of making an environment beautiful. She loved crocheting, knitting, and sewing and often made gifts of blankets, sweaters and baby clothes. She tended her gardens and plants until the end. She made a dozen loaves of bread every week, signing each loaf with the cross before it went into the oven, thus teaching her family to love not only those loaves but the Bread of Life.

What her family learned about Mary most of all is that all her organizing, anticipating, cultivating, and creatively providing for the needs of others were not duties or bothersome responsibilities for her. They were her joy. For Mary, to serve the Lord, her family, and others was simply joyous.

Mary took great pride in her family but also in her extended family, the Church, especially the faith community at St. Sebastian's.

With loving thanks to God for the irreplaceable gift Mary has been, we offer her back to the
Lord from whom she came...Until we meet again.

Msgr. Gus, Theresa, Annette Herp, Mary, Peter, and Cindy

Our club presented the family with the Serra Bear and a Claretian Prayer Card signifying perpetual mass in her name. Serran Dennis Leiber also suggests memorial contributions to the Serra International Foundation. Dennis will bring envelopes for this purpose to our next several meetings.

How to Stay Catholic in College, by Christopher Kaczor, Catholic Answers, San Diego, 2007...is the title of a wonderful booklet that is worth far more than its nominal price. If you have children, grandchildren, friends or relatives of college-age, this booklet will surely be of interest to you. Or, if you don'thave any direct connections with college-age students, its relevance to our club is not only because we have set a goal of establishing and maintaining a Catholic presence on a number of our local college campuses, but also because it urges young readers to think about figuring out and praying about whatever vocation the Lord has chosen for them. Furthermore, the advice it has to offer is of interest to Catholics of any age. It might just as well be titled, "How to Stay Catholic in our Pop Culture Society."

I found my copy at God's Gifts, 1740-44th Street SW, Wyoming, near the corner of 44th Street and Burlingame.

Charter Member Ralph Hauenstein graced us with his presence at the July 9 meeting. At that time he briefly addressed the group, informing us that he is the only living person who knew all four of the founders of Serra mentioned in the sidebar of this newsletter.

An August Meditation. St. Monica, whose feast we celebrate in August, is often known as "the persistent mother." She watched her oldest son, Augustine, turn his back on the Christian faith.

Monica was exasperated. For years she gave up talking directly to her son on the advice of a local bishop, who told her that it was better to talk to God about Augustine than to Augustine about God.

The mother never gave up praying for her son. Eventually, Augustine abandoned his wild ways and was baptized and later ordained and named bishop of Hippo. St. Augustine went on to become one of the Church's greatest scholars.

Monica's story addresses the importance of persistent prayer. The Lord rewarded her perseverance. She reminds us that this is our charge: keep praying.

(Paraphrased from the bulletin of Our Lady of Sorrows, week of July 28-August 3).

News from thePerpetual Adoration Chapel at St. Isodore's. The 14th anniversary celebration of the Pope John Paul Adoration Chapel at St. Isodore Catholic Church is being celebrated the week of August 11-19, 2007. During this time the Vatican International Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World will be on display. This is an extensive collection of photographs and historical records representing a sampling of ancient and modern eucharistic miracles that have taken place around the world. The collection was created by the Vatican in the Year of the Eucharist which took place from October 2004 until October 2005. After being shown in more than 500 parishes in Italy, it is now traveling around the world. For hourss during which the exhibit can be viewed, call Carol at 957-3340, Mary Lou at 233-8993, or Sabina at 459-8486.

A Letter from our President

Dear Serrans:

As members of the Grand Rapids club, we have been exposed to Serra internationally more so than other clubs of our size because three of our members have served as international presidents.

When Bernard Haviland, Ralph Hauenstein, and the Hon. Dennis Leiber returned to our club from their travels, they always shared their experiences with us. In my opinion the international scope of our organization is an example of how small the world truly is today, yet how much we have in common with Catholics around the world.

In October 2004 at the invitation of then International President-elect, Dennis Leiber, I joined him at the Vatican for the International Board meeting. I had the opportunity of observing the International Board at work and was impressed by the respect given to the Board by the Congregation for Catholic Education at the Vatican and His Eminence Zeon Cardinal Grocholewski, the Prefect for that congregation. Somewhat equivalent would be meeting with the U. S. Department of Education and its secretary. Dr. Giovanni Novelli, Serra International's Ambassador to the Holy See, was responsible for the organization and coordination of this meeting and Serra's reunification with the congregation.

At our last meeting, Dennis Leiber informed those in attendance of Giovanni's passing. Giovanni was a wonderful Serran who had been blessed with a prosperous career, not only professionally but also within our organization. Born in 1930, Giovanni lost his mother when the Nazis occupied Italy during World War II because the medical treatment she needed was no longer available. He became an internationally renowned chemist and represented the Italian government on many occasions around the world. Most recently Giovanni was working on a method to convert coal to a liquid fuel to be used in combustion engines. Giovanni was responsible for the meeting of Serra pilgrims from around the world with His Holiness Pope John Paul II on December 7, 2000. He served as International President from 2001-2002 and was then named Serra International's ambassador to the Holy See. Most recently he was laying the groundword for Serra's expansion into France and for a club to be chartered in Paris. Giovanni will be truly missed by those who have met him within and outside of Serra.

We pray that his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace through the mercy of God. Mary, Mother of Vocations, pray for us!

Very truly yours,

Mark A. Kubik, President

Serra Newsletter July 2007

2007-07-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Calendar of Events

July 9, 2007…....Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Louis Benton Steak House
July 16, 2007…..Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon, Louis Benton Steak House
July 23, 2007…..Prayer Service and Lunch, 12:00 Noon, Sacred Heart Parish

Mark Your Calendars for These Upcoming Events

July 16 and July 20, 2007. These are the dates for delivery and pick-up for NDVI students. Our Director of Vocations Abe Rossi plans to drive for one of these occasions. Call him for details if you’re thinking about helping out. Our club provided two scholarships for these students.

August 9-12, 2007. Join Serrans from around the world in Atlanta, Georgia. The Hilton Atlanta will serve as Serra’s convention hotel for this event, which will feature some of the most dynamic speakers in the world. In addition, the Serra International community would like to extend a special invitation to our Serra chaplains.

Serra International encourages every Serra club to send a delegate. It is important that each club’s voice be heard and each vote counted. Go to the Serraus.org website, which provides a link to the Bellringers to find the Delegate Credential form. It appears in the June 2007 edition. Fr. Ed Hankiewicz plans to attend from our club. Please let us know if you have decided to do so as well. We need delegates.

Internationally recognized journalist and EWTN News Director Raymond Arroyo is set to welcome members as Atlanta’s 2007 official Master of Ceremonies. Registration and additional information about pre-and post-convention activities may be found by visiting the Serra International website. You will find a link at the left of our page.

August 17, 2007. Muskegon Serra Club’s shrimp dinner will begin at 5:00 p.m. Muskegon Catholic Central High School. New members may call their sponsors or any other veteran member for more information. This event is the Muskegon Club’s principal fundraiser for sending students to Steubenville for a week of prayer and reflection.

August 27, 2007. Our annual Summer Picnic will take place on this date. Pam Szczesny and Nancy King will assist chairman Joseph Scoville in planning the picnic. We are tentatively planning to hold the event at the Franciscan House in Lowell. We will confirm the information in the August newsletter.

September 10, 2007. This will be an evening member-guest reception at Louis Benton Steak House. Let Membership Chairman Tim Hile know if you would like to invite someone. He needs the addresses so that he can mail invitations to prospective members.

October 18-21, 2007. The Saginaw Serrans will host the 2007 Great Lakes Conference. The club has put together an outstanding selection of speakers and presenters and have arranged several activities for you leisure enjoyment.
Go to http://www.saginawserraclub.org/page5.html for details. For those of you who do not use computers, Ray Bartels informs us that the conference will be held in Bay City at the Double Tree Hotel (989-891-6000).

The workshops will focus on our mission to foster vocations. Bishop Robert J. Carlson, bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw, and Bishop Daniel E. Flores, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, are scheduled to celebrate masses and speak during the conference. Other confirmed speakers include Fr. Joseph Fessio, S. J., founder of Ignatius Press and instructor and former Chancellor at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida; Sr. Molly Neville, SNJM, vocation director for the Diocese of Monterey, California; and Fr. Jay Scott Newman, Pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Greenville, South Carolina.

On Thursday evening there will be a special show and dinner at the Delta College Planetarium. On Friday the club has planned trips to Frankenmuth, “Michigan’s Little Bavaria,” and the state’s number one tourist attraction and to Midland to visit the beautiful home of the famous architect Alden B. Dow.

District Governor Nate McKenzie reminds fellow Serrans that if they are planning to attend, they should register now. Not only does early registration help the hosts' cash flow, but also allows them to plan more accurately.

For more information call Mr. Louis Rapin at 989-781-1878.

December 6, 2007. Thursday, December 6 has been the date selected for our annual Vocations Dinner, with Noto's as the tentative location. This dinner is one of the highlights of our Serra Year and we invite all of our members and guests from other clubs to participate. The Most Reverend Bishop Hurley plans to attend.

More News from the Saginaw Club

The Saginaw Club inducted its new officers on June 19, 2007. They are as follows:

President: Bernie Coppolino
President-elect: Jean Seamon
Programs: William Ruger
Vocations: Sharon Wahl
Membership: Kathy Bronz
Communications: Ray Bartels
Secretary: Cyril Schultz
Treasurer: David Beyerlein
Trustees: Scott Seamon, Tracy Knaub, and Dick McKinley.

Each year the Saginaw Club announces its Serran of the Year. This year Dick McKinley was chosen. We congratulate Dick McKinley upon receiving this honor.

Meet Our New Members

New members David and Judy VanderLinde reside in Walker. They recently celebrated their 30th anniversary with a trip to Hungary and Germany. They have two children. David and his wife Sarah live in Hudsonville, and Amanda and her husband Shaun live in Walker. They are eagerly awaiting their first grandchild.

Travel is a way of life for David, Vice-president of Sales and co-owner of Envirotronics, Inc. He visits China and other parts of Asia at least twice a year. He also goes at least twice a year to various locations in eastern Europe. This year the VanderLindes were also able to spend a month in New Zealand and Australia.

They are 25-plus-year members of SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Grand Rapids. Between the two of them, they are either serving or have served on almost every committee or every organization within the parish.

In their spare time they enjoy camping trips throughout the U. S. in their travel trailer.
We welcome them into our club.

WE GIVE THANKS FOR THIS VOCATION

Fr. Mark Przybysz began his funeral homily for Fr. Nash with the story of a confirmation which took place shortly after Fr. Mark had been assigned there as Assistant Pastor under Fr. Nash. The 15 or so young confirmants, the boys all scrubbed and dressed in their white shirts and ties and the girls with their hair done especially for the occasion, stood in a row as Fr. Nash spoke at some length about how they were about to receive the Holy Spirit via the holy oil in the bowl he was holding in his hands. As the ceremony continued, he dipped his hand in the bowl and anointed each child, quite a bit more abundantly than is the usual practice, with the oil of the Holy Spirit. But behind the humor of the incident, says Fr. Mark, there is a lesson: “Father Nash loved the sacraments and he taught me to love them as well,” says Fr. Mark.

Fr. Nash died Sunday, June 3, 2007. He was born on January 18, 1931, in Rossmore, Tahilla, County Kerry, Ireland. He came to the United States when he was 18 and was ordained in 1954. He served the parishes of St. John Vianney in Wyoming, St. Mary in Spring Lake, St. Ambrose in Delton, St. Paul the Apostle in Grand Rapids, St. Charles in Greenville, Our Lady of the Lake in Holland, and St. Dominic in Wyoming. His last parish was Holy Redeemer, where he remained as part of the parish family after retiring to senior priest status in 2000. He continued to serve there as well as at neighborhood nursing homes and at St. Mary’s Living Center, Lacks Cancer Center, Villa Elizabeth, and other parishes throughout the diocese.

Serran Pam Szczesny recalls Fr. Nash’s skills both as an investor, to the great benefit of whatever parish or charity he was serving at the time, and as a gardener. The geraniums which adorn the grounds at St. Dominic are the very ones he planted when he began his ministry there. He taught the parishioners how to take care of the plants not only in the summer but during their dormant season as well.

Every parish he served was represented either at his Vigil Mass or his funeral. His guest book paints a picture of a memorable character who loved life to the fullest and who committed acts of kindness, both great and small, all the days of his life.

“He was the most PASTORAL pastor I ever met,” writes Mary Mooney of Spring Lake. “Fr. Nash knew everyone’s name and was always standing outside at the entry door to greet people as they came to mass (usually with his ND jacket on), and to greet them afterward again.” He once held up a Saturday evening mass for a few minutes as Notre Dame finished playing Florida State. A family in Delton fondly remembers that he would frequently call up and ask, “Are we having burgers tonight?” This family was honored to keep Fr. Nash’s Kerry Blue Terrier Blarney when Father was assigned to St. Paul the Apostle and couldn’t take Blarney with him. The book even tells us that he gave out the best candy in Georgetown Forest at Halloween.

What was so charming about him was that he said exactly what was on his mind, and he expressed his thoughts exactly in the order in which they occurred to him, an explanation, perhaps, for his stream-of-consciousness style of preaching. I saw Fr. Nash as he celebrated one of his last daily masses at Holy Redeemer. I had never been to a daily mass there and wasn’t sure where the chapel was. The mass was already underway when I arrived. As I entered, a little hesitantly, Fr. Nash interrupted his comments with, “Come on in, dear. We won’t hurt you.” A few moments later, he interrupted himself again and said, looking my way, “I know you. Where do I know you from?”

“Our Lady of Sorrows,” I replied. “Oh, yes. Our Lady of Sorrows. A fine parish.” Without skipping a beat he went on to complete the homily, which covered a large number of topics in a short time. Even during his last days he celebrated mass with such enthusiasm that an outsider would never have guessed the gravity of his condition.

Though he had his own illness to deal with, he brought love and comfort to his fellow travelers in the world of cancer treatment. A grieving mother writes, “We met Fr. Nash when our 15-year-old son was admitted to Trillium Woods. Fr. Denis formed an immediate friendship with him and visited his room every day for conversation and cookies. He provided so many moments of joy to our family during the final weeks of our son’s life. We fully believe that God put him there to be a light for us in our darkest hour.”

As he completed his earthly journey, Fr. Nash knew exactly where he was going, and as far as we know, he was as ready to go there as any of us could ever be. Though we miss him greatly, it’s hard to think of him without smiling through the tears. Recalls Stan Roth of Jenison, “He was one of the most giving men I have ever met and he had no aspirations for promotion and public acclaim. He went about doing good to countless people.”

He bore his suffering with extraordinary grace and dignity. May he rest in peace.

By Nancy King

More Thank You Notes from the Sisters' Dinner

Dear Mr. Kubik and all the members of the Serra Club:

We, the Consolata Sisters, would like to express our deepest gratitude for the Mass, dinner, and entertainment organized for us at St. Robert's. You truly went out of your way, and everything was just wonderful! May the Lord reward you for your kindness and generosity as only He can.

With much gratitude and love,
The Consolata Sisters

Dear Members of the Serra Club of Grand Rapids:

Thank you for inviting all of the women religious to your dinner last Saturday evening. The dinner was delicious and the music and singing were enjoyable. We also had fun with the prizes.
Most of all, thank you for all you do to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life. May our Loving Lord continue to bless you personally and the work you do for the Church.

Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, per Sister Bernice Blake, F. S. E.

Dear Mark,

I am writing to thank you and all the Serrans of my gratitude for hosting the sisters of the Diocese for a lovely reception and dinner. It was an outstanding occasion.

God Bless You! Sister Aquinas Weber, O. P.

A Message From our President

Dear Serrans:

Summer is my favorite time of the year! I don't know if it is because of the more relaxed business pace, the ability to eat outdoors, or just because everything is in bloom, except for many lawns!

This past month I traveled to Ireland and France for a project I am involved with at the University of Michigan. I had been to France many times and even studied there as an undergraduate. This was my first time to Ireland, a very interesting experience. I am not sure whether the statistics are completely accurate, but I was told that Southern Ireland is 98 percent Catholic. A 38-year-old colleague of mine from Cork reiterated that the majority practice their faith and raise their children in it as well.

When I was taking the train from Cork to Dublin, I was going through the countryside and thinking about the mission of our organization in fostering vocations to the ministerial priesthood and the religious life. A component that I highly appreciate is the furthering of our own vocations as lay men and women through our lecture series and club activities. This year's lecture series focuses on the forms of worship we have available to us as Catholics. As a cradle Catholic, I am looking forward to these talks because like anything one has been exposed to throughout one's lifetime, there are components we lose as we become accustomed to our traditional ways of worshipping.

The annual International Convention is around the corner and has always been a time for Serrans and their families to renew old friendships and gain new ones with Serrans from around the world. We will talk about this topic and other upcoming events such as the annual club picnic at our next meeting.

I look forward to seeing you at our next regular meeting on July 9 at 12:00 noon at Louis Benton Steak House.

Very truly yours,

Mark A. Kubik, President

If you know of anyone who would like to receive
an electronic copy of this newsletter,
please write to Nancy
King at njking50@hotmail.com
with an e-mail address for that person.

The Serran Spokesman is published by the Grand Rapids Serra Club,
founded February, 1948,
District 15. The Serra Club meets at noon on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. The first meeting of the month is held at Louis Benton Steak House at 12:00 Noon
and the second meeting of the month takes place with a prayer service and luncheon at 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart Parish. Our Moderator is Fr. Ed Hankiewicz. Comments or inquiries may be sent to: Editor
the Serran Spokesman
GRSC 3920 Acadia Drive Hudsonville
MI 49426

Serra Newsletter June 2007

2007-06-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Serran Spokesman

The Grand Rapids Serra Club Founded February, 1948 June, 2007

Calendar of Events
June 11, 2007……………...Luncheon at Louis Benton Steak House, 12:00 Noon
June 25, 2007……………...Prayer Service and Luncheon, Sacred Heart Parish, 12:00 Noon

Coming up…

The 2007 Serra International Convention will take place in Atlanta, Georgia on 2-12 August, 2007.

The Hilton Atlanta will be Serra’s host for this event, featuring some of the most dynamic speakers in the world. Internationally recognized journalist and EWTN News Director Raymond Arroyo is set to welcome you as Atlanta 2007’s official Master of Ceremonies. To register go to the serraus.org website. From this website you may also find out about optional tours, convention schedule, convention speakers, and An Evening with Raymond Arroyo at the Georgia Aquarium.

More Thank-you Notes

Thank you so much for the enjoyable time we had Saturday evening (April 21). Everything about the evening was perfect. May God bless all you do. Gratefully, Sr. Donna Jean

Thanks for the delicious food and great hospitality. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated. Sr. Theresa.

Thank you for the wonderful meal and everything you gave us. Sr. Lourdes.

Dear Nancy: Please extend my heartfelt thanks to all the Serra Club members who provided the delicious dinner, gifts, entertainment, and fun for the Sisters. I always look forward to this special evening, and I am grateful for all the planning and hard work that it takes to have such a great celebration. May God bless all of you and your work. Sister Diane Dehn, O. P.

Dear (Serrans): What a wonderful evening! Please convey to all of the Serrans my deep gratitude for their care and hard work in preparing for us a delicious meal. Everything about the evening was so well done. The presentation of the dinner, the lovely decorations, the gifts, the entertainment…all is deeply appreciated. God bless you for your care and generosity. Sister Rosemary O’Donnell, O. P.

Dear Mark and Serrans: Thank you for the wonderful evening this past Saturday. It was great gathering as always. Also, thank you for the gift certificates and flowers. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and kind words. Sincerely, Sister Patrice.

The Vocation Sacrament
By Gail Besse

The Eucharist is a key to vocations, says author Vinny Flynn. He says in his case, a spiritual hunger for the Eucharist has infused his life. Even as a child, he sensed that Our Lady somehow played a part in this new relationship he entered when he received first Holy Communion.

He believes when Catholics really understand this sacrament, the Eucharist will radically change their lives, and this can transform the world. Flynn’s new book, 7 Secrets of the Eucharist, (published by MercySong with Ignatius Press), invites readers to recognize Christ in the breaking of the bread as the disciples on the Road to Emmaus did.

Known as “the man who sings the Divine Mercy Chaplet on EWTN,” Flynn and his wife Donna now run MercySong Ministries of Healing (mercysong.com), which offers Eucharistic parish missions, retreats, talks, and music. He recently spoke with Register correspondent Gail Besse about his ministry and his recent book.

The World Day of Prayer for Vocations is April 29. How does Eucharistic adoration promote vocations?

Recently at a parish mission, the pastor told us he had received his vocation during a Eucharistic procession. He had been away from the Church and had only attended the devotion at a relative’s request. Although he had no interest in what was happening, when the priest blessed him with the Eucharist, he heard an inner voice telling him he was to be a priest. He had never contemplated the priesthood, and it came as a total shock, but he knew immediately that this was for real. Jesus had called him from the Eucharist and given him the grace to change his life. But I must add that, as wonderful as such dramatic healings may be, I’ve found that what the Lord told St. Faustina is true: “The greatest miracles of mercy take place in the confessional” (Diary, 1448). Once people understand that we come to confession not just to be forgiven, but to be healed” (Diary, 377), everything changes.

In your title, “secrets” refer to known truths about theEucharist that have been hidden somewhat because they haven’t
been appreciated. Is that right?

Yes, in fact I was led to write the book because as I traveled around the country, I realized most people, even some daily communicants and those devoted to adoration, don’t really know what the Church teaches about the Eucharist. Many priests told me they never learned this in the seminary, even though recent Popes (John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI) have all emphasized that the Eucharist is central to their lives, to their ministry, and to the life of the Church. I felt there was a great need to express this deep theology simply, with clear relevance to the daily life of the average person.

What are some of the truths that many of us know little about?

We’re invited to enter into Communion, not just to passively receive. The whole Holy Trinity is involved. Christ is truly present—body, blood, soul, and divinity—in every particle of the Host and drop of Precious Blood. People need to understand the reality and importance of spiritual Communion, and how the Mass relates to them. Most importantly, they need to get the “so-what” aspect, meaning: “How does it all fit together” and “How can it help me live my life?” For example: Christ is alive, in his full divinity and in his full humanity, in the Eucharist. So what does this mean in my life? It means I have to be aware of how I receive him, and of all that I do…

Do you see a connection between our diminished appreciation for the Holy Eucharist and the loss of a sense of sin?

We’ve had a 40-year gap in solid CCD and RCIA teaching, and we’ve lost a sense of the body as a tabernacle. But I’m convinced we won’t stay illiterate, as the Eucharistic revival that Pope John Paul II called for is happening. People will be unpacking what he wrote on the Eucharist for years, and now we have Benedict’s apostolic exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, the Sacrament of Charity.

Are there other secrets you plan to write about in the future?

Oh, yes. One is: To grow you must adore. We must adore before, while, and after we receive. We also have to adore the Eucharist outside of Mass. And Our Lady is the other secret. There’s a direct relation between Mary’s fiat and our “Amen. The Annunciation was her first holy Communion. She was asked to believe that God himself lived in her. When we receive and say, “Amen” we should be saying, “Yes, take flesh in me, Lord. Let me carry you to other people.” We should act like her, and bring Jesus in haste to someone else.

When we do, we become living monstrances.

From the National Catholic Register, April 29, 2007

Meet Our New Members…
Paul Nelson, who is not really a new member of Serra Grand Rapids, rather he is a returning member. While he was President of Aquinas College, he had so many noon and evening obligations that he was unable to attend Serra functions on a regular basis.

Paul rejoined to begin a process with other Serrans involving local colleges and the Catholic high schools to create a culture of vocations by supporting them in their efforts to

1) Affirm the Catholic faith
2) Encourage growth and development
3) Invite consideration for exploring a religious vocation
4) Provide experiences to test options
5) Offer ongoing support and encouragement.

Aquinas College has agreed to be our first effort and the response has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. Paul and his team have met twice with a committee from Aquinas. They hope for a full-time priest/chaplain on campus as a first priority. To date, volunteer priests have helped out. They also want to work with the Theology Department to develop a Catholic studies minor consisting of 20 semester hours of study. Other possible events, such as meetings between Aquinas students and seminarians, are in the works.

May the Lord bless Paul and our fellow Serrans who have undertaken this work.

The Vocation Chalice
The purpose of the Vocation Chalice, a blessed chalice, is to provide a focal point for prayer.

Each week at a Sunday liturgy, the celebrant will use the Vocation Chalice. After purifying the chalice at the end of Communion, he will call a family forward to receive the Vocation Chalice. They receive a blessing and take the chalice home, putting it in a place of honor.

Each day of the week, the family prays for an increase in and perseverance of vocations. The following Sunday, they return the Vocation Chalice with the bread and wine at the Offertory.

From the Parish Bulletin, St. Adalbert’s, South Bend, Indiana. May 13, 2007

Nate McKenzie tells us that the Vocation Chalice is making its way to Michigan. He will keep us posted. As mentioned in St. Adalbert’s bulletin, this is a wonderful family project, whatever size family you have—1 or 15.
A special mass in honor of Blessed Junipero Serra will take place on July 1 at Sacred Heart. See Mark’s message for more information.

News from the Board
The Board met on May 21. Father Ed opened with a prayer.

Bob Gabridge reported on Charter Night. We did not have official figures at the time, but approximately 50 paid guests attended. The Board paid tribute to Fr. Ed for planning and executing the excellent Vespers Service and to Bob Gabridge and Beverly Shields for taking on the chairmanship of this very successful event.

The Board also went through the proposed master calendar and assigned each major event to a committee, paying special attention to the Vocations Dinner, Charter Night, the Sisters’ Dinner, and the Summer Picnic. One of the goals is to create a customs book so that those who take on these events will start with a guest list and notes with the arrangements for a particular event already in place.

Several of the events were assigned to the Vocations Committee: leaf raking at Belmont, the Priest Appreciation Day, the Vocations Dinner, the Seminarian Luncheon, and the Hospitality Team at ordinations. The Summer Picnic was assigned to Programs.

Member/Guest receptions and other recruiting events were assigned to the Membership Committee. We aim for a 15 percent increase in membership by the end of 2007.

Pam Szczesny, as our President-elect, will serve as the contact person for Serra U. S.

Nate McKenzie and John Osterhart attended Super Weekend in Chicago on May 18-20.

Paul Nelson reported on our club’s work at Aquinas College.

The meeting adjourned with a prayer at 1:15 p.m.

Recommended Reading

At the May 21 Board meeting, President Mark Kubik distributed a copy of Our Iceberg is Melting to each of the Board members. This is an award winning book by Harvard Business School author John Kotter, with foreword by Spencer Johnson, M. D., who wrote Who Moved My Cheese.

Our Iceberg is Melting is described as a simple fable about doing well in an ever-changing world and has been used to help thousands of people and organizations.

This book is published by St. Martin’s Press. For more resources and ideas, log on to http://www.ouricebergismelting.com/.

We Are Blessed…
with the ordination of the following on Saturday, June 2 at St. Andrew’s:

Reverend Matthew J. Barnum, 27, was born to Daryl and Wendy Barnum of Hastings. Father Barnum has one younger sister. St. Paul Campus Parish in Big Rapids is his home parish. Father Barnum is a 2001 graduate of Aquinas College with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. He holds a master’s degree in divinity and a master’s degree in theology from the Oblate School of Theology. He will serve as Assistant Pastor at Holy Spirit Parish.

Reverend Victor Kynam, 47, was born in Vietnam. Father Kynam has six siblings. His parents are deceased. St. Isodore Parish in Grand Rapids is his home parish. He received his bachelor’s degree in 2001 from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland. In May 2007 he earned his master’s degree in divinity and a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology. He has been assigned to Blessed Sacrament Parish as Assistant Pastor.

Reverend Mark E. Peacock, 49, was born in Trenton, Michigan to Lowell and the late Mary Louise Peacock. He has one sister and three brothers. Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Holland is his home parish. Father Peacock graduated from Aquinas College in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in religious education. He received his master’s degree in divinity from Sacred Heart School of Theology in May, 2007. He will begin his priesthood as Assistant Pastor at St. Jude’s.

Reverend Mister Michael Cilibraise, 49, is the oldest son of Charles and Charlene Cilibraise of Sheridan, Michigan. Deacon Cilibraise has two brothers and one sister. St. Paul Campus Parish in Big Rapids is his home parish. He graduated from Ferris State University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree of science in social work. He also earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Kellogg Community College. Deacon Cilibraise will be entering his final year of seminary at St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois this fall and is a candidate to receive his master’s degree in divinity in May, 2008.
Oops!

Larry Mulligan’s e-mail address is listed in the new directory as Lpmukkligan@comcast.net. Asked whether he considered the proposed name change a really good idea, he surmised that it might help keep the bill collectors away but in the end decided to remain Larry Mulligan. Therefore, you may write him at lpmulligan@comcast.net. Also, you may reach Darlene at XdarleneX2002@yahoo.com, as “hahoo.com” is just a fly-by-night outfit, not to be relied upon.

This item is not an OOPS! but simply a change that occurred after the directory was published. Please change Steve Kramer’s address to:

Steven Kramer
300 Riverfront Drive #4K
Detroit, MI 48226
stevenkramer946@sbcglobal.net

A Message From our President
Dear Serrans:

Last month the new officers and board members spent their first meeting defining our organizational chart committing to the events on our 15-month calendar. We are very fortunate to have a group of leaders who are willing to take on the task of running this club. While we are all volunteers, we commit to projects that aid in fulfilling our club’s mission, but also activities to foster our individual vocations. Please participate or assist in planning these events as your schedule permits.

Over the summer we continue to be involved in activities and events in addition to our regularly scheduled club meetings. A few of these events are as follows:

· The club will be providing transportation and financial support for the students we sponsor to attend Notre Dame Vocations Initiative.
· July 1 Feast of the Blessed Junipero Serra, 10:30 a.m. mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus with Msgr. Ancona as homilist and Fr. Hankiewicz as celebrant.
· The International Convention will be held in Atlanta, Georgia.
· The Annual Serra Picnic will take place at the home of the Franciscan Sisters in Lowell.

This October Fr. Hankiewicz will be hosting a trip to Rome for Serrans, their families, and guests. We will be having the first informational session on this event on Sunday, June 10 at 4:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Rectory. Please notify me via e-mail or at 616-458-2026 or Fr. Hankiewicz at 616-459-8362 if you are interested. I hope you will consider joining us on June 10.

Very truly yours,

Mark A. Kubik, President

And Finally, Notes From Pam About More Summer Events

You are cordially invited to attend a Vespers Service in prayerful gratitude to Sister Patrice Konwinski for her 19 years of service as Chancellor of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. This service will take place on Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, with a reception to follow in the parish center.

Please RSVP by June 13 to Jackie at jzbikowski@dioceseofgrandrapids.org or 616-243-0491 Ext, 1542.

Pam also reminds us of the annual Shrimp Dinner at Muskegon Catholic Central on August 21.

Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us.

June 2007

2007-06-03T08:07:00.000-07:00