Calendar of Events.
March 29-April 1, 2012. Serra U. S. Executive Committee retreat at Techny, Illinois. Fellow Serran John Osterhart took part in this retreat. Let us pray that it will bear much good fruit. Thank you, John, for representing our club in this way.
April 9, 2012. Easter Monday. Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Speaker will be Sharon Loughridge. See her biography directly below.
April 16, 2012. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.
April 22, 2012. Sisters' Day at the Ball Park. All Serrans are invited to attend the Whitecaps game on Sunday afternoon, April 22 at 1:00 p.m. We are inviting all sisters of the diocese to be our guests on that day for the ball game and an all-you-can-eat picnic lunch. We have 90 tickets overall and the nuns have claimed about 60 thus far. We are offering surplus tickets to Serrans at $20 per ticket, which includes the game and food. If you would like to attend, e-mail Dan at dlaville@comcast.net and let him know how many tickets you would like, first come, first serve. You can be billed for your tickets on your quarterly dues statement. Questions? Call Dan at 634-0794 and...pray for sunshine.
April 23, 2012. Prayer Service and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.
April 29, 2012. World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Much information about the World Day of Prayer, including Pope Benedict XVI's message about the 49th World Day of Prayer is available at serraus.org. Materials for the day for parish use are also available.
May 9, 10, and 11, 2012 (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday). Holy Family Radio Sharathon. See note from Dan Grady below.
June 21-24, 2012. Serra International Convention, Providence, Rhode Island. More below.
Biography. Sharon Loughridge has served as Executive Director at D. A. Blodgett Home for Children since February, 2003. In January 2010 the Blodgett Home merged with St. John's Home. She continues as the Executive Director of the combined agency.
Prior to joining DAB-SJ, she spent 21 years with the Kent County Department of Human Services as a foster care social worker. She supervised a variety of programs, including Adult Protective Services, Adoption, Foster Care, and Prevention and Delinquency Service. Sharon also served for 12 years on the Comstock Park Board of Education, three times as president.
About the Sharathon. Dan Grady announces that we are confirmed for one hour on HFR Wednesday, May 9 from 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Serra is sponsoring one hour of Holy Family Radio spring pledge drive to raise funds for this radio ministry. The Sharathon will run 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9, Thursday, May 10, and Friday, May 11. We have agreed to match pledges made during one hour, and so we ask that any Serrans who contribute to HFR, or want to start, please contribute directly to Holy Family Radio in Serra's name before the fund drive to count toward our matching funds. We also need 2-4 volunteers to work the phone banks and record pledges during that time. Please notify Dan Grady if you can help or have any questions.
Finally, HFR is still in need of volunteers to help answer phones between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and 4:00-6:00 p.m. each day of the pledge drive. If you can help, notify Dan or call HFR directly at 616-956-1140.
Daniel S. Grady, Business Banker
Phone 616-235-8820.
At the board meeting we received the information that HFR is trying to secure an FM station so that we could hear the station 24 hours a day instead of from sunrise to sunset. We also received information that the Bishop of the Diocese of Kalamazoo is looking to start a station in his area.
Editor's Note: As a result of listening to Fr. Kyle Schnippel of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, on Vocations Boom on HFR, I took a look at www.cincinnativocations.org. I recommend you do the same for much wonderful news regarding vocations.
The College Connection. John Osterhart received the following letter from Judy Cozzens of Serra's National College Connection:
Dear John: Thank you for supporting College Connection for Catholics (CCC). Only 15 percent of our Catholic college students take part in campus ministry without our program. With your help, we are working to increase the number of young adults who will grow in their Catholic faith by connecting them with their campus ministry programs.
Our program is working! Last yea we sent the St. Lawrence Catholic Connections for Colleges a list of about 200 names. We were pleased to learn that 25 percent of our CCC students actually registered in the St. Lawrence Center. The campus minister actually believes
more students are coming, even though they did not register. News like this encourages us to continue the work of College Connections for Catholics.
It is the connections you create, the principals and parishes that you reach out to, from whom we get the greatest number of students. This e-mail includes a link for the Parish Plan and the Catholic High School Plan. It is not too late Remember, every name you get is valuable and may help us save a soul. The good news is that students who attend campus ministry are the future of the church. Sixty-two percent of young men who attend Catholic colleges and take part in the Catholic campus ministry programs considered a religious vocation, (versus 21 percent not taking part). This is over a 40 percent increase.
It's easy to sit back and say someone else will do it. When we get to the pearly gates, the Lord may ask whom we brought with us. I pray the Serrans will have a bus load of college students with them. Please help us save souls.
God bless,
Judy Cozzens
Note: Judy adds, "We actually have cases where new Serrans have joined because of the program."
Our president Tim Hile plans to get the program underway by December of 2012, after the Regional Conference committees are well along with their work. He has already cleared with the secondary schools.
Regional Conference. The committees have discussed a theme based on the idea of being Catholic in a pluralistic society, but no plans are official yet. They are working on a budget, plans for a Travelers' Mass on Friday, speakers for the opening of the conference, the luncheon, and the banquet, and arrangements for Sunday Mass. The conference will be held at the 28th Street Hilton. The committees could use the assistance of all Serrans. Let Tim Hile know if you can help.
About the Convention. The Serrans of the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states of the
United States warmly encourage you to arrive early and stay late when you attend Serra's 70th international convention in Providence, Rhode Island, from June 21-23, 2012. As just one of the many convention highlights, Serra's former Episcopal Adviser, His Eminence Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia, will deliver the Keynote Address on the convention theme: "The good work begun in you will be perfected unto the Day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1-6)."
The convention will be held in the Hilton Providence and the nearby Westin Hotel, which are located near the central business district just a 20-minute taxi ride from Providence's T. F. Green Airport (PVD) or a 50-minute bus ride from Boston International Airport (BOS).
The convention headquarters hotel is the Hilton Providene, which is within walking distance of the cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, where all Masses during the convention will be celebrated. The Welcome/Awards Dinner on Thursday evening and the District Governors' Lunch on Friday will be at the Westin Hotel.
June 23, 2012. St. Lazare Retreat House's Men's and Women's Golf Outing.
Where: Grand Haven Golf Club, 17000 Lincoln Street, Grand Haven 49417
When: June 23, 2012 (Saturday). 8:00 a.m. Registration, 9:00 a.m. Shotgun Start and Scramble
Cost: $95 per golfer, $330 per foursome, including lunch and soft beverages
Additional Purchases: Mulligans and Hand Toss, 50/50 Drawing Tickets
Director: Fr. Vincent O'Malley (vomcm@att.net)
GH Golf Club Contact: Lew Gorbach (616) 842-4040
Checks payable to:
St. Lazare Golf Outing
18600 W. Spring Lake Rd.
Spring Lake, MI 49546
(616) 842-3370
Last day to register: June 15, 2012
*If the event is cancelled because of weather, food is still served on that day, and the rain check is good for the golf season through 2012.
Proceeds from the golf outing go toward the support of St. Lazare's.
Note: At the board meeting, we received a suggestion that we consider buying a foursome for priests either as a club or as individuals. No formal action was taken.
Another Military Vocations Story.
We continue our series from Salute Magazine.
Callan D. Davis
DIOCESE: Archdiocese of Boston, MA
RANK/BRANCH OF SERVICE: 2nd Lieutenant/Air Force
HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDED: Deer Park High School, Deer Park, TX
COLLEGE ATTENDED: St. John's Seminary, Boston, MA
HOBBIES: Tennis, volleyball, playing the guitar, swimming, hanging out at the beach and reading.
WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU THOUGHT OF THE PRIESTHOOD?
My first time thinking about priesthood happened around the time of my conversion, which was during my junior year at Baylor University. Yes, ironically I converted to Catholicism at the world's largest Baptist University! My time there was instrumental in my spiritual maturity and discernment.
WHO INFLUENCED OR INSPIRED YOU? There have been many who have influenced and mentored me throughout my life so I cannot just pick one or maybe just a few. Father Anthony Odiong, Deacons Frank Jasek and Jeff Heipel, Father Kerry Abbott, Father John McLaughlin, Father Wayne Belschner, Father Mario Origo, Father Kevin Cody and so many more have truly been instruments of God in my life. They have been constant in their support and unfailing in their ministries to living out a holy and Christ-centered life. Their examples, with the help of God, have put me on the path I am on today.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
That I speak Russian and that I had a pilot slot to fly in the Air Force and turned it down to go to seminary.
HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW JESUS? I was raised in the Bible Belt and thus was raised Baptist, but you could say it was the hard work of my mother that first introduced me to Jesus. Some of my earliest memories revolve around Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, and Church. It is this foundation I have to thank for my early experiences with Christ.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE SPIRITUAL EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES THAT HELPED YOU DEVELOP AND SHARE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH?
In my early years I was fairly active in the church choir and Sunday School but it was not until my conversion that I truly found a direction to focus my passion for Christ and His Church. The mysterious and captivating presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist had, what I can only call, a gravitational pull on my soul. I could not spend enough time reading or being with Him. Whether I was an altar server, an EHMC or helping out with RCIA, I had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of Christ. This passion has been developed by spiritual direction and daily interaction with Christ through prayer, the Eucharist, and here I am; studying to become pleasing to our Lord as a priest, loving and leading his people to full communion with Him.
WHAT INFLUENCE DID POPE JOHN PAUL II HAVE ON YOUR VOCATION?
In college, I was a Slavic and Eastern European studies undergrad, which focused on Communism and the effects it had on the former Soviet bloc countries. The tireless efforts of Blessed Pope John Paul II to put an end to Communism were felt around the world. He was able to cross denominational lines and speak for Christians everywhere; no easy feat. He is the perfect example of a holy, loving faith-filled priest who lived a Christ-centered life and gave the world a model to live by. His life is an example to people everywhere, especially those discerning a vocation to the priesthood.
WHAT WAS YOUR BACKGROUND BEFORE THE SEMINARY?
Before seminary I was an active duty Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force, serving at Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, TX. I spent a little over eight months there in support of Chapel Operations on the base under Wing Chaplain, Father Lt. Col. Kevin Cody. The experience and direction I received from him and the staff at Goodfellow has helped me see just how Christ can work in the military when he is met with such dedicated Christian men and women.
WHO IS A HERO TO YOU? Undoubtedly, my hero is my mom. She has been a constant source of love and support in my life and it is without a doubt that I can say I am who I am because of her. She raised me in church and helped foster an early and loving relationship with Christ. It is through her example and her passion that I entered into the seminary.
From Salute Magazine, Christmas 2011
A Message from our President.
I received a note as I left town that Louis Benton will be shutting down Monday lunches on May 7. So, more information to follow, but I will begin planning with the University Club for May, June, July, and August. Keep an eye out for e-mails and announcements regarding location.
Many of the Regional Conference Planning Committees have been busy and are making headway on theme, speakers, and potential keynote speaker. Please notify Joe Scoville if you would be willing to lend a hand to this club endeavor. We need everyone to help this project along.
Challenges abound around us regarding our work for vocations, but our mission remains to support, foster, and pray for vocations.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!
Regards, Tim Hile
Certified Risk Architect
Ottawa-Kent Beyond Insurance.
(616) 457-1320, Office
(616) 437-1404, Cell
Finally, we note the passing of Paula Mulligan, wife of fellow Serran Larry Mulligan, after an extended illness. By all accounts she was a wonderful person, a faithful Catholic and wife and mother. A card in her memory has been sent to the Poor Claires providing for perpetual prayer
for the repose of her soul. Let us also pray for the repose of her soul. May she rest in peace.
