Sunday, May 28, 2017

498 Clubs, 46 Countries, 14,940 Members.  
Calendar of Events.
June 3, 2017.  Ordination of Stephen Durkee, Steven Geerling, and Kyle Kilpatrick to the priesthood.
at the Cathedral of St. Andrew.  We are still looking for ushers from our club.
June 4, 2017.  Masses of Thanksgiving for each of the new priests.
June 12, 2017.  Dinner Meeting and Speaker, 5:30 p.m. at the University Club.  Board meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m.  Our speaker for June will be Msgr. Ancona, Chaplain/Moderator Emeritus of the Grand Rapids Serra Club.
June 21, 2017.  Ordination of Dennis Rybicki, Dean Vernon, and Lance Walters to the permanent diaconate, 7:00 p.m.
June 22-25, 2017.  Serra International Convention, Rome, Italy.  On June 23, Serrans from all over the world are invited to a private audience with His Holiness Pope Francis.  Our club will have a nice representation, with Msgr. Hankiewicz, Dan Grady, Dennis Leiber and family, John and Ellen Osterhart, and Sara Vander Werff.  After the convention, John Liston, Executive Director of Serra International and Serra USA Council will be married at the Basilica of St. Sebastian, with Msgr. Hankiewicz officiating. Serrans are invited.   DON'T MISS THE YOUTUBE TOUR OF ST. SEBASTIAN'S LOCATED ON THE OLD APPIAN WAY, accompanied by the story of St. Sebastian, the Soldier Saint.
June 24, 2017.  The Nativity of St. John the Baptist.
June 26, 2017.  Mass at the chapel of the Cathedral of St. Andrew, 12:05 p.m. The informal meeting which usually follows will  not be held because so many of the principals will be out of town, with the Liston wedding taking place and with post-convention travels..
Looking Ahead.  Prepare for these events in your parish.
October 29, 2017.  Priesthood Sunday.
November 4-11.  National Vocations Awareness Week.

New Assignments in our Diocese, effective July 1, 2017. 
 Reverend Douglas A. Braun, parochial vicar of St. Mary-St. Paul Parish in Big Rapids, will attend the Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C. to study Canon Law.
 Reverend Peter O. Damian, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Rockford, is appointed pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Grand Rapids.
Deacon Stephen J. Durkee, to be ordained June 3, 2017, is appointed parochial vicar of Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Rockford.
Reverend Jegar N. Fickel, is appointed parochial vicar of St. Mary-St. Paul Parish in Big Rapids.
Deacon Steven W. Geerling, to be ordained June 3, 2017, is appointed parochial vicar of St. John Vianney Parish in Wyoming.
Deacon Kyle J. Kilpatrick, to be ordained June 3, 2017, is appointed parochial vicar of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Holland.
 Reverend Godfrey C. Onyekwere, pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Kentwood, is appointed pastor of Prince of Peace Parish in North Muskegon.
Reverend William R. Vander Werff, parochial vicar of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Holland, is appointed pastor of St. Luke University Parish in Allendale.  The Paulist Fathers will be leaving the Parish as of July 1.
Reverend Peter G. Vu,  pastor of Prince of Peace Parish in North Muskegon, is appointed pastor of St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Kentwood.

Priests' Anniversaries in June.  We thank the Lord for this long list.

The Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak, June 9, 1979;  Bishop Emeritus Walter A. Hurley, June 5, 1965; Michael Alber, June 1, 2001;  Msgr. Gaspar Ancona, June 1, 1963;  Reverend Louis Anderson, June 1, 1963; Reverend Matthew Barnum, June 2, 2007;
Reverend Mark Bauer, June 14, 1986; Reverend Thomas Bolster, June 12, 1982; Reverend Edward Boucher, June 14, 1960;  Reverend James Bozung, June 3, 1961; Reverend Douglas Braun, June 6, 2015; Reverend Charles Brown, June 6, 1999; Reverend Michael Burt, June 6, 2009; Reverend Bernard Carlin, CssR, June 1, 1978; Reverend Thomas Cavera, June 4, 2016; Reverend Patrick Cawley, June 6, 1970; Reverend James Chelich, June 6, 1976; Reverend Michael Cilibraise, June 7, 2008; Reverend Michael Danner, June 5, 1965;  Reverend Thomas DeYoung, June 18, 1983; Reverend Norman Droski, June 6, 1964; Reverend George Fekete, June 5, 1965;  Reverend Aaron Ferris, June 6, 2009; Reverend Patrick Jegar N. Fickel, June 4, 2016; Reverend Joseph Fix, June 1, 1968; Reverend Melvin Fox, June 1, 1963; Reverend Luis Garcia, June 4, 2011;  Reverend Pedro Garcia, June 5, 1965;  Fr. Eugene Golas, June 4, 1955;  Reverend Patrick Grille, June 24, 1971; Reverend David Gross, June 5, 2010; Msgr. Edward Hankiewicz, June 24, 1979;Reverend Victor Kynam, June 2, 2007; Reverend John LaGoe, June 3, 1961; Reverend Donald Lomasiewicz, June 2, 1962; Reverend Richard Lewis, June 7, 1969; Reverend Thomas McKinney, June 3, 1961; Reverend Paul Milanowski, June 5, 1965; Reverend Colin Mulhall, June 4, 2016.  Reverend Ayub Nasar, June 28, 1985; Reverend Troy Nevins, June 1, 1996; Reverend Scott Nolan, June 1, 2013; Reverend Godfrey Onyekwere, June 7, 2003; Reverend Thomas Page, June 16, 1979; Reverend Mark Peacock, June 2, 2007; Reverend Anthony Pelak, June 7, 2003; Reverend Jose Quintana, June 1, 1996; Reverend Chris Rouech, June 1, 1996;  Reverend Kenneth Schichtel, June 2, 1962; Reverend Ronald Schneider, June 4, 2016; Reverend Daniel Schumaker, June 4, 2016; Reverend Charles Schwartz, June 1, 2013; Reverend Phillip Sliwinski, June 7, 1997;  Msgr. Louis Stasker, June 5,
1965; Msgr. Terrence Stewart, June 19, 1970; Reverend John Thome, June 15, 1946; Reverend Anton Tran, June 1, 2002;  Reverend Anthony Vainovicz, June 3, 1961; Reverend John Vallier, June 13, 1987;  Reverend James VanderLaan, June 1, 2013;  Reverend William Vander Werff, June 6, 2015;  Reverend Thomas Vesbit, June 6, 1984; Reverend Peter Vu, June 7, 1997; Reverend John Wisneski, June 6, 1964, and Reverend William Zink, June 1, 1968.

Thoughts on how to recruit new Serrans, by Greg Schweitz, President of the USA Council.

"What is the best way to recruit new Serrans?  This (past) fall our very active USA Council membership committee, Nancy Gibson, VP, has introduced a new and proven recruitment program that encourages club members to work through their local pastors and religious to recommend family members and local Catholic leaders for Serra membership.  In pilot trials, this program has increased local club membership on average over 25%.  This collaboration will help Serran recruiters looking for good people to find them, Then, more importantly, I encourage you to PERSONALLY invite them, and the more personal the invitation, the more likely your invitation will be accepted.

When a new prospective member is invited to join Serra, what is it that he or she is joining?When we talk about preparing our elevator speech of what Serra stands for, we must remember that while Serra is mostly known as a great vocational activity club, it is much bigger than that.  The third objective of Serra provides the answer:  We recognize the importance of working to support each other's Call to Holiness.  An emphasis on good, regular programs is what I consider to be the glue of a good club and the essence of what it means to be a Serran.  Let's face it, the activities and the fun are great, but we are about more than that.  The ones who stay in Serra are drawn to the spiritual camaraderie and growth.  Long time Serrans are also those who find like minded Catholics to share in their faith journey...Although we are rightfully proud about our Priest affirmation activities and our well documented support of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, it is also the essence of our organization that in Serra we will find and nurture Catholic leaders for our respective Catholic Communities...

Serra has a lot to offer new prospective members.  Let us continually look for good, strong members and not be timid about inviting good strong leaders to join us--prospects who will bring new ideas and more energy into the club as we move them forward.  It is a fact of life that in any organization we will lose good Serra members through natural attrition caused by death and work relocation.  But it is truly sad if our loss is because of our inability to convey the benefits of belonging to a dynamic, relevant, important organization.

Call today for assistance in organizing an effective recruiting program.  Contact Nancy Gibson (ngibson1219@gmail.com) or phone her at 913-908-7601...At the end of the day, all Serrans must recognize that they are members of the membership committee.

St. Junipero Serra, guide our efforts.
Mary, Queen of Vocations, pray for us.

Notes on the presidency of our club.

Weldon sent two notes over the weekend on that topic.

The first is, Sara sent me an e-mail asking me to take over meetings from now on because the City Commission failed to act on the salary cut and she needs to find other employment.  I have agreed, at least for the interim period."

The second is as follows:
"Our current president Sara has notified me that because of heavy work load she will be unable to continue as president of our club.  Therefore I've agreed, with the board's permission, to take over until the board decides otherwise.  Hope to see all of you at the next board meeting and our regular meeting."

Let us Pray for a safe and successful journey for those who are traveling to Rome.