Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, April, 2009

Our Club's Dates to Remember.

April 3, 2009. First Friday Adoration, IHM. Mass at 9:00 a.m., adoration to follow.
April 12, 2009. Easter Monday. There will be no meeting on Easter Monday.
April 18, 2009. Serra Board Planning Meeting, Sacred Heart. Mass at 8:00 a.m., meeting to follow. Joseph Scoville and Mark Kubik will prepare an Italian breakfast.

April 25, 2009 (Saturday). Spring Training Meeting, 9:45 a.m. at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, Saginaw. Copies of directions to the church have been sent to our president. District 15 governor Louis Rapin will conduct the meeting. Call Pam if you would like to attend (see additional information in her president's letter), at 893-5233.
April 27, 2009. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.

Other Dates to Remember.
April 3, 2009. First Friday Eucharistic Night Vigil of Prayer and Reparation, SS Peter and Paul Church. Mass begins at 7:00 p.m. with rosary and prayer to follow. Benediction at 9:50 p.m.
April 26, 2009. Spaghetti Dinner at Our Lady of Sorrows, 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Adults $7 in advance, $8 at the door, Children 5-12 $3. Call 243-0222 to order tickets. Takeouts available.
May 3, 2009. World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
August 26-27, 2009. Serra USA Super Weekend, Omaha, NE.
August 27, 2009. Serra USA Annual Meeting.
August 27-30. Serra Internatinal Convention, Omaha, NE.


Some Thank-you Notes: A letter of January 29, 2009 to Aaron Gach from Cathy Pearce of the SCHS Campus Ministry: Dear Aaron and Serra Club Members: I wish to thank you for the cooperative venture between the Boy Scouts, Venture Crew, Serrans, and West Catholic students. It has been a wonderful experience for the students to use the Scout Camp, Camp Gerber, and to participate in the Pope Pius Award. Our students have been blessed by the opportunity to be a Venture Crew...Blessings to you and your communities, Cathy Pearce.

From the Sisters: Dear Serrans, What a very beautiful evening you provided for us at St. Jude's I sincerely appreciate your generosity, kindness, and wonderful meal, service, and gifts. You always outdo yourselves. The inspiring Mass and program at the end were deeply appreciated. God bless each one of you! Gratefully, Sr.Carmella Conway.

Dear Friends: What a delightful party! You were all the greatest! I hope you do this again next year. Thanks much. May God bless each of you. Sister Julia Mae, OP.

Dear Serrans, We always look forward to your party. It was lovely and the meal was delicious. The figts were beautiful. Thank you very much. Love and prayers, Sr. Phyllis Lopez.

Thank you for the wonderful dinner and company. Sister Carol Ann.

Dear Serrans, Your wonderful hospitality and care are a blessing. You are held in prayer. Many Thanks, Sr. Marlene Edwards.

Dear Serrans, Blessings on each of you for a wonderful dinner and evening. I hope to see you next year but in the springtime. Love and prayers, Sr. Mary Jo Beckett.

Once again we enjoye wonderful hospitality, delicious food, and great conversation. May God continue to bless you and your work. Sr. Emma.

Dear Serrans, For many years and in different places I have received the great hospitality of your mission for the religious life. Thank you. Sr. Jean W.

As always, the dinner was superb. Good servers, great entertainment, and lots of goodies! Thanks, Sister Angelina.

God bless you for the wonderful evening you provided for us. Sr. Michael Anne Nic

Many thanks for the wonderful evening at St. Jude's for the Serran gala. The meal was outstanding and the prizes were great. Sr. Janet Heitz.

It was wonderful! Sr. Barbara, OP.

Thank you so much for the great evening. Sr. Jeanne Marie J.

Thank you so much for your courtesy, generosity, and the effort you put forth to make the occasion memorable. Sr. Marybride.

Thanks so much for the delicious meal, beautiful prizes, and enjoyable entertainment. God bless all who made it possible. Sr. Marie Joy Yuhasz.

Dear Pam and Nate and all the Serrans, A big thank you for a beautiful evening this past Saturday. The preparations, social, dinner, conversation, and service were outstanding. May each of you continue to be blessed as we are from your service to all of us. Best Wishes, Sr. Patrice Konwinski.

Dear Pam McKenzie, President, and Members of the Serra Club: Thank you for the wonderful evening. Once again you have succeeded in making the annual Appreciation Dinner an exceptional event we will remember with gratitude. We enjoyed all aspects of it: the fellowship, food, decorations, prizes, and entertainment. Your love and dedication sparkled through everything. We are truly blessed to know you. God bless each one of you and your loved ones. Have a blessed Lenten season. Be assured of your prayers on your intentions. With love and gratitude, Sr. Zelia M. Cordiero and the Consolata Sisters.

Dear Friends, All of us Sisters truly appreciate being honored annual by the Serra Club. Nate and the kitchen crew and all of those who contribute delight the taste buds: I always enjoy seeing other Sisters, celebrating liturgy together, and visiting with Serra Club members. Many thanks for all you do for vocations and the Church of Grand Rapids. Sincerely, M. Rosita Schiller, RSM.

Hello, Ed (Hankiewicz). Please convey my gratitude to the Serrans for their very generous gift on the occasion of the Sisters' Dinner. As they were the hostesses and hosts, I did not want to interfere too much. I hope they felt welcome. They do seem to enjoy the Brophy Center Space. Peace, Fr. Danner.

And finally, from Dennis Leiber to Dan Grady. Congratulations go to you, Dan, for your willingness to volunteer for service to Serra International. The slate of candidates attached has to be approved by the delegates from the Serra International Convention that will be held this year in Omaha from August 27 through August 30...

It is extremely rare that a candidate is submitted to nomination without prior service as a District Governor. The fact of Dan's nomination is a testament to the vitality and reputation of the Serra Club of Grand Rapids, and most especially, to Dan's evident qualities and his commitment to what Serra is and does.

I encourage the entire club to come to Omaha this summer to support Dan and show the entire Serra world who we are and what can be accomplished by dedicated effort.

Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for us!

List of our newly approved slate of officers for 2009-10 is as follows:

President--Pam McKenzie

President-Elect--Dan LaVille

Treasurer--Pat Leikert

Secretary--Joseph Westdorp

Vice-President Communications--Nancy King

Vice-President Membership--Tim Hile

Vice-President Programs-- Joseph Scoville

Vice-President Vocations--Len Gross

Trustees--Abe Rossi, Bob Paul, Bob Gabridge, John Osterhart

Past President--Mark Kubik

Moderator--Father Ed Hankiewicz

Congratulations to the Consolata Sisters! On January 29, 2010, the Consolata Sisters throughout the world will be celebrating a significant anniversary. On that day, one hundred years ago, Blessed Joseph Allamano, inspired by God, gathered the first young women to initiate the Institute of the Consolata Missionary Sisters. From that humble beginning, the Sisters are now living and serving God's people throughout four continents. To commemorate this milestone event, the Sisters will soon begin to plan for the spring of 2010 a pilgrimage to Italy to visit the historical places of the Consolata family. Serrans and their family members are invited to join in this sacred journey; the pilgrimage is open to all.

Also, Sister Adelangela Paita and Sister Felicia Bertaina are celebrating their Golden Jubilee of consecrated life with God. The Consolata Sisters will commemorate this joyful event on
Sunday, July 19, with the celebration of the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Assumption Parish in Belmont at 11:00 a.m. All Serrans are invited to join them in thanking God for the gift of their faithfulness to God and to the cause of the Gospel.

Catholic Radio Programming:
Sundays: 9-Noon and 7-10 p.m. on WPRR AM 1680 The Holy Family Radio Sunday Sampler
Weekdays 6-7 a.m. on WTKG AM 1230 Catholic Answers (taped)
Weekdays 7-8 a.m. on WTKG AM 1230 The Son Rise Morning Show (live)
Thursdays 8-9 a.m. on WTKG AM 1230 Catholic Answers (taped)

Note from Catholic Radio Update: Within the next few weeks Catholic Radio will resume airing both hours of Catholic Answers an hour earlier, from 5-7 a.m. leading into the live Son Rise Morning Show at 7. You'll have THREE hours of great Catholic radio to start your day every weekday morning.
Visit the Holy Family Radio Website to learn more about local Catholic radio at http://www.holyfamilyradio.net/.
God gently calls us each day to know, love, and serve Him better. However, a major challenge to most of us is "time poverty," and God is often shortchanged. l Many are discovering that Catholic radio is a source of spiritual nourishment while doing such routine tasks as waking up, exercising, fixing meals, getting ready for the day, and especially driving. Give Catholic radio a try to see if it makes a difference in your relationship with God. Cheryl D. Doyle, President, Holy Family Radio, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49515. Telephone 1-800-414-2834.

Priest numbers steadily rising. VATICAN CITY (CNS). The latest Church statistics show that the number of priests and seminarians around the world has been showing a modest, yet steady increase. The statitstics from the end of 2007 also showed that the number of Catholics remains stable at 1l147 billion people across the globe.
The sampling of statistics was released on Saturday, February 28 in connection with the presentation of the 2009 edition of the Vatican yearbook, known as the Annuario Pontificio, which catalogs the church's presence in each diocese.
The Vatican said the global Catholic population increased during 2007 by 1.4 percent, which more or less kept pace with the 1.1 percent global birthrate that year. For the past two years, Catholics have made up 17.3 percent of the world's population, it said.
The number of priests in the world also rose, but just by 0.18 percent. At the end of 2007 there were 408,024 priests in the world, 762 more than at the beginning of the year. The figure on the number of priests was showing a continued "trend of moderate growth which began in 2000 after more than 20 years of disappointing results," the Vatican report said. However, that growth has been confined to Africa and Asia, which showed substantial increases in ordinations with 27.6 percent growth, respectively, it said.
The number of priests has remained more or less the same in the Americas, while Europe registered a 6.8 percent decline and Oceania reported a 5.5 percent decrease in the total number of priests, said the Vatican. Source: Catholic Weekly, March, 2009.

A Reminder. Praying is Essential. The USA Council of Serra International Board would like to encourage Serrans throughout the United States to pray for ALL Serrans throughout the world who need healing.
"All USA Council of Serra International members are urged to take part in the effort to canonize 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 become that miracle cure. One way to do so is to pray the Father Serra Novena (online or in PDF) for the healing of ailing Serrans. Pray the novena and any other devotions for sick Serrans as often as possible." From the Home Page of Serra USA.

Also from the Home Page. The kickoff for the 2009 College Connection program has already begun with some 60 Serra Clubs. These are clubs that actually participaed in the program during the past two years or are seriously interested in doing so this year. Partners in the program include the Catholic Campus Ministry Association and the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministers.
In 2008, 19 clubs from 11 states participated. So far this year year 45 new clubs have requested information. Dick Stolly is the SERRA USA chairman of the College Connection Program.

The Following Priests Especially Need Our Prayers: Msgr. Ancona, Chaplain Emeritus of the Grand Rapids Serra Club, and Father Ted Kozlowski, Pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows.

A Message from our President: Dear Grand Rapids Serrans: I have a bit of news from the Serra USA Council. President Michael Strong of Tacoma, Washington, has resigned from his office on the USA Council. He slated personal, financial, and health reasons for this decision. The USA Council Board voted for President-Elect Douglas McRoy of Lima, Ohio, to serve the remainder of Michael Strong's term, which was scheduled to end in June, 2009. Over the years many Grand Rapids Serrans have become friends with Doug McRoy. On behalf of our club, we have sent our congratulations to him.

A big thank-you to Dan Grady and his committee of Mark Kubik, Bob Paul, and Nate McKenzie for their work in getting nominations for our club's officers. The officers' names were announced an approved at our Board meeting of March 23 and are listed above in this newsletter. Volunteer work can be challenging, but Grand Rapids Serra officers are the best! Thank you to everyone, and we look forward to a great year ahead.

Mark Kubik and Joseph Scoville will be preparing breakfast for the new officers on Saturday, April 18 at our long-range planning day on April 18 at Sacred Heart. Board members should be receiving information to read before the meeting. We will look at suggestions from the January survey and review past programs as well as present programs. We will also review information we received at our Diocesian meeting with Father Ron. As board members, we all appreciate suggestions from our members. May this planning meeting be fruitful for the coming months!

I have received information from our District Governor Louis Rapin of Saginaw. He has scheduled a Spring Leadership Meeting for Saturday, April 25. This meeting provides an excellent opportunity to brush up on your Serra skills with other Michigan Serrans. We always learn about new vocation opportunities whie looking at the mechanics of how Serra is governed and what is expected of each Serran. Car pooling is available, and I need to know of your commitment to attend by April 15. Please send me an e-mail or call 893-5233. Lunch is included. This oppportunity is especially important because it has been a couple of years since the last Spring Leadership Day.

Don't forget to keep Charter Night, May 21, on your calendar. This occasion is an excellent time to invite friends to meet and learn about the Grand Rapids Serra. Dr. Sam Gregg, an accomplished author will speak about his new book on Pope Benedict XVI, and he will be reflecting on the Pope in his talk. Again we urge you not only to attend, but also to invite guests. I know you will not be disappointed.

At this writing we are preparing for Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Keep all of our priests in your prayers (as well as musicians). May your Lenten renewal of 40 days be all you wanted it to be. Easter blessings to all Serrans. Jesus is alive, Alleluia! Pam McKenzie

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, March, 2009

Serra Dates to Remember.
March 6, 2009. Adoration at St. Isodore. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m. There will be no 8:40 Mass on that day as previously stated.
March 9, 2009. Luncheon Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Sister Colleen Ann Nagle of the Franciscan Life Center in Lowell will be the speaker.
March 16, 2009. Serra Board Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
March 23, 2009. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.

April 3, 2009. Mass and Adoration at IHM. Mass at 9:00 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m.
April 9-11, 2009. Triduum.
April 12, 2009. Easter Sunday.
April 13, 2009. Easter Monday. Luncheon Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Speaker TBA.
April 20, 2009. Serra Board Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
April 27, 2009. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.

May 1, 2009. Mass and Adoration at St. Stephen Parish. Mass at 8:30 a.m. Adoration until 10:30 a.m.
May 3, 2009. World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
May 7, 2009. Muskegon Club's 60th Anniversary Celebration. $40 per person. Mass and Dinner at Prince of Peace Parish. Starting time TBA.
May 11, 2009. Luncheon Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Speaker will be Msgr. Duncan, Vicar General of the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
May 18, 2009. Serra Board Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
May 21, 2009. Charter Night. Installation of New Members at St. Andrew's Cathedral Chapel and Reception at Cathedral Square. The Induction Ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. There will be no Fourth Monday meeting in May.
Programs Chairman Joseph Scoville has chosen a slightly different format for Charter Night this year. After the Installation Ceremony, we will gather at Cathedral Square for a reception and heavy hors d'oeuvres. Sam Gregg, Director of Research for the Action Institute, will speak about his observations about Pope Benedict XVI. According to Joseph, Mr. Gregg is one of the world's foremost experts on the Holy Father, and he is about to publish a book on that subject. Mr. Gregg, whose father was a Serran in Australia, has also served as a Fox News Commentator in Rome.

June 6, 2009. Saturday Morning Ordinations at 9:00 a.m. at St. Andrew's Cathedral. Seminarians Aaron Ferris and Michael Burt will be ordained as priests, and Seminarian David Gross will be ordained as deacon.
June 8, 2009. Luncheon meeting at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Speaker will be Dennis Marshall of Aquinas College.

About our New Image. I'd like to tell you that I have made the conscious decision to upgrade the appearance of the Serra Newsletter to which you have grown accustomed, staying up with the times and so on. Alas! That is not exactly the case. In a nutshell, my problems in logging in to my regular blog account arose from the destruction of my old hotmail account. Because I can't log in to my hotmail, I can't get into the information I need to change the password to get into my blog account. So, I created a whole new blog and started over again. The image in the corner was supplied courtesy of my daughter Leslie, who pointed out the Blessed Junipero Serra's statue as we were touring Statuary Hall in the Capitol on our recent trip to Washington, D. C. She photographed it because she thought Serrans would enjoy seeing the picture in the newsletter. We found it very heartening that he, along with a number of other religious figures, was considered an important part of our precious national heritage, and that they stand there still. Perhaps next month I'll replace this image with the Serra logo. We'll worry about that when the time comes. I apologize for any inconvenience or dismay these new developments may have caused you. One of my Lenten challenges is to forgive the fictitious Australian traveler who has created such inconvenience. Your log-in address will be different as well. It's http://www.serraclubofgrandrapidsnewsletter.blogspot.com/ I'll confirm that information in the e-mail I send upon publication.

Meet Our New Members. Our club welcomes Francis (Frank) Lake, formerly of Oak Lawn, Illinois. Frank was born in Chicago and served 29 years as a United States Post Office worker until he retired in 2002. He was active as lector and Eucharistic minister at St. Louis deMontfort Parish in Oak Lawn. He also led the Rosary and conducted communion services at a nearby nursing home. He was married in 1963 and has four children. After his wife died in 2004, Frank moved to Grand Rapids to be near his son Jeff and his family. He has sinced joined the Golden K Kiwanis Club and St. Paul the Apostle Parish, although he is often to be seen at St. Stephen because his son and family are members there.
Asked how he became acquainted with Serra, he replied that he has always been aware of Serra's interest in fostering vocations, but even before joining us he regularly observed a Holy Hour each week at IHM, praying for priests and remembering the good sisters who taught him in elementary school. Serran Nate McKenzie invited him to join our club, and he gladly responded to that invitation. Frank looks forward to whatever adventures his Serra membership will bring, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, he hopes his membership will help to encourage vocations.
We also welcome new members Judy LeMieux and Lee Sullivan. More information about them will be published in later issues.

Survey Information. Bob Paul reports 31 responses to our recent survey. He consolidated the replies and reported the results at the February 15 Board meeting. The replies were, in his words, quite positive and included a number of helpful suggestions for present and future activities. He thanks all of those who responded to the survey.

Nominations Committee. President Pam McKenzie has named Dan Grady to our Nominations Committee. Dan selected Bob Paul and Mark Kubik to assist him.

Saginaw Anniversary Dinner. Abe and Anne Rossi attended from Grand Rapids, along with approximately 200 members and guests of the Saginaw Club. Bishop Carlson spoke about vocations. Abe notes that under Bishop Carlson's leadership, the Diocese of Saginaw now has 24 seminarians.

Update on Catholic Radio in Grand Rapids. Broadcasts are as follows.
WTKG (1230 AM) Catholic Answers Live (Rebroadcasts)
Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 6 to 8 a.m.
Wednesday and Thursday 6 to 9 a.m. (The 6-7 a.m. program is repeated at 8-9 a.m.)

WPRR (1680 AM) The Holy Family Radio Sunday Sampler
Sundays 9 a.m. -12:00 Noon and 7-10 p.m. ( 6 hours of repeated programming).

The Sunday program schedule, as well as other Catholic radio updates, can be found at http://www.holyfamilyradio.net/.

Source: Cheryl Doyle's e-mail. Remeber that Dan Grady and John Osterhart are serving on the Board at Catholic Radio in Grand Rapids.

THE ANIMA CHRISTI OF ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON,which she originally composed as a prayer for the first week of Lent:

Soul of Jesus, sanctify me.
Blood of Jesus, wash me.
Passion of Jesus, Comfort me.
Wounds of Jesus, Hide me.
Heart of Jesus, Receive me.
Spirit of Jesus, Enliven me.
Goodness of Jesus, Pardon me.
Beauty of Jesus, Draw me.
Humility of Jesus, Humble me.
Peace of Jesus, Pacify me.
Love of Jesus, Inflame me.
Kingdom of Jesus, Come to me.
Grace of Jesus, Replenish me.
Mercy of Jesus, Pity me.
Sanctity of Jesus, Sanctify me.
Purity of Jesus, Purify me.
Cross of Jesus, Support me.
Nails of Jesus, Hold me.
Mouth of Jesus, Bless me in life, in death, in time, and eternity.
Mouth of Jesus, Defend me in the hour of death.
Mouth of Jesus, Call me to come to Thee.
Mouth of Jesus, Receive me with Thy saints in glory evermore.
Let Us Pray:
Unite me to Thyself, O adorable Victim. Life-giving heavenly Bread, feed me, sanctify me, reign me, transform me to Thyself, life in me; let me live in Thee; let me adore Thee in Thy life-giving Sacrament as my God, listen to Thee as to my Master, obey Thee as my King, imitate Thee as my Model, follow Thee as my Shepherd, love Thee as my Father, seek Thee as my Physician who will heal all the maladies of my soul. Be indeed my Way, Truth, and Life; sustain me, O heavenly Manna, through the desert of this world, till I shall behold Thee unveiled in Thy glory. Amen.

Letter from our President. Dear Serrans:
The Sisters' Appreciation Dinner on February 21 was a great success. Six years have passed since we started this Appreciation Dinner. Each year has featured a different theme (mostly based on the food), and creating the themes has been great fun for us. Hats off to Nate and Mark as head chefs! Each sister I talked with at the dinner said the same thing, "This is such a wonderful opportunity for us to get together. We look forward to it each year. Thank you." And yes, the thank-you notes are coming in. I will get them to Nancy so that they can be published for you to read. Thumbs up to all who helped make this evening a success for our sisters. You can mark your calendars for next year, as I have booked the Monsignor Brophy Center at St. Jude Parish for Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18, 2010.
As you know, the Nominations Committee has been appointed. There are positions on the Board that need to be filled. If you are asked to serve, I hope you will respond with a willing, "Yes, I will."
After our nominations have been approved, Joseph Scoville and the Programs Committee can finalize details for our 61st Charter Night, scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2009. Not only will Board members be inducted, but the new members as well. We are happy to be adding Judy LeMieux, Lee Sullivan, and Frank Lake to our membership. With regrets we have received some resignations from our club: Paul Nelson, Elizabeth and Bill Bjork, and Leonard Grotenrath. We thank them for their time with us and wish them well in their new endeavors.
With the first full week of Lent 2009 upon us, I hope everyone is taking a few minutes each day for some quiet time with our Lord. Lent is a time for renewing our baptismal promises. As Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, may our 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving lead us closer to Him.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being tested for the sake of helping me. Holy "ekballo" me wherever you will.
Promise: Christ died for sins once and for all, the just Man for the sake of the unjust...that he might lead you to God: 1 Pt 3:18.
Praise: Praise Jesus, obedient Son, alive in the Spirit, who sent that same Spirit to us.

Lenten Peace,
Pam McKenzie