Serra Club of Grand Rapids Newsletter, May, 2009

BREAKING NEWS. Our next regular meeting, scheduled for Monday, May 11, has been cancelled because of the death of Msgr. Jude. His funeral has been scheduled for Monday, May 11 at 11:00 a.m. at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, 1440 Quarry NW. Msgr. Duncan, who was slated to be our speaker on that day, wants to attend the funeral, and Fr. Ed does as well. We invite Serrans to go to the funeral in lieu of our regular luncheon.

May 7, 2009.

Muskegon's 60th Anniversary. 5:30 p.m. Mass with Bishop Hurley. Dinner to follow. The speaker will be Fr. Wm. Baer, Rector and President of St. John Vianney Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota. Of the three tables occupied by our Grand Rapids Serrans, there is still one seat left. Call Pam at 893-5233 if you are interested in attending this event and showing our support for the Muskegon Club.

May 18, 2009. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.

May 21, 2009. (Thursday). Charter Night. Vespers and installation of officers and new members begins in the St. Andrew's Cathedral chapel at 5:30 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. members and their guests will move to Cathedral Square Center for a lovely reception, featuring an extensive hors d'oeuvres buffet and plenty of opportunity to converse. The menu includes Peppercorn Flank Steak Sates, an antipasto tray with cheeses and meats, Shrimp and Chorizo kabobs, Breast of Chicken, Grecian puffs with lamb, beef, and cheeses, and assorted fruits. Wine, beer, and soft drinks will be served as well. At approximately 7:30 p.m. we will be seated for coffee and dessert, and to hear our guest speaker, Dr. Samuel Gregg, the Director of Research of the Acton Institute. Tickets are $45 per person, and the cost includes all refreshments and beverages. A short bio of Dr. Gregg, along with a preview of his talk, will appear below. We are asking Serrans to make a special effort to bring friends. Don't forget your parish priest, who would probably love to hear Dr. Gregg talk about the Pope. Please send your response cards and checks to Joe Westdorp. The deadlilne for reservations is Wednesday, May 13. You may call Joe at (616) 866-6024, or send e-mail at jawestdorp@chartermi.net.

Dr. Samuel Gregg is research director at the Action Institute. He has written extensively on questions of political economy, economic history, ethics in finance, and natural law theory. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in moral philosophy from Oxford University. He is the author of several books, including Morality, Law, and Public Policy (2000), Economic Thinking for the Theologically Minded (2001), On Ordered Liberty (2003), and his prize-winning The Commercial Society (2007), as well as monographs such as Ethics and Economics: The Quarrel and the Dialog (1999), Morality, Law and Public Policy (2001), A Theory of Corruption (2004), and Banking, Justice, and the Common Good (2005). Several of these works have been translated into a variety of languages. He has also writen extensively on the thought of Benedict XVI and Sir Thomas More.

His lecture is entitled: Benedict XVI: Restoring Faith in Reason. Here is how Dr. Gregg has summarized his talk for our event: Benedict XVI is one of the most accomplished thinkers to occupy the Chair of Peter in recent centuries. From his papacy's beginning, he has made it very clear that the crisis of the West is essentially a crises in understanding human reason. For Pope Benedict, Catholicism is the way to restore reason to its proper trajectory, because Catholicism has always valued and uplifted the dignity of human reason. This is the key to understanding his papacy.

June 6, 2009. Ordination of two priests and one deacon at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Andrew. Serrans will serve as part of the Hospitality Team. Those who wish to participate should arrive at the Cathedral by 8:45 a.m.

June 8, 2009. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Our featured speaker at this occasion is Professor Dennis Marshall. Dr. Marshall is Associate Professor of Theology at Aquinas College, where he teaches courses in World Religions and in Catholic doctrine. He has presented and published a number of articles on such diverse topics as Jesus and the Religions, Suffering, and the relationship between faith and politics. Professor Marshall is also a frequent contributor fo the Catholic News Service's "Faith Alive" series.
Dr. Marshall describes his topic as follows: "The Trinity Makes all the difference in the World. Conventional wisdom says that 'all religions are different paths to the same goal.' This presentation will explore the distinct difference the revelation of the Trinity makes respecting both our understanding of the nature of God and the nature of faith." Again, be sure to attend this important meeting and bring a guest.
August 26-27, 2009. Serra USA Super Weekend, Omaha, NE.
August 27-30. Serra International Convention, Omaha, NE.

A Refresher on Serra's Objectives and Purposes:
* To foster and promote vocations to the ministerial priesthood in the Catholic
Church as a particular vocation to service, and to support priests in their
sacred ministry
* To encourage and affirm vocations in the consecrated religious life in the
Catholic Church
* To assist its members to recognize and respond in their own lives to God's call
to holiness in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.
The official wording was voted on and approved at Serra International Convention in 2005 and sanctioned by Justin Cardinal Rigali, Episcopal Advisor to Serra International).

A thank-you note. Our Club received a lovely note from Ralph Hauenstein for our contribution to the Serra International Foundation Fund in honor of his 97th birthday.

An Update on Holy Family Radio Activities. The HFR core group met on Saturday, April 25 at theSt. Isidore Parish Life Center. The broadcasts now cover 23 hours per week. The group is looking for a) someone with experience setting up and maintaining a non-profit fundraising/database program, and b) one or two others to help Renee Boutell line up underwriters for the WTKG programming. Check out the Promotional Materials at the top of HolyFamilyRadio.net. Think of creative ways in which you can uses these materials to spread the word about Catholic Radio in our area.
Also, news about our Charter Night is being aired on Holy Family Radio.

Meet Our New Members. New Serran Lee Sullivan grew up with two brothers and two sisters near Fallasburg Park in Lowell. Hers was a close family where athletics, church, and school were important. They always had lots of pets, and Lee remembers getting the St. Francis garden statue out every spring. Now she has a one-eyed stray cat named Lucy, who is very attached to her.
Lee and her two brothers graduated from Aquinas College, where she received a BSBA degree. A strong supporter of a liberal arts education, she always did well in school and credits her mother for her lifelong love of reading. One of the small pleasures in her life is a steaming cup of hot coffee and a newspaper every morning.
Herman Miller was Lee's employer for 16 years. While there, she attended evening classes at Davenport University and obtained a post graduated paralegal certificate. In 2002 she began working at a large law firm, and since then she has worked at small, medium, and large law firms. She is currently unemployed and focusing on a job search. She would appreciate any leads and can be reached by e-mail at Lee50Lee@aol.com. Available for full-time, part-time, or temporary assignments, she would welcome not only legal work but administrative work as well, describing her strengths as follows: "I'm very organized, detail oriented, and reliable."
Lee is now volunteering at the Legal Assistance Center in the Kent County Courthouse, She enjoys swimming, gardening, and spending time with her mother and her sister. She attends Mass at St. Andrew's and enjoys the Catholic Information Center. A favorite saint is St. Therese of Lisieux.
Lee is looking forward to her Serra membership and writes, "Thanks to all for your kindness, and you've all made me feel very welcome."

Priestly Anniversaries. Lee, along with her mother, is taking on the formidable project of sending anniversary cards to our priests. We thank her for that valuable work. The following priests will be receiving cards in May:
Fr. John J. McKenney, 5/1/58 Fr. Ernest Bernott 5/22/48
Fr. Philip Shangraw 5/5/79 Fr. Joachim Lally 5/22/65
Fr. Anthony Britto 5/14/88 Fr. Donald E. Weber 5/24/58
Fr. Leonard A. Sudlik 5/15/76 Fr. Theodore Kozlowski 5/24/58
Fr. Thomas Tavella 5/16/81 Fr. Michael Bliszcz 5/24/87
Fr. Charlon O. Mason 5/19/79 Fr. Bradford Schoeberle 5/27/00
Msgr. William Duncan 5/19/90 Fr. Thomas J. Hack 5/28/55/
Fr. Mark Przybysz 5/19/90 Fr. Michael J. Shea 5/30/70/
Fr. Dominic Tirkey 5/19/98 Fr. Wm. J. Reitz 5/31/47
Fr. Peter Hoang Xuan Nghiem 5/20/72 Msgr. Herman M. Zerfas 5/31/47
Deacon Carlos Gutierrez will also receive a card for his 5/5/01 anniversary.
We congratulate all of these priests and deacons and thank them for their faithful service to the Church and to the Lord.

News from Saginaw. Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Robert J. Carlson of Saginaw to become the ninth Archbishop of St. Louis effective July 1. 2009. Archbishop Carlson 64, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his Episcopal ordination in January. He has served as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw since February, 2005.
During his four years in Saginaw, he has focused on five priorities for his ministry: vocations, Catholic schools, service to the poor, stewardship, and evangelization. When he arrived in Saginaw, the diocese had two seminarians discerning vocations to the priesthood. During the past two years, more than 20 men have enrolled as seminarians for the diocese. He has ordained eight priests since June 2007 and plans to ordain three more on Friday, June 5.
Among his other accomplishments is his establishment of two significant charity events during his time in Saginaw: the Bishop's Charity Golf Classic and Bishop's Charity Ball. The golf classic has raised more than $325,000 for seminarian education in three seasons and the charity ball has raised more than $675,000 for Catholic schools and parish religious education. Archbishop Carlson also created the Saginaw Area Catholic Schools system to support schools in Saginaw County and established blue ribbon commissions to help guide the Saginaw and Bay area school systems as well as Catholic schools in Midland.
We congratulate Archbishop Carlson in his new appointment and will keep him in our prayers.
Source: The Catholic Weekly, Saturday, April 25, to Friday, May 1, 2009.

We Pray Especially for the following Priests: Fr. Dennis Morrow, (who is back at work) Fr. Ted Kozlowski, Msgr. Ancona, Fr. Schichtel, and Fr. Danner.
Let us also pray for John and Ellen Osterhart and family, who received word of the sudden death of their brother-in-law Glen Camp near his Florida residence last Thursday, April 23.

Good News About Our Faith. National Catholic Register offers a counter to Newsweek's recent report declaring, "The End of Christian America." When it cites polls, the article is more interested in employing statistical sleight of hand to prop up its argument than it is in providing illuminating research to tell the true story of religion in America today. An allegation that the percentage of Christians has fallen 10 points in 20 years makes reference to the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), but fails to point out that after a sharp decline in the 1990s, the percentage of Christian Americans has remained virtually stable in this decade.
90 percent of the reported decline comes from the non-Catholic segment of the Christian population, largely from the mainline denominations, including Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians/Anglicans, and the United Church of Christ...The big gains among the country's Christian population have occurred among those who identify themselves as evangelical Christians. Those identifying themselves as Evangelical/Born Again or non-denominational Christian increased from five percent of the population in 1990 to ...11.8 in 2008. ..
The Catholic share of the population also edged up from 24.5 percent of the national population in 2001 to 25.1 percent in 2008, but slightly below the 26.2 share
in 1990.
Certain local newspapers, especially in Phoenix and Baltimore, may have been noticing the growth. In Phoenix, a Catholics Come Home TV ad campaign has made major inroads. "An estimated 92,000 inactive Catholics in the Phoenix Diocese have come back to Church in the last year, thanks in large part to a ground-breaking television advertising campaign called, "Catholics Come Home," reports Catholic News Service."
Mass attendance was up 22 percent at nine sample parishes since the ad campaign began. The Catholics Come Home spots (see them at CatholicsComeHome.org) will appear in more than a dozen other dioceses around the country later in 2009 or early 2010.
The Baltimore Sun reported that 984 "local adults are preparing to become Catholics during Holy Week this year, a third more than joined the Church locally in 2008. The surge has caught archdiocesean officials by surprise--and left them at something at a loss for explanations."
And the new religious revival isn't just a U. S. phenomenon--it's global. A major new book, God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith Is Changing the World, has been written by the editor in chief and a bureau chief on the U. K. magazine, The Economist.
Source: National Catholic Register, April 19, 2009, "God No Longer Dead."
As usual, knowledge is power. Serrans hoping to counter the arguments that we are no longer a Christian nation may find the book an invaluable resource. Furthermore, perhaps the surge in Catholic numbers will lead to an increase in vocations.


A Message from our President: Dear Serrans: April showers have certainly given us May flowers! God's plan at springtime is delightful.
Activities and events for Serrans abound. The Board held its planning day session on May 18. Many more good ideas and plans are being discussed, as well as a budget. Watch for more information about our activities will be published as it becomes available.
We are at the beginning of a new fiscal year. Each Serran needs to be involved for our club to continue its success. If you like our luncheon speaker program, we welcome your ideas and suggestions. Or, if you like the bigger events, such as Charter Night, Sisters' Appreciation Dinner, or Vocations Dinner, our program coooooo-chairs, Dr. Patty Hughes and Hon. Joseph Scoville can use your help on their committee. Inviting people to come for a visit to Serra is only part of Tim Hile's Membership Committee. Invitations, follow-up, and new member luncheons and receptions need his attention as well. Len Gross can use more helpers also, as his work on vocation-related activities is endless. We will need drivers to deliver and pick up our two NDVI students in June, and we need ushers and greeters for the Ordination Mass on June 6. Communications under the direction of Nancy King will be working on a web site for our club, and we hope for more advertising with local media, in addition to publishing our newsletter each month. Lee Sullivan and her mother have taken on the task of sending anniversary cards to our priests. I have mentioned only a few areas for your involvement, and we appreciate your help.
Later this week, the Muskegon Club celebrates 60 years of service to vocations. We have three tables of Serrans who will attend that event. Did you know that Ralph Hauenstein is responsible for chartering the Muskegon Club? A big thank-you to Ralph, and congratulations to the Muskegon Serrans.
Our seminarians will go on break from their regularl studies later this month. Keep them in prayer as they settle in for the summer months, working around the Diocese in various positions as well as getting some much-needed rest and relaxation. We will be seeing them at the Ordination Mass on June 6.
The International Convention will take place on Omaha, Nebraska in August. I trust all of you have received your copy of the plans for the Convention. If you are planning to attend, please let me know, as we need a delegate for our annual meeting. After all the names have been submitted to the Board, a delegate will be selected. One item on the Internation Convention agenda is the election of a new Board of Directors. We can be proud that Dan Grady has been nominated to serve on this board. Visit the serraus.org web site for all of the information you need.
Thursday, May 21 is our Charter Night. Please send in your reservation if you have not already done so, and please invite guests to hear our exceptional speaker, Dr. Sam Gregg. Again, we remind you to send your RSVP to Joseph Westdorp by May 13.
Congratulations to all students graduating from eighth grade, high school, and college, as well as our First Holy Communicants. These young people are our future Church, our future priests, sisters, brothers, deacons, and lay Catholics. They need our support and prayers as they listen to what God is calling them to do and to be.
I look forward to seeing everyone on May 21 as I begin my second term. Thank you to everyone for a great year, and I appreciate your support as we move ahead. Pam McKenzie.