Calendar of Events.
November 6, 2009. Serra First Friday Adoration 9:00-10:00 a.m. at St. Isidore.
November 6, 2009. Another First Friday Adoration Opportunity. Eucharistic Night at Ss Peter and Paul Church. Mass begins at 7:00 p.m. with rosary and prayer to follow. The evening closes with Benediction at 9:05 p.m.
November 9, 2009. Luncheon Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Guest Speaker, Father Anthony Russo.
November 16, 2009. Serra Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
November 23, 2009. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting at Sacred Heart of Jesus.
December 1, 2009. The Bishop's Dinner, Cathedral Square Conference Center, 6:00 p.m.
Keynote Speaker Msgr. Wm Duncan.
Please Note: There will be no meeting on December 28.
November Anniversaries.
November 6, 2009. Serra First Friday Adoration 9:00-10:00 a.m. at St. Isidore.
November 6, 2009. Another First Friday Adoration Opportunity. Eucharistic Night at Ss Peter and Paul Church. Mass begins at 7:00 p.m. with rosary and prayer to follow. The evening closes with Benediction at 9:05 p.m.
November 9, 2009. Luncheon Meeting at 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Guest Speaker, Father Anthony Russo.
November 16, 2009. Serra Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
November 23, 2009. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting at Sacred Heart of Jesus.
December 1, 2009. The Bishop's Dinner, Cathedral Square Conference Center, 6:00 p.m.
Keynote Speaker Msgr. Wm Duncan.
Please Note: There will be no meeting on December 28.
November Anniversaries.
Fr. Dan DePew, November 2
Fr. Rock Badgerow, Fr. Thomas Hall, November 3
Fr. Thomas Bouffard, November 7
Fr. Edward Vella, November 9
Fr. Peter Schafer, November 12
Deacons' Anniversaries. Zenon Cardenas, Dale Hollern, Leon Jankowski, and Howard Scheid, November 10.
Congratulations to our Newest Member. Congratulations to new Serran Beth Gumina, a St. Stephen parishioner and owner of Gumina's Flowers. Congratulations as well to Aggie Kempker-Cloyd, Beth's sponsor.
In Memoriam. At this time, let us pray especially for the repose of the soul of Mary Hauenstein Stahl.
Born March 5, 1933. Passed away October 12, 2009. Eternal Rest grant unto her O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
This Month's Liturgy at a Glance. While the celebrations of All Saints and All Souls opens up the month, the end of the Liturgical Year also gets underway. Readings for these Sundays begin to announce the end of times and the arrival of a triumphant Christ as a presage to Advent, which celebrates both the Incarnation of the Word and the second coming of the Lord.
The first three Sundays present recommendations of a Christian life with a watchful vigil and discipleship of Christ being a part of daily life. The message is accentuated with the feast of the Saints, close friends of God who gave their lives to Christ. On the fourth Sunday, the feast of Christ the King is celebrated, a king who comes not in the form of political force or military power, but in peace.
It is a king who announces as a model of his reign the beatitudes of peace, poverty, humility, and the struggle for justice that are read on All Saints. The last Sunday in November is the first of Advent, which continues to emphasize the subject of a joyful watch and wait for the manifestation of the Lord, not as a destroyer of the earth, but of a Lord who comes to bring his peace. It is the responsibility of Christians simply to live in vigil, love one another, and maintain a relationship with God so that His coming will find us living as children of light.
In November we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Divine Providence, patroness of Puerto Rico, and a good time in these moments of crisis to devote ourselves to God with confidence in his loving care. We also celebrate St. Martin de Porres, first saint of Peru; St. Martin of Tours, apostle of peace; Blessed Roque Gonzalez, first person beatified from Paraguay; and St. Miguel Pro, a Mexican martyred for his faith who died shouting, "Long Live Christ the King."
Source: Paraphrased from Our Lady of Sorrows Bulletin, October 25, 2009.
The Year of the Priest. In this special year, let us take special note of St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews, read on the Thirtiety Sunday of Ordinary Time:
Brothers and Sisters: Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for hmself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him:
You are my son:
this day I have begotten you;
Just as he says in another place:
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 5:1-6.
In Memoriam. At this time, let us pray especially for the repose of the soul of Mary Hauenstein Stahl.
Born March 5, 1933. Passed away October 12, 2009. Eternal Rest grant unto her O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
This Month's Liturgy at a Glance. While the celebrations of All Saints and All Souls opens up the month, the end of the Liturgical Year also gets underway. Readings for these Sundays begin to announce the end of times and the arrival of a triumphant Christ as a presage to Advent, which celebrates both the Incarnation of the Word and the second coming of the Lord.
The first three Sundays present recommendations of a Christian life with a watchful vigil and discipleship of Christ being a part of daily life. The message is accentuated with the feast of the Saints, close friends of God who gave their lives to Christ. On the fourth Sunday, the feast of Christ the King is celebrated, a king who comes not in the form of political force or military power, but in peace.
It is a king who announces as a model of his reign the beatitudes of peace, poverty, humility, and the struggle for justice that are read on All Saints. The last Sunday in November is the first of Advent, which continues to emphasize the subject of a joyful watch and wait for the manifestation of the Lord, not as a destroyer of the earth, but of a Lord who comes to bring his peace. It is the responsibility of Christians simply to live in vigil, love one another, and maintain a relationship with God so that His coming will find us living as children of light.
In November we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Divine Providence, patroness of Puerto Rico, and a good time in these moments of crisis to devote ourselves to God with confidence in his loving care. We also celebrate St. Martin de Porres, first saint of Peru; St. Martin of Tours, apostle of peace; Blessed Roque Gonzalez, first person beatified from Paraguay; and St. Miguel Pro, a Mexican martyred for his faith who died shouting, "Long Live Christ the King."
Source: Paraphrased from Our Lady of Sorrows Bulletin, October 25, 2009.
The Year of the Priest. In this special year, let us take special note of St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews, read on the Thirtiety Sunday of Ordinary Time:
Brothers and Sisters: Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for hmself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him:
You are my son:
this day I have begotten you;
Just as he says in another place:
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 5:1-6.
A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans: At this writing we have celebrated the Feast of All Saints at our weekend liturgies. The saints of today and the saints of old have touched our lives by sharing, caring, nurturing and giving and by exhibiting boldness, kindness and meekness. The list goes on and on, and we are so blessed to have these people to look to. We will also never forget those souls who have departed this world. May they all rest in peace.
Much excitement is building for the Bishop's Dinner. We are already over last year's number of attendees, and more reservations are expected. It is not too late to get another sponsor signed up or sell more tickets. Everyone's help is needed and appreciated. Many attendees do not know about Serra and our local club. Help promote our mission as well as invite folks to our meetings. Meetings provide a great opportunity for us to get others interested in joining.
The annual meeting with Aquinas faculty, staff, and students took place November 2. Serrans who attended will be sharing much information with board and members in the days ahead. The Aquinas staff and faculty are excited about their work in their offerings to students via masses, class selections, club activities, small group sharing, and missions and retreats. Many new things are happening.
One event for all of us to attend will be held on Thursday, January 28 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Wege Ballroom on the Aquinas campus. This is a one-woman play about a great Saint who inspires people of all ages, Catherine of Siena. The performance will be done by Sister Nancy Murray, OP, Adrian Dominican. It is free and open to the public. I hope you will try to attend.
Also, on January 11 Dr. John Pinheiro will be our luncheon speaker. He is the director of the Catholic Studies Program offered at Aquinas College. Through his Catholic Studies program, Aquinas has started a Catholic Studies Lecture Series open to the public. The next offering will take place on January 29, 2010 from 12:00 noon until 3:00 p.m. in the Wege Ballroom. Peter Kreeft, PhD. of Boston College will speak on "Seeking and Responding to the Truth." Bring your lunch or purchase it from the cafeteria. Both the January 28 and 29 events are sponsored by Campus Ministry in conjunction with St. Thomas Aquinas Week.
As Catholics, giving thanks to God is part of our daily activity. Giving thanks is also part of our American heritage. What the early settlers endured can seem overwhelming. Could we live as they did? Their faith in God certainly helped them along the way. Thanksgiving blessings and peace to all Serrans and their families.
Pam McKenzie
