Calendar of Events.
Please note that there will be no Second Monday meetings at Louis Benton Steak House during April and May. Instead, we look forward to two special events:
The Sisters' Appreciation Dinner on April 17 and Charter Night on May 10.
April 16, 2010. Sisters' Dinner set-up, St. Jude's Brophy Center, 6:30 p.m.
April 17, 2010. Sisters' Dinner. Mass at 4:00 p.m., with social hour and dinner to follow.
Bring hors d'oeuvres. Sign-up sheets for various tasks have been available at recent noon meetings. We need hors d'oeuvres (to be brought to the Brophy Center before the 4:00 Mass). Set-up, cooking, and clean-up crews already have their plans in place.
Please note that there will be no Second Monday meetings at Louis Benton Steak House during April and May. Instead, we look forward to two special events:
The Sisters' Appreciation Dinner on April 17 and Charter Night on May 10.
April 16, 2010. Sisters' Dinner set-up, St. Jude's Brophy Center, 6:30 p.m.
April 17, 2010. Sisters' Dinner. Mass at 4:00 p.m., with social hour and dinner to follow.
Bring hors d'oeuvres. Sign-up sheets for various tasks have been available at recent noon meetings. We need hors d'oeuvres (to be brought to the Brophy Center before the 4:00 Mass). Set-up, cooking, and clean-up crews already have their plans in place.
April 18, 2010. This is not exactly a Serra event, but a number of Serrans will be interested in knowing that the spring Italian Spaghetti Dinner will take place at Our Lady of Sorrows, 101 Hall Street SE, between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Advance ticket price for adults is $7. The price will be $8 at the door. Children's tickets (for children ages 5-12) are $3 apiece. For advance tickets call 243-0222.
April 19, 2010. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
April 25, 2010. World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
April 26, 2010. Prayer Service and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.
May 10, 2010. Charter Night. Evening Prayers and Installation of Officers will begin at 6:00 p.m. All Charter Night events will take place at Cathedral Square. Guest Speaker will be Michael Miller of the Acton Institute. Your invitations will be arriving in the mail soon.
Looking Ahead.
May 6, 2010. All-day Adoration, Benediction, and special event at Sacred Heart.
The law firm of Plachta, Murphy & Associates, will give a special presentation at 7:30 p.m., immediately following Benediction. Plachta, Murphy & Associates is a West Michigan professional organization dedicated to inform, educate, prepare, and assist families in life's transitions. Through free seminars and presentations we provide the necessary resources to make life's transitions go as smoothly as possible. Our presenters are experts in their respective fields. Topics include Medicaid and Medicare Planning, Social Security-Disability and Retirement, Estate Planning, and Caregiver Contracts. Our Veteran Practice Group will discuss Disability Claims and Appeals, Aid and Attendance Pension Benefits, and Pension Planning.
Long Term Care Solutions will also be discussed. Reservations are limited. For reservations, call Jeremy Johnson/Client Relations at 616-458-3994.
June 5, 2010. Ordination of David Gross, St. Andrew's Cathedral. Serrans will help out with hospitality services.
June 17-20, 2010. USAC Super Weekend, Chicago, Illinois.
September 2-5, 2010. Serra International Convention, Anchorage, Alaska.
October 8-10, 2010. Great Lakes Regional, Netherland Hilton Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio. The Serra Clubs of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky are hosting this fall regional convention. Register early for the early-bird $199 rate. Rate after August 1 becomes $249. This event will feature nationally known speakers: Fr. Jay Scott Newman, Matthew Kelly, and Brian Patrick.
To register, go to http://www.cincyserravocations.org/ or call Dottie at 1-800-334-9548. Another contact website is serra@matlockelectric.com.
Priestly Anniversary. Father Steve Cron, April 1, 1978.
Lee Sullivan writes: "Fr. John Porter sent a nice Easter card to the Serra Club, and he states, 'Alleluia! He is risen! Thanks for all you do for vocations.'
Our priests really seem to appreciate the cards. That's nice."
Thank you, Lee, for your anniversary card ministry.
April 19, 2010. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
April 25, 2010. World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
April 26, 2010. Prayer Service and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.
May 10, 2010. Charter Night. Evening Prayers and Installation of Officers will begin at 6:00 p.m. All Charter Night events will take place at Cathedral Square. Guest Speaker will be Michael Miller of the Acton Institute. Your invitations will be arriving in the mail soon.
Looking Ahead.
May 6, 2010. All-day Adoration, Benediction, and special event at Sacred Heart.
The law firm of Plachta, Murphy & Associates, will give a special presentation at 7:30 p.m., immediately following Benediction. Plachta, Murphy & Associates is a West Michigan professional organization dedicated to inform, educate, prepare, and assist families in life's transitions. Through free seminars and presentations we provide the necessary resources to make life's transitions go as smoothly as possible. Our presenters are experts in their respective fields. Topics include Medicaid and Medicare Planning, Social Security-Disability and Retirement, Estate Planning, and Caregiver Contracts. Our Veteran Practice Group will discuss Disability Claims and Appeals, Aid and Attendance Pension Benefits, and Pension Planning.
Long Term Care Solutions will also be discussed. Reservations are limited. For reservations, call Jeremy Johnson/Client Relations at 616-458-3994.
June 5, 2010. Ordination of David Gross, St. Andrew's Cathedral. Serrans will help out with hospitality services.
June 17-20, 2010. USAC Super Weekend, Chicago, Illinois.
September 2-5, 2010. Serra International Convention, Anchorage, Alaska.
October 8-10, 2010. Great Lakes Regional, Netherland Hilton Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio. The Serra Clubs of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky are hosting this fall regional convention. Register early for the early-bird $199 rate. Rate after August 1 becomes $249. This event will feature nationally known speakers: Fr. Jay Scott Newman, Matthew Kelly, and Brian Patrick.
To register, go to http://www.cincyserravocations.org/ or call Dottie at 1-800-334-9548. Another contact website is serra@matlockelectric.com.
Priestly Anniversary. Father Steve Cron, April 1, 1978.
Lee Sullivan writes: "Fr. John Porter sent a nice Easter card to the Serra Club, and he states, 'Alleluia! He is risen! Thanks for all you do for vocations.'
Our priests really seem to appreciate the cards. That's nice."
Thank you, Lee, for your anniversary card ministry.
More on World Day of Prayer for Vocations. From Msgr. Francis Bonnici, Vatican City to Directors of Vocations:
"I want to draw your attention to two brief citations from the 46th Message to the World day of Prayer for Vocations to serve as the basis of your prayer for priestly vocations and those to the consecrated life in the last stage of the Year for Priests:
'It is priests who are called to perpetuate this salvific mystery from century to century until the Lord's glorious return, for they can contemplate, precisely in the Eucharistic Christ, the eminent model of a "vocational dialogue" between the free initiative of the Father and the faithful response of Christ.' 'This intertwining of love between the divine initiative and the human response is present also, in a wonderful way, in the vocation to the consecrated life.'"
Contributed by Dennis Leiber
Condolences. Grand Rapids Serrans extend our condolences to the friends and family of Fred McNair of Austin, Texas, who passed away during the night while attending a Serra International board meeting in March in Mexico City. Grand Rapids Serran Dan Grady was also in Mexico City at that time. Fred's wife Evelyn sent the following message on March 19:
"We have just been notified that the body of our beloved Fred will be back in Austin by 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. We are sorry we could not tell you anything sooner, but were completely at the mercy of circumstances in Mexico. Thanks to the efforts of so many in that country and on this end, we will soon have our loved one home...
The family extends its heartfelt thanks to everyone who has given so much time and effort in the preparations to date. Your prayers have lifted us up and truly strengthened us in our grief. We can never repay you for the outpouring of love and support. The required autopsy in Mexico verified that he died of an aneurysm in the ascending aorta, which would have been instantaneous. We are comforted that he did not suffer, and while we may not understand why this happened now, we know that he is living still within God's loving embrace and within our hearts forever."
A Message for this Year of the Priest. Why do we need a priest?
Years ago, a book was published titled, "Priests, what for?" Many would prefer to ask the question, what is a priest? This question seeks to do justice to the ministerial origin of the presthood and its insertion in a set of roles in the Church and society. It can be stated in a concrete way. Is it necessary to become an ordained priest to dedicate your life to divine worship (such as in the case of monks), or to teaching (as in the case of professors) or to administration?
What makes priests is not the tasks they carry out but the sign they receive during the rite of ordination. This sign configures them forever with Christ and enables them to do what no other Christian can: preside over the Eucharist and forgive sins.
Why do we need priests in the 21st century? For the same reasons they were sent at the end of the first century: to care for the relationships among Christians (pastoral role) and to link this interpersonal communion with the Word (evangelization role) and with the sacraments (sacramental role). These roles do not constitute a mere profession but a true option of existence. Priests are expropriated to turn their lives, as Jesus, into a permanent devotion to this mission of dialogue.
In the times we live in, this is a passionate task and may become even more so in the coming years. The priest is called to accompany people to the sources of the Word of God and the sacraments so that in the midst of their fervent searches or doubts, their faith is not shipwrecked in the sea of an alienating spirituality. He is a true servant who serves the bread of the Word and Eucharist to his brothers and sisters, aware of the treasure that Jesus ha left his community "until he returns." The Word is a roadmap and the Eucharist is the viaticum.
The priest is equally called to accompany the growth in the people who are nourished with the Word and the Eucharist. Furthermore, he is called to care for the quality of relations among all people, especially the needy.
Source: Gonzalo Fernandez Sanz, CMF, from an article published in Ciudadredona.org
"We have just been notified that the body of our beloved Fred will be back in Austin by 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. We are sorry we could not tell you anything sooner, but were completely at the mercy of circumstances in Mexico. Thanks to the efforts of so many in that country and on this end, we will soon have our loved one home...
The family extends its heartfelt thanks to everyone who has given so much time and effort in the preparations to date. Your prayers have lifted us up and truly strengthened us in our grief. We can never repay you for the outpouring of love and support. The required autopsy in Mexico verified that he died of an aneurysm in the ascending aorta, which would have been instantaneous. We are comforted that he did not suffer, and while we may not understand why this happened now, we know that he is living still within God's loving embrace and within our hearts forever."
A Message for this Year of the Priest. Why do we need a priest?
Years ago, a book was published titled, "Priests, what for?" Many would prefer to ask the question, what is a priest? This question seeks to do justice to the ministerial origin of the presthood and its insertion in a set of roles in the Church and society. It can be stated in a concrete way. Is it necessary to become an ordained priest to dedicate your life to divine worship (such as in the case of monks), or to teaching (as in the case of professors) or to administration?
What makes priests is not the tasks they carry out but the sign they receive during the rite of ordination. This sign configures them forever with Christ and enables them to do what no other Christian can: preside over the Eucharist and forgive sins.
Why do we need priests in the 21st century? For the same reasons they were sent at the end of the first century: to care for the relationships among Christians (pastoral role) and to link this interpersonal communion with the Word (evangelization role) and with the sacraments (sacramental role). These roles do not constitute a mere profession but a true option of existence. Priests are expropriated to turn their lives, as Jesus, into a permanent devotion to this mission of dialogue.
In the times we live in, this is a passionate task and may become even more so in the coming years. The priest is called to accompany people to the sources of the Word of God and the sacraments so that in the midst of their fervent searches or doubts, their faith is not shipwrecked in the sea of an alienating spirituality. He is a true servant who serves the bread of the Word and Eucharist to his brothers and sisters, aware of the treasure that Jesus ha left his community "until he returns." The Word is a roadmap and the Eucharist is the viaticum.
The priest is equally called to accompany the growth in the people who are nourished with the Word and the Eucharist. Furthermore, he is called to care for the quality of relations among all people, especially the needy.
Source: Gonzalo Fernandez Sanz, CMF, from an article published in Ciudadredona.org
Still Another Benefit from the Sisters' Appreciation Dinner. This interesting item appears on the front page of the Spring 2010 edition of the Serra Leader:
The wisdom of chili
A recipe for building membership
The Kiwanis Club in my town is very active. The club, which includes many well known community leaders, sponsored a fantastic chili dinner which was their main fundraiser. You could tell that the public as well as the members enjoyed the festivity and the camaraderie involved. Needless to say, the club was well thought of throughout the community.
About 13 years ago, one of their members passed away. He left quite a substantial bequest to the Kiwanis Club. I don't know the amount, but it was high in the six figures. Several members of the club thought they should put this money into an endowment-type savings and use the interest to pay for their community projects. Because of this windfall, they decided that they would no longer host the chili dinner.
Within a few years, the attendance at their meetings dropped significantly, the enthusiasm for their community projects diminished, and their membership was reduced to almost half. This was quite a loss to our community.
Then, about five years ago, the club started to revive itself. One of the first things it did was to resume the chili dinner, now refashioned as a chili cook-off. As you can imagine, the club has now rebounded well...
The moral of this story is pretty clear. I am sure you can attest that Serra clubs who do a lot together are stronger and their members are more enthused. Many of our members have priorities that require seeing results and accomplishments while they are serving the church.
Editor's Note: Of course, our Sisters' Appreciation Dinner is not a fund-raiser, but Grand Rapids Serrans will recognize the fellowship and satisfaction they derive from this and other club activities. The article goes on to encourage Serra leaders to participate in such programs as College Connection for Catholics, Priesthood Sunday, and Parish Contact Programs to help raise club enthusiasm and public awareness.
Article by USA Council President Douglas P. McRoy
A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans: Easter greetings to all of you. I hope your Triduum celebrations were as wonderful as mine were. This season is so short and offers so much to experience.
We will be having a change of pace for the April and May meetings. As already noted in this newsletter, there is NO Monday, April 12 meeting. Instead we will be preparing and serving dinner and having fun with our favorite ladies--the Sisters of our Diocese. Friday, April 16 is our set-up time at theBrophy Center at St. Jude's, and Saturday is the dinner.
Mass begins at 4:00 for those who want to attend, and then we will move to the Brophy Center for hors d'oeuvres, wine, and social hour. The Children's Choir of St. Jude Parish will give a short musical presentation before dinner. We have completed our pillow cases to give to the ladies, and our guest speaker will be Hon. Sara Smolenski. Chef Joe Scoville is firing up the grill for pork tenderloin. We should have a great time.
On Monday, April 26 we will meet as usual at noon at Sacred Heart. May 10 is Charter Night in the evening. There will be NO noon meeting on that day, either. Watch for invitations in the mail.
Finally, on Monday, May 24 we will meet at noon at St. Ann's Home. Many of you know that Mrs. Camiel Cebelak has been a very strong financial supporter of our club and of vocations for our Diocese. She is getting on in years now and recently moved back to Grand Rapids. She is living at St. Ann's Home under Sister Gabrielle's great care. We will be calling May 24 "Camiel Cebelak Day." Please bring cards and good wishes for her. We will give her an honorary membership to our club, along with a Serra bear. Noon prayers start in the chapel, and then we will move to the activity room for lunch.
Finally, we have chosen two students for scholarships to Notre Dame Vision. They are Mr. Will Yardley, a sophomore at East Grand Rapids High School and member of St. Stephen Parish, and Miss Michelle Galdys, a junior at Grandville High School and member of St. Sebastian Parish in Byron Center. Congratulations to both of them, and we look forward to hearing about their experiences.
Keep an eye on your calendars, as things are happening!
Pam McKenzie
Dear Serrans: Easter greetings to all of you. I hope your Triduum celebrations were as wonderful as mine were. This season is so short and offers so much to experience.
We will be having a change of pace for the April and May meetings. As already noted in this newsletter, there is NO Monday, April 12 meeting. Instead we will be preparing and serving dinner and having fun with our favorite ladies--the Sisters of our Diocese. Friday, April 16 is our set-up time at theBrophy Center at St. Jude's, and Saturday is the dinner.
Mass begins at 4:00 for those who want to attend, and then we will move to the Brophy Center for hors d'oeuvres, wine, and social hour. The Children's Choir of St. Jude Parish will give a short musical presentation before dinner. We have completed our pillow cases to give to the ladies, and our guest speaker will be Hon. Sara Smolenski. Chef Joe Scoville is firing up the grill for pork tenderloin. We should have a great time.
On Monday, April 26 we will meet as usual at noon at Sacred Heart. May 10 is Charter Night in the evening. There will be NO noon meeting on that day, either. Watch for invitations in the mail.
Finally, on Monday, May 24 we will meet at noon at St. Ann's Home. Many of you know that Mrs. Camiel Cebelak has been a very strong financial supporter of our club and of vocations for our Diocese. She is getting on in years now and recently moved back to Grand Rapids. She is living at St. Ann's Home under Sister Gabrielle's great care. We will be calling May 24 "Camiel Cebelak Day." Please bring cards and good wishes for her. We will give her an honorary membership to our club, along with a Serra bear. Noon prayers start in the chapel, and then we will move to the activity room for lunch.
Finally, we have chosen two students for scholarships to Notre Dame Vision. They are Mr. Will Yardley, a sophomore at East Grand Rapids High School and member of St. Stephen Parish, and Miss Michelle Galdys, a junior at Grandville High School and member of St. Sebastian Parish in Byron Center. Congratulations to both of them, and we look forward to hearing about their experiences.
Keep an eye on your calendars, as things are happening!
Pam McKenzie
