Location Alert for May Newsletter Readers. Ordinarily, our newsletter is about Vocations, Vocations, Vocations. While we plan to stay with this very important mission, this month's publication is also about Locations, Locations, Locations! What do we mean by that?
A number of our activities for May and beyond are scheduled for venues other than those to which we are accustomed. So, don't be disappointed. Don't show up at the wrong place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time, only to wonder how your plans went awry. We will try to keep you posted as to what to do, where to meet, and when! Enjoy! And keep an eye out for the Location Alerts posted in our calendar of events.
Calendar of Events for May, 2010.
May 6, 2010. This message contains a location alert. Adoration at Sacred Heart. Morning mass begins at 7:30 a.m., followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Adoration. Adoration will continue throughout the day and will conclude with Evening Prayer, Night Prayer, and Benediction at 7:00 p.m. No other formal adoration session is scheduled for our club for May.
May 10, 2010. This message contains both a time and a location alert!
There will be no noon meeting on the second Monday of this month.
Charter Night, 5:30 p.m. at Cathedral Square. All Charter Night events will be held at Cathedral Square, including the installation of new officers. Do not show up at the chapel at St. Andrew's Cathedral. Guest speaker will be Michael Miller of the Acton Institute. Please send your reservations to Joe Westdorp if you have not already done so.
May 17, 2010. Board meeting for both old and new board members, 12:00 Noon at
Louis Benton Steak House.
May 24, 2010. This message contains a location alert! Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at St. Ann's Home in honor of Mrs. Camille Cebelak, a long time friend of Serra. Bring cards with messages such as, "Thinking of you," or "Welcome back to Grand Rapids,", or other notes to that effect. Prayer Service will be held in the chapel, followed by luncheon in the activity center.
Looking Ahead.
June 5, 2010. Ordination of David Gross and Deacon at St. Andrew's Cathedral, 10:00 a.m.
We need six to eight Serrans to serve on the Hospitality Team. If you plan to participate, arrive at the Cathedral at 9:15 or so. Serran Pam McKenzie will sing in the choir at this event.
June 14, 2010. This message contains a location alert! Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at University Club. Please note that the Board has received notification that Louis Benton Steak House has made the business decision to close on Mondays during June, July, and August. Therefore, whenever there is a regular second Monday luncheon meeting during these summer months, we will meet at the University Club.
June 17-20. Super Weekend, Chicago, Illinois. Call John Osterhart or Nate McKenzie if you are interested in attending. John will be installed as Regional Director. Also, please note the following correspondence which Nate received from Doug McRoy, President of the USA Council of Serra International:
Dear (Serrans), Happy Fourth Quarter of our Serra Year!
This is the year for vocations in Serra. First, "College Connection" and now "Focus on NEW Vocations!" These are two of the strongest new vocation initiatives I can recall in my Serra life. Many of you have already adopted the College Connection program in your local communities, and I am hearing that others of you are on the verge of entering into the magic of this program. Together we can make a difference in the religious fugures of teenagers in our sphere of influence.
The newest thrust is "Focus on New Vocations." Some concern has developed within some circles of Serra that although many of our clubs regularly conduct outstanding affirmation activities, we ar not quite as persistent in conducting awareness (Inviting) activities. In other words, in most parts of the country, we thoroughly support existing priests and religious, but we are not quite as good at helping our Bishops search for new candidates to the priesthood and religious life. "Focus on NEW Vocations" is an effort to help us improve on this weakness. In absolutely no way will it be allowed to interfere with any of our existing programs, but must only adjust our focus to better include Awareness activities.
For those of you who are interested, this program will be introduced in a fascinating production at the upcoming Super Weekend on June 18-19 in Chicago. I encourage you to talk this program up among your constituents, and maybe consider sending a member of your Serra community to the presentation on Saturday the 18th. Let's finish off our year in the spirit of the success the year has been so far.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us! Doug McRoy
Posted on April 13, 2010
September 2-5, 2010. Serra International Convention, Anchorage, Alaska.
October 8-10-2010. Great Lakes Regional, Cincinnati, Ohio. Watch for the Earlybird Special on hotel and registration rates!
Other Events of Interest. Saturday, May 8 at 7:00 p.m. Actor Leonardo Defilippis will star as St. John Vianney at St. Isidore, 628 Diamond NE. Tickets are $6 per person, $20 per family and must be purchased in advance. Call Lois at 361-2699.
Priests' Anniversaries for May. It's a busy season for Lee Sullivan, who performs the very important mission of sending these cards:
5/1/58 Fr. John Kenny
5/5/79 Fr. Philip Shangraw
5/14/88 Fr. Anthony Britto
5/15/76 Fr. Leonard Sridlik
5/16/81 Fr. Tom Tavella
5/19/98 Fr. Dominic Tirkey
5/19/90 Msgr. Wm. Duncan
5/19/79 Fr. Mark-David Janus
5/19/90 Fr. Mark Przybysz
5/20/72 Fr. Peter Hoang-Xuan Nghiem
5/22/48 Fr. Ernest Bernott
5/24/87 Fr. Michael Bliszcz
5/24/58 Fr. Don Weber
5/27/00 F. Brad Schoeberle
5/28/55 Fr. Thomas Hack
5/30/70 Fr. Michael Shea
5/31/47 Fr. Wm. Reitz
5/31/47 Fr. Herman Zerfas
Deacon:
5/5/01 Deacon Carlos Gutierrez
Sisters' Appreciation Dinner. The dinner was a success by all the standards we could apply to it. 83 nuns were served. Thank-you notes continue to arrive, and in reading them, we can easily tell what the sisters enjoyed most. Thanks to the cooks, the serving and clean-up crews, and to all who participated in any way. So far we have the following notes, with more to come in the June newsletter:
I don't know how to thank you and the entire crew for all you did for the Serra Dinner. You really outdid yourselves in every way. You spent so much time and work on this evening which was so very special. I just do not know how to thank you for the delicious meal, the wonderful gifts, and all that you shared!!! Sister Vera Tilmann, OP.
Dear Pam, That was certainly an evening to remember! Thank you for all you did to make it so very special: the delicious banquet, the lotions on the table, the pillowcases (sewn with much love), arranging for Sara Smolenski and her choice and witty words, the children's choir--and so much more! We are grateful for all that went into tha special time. With love and prayers--and hugs, Sr. Regina Goeldel
Dear Pam and Serrans, Thank you for the wonderful evening. Also, a big thank you for the dinner, the gifts, and our time with all of you. May each of you continue to be blessed in your work for our church. Blessings, Sr. Patrice. P. S. Sara was great!
Thank you so very much for a wonderful evening and the delicious dinner! I liked the pillowcase. Sr. Rosemary Heinrich, O. P.
Thanks for giving a wonderful evening. Blessings to you all. Sr. Mary Jo Beckett
Thank you for your thoughtfulness and caring! Blessings! Sr. Marlene
Thank you so much for all you did to make our time with you so enjoyable. You are all wonderful people. Gratefully, Sr. Donna Jean Thelen
God bless you for your thoughtfulness, generosity, support, and love! The evening spent with you all was most appreciated. Gratefully with prayers and love, Sr. Monica Meyer, O. P.
That was the best party I've attended since your last year's one. May God bless you always. Sr. Julia Groulx, O. P.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness and support. May God bless each of you. The mealwas delicious and the entertainment was very joyful! Love, Sr. Dorena Gonzalez
What a wonderful time we had at your party! You treated us royally. It is nice to know that there are still people who know and appreciate us for what we have done for the church as you, too, have done by your good work. Sr. Jean Mankowski, O. P.
What a special celebration! I enjoyed seeing old friends (Serrans) and visiting with other religious women. Your love and respect for the Church and for religious women touches me deeply. I wouldn't miss this celebration. God bless you in abundance. Sr. Carmen Rostar,
O. P.
Dear Pam and all members of the Grand Rapids Serrans: We want to express to all of you our heartfelt gratitude for inviting us to a wonderful evening of fellowship, prayer, fun, and a delicious meal. We truly enjoyed being with you and our fellow sisters. Your generosity, kindness, and appreciation touched us. Thank you! May the Lord continue to bless your lives. You and your families are in our prayers. Gratefully, the Consolata Sisters
P. S. The pillowcases will continue to remind us of you. Thanks, Pam!
Thank you so much for the gift of such a lovely evening, beginning and ending as it should--with prayers--and with a lot of fun in between. Thank you also for your continued prayersand know that you are in ours. In St. Francis and St. Clare, Sister Marcia Serra Garcia,
F. S. E.
Thank you for inviting us to your dinner. The food was delicious, the entertainment delightful, the table favors and pillow slips superb ideas. We had a most enjoyable evening. Thank you for all the effort you put into it all and for the many ways you support vocations. Gratefully, Sr. Bernice Blake, F. S. E.
Note: A special thanks to Pam and to all who helped to complete the pillowcase project. As we can tell from the notes, the sisters will enjoy the pillowcases for a long time to come.
A Message from Serran David VanderLinde.
Dear Fellow Serrans:To fulfill their personal mission and help Michigan's seniors who want to remain in their own homes and stay as self-sufficient as possible, Grand Rapies Serrans David and Judy VanderLinde have joined Seniors Helping Seniors In-home Services to establish an office to serve Kent County. Seniors Helping Seniors In-home Services is a national caregiver and companionship organization and the only one that matches seniors who need in-home care services with seniors who provide them.Why Seniors Helping seniors? David endured a personal struggle in 2004 when diagnosed with cancer and soon came to realize the importance of having loving, caring relationships with his caregivers. The nursing staff at St. Mary's Lacks Cancer Center is a group of very special people. They demonstrated how patients respond much better to treatment in a caring environment. The presence of caring people during his battle became the learning experience of his lifetime. Becoming part (this organization) will enable them to fulfill a commitment to give back to the community.David and Judy are pleased to be joined by their son, David Jr. and their daughter, Amanda. Amanda is an LPN and has spent several years working in the nursing industry. She loves engaging with seniors and has worked in two nursing home facilities and as a home health care aide.
"The loving, caring, compassionate attitude displayed by the Seniors Helping Seniors franchise organization attracted us to the people involved and their philosophy...After spending many years in the corporate world, it is refreshing to be able to join a community of people who care about helping others as their primary mission," says David.David and Judy have established their center in West Michigan to build relationships with caring, active seniors with the hearts of volunteers who will help them become the area leader for non-medical in-home senior care. For more information, call the local office at 616-234-0190 or visit the website at http://www.homehealthcaregrandrapids.com/
Cooking with Serrans: A few of those who assisted at the Sisters' Appreciation Dinner have requested the red cabbage recipe, although we can hardly imagine that everyone who reads this recipe will be acting on it any time soon. Most recently I have followed the directions set forth by the Berghoff family of Chicago:
1 stick unsalted butter, a cup and a half of red wine vinegar, and a cup and a half of sugar, cooked over very low heat. Add one head of chopped cabbage, about 12 cups, and stir until the cabbage is well coated. Simmer for about one hour. Note: Always use real butter!!! When the cabbage is done, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add enough of the liquid so that the cabbage can be reheated; discard the rest. Also, keep in mind it's the slow cooking that makes the flavor.
Pan clean-up. I violated the slow cooking rule at St. Jude's when we were reheating the cabbage. I left one of the pan on a back burner which was turned up too high. Although we retrieved most of the cabbage, the bottom of the pan was coated with a half-inch or so of "carbon footprint." The story has a happy ending in that the pan is clean again and back on the pantry shelf. But I decided to convert the small disaster into a life lesson and pass along a useful household hint besides: Just as the pan was burned because of negligence, lack of vigilance, on my part, so it is with my faults and sins which I need to correct. When I brought the pan home, there it was to remind me of my human failings. Tossing it in the trash seemed like a tempting idea, but that would have been an irresponsible choice, bad stewardship on my part. I had to try something else. Dr. John had suggested oven cleaner, but I didn't have any on my shelves at the time. I tried boiling the pan with liquid dishwasher detergent, and after several applications and considerable scrubbing, the pan came clean. Little by little, the job got done. I knew that prayer alone would not solve the problem, but as I worked I thought about the role that prayer plays in our daily lives, whether we're performing physical tasks or spiritual ones. It's what gives us the will to persevere as we apply our resources to the tasks which face us, even when we're not sure we'll arrive at the goal we have in mind. It's the combination of our own efforts, along with the Lord's blessings, that guide us to the correct solutions to life's problems.
So, that's what I was thinking about as I went about my pan-cleaning exercise.
P. S. A dryer sheet, I was told, could also be used for this job. Add to the pan, along with sufficient water, soak overnight, heat, and Presto! the stain will easily wash away.
A Message from our President.The plans are set, the programs are printed, and all is in order for our 62nd Charter Night. Two years have flown by since I was inducted as president--that's hard to believe. It has been a good two years. I have appreciated all of the board members and trustees and thank them for their service. This was a big undertaking for me, and I was scared to death in the beginning. Thank you for giving me this great opportunity.
One thing I have learned through the years is that when God closes the door in one room, somehow a window is opened in another. This is already happening as I leave office, so you do not have to worry about my having any free time. There is plenty of vocation work to be done, started, and explored.
Many of you have met the Trinitarian Sisters located in Lowell. We took the time last week to pay them a visit. What a wonderful experience! They are a very new order needing some help, and down the road I will be sharing information with the Board as possible ways we might want to assist them. If you have a free minute, you might take the time to pay them a visit at 62 Marble Road and spend some quiet time with the Lord in their Adoration Chapel. They welcome anyone at any time, but they have a special time set aside on the First Friday of each month from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for prayer and fellowship.
More and more notes are arriving from the Sisters expressing their gratitude for the great evening. I hope you enjoy reading the notes as much as I do.
Again, thank you for putting up with me for the past two years. I will continue to support Dan LaVille in the coming year in the past president position.
I'm hoping to see all of you on May 10 at Charter Night.
Pam McKenzie
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