Calendar of Events.
August 9, 2010. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at the University Club. As far as we know, we will go back to Louis Benton Steak House beginning in September. We'll keep you posted.
August 9, 2010. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at the University Club. As far as we know, we will go back to Louis Benton Steak House beginning in September. We'll keep you posted.
August 11, 2010. Last day for early registration for the Great Lakes Regional Conference.
August 16, 2010. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at the University Club.
August 23, 2010. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.
August 16, 2010. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at the University Club.
August 23, 2010. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.
Will and Michelle, our Notre Dame Vision students for this year, will speak.
Dates to Remember. Serra International Convention, September 2-5 in Anchorage, Alaska.
October 8-10, 2010. Great Lakes Regional Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please notify Dan LaVille if you plan to attend so that you may make transportation arrangements if you wish. See the President's Message for further information.
Dates to Remember. Serra International Convention, September 2-5 in Anchorage, Alaska.
October 8-10, 2010. Great Lakes Regional Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please notify Dan LaVille if you plan to attend so that you may make transportation arrangements if you wish. See the President's Message for further information.
October 31, 2010. Priesthood Sunday.
November 29, 2010. Vocations Dinner. Plans are underway.
Other Dates to Remember. A number of extra-Serran events are taking place as well:
Friday Evenings during August. 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows. In preparation for the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15, devotions to the Seven Sorrows of Mary are being held. The seven founders of the Servite Order took up the sorrows of Mary, standing at the foot of the cross, as their principal devotion in 1239 just five years after the order was founded. The Seven Sorrows are The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:33-35), The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt (Matthew 3:13-15), The Child Jesus is Lost (Luke 2:41-52), Mary Meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (John 19:17), Jesus is Crucified and Dies on the Cross (John 19:25-30), Mary Receives the Dead Body of Jesus (John 19:31-37), and Jesus is Buried in the Tomb (John 38:42). The devotions provide the opportunity to reflect on how Mary's pain led to our salvation.
August 6, 2010. First Friday Eucharistic Night Vigil, St. Isidore Church. Mass begins at 7:00 p.m. with rosary to follow. The Vigil closes with Benediction at 9:50 p.m.
August 18, 2010. Annual Pray and Spray Softball Classic, 6:30 p.m. at Holy Spirit. The nominal admission fee benefits the Grand Rapids Fire Department's favorite charities.
September 26, 2010. SS. Peter & Paul Fall Festival, 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. This year's festival will be featuring an area for vendors and crafters to sell their goods. Call 454-6000 if you wish to participate as a vendor.
Put 10-10-10 on your calendar. It's the date for the next Spaghetti Dinner at Our Lady of Sorrows. Dinners are served from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Call 243-0222 for advance tickets.
And....Home Cooking, Heaven Sent cookbooks by Christ the King and St. Francis de Sales parishes, Howard City, are being sold for $20. Let Pam McKenzie know if you are interested.
Priests' Anniversaries. Our priests' anniversaries for August are as follows:
August 11, 1984. Reverend George Darling
August 11, 1984. Reverend Steve Dudek
August 24, 1975 Reverend Dennis Morrow
August 20. 1983 Reverend Dennis O'Donnell
August 21, 1983 Reverend Eugene Okoli
August 2, 1980 Reverend Don Tufts
A Thank-you Note. June 29, 2010. Dear Serra Friends, God bless you for your generous donation (to St. Ann's Home). We were happy to be able to have you meet here. Mrs. Cebelak is happy for the daily Mass and Rosary. Gratefully, Sister M. Gabriela.
A Thank-you Note. June 29, 2010. Dear Serra Friends, God bless you for your generous donation (to St. Ann's Home). We were happy to be able to have you meet here. Mrs. Cebelak is happy for the daily Mass and Rosary. Gratefully, Sister M. Gabriela.
Belated Recognition. Serran Abe Rossi was among the several parishioners mentioned on June 2 in the Grand Rapids Press for their gardening work at Holy Spirit Church. Serrans get involved in all sorts of parish and community activities. Thank you, Abe and your fellow parishioners for your good work.
Source: Grand Rapids Press, June 2, 2010
Adoration. Beverly Shields and Nancy Mulvihill are working on an adoration schedule for our club. We'll let you know when plans are finalized. In the meantime, keep in mind that Sacred Heart schedules a Eucharistic Day of Adoration each month, on the Thursday prior to First Friday.
Sent on Mission. The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus sent 72 men, two-by-two, to preach the Kiongdom of God and heal the sick. They were sent off with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and the sandals on their feet, and told not to bring a single thing with them, except faith in Jesus that God would provide. Before Jesus returned to the Father again he sent his disciples on mission, "Go to all the people everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and tech them to obey everything I have commanded you."
For Blessed Junipero Serra, whose feast day we celebrate each July 1, this call from Jesus to evangelize became the center of his life. He walked thousands of miles from Mexico to California establishing missions, facing dangers and threats, enduring the inclement weather and hunger, and relying--just like the 72 men sent by Jesus to preach the Kingdom of God--on the power of the Gospel he preached. Father Junipero is said to have baptized over 6,000 people and confirmed over 5,000.
During his homily at Serra's beatification, Pope John Paul II said: "Relying on the divine power of the message he proclaimed, Father Serra led the native people to Christ. He was well aware of their heroic virtues--as he exemplified in the life of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (July 14)--and he sought to further their authentic human development on the basis of their new-found faith as persons created and redeemed by God. He also had to admonish the powerful, in the spirit of a reading from James, not to abuse and exploit the poor and the weak."
Just like the 72 men, the disciples, and Blessed Junipero, we are called and sent on mission to evangelize and make disciples of all people. The call is not just to the bishops and priests or to religious brothers, sisters, and missionaries. Through our baptism each one of us is called and sent out on mission to bring Christ and the Kingdom of God to everyone.
In September 2010, Catholic organizations, leaders and faithful from across the United States will gather at the Roots and Wings National Congress under the theme, "Rooted in Discipleship:Enviados a mision. The congress, which is being organized by the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry (NC-CHM) in collaboration with the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is an opportunity to celebrate, reflect on the current reality of Hispanic ministry in the United States,, carry out theological reflection, and look toward the future with concrete projections for ministerial actions. At the close of Roots & Wings National Congress, participants will be sent on mission to recommit to the Lord's work of evangelization, helping those in need, and nourishing them with the Gospel and sacraments. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in this national gathering. For more information, visit: ncchm.org
Source: The Catholic Directory, reprinted in Our Lady of Sorrows Bulletin, July 18, 2010.
A Special Visitor. Our club was privileged to welcome a special guest, Father Zbigniew Stankiewicz, Archbishop-elect of Riga, Latvia at our July 26 meeting at Sacred Heart, at which time he spoke briefly about his faith journey. Father Stankiewicz was born in Lejasciems County, Gulbene District, Latvia in 1955. As a student he recalls being the only believer in his class, but as a young adult he lost his faith, perhaps because in his godless society of the time, the pressure not to believe was so great.
He graduated from Riga Politechnical Institute in 1978 with a degree in engineering, working eight years as an engineer. During that time he becaue intensely interested in yoga as a path to spiritual perfection and read whatever he could find on Buddhism. A fairly long-term relationship with an ecumenical Bible study group rekindled his interest in Christianity. At one point he experienced an overwhelming desire to go to confession. That call eventually led to his vocation.
He received his master's degree from the Catholic University of Lublin in 1996. After studying in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University, he received the degree of doctor of theology in 2008. At the time of his nomination on June 21 as the new Archbishop of Riga he was working as the director of the Riga Institute of Higher Religious Sciences. Lately he has been working on integrating psychotherapy and theological studies, a combination which he sees as a special need for those who grew up in the oppresive atmosphere of Communism.
"We have been damaged," he says. "We are all wounded." Father Stankiewicz also spoke of the need for more priests in Latvia. While there are many more young priests than older ones in Latvia, there is nevertheless a shortage. Therefore, we Serrans are encouraged to continue to pray for more priestly vocations, not only for ourselves but for other locations as well.
He has published several scientific works and participated in a number of scientific conferences; his hobbies include track and field sports and mountain climbing. He is a fluent speaker of Latvian, Polish, Russian, Italian, and English, and he can also communicate and read in French and German.
His consecration ceremony will take place on Sunday, August 8 at St. Jacob's (Lutheran)Cathedral, and he will be installed as Archbishop of Riga on Saturday, August 21 at St. James (Catholic) Cathedral.
For Blessed Junipero Serra, whose feast day we celebrate each July 1, this call from Jesus to evangelize became the center of his life. He walked thousands of miles from Mexico to California establishing missions, facing dangers and threats, enduring the inclement weather and hunger, and relying--just like the 72 men sent by Jesus to preach the Kingdom of God--on the power of the Gospel he preached. Father Junipero is said to have baptized over 6,000 people and confirmed over 5,000.
During his homily at Serra's beatification, Pope John Paul II said: "Relying on the divine power of the message he proclaimed, Father Serra led the native people to Christ. He was well aware of their heroic virtues--as he exemplified in the life of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (July 14)--and he sought to further their authentic human development on the basis of their new-found faith as persons created and redeemed by God. He also had to admonish the powerful, in the spirit of a reading from James, not to abuse and exploit the poor and the weak."
Just like the 72 men, the disciples, and Blessed Junipero, we are called and sent on mission to evangelize and make disciples of all people. The call is not just to the bishops and priests or to religious brothers, sisters, and missionaries. Through our baptism each one of us is called and sent out on mission to bring Christ and the Kingdom of God to everyone.
In September 2010, Catholic organizations, leaders and faithful from across the United States will gather at the Roots and Wings National Congress under the theme, "Rooted in Discipleship:Enviados a mision. The congress, which is being organized by the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry (NC-CHM) in collaboration with the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is an opportunity to celebrate, reflect on the current reality of Hispanic ministry in the United States,, carry out theological reflection, and look toward the future with concrete projections for ministerial actions. At the close of Roots & Wings National Congress, participants will be sent on mission to recommit to the Lord's work of evangelization, helping those in need, and nourishing them with the Gospel and sacraments. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in this national gathering. For more information, visit: ncchm.org
Source: The Catholic Directory, reprinted in Our Lady of Sorrows Bulletin, July 18, 2010.
A Special Visitor. Our club was privileged to welcome a special guest, Father Zbigniew Stankiewicz, Archbishop-elect of Riga, Latvia at our July 26 meeting at Sacred Heart, at which time he spoke briefly about his faith journey. Father Stankiewicz was born in Lejasciems County, Gulbene District, Latvia in 1955. As a student he recalls being the only believer in his class, but as a young adult he lost his faith, perhaps because in his godless society of the time, the pressure not to believe was so great.
He graduated from Riga Politechnical Institute in 1978 with a degree in engineering, working eight years as an engineer. During that time he becaue intensely interested in yoga as a path to spiritual perfection and read whatever he could find on Buddhism. A fairly long-term relationship with an ecumenical Bible study group rekindled his interest in Christianity. At one point he experienced an overwhelming desire to go to confession. That call eventually led to his vocation.
He received his master's degree from the Catholic University of Lublin in 1996. After studying in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University, he received the degree of doctor of theology in 2008. At the time of his nomination on June 21 as the new Archbishop of Riga he was working as the director of the Riga Institute of Higher Religious Sciences. Lately he has been working on integrating psychotherapy and theological studies, a combination which he sees as a special need for those who grew up in the oppresive atmosphere of Communism.
"We have been damaged," he says. "We are all wounded." Father Stankiewicz also spoke of the need for more priests in Latvia. While there are many more young priests than older ones in Latvia, there is nevertheless a shortage. Therefore, we Serrans are encouraged to continue to pray for more priestly vocations, not only for ourselves but for other locations as well.
He has published several scientific works and participated in a number of scientific conferences; his hobbies include track and field sports and mountain climbing. He is a fluent speaker of Latvian, Polish, Russian, Italian, and English, and he can also communicate and read in French and German.
His consecration ceremony will take place on Sunday, August 8 at St. Jacob's (Lutheran)Cathedral, and he will be installed as Archbishop of Riga on Saturday, August 21 at St. James (Catholic) Cathedral.
Sources: "Zbignevs Stankevics nominated for Riga archbishop," June 21, 2010. http://www.reitingi.lv/ retrieved 7/26/2010 and editor's notes.
Please note that the several discrepancies in the spelling of Father's name are because of the differences in the Latvian and Polish versions of his name.
A Message from our President. Dear Fellow Serrans: As we begin August, I urge you to register for the Great Lakes Regional Conference in Cincinnati from October 8-10. The deadline to receive the reduced conference rate of $199 is August 11. We are all staying a the Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel, which is a beautiful hotel in downtown Cincinnati at a much reduced rate of $115 per night (usual rate is $249). It is important to support the Cincinnati club in their hosting of this conference which will "recharge" our Serra batteries.
Your local Serra Club discussed and approved the idea of seeking to host the 2013 Serra Regional Conference for Grand Rapids to celebrate our 65th year of existence. Although this will be a huge undertaking for our club, the reward of hosting a conference will be the satisfaction that we are advancing the mission of Serra. We will keep you advised on our progress in obtaining our conference for 2013.
Did you know that Serra has an interesting web page at http://www.serraus.org/? Contained within that web page is a link to the Serra USA Circle of Prayer which contains prayer petitions from Serra. The power of prayer is still so important in our fast-moving 21st Century. Dan LaVille, President.
Your local Serra Club discussed and approved the idea of seeking to host the 2013 Serra Regional Conference for Grand Rapids to celebrate our 65th year of existence. Although this will be a huge undertaking for our club, the reward of hosting a conference will be the satisfaction that we are advancing the mission of Serra. We will keep you advised on our progress in obtaining our conference for 2013.
Did you know that Serra has an interesting web page at http://www.serraus.org/? Contained within that web page is a link to the Serra USA Circle of Prayer which contains prayer petitions from Serra. The power of prayer is still so important in our fast-moving 21st Century. Dan LaVille, President.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us...
O God, Who will not the death of a sinner but rather that he be converted and live.
Grant we beseech you,
through the intercession of Blessed Mary, ever Virgin
St. Joseph, her spouse,
Blessed Junipero Serra,
and all the saints,
an increase in laborers for Your Church
fellow laborers with Christ to spend and consume themselves for souls through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen
Source: From the prayer card of Frederick Louis McNair
Requiescat in Pace
17 August 1945-13 March 2010
