Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter September, 2010

Calendar of Events. Looking ahead to an important event. Weekend masses at Christ the King and St. Francis de Sales, October 23 and 24, 2010. Past President Pam McKenzie reports that Father Jim Wyse has asked the Grand Rapids Serra Club to be present at the two churches where he serves, named above. The Serra Club would offer a few sentences about who we are and answer questions following the masses. Beverly Shields has asked the secretary to see that we have 300 or so prayer cards made up for the event. One of our purposes is to help the parishes form Club 31 groups. The parish provides a chart or calendar with 31 days marked in according to how the days fall in that particular month. Each parishioner chooses one of the days and agrees to pray for vocations on that day, and of course more than one parishioner could pray on a particular day. 31 clubs have been part of the Serra Club for some time, but this activity offers a chance for parishes to support v0cations whether or not they have enough numbers and resources to form a full club. We urge your participation if you can be present on either of those days. R. S. V. P. by calling Beverly Shields or Nancy Mulvihill.
Regularly Scheduled Events.
September 13, 2010. Note that we are back at Louis Benton Steak House for our regular noon meeting. Charles Honey of the Grand Rapids Press will speak.
September 20, 2010. Board meeting, 12:00 noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
September 27, 2010. Prayer service and luncheon meeting at Sacred Heart.

October 8, 9, and 10. Ohio Valley/Great Lakes Regional Convention, Cincinnati, Ohio. We received a recent mailing that announced September 17 as the last day to register for the $115 hotel rate. Speakers include the following: Brian Patrick, a broadcast veteran for 35 years. host of the SonRise Morning Show on Cincinnati's Sacred Heart Radio, and heard nationwide on EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network. He also anchors EWTN's TV series "Crossing the Goal;"

Matthew Kelly, world renown author and inspirational speaker; and Fr. Jay Scott Newman, a passionate priest and pastor of St. Mary Church in Greenville, SC. He preaches on the importance of knowing and truly living our Catholic faith. For hotel reservations call 1-800-445-8667, remembering to mention UCS code for the special $115 tax per night rate for Friday and Saturday nights. For more information call Dottie at 1-800-334-9548 or e-mail serra@matlock electric.com

Activities outside the club.

September 10, 11, and 12. The Knights of Columbus Council 4362 invites you to join them for their First Annual Community Festival. the festival offer activities for people of all ages. 5830 Clyde Park SW, Wyoming, MI 49509.

September 27-30, 2010. Priests' Convocation. At the August 30 Board meeting, our club approved a motion to donate $600 to the convocation.

October 3, 2010. Wedding Anniversary Mass. Together with your families, the Church in the Diocese of Grand Rapids honors the faithful witnesses to the vocation of marriage and wishes to celebrate with them. Bishop Hurley is inviting all couples celebrating anniversaries of 25, 40, 50, 60 or more years to join him on Sunday, October 3 at the 10 a.m. mass at The Cathedral of St. Andrew. RSVP by calling your parish office.

October 31, 2010. Celebrate Priesthood Sunday.

Priests' Anniversaries.
Anniversaries for September are as follows:
Fr. Loc Trinh, September 19, 1992
Fr. Ron Hutchinson, September 24, 1994

Diocese of Grand Rapids New Assignments.
Rev. Aaron Ferris, currently Associate Pastor at Our Lady of Grace and St. Thomas the Apostle Parishes, Muskegon, is appointed Administrator of St. Jerome Parish, Scottville, and St. Mary Parish, Custer, effective October 1, 2010.
Rev. Mr. Larry Hogeboom is reappointed for a three-year term as Deacon at St. Jude Parish, Grand Rapids, effective immediately.
Rev. Roc Gerald Majalla, SAC, is appointed temporary Administrator of All Saints Parish, Fremont, and St. Joseph Parish, White Cloud, effective August 30, 2010. This appointment is until October 1, 2010 and in addition to his responsibilities as Pastor at St. Michael Parish, Brunswick, with mission at Christ the King, Hisperia.
Rev. Peter Omogo, currently Associate Pastor at St. John Vianney Parish, Wyoming, is appointed Administrator of All Saints Parish, Fremont, and St. Joseph Parish, White Cloud, effective October 1, 2010.
Fr. Philip J. Salmonowicz is appointed pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish, Muskegon, effective October 1, 2010. He has been serving as pastor of St. Charles, Greenville, and St. Margaret Mission, Harvard.
Rev. Anthony Britto, SAC, currently Pastor at St. Margaret Mary Parish, Edmore, and St. Bernadette Parish, Stanton, is appointed Administrator of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Muskegon Township, effective October 1, 2010.

Rev. Michael F. Burt, currently Associate Pastor at St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Remus, is appointed Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel, Remus, effective October 1, 2010.

Fr. Peter M. Chukwu, who has served as pastor of All Saints Parish, Fremont, and St. Joseph Parish, White Cloud, is returning home to Nigeria September 1, 2010. Bishop Hurley writes, "I am grateful to his bishop for releasing him to serve here in Grand Rapids and to Fr. Peter for his generous service these past years."

Rev. Michael F. Cilibraise, currently Administrator of St. Jerome Parish, Scottville, and St. Mary Parish, Custer, is appointed Pastor of St. Charles Parish, Greenville, and St. Margaret Mission Parish, Harvard, effective October 1, 2010.

Source: Bishop Hurley, Cathedral Square Center website.

A Thank-you Note. Dear Serra Friends: My sincere thanks for your good wishes and thoughtfulness on the occation of my 5th anniversary as Bishop of Grand Rapids. Your gift was most thoughtful. I am grateful for your prayers and good wishes as I offer you mass. Walter A. Hurley

A Prayer Request. Serran John Osterhart sends us a request for prayers for Janet Ruger and Ann McRoy, two members of the larger Serra family, who are experiencing desperate health problems. Janet Ruger, wife of Past Saginaw Serra Club President Bill Ruger, is fighting cancer. Ann McRoy, wife of our immediate Past Serra USA Council President Doug McRoy is also fighting cancer, and her treatment options at this point seem quite bleak. Both of these couples have attended multiple Grand Rapids Serra functions.

VocationBoom.com When Pope Benedict XVI announced the Year for Priests in June 2009, it seemed to Jerry Usher like the confirmation of an idea he had had for 20 years. He thought, "The year for Priests is now the time to unveil 'Vocation Boom.'"

The first phase of his new initiative of VocationBoom.com, which launched September 14, 2009, the feast of Exaltation of the Cross. The website's purpose is to provide a place where young men interested in the priesthood can find resources and serve as a "one-stop global meeting place relating to priestly vocations to provide encouragement, motivation and inspiration to one another," says Usher.

Usher has worked on the idea since is college days. After graduating from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, he spent three years in a seminary, followed by a year of pastoral assignment during which he and some friends started a newsletter on vocational discernment.

Although he ultimately discerned the priesthood is not his calling, Usher says the desire to promote the priesthood and priestly vocations never left him...

Usher's (multimedia) experience has come in handy. From 1998-2008 he became creator and host of Catholic Answers Live" and helped some Catholic radio stations get off the ground. He also founded and currently heads Third Millennium Media to assist Catholic radio, ministries and apostolates in their rapid growth. Now with the Vocation Boom website, Usher is bringing his media and theological expertise to promote vocations to the priesthood. The website provides links to a number of videos like the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' award-winning "Fishers of Men." Among more than 20 videos to date, viewers can watch a profile of St. John Marie Vianney, hear Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, listen to seminarians, and see what life is like as a seminarian...

Usher welcomes any diocese or religious order that wants to put a link on the site, and he hopes to get every U. S. seminary listed.

A recent online addition is interviews, including one of Grant Desme, who left major league baseball to enter the seminary this year and Usher himself being interviewed by journalist Teresa Tomeo on her "Catholic Connections" program.

VocationBoom.com is gaining attention. On their list of "Top 10 Vocation Sites" for 2010, the USCCB's Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations website, ForYourVocation.org calls Vocation Boom the "Best New Resource on Priesthood."...

What's next for VocationBoom.com? Making the site more interactive, with a forum and comment boxes. Usher also hopes to have a regular weekly radio and TV show, plus rallies and retreats to get young men and their families together to encourage and inspire them to think about priestly vocation.

"It all depends," he says, on God providing us with the resources."

So far, they're booming.

By National Catholic Register staff writer Joseph Pronechen. Source: National Catholic Register, August 30, 2010 Culture of Life.

A Message from our President.

Fellow Serrans: October 31st is Celebrate Priesthood Sunday. on the website of the USA Council of Serra there is a section devoted to "priest hero" stories. The stories got me to reflect upon priests who have been significant in my life. The one that stands out is Father Victor Kreinbrink, C. P. P. S., from the Precious Blood Order. He was the pastor of my home parish, St. James the Less, when I grew up in Columbus and attended grade school there from 1957-1965. Father Kreinbrink was a large man who was very devout and attended the needs of our parish with two assistant pastors from the Precious Blood Order. He was the priest for whom I served many Masses. He taught us a respect for our faith.

I remember on November 22, 1963, sitting in my 7th grade classroom when Father Kreinbrink came over the loudspeaker and announced with a profound sadness in his voice that President Kennedy had been shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. I can still hear his words.

My reflection about Father Kreinbrink caused me to go to the internet, and I soon discovered that he had passed away in 1982. I won't be able to thank him in person, but I will remember him on October 31st. Do you have a special priest in your own history?

Dan LaVille.

Let us close this newsletter with this special prayer:

ANIMA CHRISTI

Soul of Christ, sanctify me;

Body of Christ, save me;

Blood of Christ, inebriate me;

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me;

O good Jesus, hear me;

Within Thy wounds hide me;

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee,

From the malignant enemy defend me;

In the hour of my death, call me,

And bid me come to Thee,

That, with Thy Saints, I may praise Thee

Forever and ever. Amen.