Calendar of Events.
February 6, 2011. World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. Nate McKenzie sent along this note from Fr. Michael Zimmerman of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas regarding that special day:On February 2 the Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared that this feast be observed as a celebration of consecrated life. When February 2 does not fall on a Sunday, the following Sunday would serve as the World Day for Consecrated Life. What can Serrans do in their parishes to observe this day with a special emphasis on the call to consecrated life in today's world?
February 12, 2011. Funeral mass for Steven Kramer, 11 a.m. at St. Stephen, with luncheon to follow. His mother and sisters will be there. You are invited to support them by good attendance from our club at the funeral. See article re: his life below.
February 12 and 13, 2011. Visit from our Vocations Committee at St. Stephen following weekend masses. The Vocations Committee will invite St. Stephen parishioners to participate in our 31 Club plan to pray for vocations.February 14, 2011. Luncheon and regular meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Father John Vallier of Holy Spirit Parish will speak.
February 21, 2011. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
February 28, 2011. Member-Guest Reception, 5:30-7:00 p.m. at Louis Benton Steak House. Beer, wine, and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Each member is urged to invite at least two guests to hear about the blessings of being a Serran. Various of our members will speak. There will be no noon meeting at Sacred Heart on that day.
Send Tim Hile the information he needs to issue formal invitations to these prospective Serrans.
Mark your calendars for these events to come:
April 30, 2011. Sisters' Appreciation Dinner, St. Jude's. Mass will begin at 4:00 p.m., followed by social hour and dinner. Set-up will take place on Friday, April 29. Details to be announced as more information becomes available.
July 14-17, 2011. Serra International's 69th Annual Convention, Jerusalem. The serraus.org website, with links to international events, is beginning to post information. We will keep you posted.
Priests' Anniversaries. We have just two this month:
Father William Langlois, 2-24-1974, and Father Phillip Wilkowski, 2-2-1975.
Information provided by Lee Sullivan.
We celebrate the life of a faithful departed Grand Rapids Serran, Steven Kramer.
Steven A. Kramer, 64, entrepreneur and baseball aficionado, died Sunday, December 26, 2010 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Steven was born in Fort Wayne, IN, and moved with his parents and brother Paul and sister Barbara to Grand Rapids in 1952. As a young boy he was treated for a brain aneurysm at the May0 Clinic in Rochester, MN. Two surgeries saved his life, but the brain damage resulted in paralysis of his left side, cognitive struggles, and a seizure disorder. He was until recently able to walk with a brace on his left legs, but the disabilities blocked him from many of life's activities, such as driving a car.
Steven was relentless in plowing his own path around (and sometimes through) those obstacles, as the left side of his brain took up the slack for the injured right side. He earned an Associate's Degree from (then) Grand Rapids Junior College. He seemed to have inherited his father's "salesman's gene", which inspired success on a variety of home-based businesses. His first successful venture, Direct Mail Services in Grand Rapids, had a client list that included the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids.
In his free time Steven learned to play pool with one hand and was a regular patron for many years at the Intersection Bar in Eastown, where he often won games from unsuspecting opponents. A one-armed swing also won him a base hit off Hank Aguirre at the Detroit Tigers' second Fantasy Camp--a dream weekk in which he got to play with players from the World Series-winning 1968 Tigers. He was coached on his batting by Gates Brown.
A zest for telemarketing and his direct mail skills led to his work on a series of political campaigns in the 1970s and the 1980s, including those of then-state Rep. John Otterbacher and Judge Dennis Leiber in his first bid for Circuit Court in 1988.
In the early 1990s, he joined the Grand Rapids chapter of the AMBUCS, a non-profit service group devoted to developing mobility and independence for people with disabilities. Steven's tireless fundraising earned him awards in 1992, 1993, and 1994; his powers of persuasion left a trail of AMBUCS gumball machines in businesses throughout West Michigan. In 1996 he gained entry to the AMBUCS' Big Hat Club for success in recruiting new members. In 1997 he was named AMBUC of the Year for District 30. A Life Member of the organization, he enjoyed making friends with AMBUCS from all over the country as he traveled to conventions in Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Antonio, and on a Caribbean cruise ship.
Steven was also a member of the Serra Club of Grand Rapids. His father had also been president of the Grand Rapids chapter.
A frequent visitor to Detroit in the 1990s, Steven worked part-time on mailings at Crain Communications, where his sister Mary is publisher. During those long-term visits and work stints he met some of his heroes, including Ernie Hartwell and Sparky Anderson. After health issues led to his permanent move to Detroit in 2003, he became a season ticket holder for Tigers games. He also became a client of Community Living Services of Wayne County, a move which allowed him to live independently. In 2004 he met Marguerite Morgan. Marguerite became his closest friend and caregiver for the next seven years, helping him to build a life in Detroit in which he felt appreciated and valued. He and Marguerite shared a condominium in downtown Detroit. She became a member of the extended Kramer family and traveled with Steven for the 40-year reunion of the Class of 1966 of Ottawa Hills High School.. Also in 2004 Steven's mother, Solina Kramer, moved to the Henry Ford Village retirement community in Dearborn to be closer to her son. She visited Steven at least weekly.
Another constant for Steven in Detroit was his regular attendance at karoake night at the Signature Grill in the Riverfront Apartments comples where he lived. He enjoyed listening to karaoke leader Valerie and other regulars sing, but no amount of cajoling could persuade him to give karoake a try, at least, not in public.
Besides the Tigers, Steven had a passion for college basketball. In 2004, he attended what was to become his last AMBUCS national convention in High Point, NC and was able to fit in a side trip to Chapel Hill to visit the arena where the North Carolina Tarheels play. He also attended the Allstar game in 2005 at Comerica Park and the NCAA Final Four games at Ford Field in 2009. Sports had been a passion since he was a boy listening to Ernie Harwell give the play-by-play for Tigers games on the radio in Grand Rapids. In high school, he earned a varsity letter as manager of the wrestling team at Ottawa Hills High School when the team won the city championship under Coach Dave VanderMolen.
Steven attended St. Stephen's School and Parish in Grand Rapids. His father, Vincent Kramer, preceded him in death in 1985. A loving son and brother, he is survived by his mother Solina, his siblings, and friend and caregiver Marguerite. The family asks that any memorial donations be made to one of three causes dear to Steven:
1)AMBUCS, c/o Michael, 1605 Eastern Avenue, Grand Rapids, 49507
2)Friends of CLS, c/o Community Living Services, 35425 W. Michigan Avenue, Wayne, MI 48184-1687
3)Henry Ford Hospice, Main Campus, 2799 W. Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202
Note from Beverly Shields: Steven also made many phone calls on Serra's behalf during his membership here. Pam McKenzie adds: "He was our telephone person, calling each member every month so that the reservation could be placed with Duba's or the Diocese. He also worked with John Osterhart on the monthly newsletter mailing via snail mail. John has been quoted," Steve can fold, address, and stamp faster than any three people!" Steve was a valuable member of the Grand Rapids Serra Club and has been missed since moving to Detroit. He did attend two Charter Nights after his move to Detroit. He always looked forward to receiving the Serra newsletter. May he rest in peace..."
Let us give thanks for this inspiring life. May Steven rest in the peace of the Lord.
Good News from the Archdiocese for the Military Services. Did you know???
18 percent of the priestly ordinatins over the past decade have been young men who were either from military families or had served in the military service. Thus, a Serra presence in the military is a natural step in the promotion of vocations. With these facts in mind, we rejoice at the news that on June 13, 2010, Serra International marked a historic event with the charter of the first Serra Club within the Archdiocese of the Military Services at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
Sacred Heart Catholic Community of Ford Leonard Wood welcomed Archbishop Timothy Broglio to bless this unique club, its 25 new members and officers, and to encourage its endeavors.
Archbishop Broglio reminded the congregation of the casualties of not taking an active role in the future of religious vocations, as well as the positive consequences of a strong, lively vocations apostolate. "All that it takes for evil to prosper is for good men and women to do nothing," he said. "Today we have done something."
From Pastor and Chaplain of St. Patrick in the City, Washington, D. C. In the bulletin of the weekend of January 22-23, Rev. Msgr. Salvatore A. Criscuolo invites us to consider taking our Bibles and spending some time mulling over a few verses each day. They are graced words, and the Lord speaks to us personally through them.
Also, look at CatholicTV.com to look for the Youth Rally and Mass for Life which took place of on the eve of the 38th Annual March for Life.
An inspiring message from the March: Large numbers of the young marchers for life carried this sign: "We are the pro-life generation."
On January 24, EWTN carried complete coverage of the 2011 March for Life, beginning with the Rally for Life and leading up to the March on Constitution Avenue. EWTN coverage included interviews, panel discussions, and pro-life speakers from around the country.
Finally, an encouraging note for vocations from the Washington, D. C. Diocese: Cardinal Wuerl is sponsoring a retreate for men in their 20s-40s who are considering a call to the priesthood.
Message from our President.Dear Fellow Serrans: We are blessed to host the 2013 Great Lakes Regional in Grand Rapids to celebrate our club's 65th anniversary. As in our 1998 Regional Convention, we will involve all members so that "many hands make the load light." I hope that you will find the experience a rewarding one.Did you know that the U. S. Postal Service issued a special Mother Teresa stamp on September 5, 2010? The stamp features a portrait of Mother Teresa painted by award-winning artist Thomas Blackshear II of Colorado Springs, CO). Mother Teresa (1996) was one of only seven (7) individuals ever awarded honorary U. S. citizenship. The others include Winston Churchill (1963), Raoul Wallenbery (1981), William Penn and Hannah Callowhill Penn (1984), the Marquis of Lafayette (2002), and General Casimir Pulaski (2009).
Please remember to attend our April 30th Sisters' Appreciation Dinner. Pam McKenzie is the chair of the event and can always use volunteers to help. Likewise, Mark Kubik gladly accepts volunteers to help with our upcoming Charter Night in May. Finally, please remember that this Sunday, February 6, is World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.
Rosary Promise for February. Promise III. The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell. It will destroy vice, decrease sins, and defeat heresies. Source: Catholic Art Calendar, 2011.
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