Calendar of Events.
November 1, 2011. All Saints' Day. Holy day of obligation.
November 2, 2011. The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day).
November 14, 2011. Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Speaker will be Sean Maltbie of the Catholic Lawyers of West Michigan.
November 21, 2011. There will be no Board Meeting on November 21 and no Board Meeting on December 19. The next Board Meeting will be held on January 16, 2012. Location TBA.
November 28, 2011. Prayer Service and Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.
December 10, 2011. Schubert Male Chorus Concert, Christmas Jubilation, 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center, East Grand Rapids High School. The choir celebrates over 128 years of singing in the Grand Rapids area. Dan and Jeanine LaVille have agreed to host a reception before the concert for fellow Serrans, with details TBA.
No more scheduled meetings for 2011.
February 15, 2011. Evening meeting, 5:30 p.m. at Louis Benton Steak House. Father Mark
will speak. Please invite guests to this event and see President Tim Hile's comments regarding the subject matter of Father Mark's talk.
Regarding November 1 and 2. From editor@ewtn.com: What is the difference between All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day?
All Saints' Day is a solemnity to honor all saints of the Church. In the early days of Christianity, only martyrs and John the Baptist were celebrated on specific days. More saints' feast days were added as canonization processes were established. Pope Gregory IV (827-844) established this feast day to recall saints' holiness for the entire Church, according to The Catholic Encyclopedia.
All Souls' Day, on the other hand, remembers all the faithful departed; the Church on earth prays for the deceased. Source: National Catholic Register, October 23-Nov. 5, 2011.
Priests' Anniversaries. Rock Badgerow, November 3, 1979; Thomas Boufford, November 7, 1989; Daniel DePew, November 2, 1985; Charles Hall, November 3, 1979; Ed Villa, November 9, 1985; and Wayne Wheeler, November 3, 1979.
Correspondence. Father Mark Przybysz sent our club the following note in care of Pat Leikert: "Dear Serra Club: On behalf of the priests of the Diocese of Grand Rapids I would like to thank you for your generous donation to the 2011 Priest Convocation. It is a wonderful opportunity for the priests of the Diocese to come together for relaxationk, camaraderie and learning. Thank you again for your continued support!" Peace, Rev. Mark Przybysz, Director for Continuing Formation of Priests.
2013 Regional Conference. Committee chair Joseph Scoville 's first goals in planning the conference will be setting a date, looking toward late September and early October, and selecting a venue, choosing from a downtown location or a 28th Street location. Others serving on the committee are Fr. Ed, Bob Gabridge, Bob Paul, Dan Laville, Tom Curran, John Osterhart, and Marcia Carbines. Let us all help in any way we can to make the conference a success, and let us put the upcoming event in our prayers.
Holy Family Radio. At the October 17 Board Meeting, President Tim Hile announced that Dan Grady has donated $350 to our Club, to be passed on to Holy Family Radio Station in the name of the Serra Club of Grand Rapids. The Board approved the Serran Sponsorship of the program. The fund buys the syndication for the next year of Vocations Boom, a half-hour program produced by EWTN and repeated in other time slots. President Hile expressed the view that the sponsorship of the program benefits both our club and the overall Catholic community. It is now being played during quiet time at St. Stephen School for 7th and 8th graders.
Let us Keep Them in Our Prayers. Sent Tuesday, October 18 from Ed Odenweller, of Lima Ohio, to John Osterhart: "With great sadness I send notification of the passing of Anne McRoy. Anne was a Serran and wife of Serran (and former District Governor) Doug McRoy."
John's reply to Doug McRoy: "Our heartfelt sympathy to the entire McRoy family. We will always remember you and Anne braving daunting December weather to support Serra functions in Grand Rapids. Your kind invitation to us before Anne's condition worsened, to stay with you and Anne during our recent visit to your area for the chartering of a new Serra Club, was so very thoughtful and generous. With warmest regards, John and Ellen Osterhart."
We also keep in our prayers Deacon and former Grand Rapids Serran Dale Hollern and his family. Deacon Dale's wife Isabel informed us that Faith Hospice is now working with the family and caring for Dale. Dale is comfortable but only receiving family.
News from Thailand. Dennis Leiber passes along this note from Sean Yeo, Vice President Vocations, Serra International and President, Serra Club of Singapore.
My dear Serrans in Asia: Wishing you the peace and love in the name of the Lord..
Three months ago I was very excited to attend the chartering of the Serra Club of St. Luke in Lopburi, Thailand. Hence I have witnessed the chartering of a Serra Club in Thailand but also the First Charter Mass that I attended since our own club was chartered five years ago.
Chainarong met us in Bangkok and together we traveled for more than two hours by car to Lopburn. On the way there I could not help but admire the scenic view of the places we passed on the way to the Church of St. Luke, where the new Thai Serra Club will be based.
I was therefore shocked and saddened when I received photos from Chainarong recently about Lopburn being submerged by flood waters as well as in other parts of Thailand that have been affected by the flood. We continue to keep them in our prayers. We pray that in God's mercy, lives will not be lost and that (people's) livelihoods be restored the soonest possible.
In this issue of Serra in Asia we have featured the chartering of the Serra Club of Lopburn as well as interviews with the President of the Serra Council of Thailand, Ms. Anchan Chatugungaprateep and the President of the Serra Club of Macau, Ms. Christiana Chow. I hope the interviews will inspire more women to serve in the Serra ministry.
God Bless, Sean Yeo.
News from the Diocese. Father Edward A. Hankiewicz was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Parish, Lowell, while continuing as Judicial Vicar at the Diocesean Tribunal, effective September 14, 2011. In addition to these responsibilities, it is anticipated that St. Anthony Parish, Saranac, will become Father Hankiewicz's responsibility, as the Our Faith, Our Future recommendations move toward implementation. Father Aaron Ferris was appointed canonical administrator of Sacred Heart, effective September 14, 2011. In addition, on October 20, 2011, Bishop Walter A. Hurley announced that Pope Benedict XVI has conferred papal honors upon three priests of the Diocese of Grand Rapids:
Prelate of Honor to His Holiness: Reverend Monsignor William H. Duncan.
Chaplain to His Holiness: Reverend Monsignor Edward A. Hankiewicz and Reverend Monsignor R. Louis Stasker. Installation of these appointees will take place on December 5, with specifics TBA.
From the Pontifical Pastoral Ministry for Vocations to the Priesthood, Congretation for Catholic Education, Vatican City.
Your Excellences, Bishops Delegates for Pastoral Ministry for Vocations, Directors of Vocation: The Pontifical Pastoral Ministry for Priestly Vocations wants to follow up the messages which the Holy Father has addressed to all the Church on the occasion of the 48th World Day of Prayer for Vocations which was celebrated on 15 May 2011.
The theme chosen by the Holy Father was, "Proposing Vocations in the local church." With reference to the theme, during these last months, Benedict XVI proposed the vocations to the ministerial priesthood, particularly to young people on different occasions when he met the Bishops of India on their visits "ad limina Apostolorum" in his Apostolic Journey to Croatia, in the Pastoral visit to the Diocese of Marino-Montefeltro (Italy), on the occasion of the World Youth Day, which was celebrated in Madrid, Spain, in his Pastoral Visit to Ancona, Italy, and in his Apostolic Pastoral Journey to Germany. On the occasion of the World Youth Day, during the Vigil of prayer with the young people, the Pope said, during this Pastoral Visit, "I urge you to ask God to help you find your vocation in society and in the Church, and to persevere in that vocation with joy and fidelity. It is a good thing to open our hearts to Christ's call and to follow with courage and generosity the path he maps out to us.
The Lord calls many people to marriage, in which a man and a woman, in becoming one flesh, (Cf. Gen. 2:24), find fulfillment in a profound life of communion. It is a prospect that is both bright and demanding. It is a project for true love which is daily reviewed and deepened by sharing joys and sorrows, one marked by true self-giving. For this reason, to acknowledge the beauty and goodness of marriage is to realize that only a setting of fidelity and indissolubility, along with openness to God's gift of life, is adequate to the grandeur and dignity of marital love.
Christ calls others to follow him more closely in the priesthood or in consecrated life. It is hard to put into words the happiness you will feel when you know that Jesus seeks you, trusts in you, and with his unmistakable voice also says to you, and with his unmistakable voice also says to you, 'Follow me.' (Cf. Mark 2:14).
Speaking to youth in Germany, who were participating in the Vigil of Prayer, Benedict XVI said, 'Allow Christ to burn in you, even at the cost of sacrifice and renunciation. Do not be afraid that you might lose something, and so to speak, emerge empty handed at the end. Have the courage to apply your talents and gifts for God's kingdom and to give yourselves--like candlewax-- so that the Lord can light up the darkness through you. Dare to be glowing saints, in whose eyes and hearts the love of Christ beams and thus brings light to the world. I am confident that you and many other young people in Germany are lamps of hope that do not remain hidden. 'You are the light of the world.' Where God is, there is a future.
The Pontifical Pastoral Ministry for Priestly Vocations will meet many of you coming from all the local churches who respond positively to the invitation to participate in the Congress, which will be held from the 3rd to the 5th of November. The Congress will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the institution of the Pontifical Pastoral Ministry for Priestly Vocations with the Motu Proprio Cum nobis, 4 November 1941, by the venerable Pius XII. The participants will be about 220, coming from all over the world, and they include Bishops, priests, and members of Serra International...
The PPMPV feels the nearness of the Holy Father Benedict XVI, who showed much fatherly love when He accepted to preside over the Vigil of Prayer and Vespers on 4 November 2011, a date on which the liturgical memory of St. Charles Borromeo, the founder of seminaries, is celebrated and which is the birthday of PPMPV. The Vigil will be attended not only by the participants in the Congress, but also by the Priests and seminarians who study in the Ecclesiastical University and Faculties of Rome, this being the opening of the academic year.
The PPMPV asks all who receive this circular letter to offer to the Father a communal prayer so that on this unity of intentions and collaboration, he will send many vocations to the Church.
United in the prayer to the Lord of the Harvest,
Msgr. Francis Bonnici
From Cesare Gambardelli to Dennis Leiber
A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans:
Fall is slipping away with All Saints Day tomorrow, and Advent is quickly approaching. May we all continue to prepare our sould like the Saints who have gone before us. Advent always brings family outings to mind from my childhood as well as with my own family. Trips and excursions to cut down the family Christmas tree and the hilarity associated with getting it to stay upright or just getting it inside the house. I think of the wonderful parties where we see old friends, make some new ones, cath up with family who live afar and share wonderful food prepared with love. Advent is about preparation, not just about the coming of the baby Jesus in the manger but God coming into our lives with a fulness we cannot explain.
My involvement with Serra has led me on an introspective patch recently, relating to the fulness stated above that I cannot explain. Thank you for all your efforts in furthering Serra's cause of fostering and affirming priestly vocations. We see the need every day in our own parishes and our diocese. We need to do everything we can to help young men discern if a priestly vocation is for them. All your work is appreciated and we have much still to do!
Please review the schedule and keep abreast of our irregulat meeting schedule. December 10 will kick off the Christmas season with a wonderful concert by the Schubert Male Concert Choir in their annual Christmas Jubilation. The LaVilles have graciously offered to host a gathering before the concert. Keep an eye out for more details to follow.
Congratulations to our own Moderator, Fr. Ed Hankiewicz, soon to be installed as a Monsignor. This is a most well deserved honor, Monsignor!
Also, many thanks to the rest of the 2013 Regional Conference Committee. They have made great headway and have two scheduled visits to properties to see how the conference would be accommodated by the hotel and amenities they can provide visiting Serrans and families.
Remember that we are gearing up to invite guests to our evening meeting on February 15. I am really looking forwrd to this talk given by Fr. Mark Przybysz on the book by Pastor Robb Bell, Love Wins. Please feel free to ask former members and potential members to join us for what promises to be an engaging conversation and additional personal information.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for us!
Tim Hile
Rosary Promise for November, 2011. Promise XIV. "All who recite the rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son, Jesus Christ.
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