The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:22-25.
Calendar of Events.
January 9, 2012. Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
January 9-14, 2012. National Vocation Awareness Week.
January 12-15, 2012. Super Weekend/Governor and Regional Director Planning Conference,
Chicago, Illinois.
January 16, 2012. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.
January 23, 2012. Prayer Service and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart.
Priests' Anniversaries. Fr. Fred Brucker, January 25, 1976; Fr. Joseph Kenshol, January 19, 1973; Fr. Mark Mitchell, January 25, 1976; Fr. Ernest Schneider, January 30, 1977; Fr. Thomas Simons, January 30, 1977.
A Thank-you Note. Dear Serra Club: I can't believe that we are already in December and my anniversary was a little over a month ago. I do want to write and thank you for your beautiful card. I am deeply touched by your thoughtfulness and generosity. It was truly a blessed weekend and your participation made it so.
Being a priest for 30 years has ben a wonderful experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I appreciate your prayers and support throughout these many years and without them, I could not have survived. As I look to the future, I know I can continue to count on your support.
This is a time for all of us to reflect upon the role of Priesthood. Pope Benedict has this to say:
"Who knows the men and women of today better than the parish priest?...And people often come here to the parish priest, usually openly, with no pretext other than suffering, sickness, death, or family matters. And they come to the confessional stripped of the veneer, with their very being. No other 'profession,' it seems to me, gives this possibility of knowing the person as he his, in his humanity, rather than the role he plays in society. In this sense, we can truly study the person in his core, beyond roles, and learn what it is to be human, what it is to be in the school of Christ. To this end, it is absolutely important to come to understanding the human being, the human being of today, in ourselves and with others, but also always listening attentively to the Lord and accepting in myself the seed of the word, so that it may become leaven within me and become communicable to others."
May we continue to pray for vocations and support our young people in seeking a life rooted in serving Christ. May we pray for priests in our diocese who are asked to do more and to thank those priests who have been so instsrumental in our lives.
Thank you so much and know that I love you and am committed to serving the Church for many years to come.
Peace, Fr. Tom
Note: Fr. Tom Boufford is Pastor of SS. Peter and Paul in Ionia. Thank you, Lee, for your anniversary card ministry. As we have seen on a number of occasions, this ministry has borne much good fruit.
An Update. Serran Kurt Metyko, USA Council President writes, "The status of court proceedings between the USA Council and Serra International is as follows:
On November 28, 2011, the judge gave Serra International's attorney 21 days to file a response to our motion to impel Serra International to furnish their financial statistics and membership data, as originally requested in the initial interrogatory phase. The USA Council will then have 14 days to answer this response. The judge has set a hearing for January 17, 2012, on these submittals.
The most asked question of our staff has been, 'Are our dues being spent on the lawsuit?'
The answer is NO. USAC established a Legal Defense Fund for this purpose, with contributions coming in from Board members, clubs, and individual Serrans. Please consider making a contribution to this fund. Donations not used will be transferred to the Bishop Britt fund to be used exclusively for vocational work.
News from the Bellringers. In his letter of December 23, 2011, 68th Serra International President, writes:
..."Since my inauguration in Ottawa five months aggo, your affection has been an immense support and encouragement. I felt great support and friendship throughout the world. Thank you for giving me the strength to so so. I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to you all. I shall continue doing my best to get to every corner of the globe. I shall continue to dedicate myself to your service as your President.
There are difficulties and problems from outside and from within which are confronting us; and if we act with courage, with courage, with generosity and with humanity and we continue to pray for wisdom and to beg for the intercession of Mary, Mother of Vocations, and do our very best, I believe we will solve all the problems and pass on a better Serra to the next generation. Our work of 'fishing for fishermen' will have multiple effects..."
Mr. Wong has indeed made a good start toward "getting to every corner of the globe."
Serra International Convention News. The Most Reverend Thomas Tobin, Bishop of Providence, extends a warm welcome from throughout the world to attend Serra's 70th international convention in Providence, Rhode Island, 21-23 June 2012.
The 2012 convention program willl be full and exciting, with brilliant speakers and informative workshops, as well as interesting panel and technology sessions. The convention hotel is the Hilton Providence, which is offering an attractive room rate of $139.00 single/double. A feature of the convention will be the daily Masses in the Cathedral of Ss.Peter and Paul, which is located just a short walk from the Hilton. Convention registration ha been set at USD $400 per registrant. More convention registration facilities will soon be available at www.serra.org.
Six New Vocations. The December, 2011 edition of Salute, the Magazine of the Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA, profiles six seminarians whose vocations arose from their military service. For the next six issues, we will feature one of these seminarians each month. The first is Gary Lamar Bass, of the Diocese of Monterey, California.
RANK: E6/NAVY (ret)
HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDED: Kecoughtan High School, Hampton, VA.
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Mount Angel Abbey, Saint Benedict, OR.
HOBBIES: Listening to and performing music, bicycle rides, walks on the beach, photography, and talks over coffee.
WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU THOUGHT OF THE PRIESTHOOD? Shortly after I converted to Catholicism in 2003.
WHO INFLUENCED OR INSPIRED YOU? In the Navy, my job was a Religious Program Specialist. I worked alongside the chaplains of various denominations. It was working with Catholic priests and being around the parish community that drew me into our faith.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I just completed 20 years of honorable service in the Navy and I am now a full time seminarian with the Diocese of Monterey.
HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW JESUS? I grew up in a Baptist home. My dad was a Deacon in the church and a choir member. He used to talk to me about Jesus.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE SPIRITUAL EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES THAT HELPED YOU DEVELOP AND SHARE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH? In short, two specific spiritual events happened to me prior to becoming a Catholic Christian: One evening I was preparing to go to dinner and there was a sign of a cross on the front window of my car.. It was raining that day and the rain water was tracing an outline of a cross directly in my view on the driver's side that turned out to be tree sap that dripped from a branch just above. Later, after arriving at a restaurant, a stranger noticed me praying over my food and asked if I had thought of becoming a priest. A few minutes later he walked over to my table, gave a sign of blessing before me and left. I went after him to question who he was but he was nowhere to be seen. These two events happening one after the other on the same night made a lasting impact on my life.
WHAT INFLUENCE DID POPE JOHN PAUL II HAVE ON YOUR VOCATION? I remember shen he was shot and just feeling my heart go heavy for him. At the time, I did not know why because I was not Catholic but a Christian in heart. Sometime later, I had heard his voice on TV. I cannot remember what he was speaking about but I can recall being in awe of his presence. By this time I had just converted to Catholicism and those spiritual events happened to me. I think understanding the Pope's position in the Church, what he represented, opened my mind and my heart to accepting more of what it is to be Catholic today.
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Currently reading "To Save a Thousand Souls" by Father Brannen.
WHO IS A HERO TO YOU? My parents who have instilled in me good morals and values to live by.
A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans:
Happy New Year! It is a great time to be a Serran! Mark your calendars and start inviting who you think would be a great addition to our club, Wednesday, March 14 (not a normal meeting date) at Louis Benton Steak House. We will be hosting Fr. Mark Przybysz as he speaks on Rob Bell's book, Love Wins. This event will take the place of our regularly scheduled meeting on March 12. Feel free to read up on this book, or read it, and see the buzz and discussion still going on long after its release. As Catholics we will not his thoughts outlandish, but many in his church, Mars Hill, labeled him as a heretic to his own congregation. There is a video release related to this topic at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igOmkooAqiU.
Things are moving forward on the Regional Conference for 2014 and now the committee will need to start pressing other members for help in preparing for the event and the agenda. Please contact Joe Scoville or me to make us aware of your willingness to help in this endeavor. Aggie has been working on some exciting speakers for the first half of 2012 and will have more to announce at our meeting this coming Monday.
Tim Hile, CIC, CWCA
616-457-1320
1-800-457-1320
Fax: 616-457-4050
Cell: 616-437-1404
thile@ottawakent.com
No comments:
Post a Comment