Calendar of Events.
May 9, 2013. The Ascension of the Lord. In the Province of Michigan, the Solemnity of the Ascension is celebrated on the Sunday following Ascension Thursday.
May 13, 2013. Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at the University Club.
Speaker will be Mary Vaccaro. *See below for more information.
May 19, 2013. Pentecost Sunday.
May 20, 2013. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart of Jesus.
May 26, 2013. The Most Holy Trinity.
May 27, 2013. Memorial Day. No Meeting.
Dates to Remember.
May 17-19, 2013. USA Council Annual Meeting and Super Weekend, Kansas City, MO.
May 31, 2013. Serra Officer Reports Due.
June 1, 2013. Ordination of Deacons James VanderLaan, Charles Schwartz, and Scott Nolan to the priesthood. We need 6-7 Serrans to serve on the Hospitality Team. All Serrans are otherwise invited to celebrate this event. Let Tim Hile know if you can help.
June 20-23, 2013. Serra International Convention and Pilgrimages, Mallorca,
Spain.
* Mary Vaccaro serves as Director of Dominican Center at Marywood. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Aquinas College and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College. She enjoys offering courses on spirituality, scripture, biographical presentations on saints and other inspiring/holy persons, ecumenical/interfaith studies and social justice issues--integrating theology, arts, and human experience into all her teaching through exploring works of literature, art, music, storytelling and humor. Mary has been an Associate of the Grand Rapids Dominicans since 1992.
Priests' Anniversaries for May.
lst: John Kenney
11th: Very Reverend John Geaney
13th: Robert Sirico
14th: Anthony Britto
15th: Leonard Sudlik
16th: Tom Tavella
19th: Msgr. Wm. Duncan, Charlon Mason, Mark Przybysz
20th: Peter Hoant-Xuan Nghiem
22nd: Ernest Bernott, Joachim Lally
24th: Michael Bliszcz, Ted Kozlowski, Don Weber
27th: Brad Schoeberle
28th: Thomas Hack
Catechism for the Year of Faith.
This past month President Tim Hile received this note from Gino Dimattia, USAC-VP for Vocations and
John Osterhart, USAC-VP for Programs:
Dear Tim: Please encourage your Serra Club newsletter editors and Programs VPs to integrate the (following), a reflection in the Catechism for the year of faith, into your April newsletter and a schedule.
It is meant to encourage individual club members to take it upon themselves to deepen their understanding of some aspect of our rich Catholic faith. Alternatively, a club program could be built around one such aspect as presented in the catechism. The club chaplain would become an invaluable resource for developing the presentation or simply adding to the discussion during the program.
Thank you for considering this as a way of making the year of faith a real part of your club.
Sincerely....
Year of Faith--Catechism
In encouraging young people to study their faith through the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, or "YOUCAT" Pope Benedict XVI wrote, "Yes, you need to be more deeply rooted in the faith than the generation of your parents..."
One of the goals of the Year of Faith is that we may take time to study the Catechism. Serrans, like all Catholics, have to know their faith if they are to live it and share it. Ask yourself, "What is my goal in studying the Catechism?" "How much time will I need to accomplish this goal?" Any good intention can dissipate if it is just too difficult. This large subject can be simplified in this way. I. The Creed. II. Worship. III. Christian Living. IV. Prayer. Each of these parts of the Catechism is subdivided into sections with each having chapters within them. Try to learn about one of these subjects which are all found in this wonderful resource for our Catholic faith: the Holy Spirit;; the holy Catholic Church; Sacraments of initiation; Sacraments of healing; Sacraments at the service of Communion; the Beatitudes; the 10 Commandments; The Our Father. Choose your subject according to the time you wish to devote to it. Make a deadline for yourself. A dream and a goal are different in that a goal has a time frame. Try to be held accountable by sharing your goal with someone who shares your ambition during this Year of Faith. Talk with others in your club about your goal. Many resources are available to assist you if you feel intimidated by reading the Catechism. www.newmanconnection.com/institute is one resource for YOUCAT. www.catholicity.com/catechism is another online resource.
Begin today advancing toward your goal.
Sent April 5, 2013 from USAC.
Holy Family Radio--Spring Pledge Drive Reminder
The Holy Family Radio Spring Pledge Drive is May 8-10, 7 AM to 6 PM each day. Serra will be sponsoring an hour focused on vocations on Friday, May 10, 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon.
As part of our sponsorship we agree to provide matching funds for donors during our hour. Our match will be whatever funds Serrans contribute to the station prior to the pledge drive. If you wish to contribute, please send your contributions to:
Holy Family Radio
2504 Ardmore St. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Please indicate that your contribution is to be used for the Serra Club match. Thanks to all who help--call me with any questions.
Dan Grady
On April 30 we received this joyful note from HFR Station Manager Robert Mulderink:
"Praise be to God! Holy Family Radio is back on the air!! Thankfully, the water has receded to a point where we were able to assess the equipment, make repairs, and get the station broadcasting again. We thank everyone for your prayers and support over the past week. Please continue praying for Holy Family Radio as we prepare for our Spring Pledge Drive...
Sisters' Day at the Ball Park.
\A note sent from Dan Laville at 9:34 PM on Saturday, April 20, reads as follows:
"Hi, Tim. We had 51 Serrans, family, and Sisters attend the game and most stayed until the end of the first game. It was a doubleheader because of last night's cancellation. Food was good, and the Sisters expressed appreciation for the Serran effort. Given the cold weather, I wonder whether we should consider doing something in the fall for them. ...We will go month by month, as our efforts now must be for the dinner with AB Lori..."
From the West Catholic High School Newslettter.
April 17, 2013. Bishop Talks to WC Priestly Discernment
Last week the young men who make up West Catholic's Priestly Discernment Group hosted a special guest for their weekly prayer luncheon. Bishop Walter Hurley joined the students and shared his own discernment process and subsequent experiences throughout his own vocation to the priesthood. The young men asked Bishop Hurley questions, garnered insight, and imagined what role they will play in the lives of so many people (whom) they will one day affect as the spiritual leaders of their communities.
When Senior David Sacha was asked about the special visit he said, "The Bishop let me see that if God wants me to be something other than a priest God will lead me there, whether that is a Bishop or Deacon or whatever, God will lead me there."
David also expressed how incredible it was to listen to the Bishop talk about the journey he has taken in his life that ultimately landed him as the Bishop of Grand Rapids. Senior Cody Kwiatkowski reiterated the excitement of hearing his travels and his journey to the Bishop of Grand Rapids, followed by his visit to Rome where the Holy Father presented him with the cross that he still wears today.
The lunch visit with Bishop Hurley has given these young men an incredible opportunity in their discernment process to discover if the priesthood and religious life is their true calling and maybe even someday be the answer to the question, "When did you know?"
St. Lazare Retreat House Closing.
After 60 years of Vincentian service, St. Lazare Retreat House will close on July 31, 2013. On Thursday, March 28, Fr. Vincent O'Malley, CM, the Director of St. Lazare Retreat House in Spring Lake, Michigan, announced that because of personnel and financial issues the Retreat House would close on July 31, 2013. During these 60 years it served more than 100,000 people. Our readers can visit the home page by typing St. Lazare Retreat House Closing in your search bar to view pictures. There is also a 10 minute YouTube video narrated by Fr. Vincent O'Malley, CM.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Fr. O'Malley for his generous offering of his time and talent to our club over the past several years.
For more information, please refer to the most recent issue of Faith Magazine.
In Memory of Deacon Dale Hollern.
Editor's Note: Just before the flood, I heard one evening on Holy Family Radio during my drive-home that a fundraiser for the Deacon Dale Hollern Scholarship Fund was to be held at Cathedral Square on the evening of April 27. I didn't know there was a scholarship fund for Deacon Dale, but in my search for further information, I came across the following article from MLive News, published on Friday, March 30, 2012.
For newcomers to the club, Deacon Dale was a longtime member of our club.
Grand Rapids, MI. On an October afternoon, four students from Catholic Central's Class of 1974 gathered at the bedside of their former principal, Deacon Dale Hollern, who was battling cancer. They delivered a get-well card signed by classmates that had traveled to multiple states, including Texas, Louisiana, and Illinois, before returning to Michigan. Their principal remembered them all. He shared personal stories about each, and they laughed and prayed together. Less than two weeks later Hollern, 77, died on November 3...
"His sense of integrity was something that struck us all, particularly as we became adults," said Guy Yondo of Caledonia, who was among the four who visited him. "He had a standard that never wavered, and while demanding of us as students, he always left us with a strong sense that he cared about us as persons."
Yondo, a project manager with Boar's Head Provisions Inc., said the more than hour they spent with him and his wife Isabel, of 53 years, was emotional and special.
But their classmate Stephen Dunn, who came up with the idea to circulate the card, said it was just like Deacon Hollern to make your time with him memorable. "He had a profound effect on my life," said Dunn, who said a committee was working on a scholarship..."When I look back on my life and why I've been successful, it was the school, the faculty, and the students and the culture they fostered there. He devoted himself to Catholic education and that school, and the school grounded me."
Isabel Hollern, who resides in Grand Rapids, said the outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming. She said angiosarcoma of the scalp is a rare cancer. "So many people have done so much
because they thought so much of Dale," said Hollern, a longtime member of St. Stephen's. "He wanted all his students to be able to go out into the world and make something of themselves and contribute to their community."
Hollern was principal of Catholic Central from 1971-1983. He also served as a teacher and head football coach, following three years as assistant principal at West Catholic. Hollern was ordained to the permanent diaconate in November 1974, serving St. Stephen, St. John Vianney, St. Jude, and St. Patrick in Grand Haven. His students speak of his commanding presence and toughness. He was a lineman on the Michigan State football team, playing on the 1955 championship team and in the 1954 and 1956 Rose Bowl victories.
He and Isabel have six children, 23 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She said he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather...Hollern said she recalls vividly the day the former students dropped by with the card that said: "We, the undersigned members of the CCHS Class of 1974, want you to know that we care about you and we are praying for you. Thank you for the example you set for us, and that you continue to set"...
Following up on the scholarship story, we spoke with Isabel this past week. She reported that the first three scholarships had already been awarded, at $350 each, to be applied toward tuition at Catholic Central. The scholarships are open to all students, and a student essay is an important part of the screening process.
Those who wish to contribute to the fund may do so online by typing Deacon Dale Hollern Scholarship Fund in the search bar.
A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans:
We have been asked to serve again as ushers at the Ordination Mass on Saturday, June 1. If you are able to usher, please let me know.
.. The Regional Conference Committee has voted to move forward with a dinner gala instead of the full conference. Serra International and USAC have both made progress in their dispute, but it is not resolved as of yet. But because progress has been so slow, we have also had a hard time creating momentum for a Regional Conference. So, at this time the committee feels the best thing to do for our club is to move forward with a dinner only on Saturday, September 28th. We will confirm Archbishop Lorie's attendance through Msgr. Hankiewicz and work towards an event we can all be proud of as members of the Serra Club of Grand Rapids. More to follow soon. Please do get involved in this event!
Thank you to all who were able to brave the cold and attend the ball game with the sisters of the diocese. The weather did not cooperate fully, but all had a great time and I have had many positive comments from many of the nuns who attended. They always appreciate our attention!
Please keep Nate McKenzie and Bob Gabridge in your prayers. Nate was admitted into the hospital this past weekend for some internal bleeding. Bob had surgery and is recovering nicely, and I even saw him at the Confirmation at the Cathedral a few weeks ago. We also continue to pray for Don Klein and his care as he is being treated fro jaw and gum cancer.
Thank you for all you do for vocations! On Tuesday, April 30 Pope Francis tweeted this: "Let us put our trust in God's power at work! With him, we can do great things. He will give us the joy of being his disciples." This has never been more true in the life of a Serran. We must put our trust in God and continue to do vocations work! And pray, too!
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!
Tim Hile
