July 1, 2013. Feast Day, Blessed Junipero Serra.
July 4, 2013. Independence Day. Pray for our nation.
July 8, 2013. Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at the University Club. Speaker will be Fr. Louis Anderson, and his topic will be "Retired Priests and the Faith." Those who would like a paper copy of Fr. Steven Crone's June address may e-mail Larry Mulligan at lmulligan@shrr.com
July 15, 2013. Serra Board Meeting and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart of Jesus.
July 22, 2013. Prayer Service and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart of Jesus. Installation of our new officers will take place at that meeting.
August 13, 2013. Saginaw Club's Seventh Annual Dinner to benefit the Robert J. Carlson Seminarian Endowment Fund.
Last month we received the following letter from the Saginaw Club, dated June 1, 2013:
Dear Friends of Serra:
The Seventh Annual Dinner to benefit The Robert J. Carlson Seminarian Endowment Fund will be held on Tuesday, August 13, 2013 at Swan Valley Banquet Center, 9521 Highland Green Drive, in Saginaw. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and a social hour will begin at 6:00 p.m. with dinner starting at 7:00 p.m. Cost is $45 per person or $340 per table of eight...
Our keynote speaker will be Father Joseph Krupp, a feature writer for Faith Magazine. His Excellency Joseph Cistone, Bishop of Saginaw, will add a few comments also. Again this year, our Mistress of Ceremonies will be Katie O'Mara of WNEM TV 5....
Sincerely in Christ,
John and Marian Moll
Our board discuss this invitation at the June meeting, and we already have enough Grand Rapids Serrans planning to attend to fund at least a table of eight. We have a copy of the RSVP sheet and will scan and send it to you upon request. Tickets will not be mailed, but if you include your e-mail address in the reply, e-mail confirmation will be provided. Make checks payable to Serra Club of Saginaw, John and Marian Moll, 3828 Fireside Lane,
Freeland, MI 48263
Telephone: 989-751,2228
e-mail: MJMOLL333@CHARTERMI.NET
Please let Tim, Aggie, or Nancy know if you are interested, and we will assist in getting the information to you and keeping count.
Priests' Anniversaries for July.
Father Larry King, July 8, 1989.
Father Lam Le, July 10, 2009
Father Ray Bruck, July 20, 1958.
Some Thank-you Notes.
The first note is from our seminarians in St. Paul, Minnesota, who received a visit from (then) International President Tomi Asuenga and Dan Grady, this past spring.
Dear Serrans:
Thank you all very much for generously sending the $100 gift card. It was a wonderful surprise to receive it. We used your gift to go out and buy ingredients to cook a dinner and spend some time together as brothers. Even more than your material gift, we are very thankful for all your prayers. Be assured of our prayers for you and your families.
Rob Mulderink, Patrick Byars, William Marcinkus, Andres Ayers, Michael Steffes, Stephen Durkee.
This thank-you note was sent in response to a visit last spring from Dan Grady and Tim Hile to our seminarians in St. Paul, Minnesota and their delivery of the gift card.
More Thank-you Notes from the White Caps Game:
Dear Dan: (LaVille)
We had a wonderful time at the ball game. We sisters truly look forward to the companionship, friendship from the Serra Club members and volunteers, good food and watching our Grand Rapids White Caps. Though this first game was cold, we want you to know we appreciate your kindness in providing this opportunity.
God Bless you all,
Sister Mary Jude, RSM.
Dear Mr. LaVille:
Thank you and the Serra Club for the kindness you have shown. The White Caps game is a great outing. I do enjoy the picnic and the great company. God Bless you all! S. M. de Paul.
Dear Friends,
Thanks a million for the marvelous afternoon of baseball, lunch, and fun! It is always a super time with you ,
and the Sisters of the area. I especially appreciate your prayers and support for religious vocations.
Gratefully,
Sister Rosemary Smith, RSM.
Dear Dan LaVille and all the dear members of the Serra Club,
Thank you for the treat of the White Caps game,
We enjoyed it much--we were glad we came.
The weather was great-so peaceful and calm,
Announcements interesting--
nice each song.
All in this club are like a bright sun-ray,
God bless and keep you blessed--for this we pray.
All the Sisters of St. Ann's.
And from Msgr. Ancona to Pastor Ted Kozlowski in response to his 50th Anniversary Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows:
My deepest thanks to our pastor, Fr. Ted and his helpers of the parish staff, for hosting the beautiful tribute last Sunday on the occasion of my Golden Jubilee of ordination to the priesthood. My thanks as well to everyone who helped make the Mass so beautiful, from the musicians, to all the ministers of the Mass, to the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre...
My family and I are deeply grateful to everyone at our home parish,
Msgr. Gaspar F. Ancona.
Note: Serrans Mark Kubik and Ralph Hauenstein represented the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre at Msgr. Ancona's anniversary mass and at the ordinartion and installation of Bishop David Walkowiak.
We Welcome Bishop David Walkowiak.
Bishop David J. Walkowiak, J. C. D. was born on June 18, 1953 in East Cleveland, Ohio. He is the son of Dr. John Walkowiak of Rocky River, Ohio and the last Virginia Walkowiak. He has three sisters who live in Ohio: Sue Hannon of Bay Village, Jan Striegl of Avon Lake and Carol Duffy of Westlake.
Bishop Walkowiak attended St. Bernadette School in Westlake, Ohio and graduated from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. His college studies took place at the University of Notre Dame, where in 1975 he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and international studies. He studied at St. Mary Seminary in Cleveland and received a Master of Divinity degree in 1979.
Following ordination to the priesthood June 9, 1979 by the last James Cardinal Hickey at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland, he was assigned as associate pastor to Saint Mary Parish in Lorain, Ohio. Bishop Walkowiak later studied canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington,
D. C., where he received the Licentiate degree in 1984 and the Doctorate degree in 1987. After he completed his studies in 1986, Bishop Anthony Pilla assigned him to the faculty of Saint Mary Seminary in Cleveland and also appointed him vice chancellor of the Diocese of Cleveland.
In 1993 he began work as an adjutant judicial vicar for the appeals court of Cincinnati, Ohio; Steubenville, Ohio; and Washington, D. C. In 2006, Bishop Pilla appointed Bishop Walkowiak pastor of Saint Joan of Arc Parish in Chagrin Falls, where he served until June 2013. He was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids by Pope Francis on April 18, 2013.
The Serra Club of Grand Rapids welcomes Bishop Walkowiak to our diocese.
Venturing. This past May at Dennis Leiber's request, Tim Hile added Venturing at West Catholic to the Serra Board agenda. Dennis proposed that our club fund the West Catholic Venturing Program in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America. The cost of funding the program from July 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014 is $450. The Serra Foundation would reimburse the club for half of the amount and Dennis and Margaret Leiber agreed to fund the balance. Aggie motioned, Dan Grady seconded to support the Venturing Program for the above mentioned time period. Motion carried. Under the leadership of Phil Dolce of West Catholic, the funds would help supply training for the Peer Ministry program and the Discernment Group. Two Serrans would apply to the Boy Scouts of America to serve on the Venturing Steering Committee. Let Aggie or Tim know if you would be interested in taking part The program would supply a direct link to the discernment group at West Catholic.
Extract of the speech by Sean Yeo, President of Serra International (2013-2014) at the Annual Banquet on Saturday, June 22, 2013 in Mallorca, Spain.
Sharing his tentative plans for the coming year, our new president has arranged for a Mass to be said each day starting from tomorrow until the next Convention for all Serrans. He also urges re-focusing on the third objective of Serra, which is our call to holiness. He mentions that Jon Haines, who joined us two years ago, has contributed several articles to the "Serra Connects" newsletter. In close collaboration with our incoming Vice President of Programs Robert Goldsmith, he writes that we will place greater emphasis this coming year to encourage all Serrans to grow in holiness.
"When we strive for holiness, and purify our interior life through prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, fasting, and alms-giving, we die a little to ourselves. Hence, our motives in serving this apostolate will be purified. When we are detached even from this apostolate that the Lord has given us, we will be more inclined to hear the still small Voice of the Lord, always inspiring us on the plans that He has for us to carry out...This is my earnest prayer that we will be faithful to the call of the Lord and be courageous witnesses in this global lay apostolate for vocations. The outcome of all our positive endeavors is truly now in the Lord's Hands.
"I would also like to encourage all Serrans to attend daily Mass and to spend time daily with our Eucharistic Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Blessed John Paul II has reminded that 'The Eucharist is the heart of the Church. Where Eucharistic life flourishes, there the life of the Church will blossom.' The Eucharist must foremost be the center of the core activities of the Serra Club and the life of all Serrans.'"
Mr. Yeo also encourages attending daily Mass in order to become more effective promoters of vocations and inculcating in our youth a strong desire for the Eucharist...He urges all Serra Clubs to become more focused on Love for the Eucharist in our future programs on encouraging and fostering vocations among members of the club and among the rest of the Church community.
Mr.Yeo further writes, "Our incoming Vice President for Vocations Dante Vannini and I will be communicating with you more frequently on the promotion of love for the Eucharist during the course of the year. We also plan to continue with the initiatives that were introduced during the presidency of Dr. Wong, such as Serra Unites! World Day of Prayer in the Serra World and Eucharistic Adoration on Good Shepherd Sunday."
To mark the 300th Anniversary of the birth of Blessed Junipero Serra, Serra International will be launching an initiative this evening to encourage all Serra Clubs to implement a new vocation promotion activity that is in line with the missionary spirit of Father Serra. Serra International will be giving out five special commemorative Blessed Junipero Serra 300th Birth Anniversary Awards. To qualify for these awards, the vocation promotion activity must be implemented within the period of 1st July 2013 to 31st December 2013. In line with the missionary spirit of Father Serra, the vocation promotion activity must be an initiative that the club is trying for the first time. All submissions must be made to Serra International's office by 31 January
2014. We will then short-list 10 outstanding initiatives and post them on the Serra International's website. The judging will be done by a panel of judges and Serrans all over the world. Just for this time only, there will be a cash award of US$1000 for each of the five award recipients."
President Yeo goes on to urge all clubs to organize retreats that will empower all Serrans to be more effective in their apostolate. The retreats could be held regionally and at the county level.
President Yeo has given us much to think about in his address. Aggie will comment further in her message this month.
A New Address for the Vatican Vocations Office. Monsignor Francis Bonnici informs us that seminaries and priestly vocations are now catered for by the Congregation for the Clergy. The postal address is Piazza Pio XXII, 3-00120 Citta Del Vaticano. Msgr. Bonnici is following the pastoral ministry for priestly vocations through the website priestlyvocations.com, which offers to all those who work in the ministry of vocations the texts of the speeches of the Holy Father Francis, updated statistical data, a monthly information letter, and announcements of national and international congresses regarding vocations which are organized from time to time in the Catholic Church.
We Welcome our Newest Member. We welcome our newest Serran, Michael Fiorenzo, sponsored by Weldon Schwartz. Thank you, Weldon! Michael can be reached at Suitnjeans1@yahoo.com.
Our President's Message.
Dear Serrans:
I ask you to pray for me and our local Serra Club as we venture forward together with our important mission. Speaking of venturing, we have voted as a Board to support the Venturing connection between West Catholic and the Boy Scouts with their efforts at the team building with youth ministers of both sexes. We hope to see Catholic Central joining in this effort. Aquinas College has also indicated an interest in this program.
Not only is our local club focusing on the third Serra objective of fellowship, interaction, and education, but according to the extract of his speech, the Serra International president, Sean Yeo, has refocused on the third objective which he refers to as holiness. He also wants us to become more effective promoters of vocations, by going to Holy Communion as often as possible.
Because the installation of Serra officers will occur on July 22, 2013, we will postpone the discussion of Chapter One of "The Be Happy Attitudes" until August 26, 2013 meeting. Would someone volunteer to lead the discussion of that chapter? It deals with the first beatitude: blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Just let Larry Mulligan know. The first one to make contact wins that honor!
I would like to take a minute to thank Tim Hile for his leadership as club president for the past two years. He is a wonderful role model and a tough act to follow. He has promised to be as active in his role as past president as he was as club president and for that we can be grateful.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for us.
Aggie
