November 1, 2013. All Saints Day.
November 2, 2013. All Souls Day.
November 11, 2013. Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at University Club. Speaker will be Conor Dugan.
November 11, 2013. Veterans Day. Please Note: During November various parishes in our Diocese will be conducting special collections for the Archdiocese of the Military, for our military chaplains who minister to those serving in the armed forces.
November 12, 2013. Back to Basics: "Defining our Spiritual Yearnings," by Father Vincent O'Malley, CM, 6-9:00 p.m. at Cathedral Square. See below for further details.
November 18, 2013. Serra Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sacred Heart of Jesus.
November 21, 2013. The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
November 28, 2013. Thanksgiving Day. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be no fourth Monday meeting of our club. This date also marks the first day of Hanukkah.
December 14, 2013. Save the date! Our club's only December meeting will be held at 8:00 p.m. in the East Grand Rapids Fine Arts Center. That is the evening the Schubert Choir will perform its annual Christmas Concert. We hope for the participation of all Serrans and their family members and their guests in this event. See the December newsletter for more information.
About Fr. O'Malley's Continuing Education Opportunity.
On this evening, we will have our last chance to hear Fr. Vince before he leaves for Niagara University in New York. The evening is sponsored by the Diocese of Grand Rapids Prison-Jail Ministry. A light dinner will be provided free of charge. All are welcome. Bring a friend!
Fr. Vincent O'Malley was born in Philadelphia and was raised at Paulsboro, New Jersey. He received his primary and secondary education at public and Catholic schools. After entering the Vincentian seminary at Princeton, New Jersey in September of 1963, he was ordained a priest in May, 1973. He has five academic degrees: a bachelor's degree in philosophy and three master's degrees in divinity, theology, and history. In May 2008 he received an honorary doctoral degree in sacred theology (STD) from St. John's University in New York City. While at Niagara University, he served on the Board of Catholic Education for the Diocese of Buffalo (1994-2000), He serves on the Board of Trustees for Mount St. Mary's University and Seminary at Emmitsburg, MD.
For 18 of his 40 years of priesthood, he ministered at Niagara University as instructor in the History Department and the Religious Studies Department (1974-1981), and as Executive Vice President and Senior Assistant to the President (1991-2001). After serving as Vocation Director for the Vincentians' Eastern Province (1982-1986), he served in two parishes: as superior and curate at Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, NY (1996-1989), and as pastor at Emmitsburg, MD(2004-2010). After serving as preacher at St. Lazare Retreat House (2001-2003), he returned as director (September 2010-present).
Fr. Vince enjoys two avocations: writing books and playing golf. He has published five books: Saintly
Companions (Alba House, 1995), Ordinary Sufferings of Extraordinary Saints (Our Sunday Visitor, 2000), Saints of Africa (OSV, 2007). He has published numerous articles in vocation journals and in Priest. His golf game suffers during the Michigan winters, but resurges with the first thaw. The same will be true in New York.
Companions (Alba House, 1995), Ordinary Sufferings of Extraordinary Saints (Our Sunday Visitor, 2000), Saints of Africa (OSV, 2007). He has published numerous articles in vocation journals and in Priest. His golf game suffers during the Michigan winters, but resurges with the first thaw. The same will be true in New York.
Fr. Vince has addressed our club on various occasions in the past.
RSVP to Jude Acheson 616-475-1255 or e-mail at jacheson@dioceseofgrandrapids.org by Monday, November 11.
Priests' Anniversaries for November.
November 1. Father Dan DePew.
November 2. Father Charles Hall.
November 3. Father Thomas Bouffard.
November 4. Father Peter Schafer.
November 5. Father Wayne Wheeler.
Thanks for Your Help. Thanks to all who helped with 31 Club presentations on the weekend of October 26-27th at St. Mary's in Marne and St. Michael's in Coopersville: Nancy Mulvihill, Beverly Shields, Frank Lake, John Osterhart, and Len Gross. Please let us know if we omitted anyone. The two parishes are those served by Father David Gross.
Muskegon Club Dinner. On Tuesday, October 22, a number of members of our club and our guests were able to join our fellow Serrans in Muskegon for their annual Vocations Dinner:
Fr. Ray Bruck (guest of Dan and Janine LaVille), Aggie Kempker-Cloyd, Nancy King, John and Ellen Osterhart and their guest Ray Jensen, John and Mary Stepanovich, Weldon and Karen Schwartz, Tom and Pat Curran, Dennis and Margaret Leiber, and Dan Grady.
The speaker for the occasion was the Most Reverend David Walkowiak, who was slated to speak on, "Being Catholic in a Pluralistic Society," but his talk actually centered on what fosters vocations in our country and in our time.
The Q and A session afterward generated great interest on the part of the audience, and while the crowd might have settled in for much longer, His Excellency announced at 8:00, "...and that's enough!" Serrans from both clubs thank him for his support for the event and for his participation in the evening.
Serra International/Serra USA. An Update.
Serra--A Status Report.
As November arrives, there have been several positive developments in the Serra International/Serra USA Council relationship.
Serra International has a new Executive Director. John Liston brings a new perspective and a concern for healing the Serra International relationship with the USA Serra Council. He is familiar with Serra from his many years of working in the Serra International Chicago office, starting as an intern from the age of 15. His messages and actions have been positive. He has met with most of the leadership at both levels and has had additional telephone conversations and other communications with many of those same individuals and several others.
The USA Council has been fully reinstated by Serra International, removing any conditions that might have been imposed at the Serra International Board meeting in Majorca.
A Resolution of Unity document has been approved by the Boards of both Serra International and the USA Council. The agreements calls for a shared Chicago office to eliminate duplication of resources and to reduce costs. SI and the USA Council had previously shared a common office prior to the International office moving to a separate location.
USA Council President Dan Jones and International President Sean Yeo have established an active dialog on a variety of subjects, seeking consensus and common ground.
Much Remains to be Done
Finances. Many USA clubs have withheld dues from Serra International, especially following the Serra International's lawsuit against the Council. An increasing number of clubs have withheld dues from the USA Council as they became frustrated at the seeming lack of progress in resolving the debate.
Serra International has tapped the Serra International Foundation to make ends meet. This was not an appropriate use of Foundation funds. Serra International is obliged to repay those funds, together with the associated interest.
USA Council finances have been adversely affected by statements from Serra International that the Council dues were voluntary. USA Council dues are a continuation of dues USA clubs formerly paid to International. At the time the Council was formed, the Council assumed the greater portion of work for which International had previously collected dues, and the mandatory dues were split and allocated on a proportionate basis. For a long time, the Council collected dues for both levels. It is irrational to think that the mandatory dues became voluntary when the work paid for by those dues was taken on by the Council.
The Council was also impacted when International attempted to bill for, and in some cases succeeded in collecting, "national dues" which rightly belonged to the USA Council.
These matters remain to be resolved, but with the change in leadership at SI, there is a renewed spirit of cooperation--and hope. Serra--both International and Serra's Council for the United States--needs USA clubs to pay their current and past dues. A review is needed of the aspects of how the organization is financed, including disparate amounts of dues paid by non-USA Serra Clubs, and the question of Council dues being voluntary.
At this time, let us note that because of the length of this report, we will resume in the next issue. Many thanks to John Osterhart, who devoted much time and effort to putting together this information. The remainder of the report contains information about fresh start, in which our board has expressed no interest in participating, and the contributions of the Serra USA Council to the well-being of clubs throughout our country.
A Message from our President
Dear Serrans:
I ask that you pray for me and our local Serra Club as we journey together working on our important mission. We have been blessed this past month with spectacular fall colors and beautiful weather. We were reminded by Msgr. Hankiewicz about having a heart full of gratitude for all God's blessings and by Len Gross that mature Christians don't always pray to get stuff, but pray to thank God and to have a personal relationship with him.
Your Grand Rapids Serra Board is grateful that Serra International voted to reinstate the United States of America Council (USAC) and signed the accord so that we can all move forward peacefully on the vocations mission of the Catholic Church.
Jim and Nancy King have announced the birth of their first great-grandson, Jackson Lee Wilks, just before midnight on October 23.
I want to take a moment to thank Jim Hunter for leading the discussion of Chapter One of the Be Happy Attitudes. His thoughtful comments and ability to get the discussion going regarding the first beatitude made for a lively luncheon discussion. There have been a multitude of positive comments about the book and Jim's presentation following the meeting.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!
Agnes Kempker-Cloyd
Editor's Note: I was so sorry to have missed our fourth-Monday meeting last month, but rest assured that none of you would have wanted to share in the cold that has struck at our house. I especially regret missing out on the book discussion, which I understand received many positive comments. Please prepare for Chapter 2, the discussion of which will take place at the noon meeting on January 27. Thank you, Aggie, for a great idea. Also, please continue our adoration practice whenever you're able. IHM 5412 and St. Isidore 513.
Finally, we note the passing of Dominican Sister Lourdes Palazzolo on October 31. Her funeral mass will take place today at the Dominican Chapel at Marywood. As noted in her obituary, she was proud of her roots at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish. She was the sister of Anne (Abraham) Rossi. Memorials in her name may be made to the Dominican Sisters--Grand Rapids Health Care Fund. May her soul rest in peace.
Thanks for Your Help. Thanks to all who helped with 31 Club presentations on the weekend of October 26-27th at St. Mary's in Marne and St. Michael's in Coopersville: Nancy Mulvihill, Beverly Shields, Frank Lake, John Osterhart, and Len Gross. Please let us know if we omitted anyone. The two parishes are those served by Father David Gross.
Muskegon Club Dinner. On Tuesday, October 22, a number of members of our club and our guests were able to join our fellow Serrans in Muskegon for their annual Vocations Dinner:
Fr. Ray Bruck (guest of Dan and Janine LaVille), Aggie Kempker-Cloyd, Nancy King, John and Ellen Osterhart and their guest Ray Jensen, John and Mary Stepanovich, Weldon and Karen Schwartz, Tom and Pat Curran, Dennis and Margaret Leiber, and Dan Grady.
The speaker for the occasion was the Most Reverend David Walkowiak, who was slated to speak on, "Being Catholic in a Pluralistic Society," but his talk actually centered on what fosters vocations in our country and in our time.
The Q and A session afterward generated great interest on the part of the audience, and while the crowd might have settled in for much longer, His Excellency announced at 8:00, "...and that's enough!" Serrans from both clubs thank him for his support for the event and for his participation in the evening.
Serra International/Serra USA. An Update.
Serra--A Status Report.
As November arrives, there have been several positive developments in the Serra International/Serra USA Council relationship.
Serra International has a new Executive Director. John Liston brings a new perspective and a concern for healing the Serra International relationship with the USA Serra Council. He is familiar with Serra from his many years of working in the Serra International Chicago office, starting as an intern from the age of 15. His messages and actions have been positive. He has met with most of the leadership at both levels and has had additional telephone conversations and other communications with many of those same individuals and several others.
The USA Council has been fully reinstated by Serra International, removing any conditions that might have been imposed at the Serra International Board meeting in Majorca.
A Resolution of Unity document has been approved by the Boards of both Serra International and the USA Council. The agreements calls for a shared Chicago office to eliminate duplication of resources and to reduce costs. SI and the USA Council had previously shared a common office prior to the International office moving to a separate location.
USA Council President Dan Jones and International President Sean Yeo have established an active dialog on a variety of subjects, seeking consensus and common ground.
Much Remains to be Done
Finances. Many USA clubs have withheld dues from Serra International, especially following the Serra International's lawsuit against the Council. An increasing number of clubs have withheld dues from the USA Council as they became frustrated at the seeming lack of progress in resolving the debate.
Serra International has tapped the Serra International Foundation to make ends meet. This was not an appropriate use of Foundation funds. Serra International is obliged to repay those funds, together with the associated interest.
USA Council finances have been adversely affected by statements from Serra International that the Council dues were voluntary. USA Council dues are a continuation of dues USA clubs formerly paid to International. At the time the Council was formed, the Council assumed the greater portion of work for which International had previously collected dues, and the mandatory dues were split and allocated on a proportionate basis. For a long time, the Council collected dues for both levels. It is irrational to think that the mandatory dues became voluntary when the work paid for by those dues was taken on by the Council.
The Council was also impacted when International attempted to bill for, and in some cases succeeded in collecting, "national dues" which rightly belonged to the USA Council.
These matters remain to be resolved, but with the change in leadership at SI, there is a renewed spirit of cooperation--and hope. Serra--both International and Serra's Council for the United States--needs USA clubs to pay their current and past dues. A review is needed of the aspects of how the organization is financed, including disparate amounts of dues paid by non-USA Serra Clubs, and the question of Council dues being voluntary.
At this time, let us note that because of the length of this report, we will resume in the next issue. Many thanks to John Osterhart, who devoted much time and effort to putting together this information. The remainder of the report contains information about fresh start, in which our board has expressed no interest in participating, and the contributions of the Serra USA Council to the well-being of clubs throughout our country.
A Message from our President
Dear Serrans:
I ask that you pray for me and our local Serra Club as we journey together working on our important mission. We have been blessed this past month with spectacular fall colors and beautiful weather. We were reminded by Msgr. Hankiewicz about having a heart full of gratitude for all God's blessings and by Len Gross that mature Christians don't always pray to get stuff, but pray to thank God and to have a personal relationship with him.
Your Grand Rapids Serra Board is grateful that Serra International voted to reinstate the United States of America Council (USAC) and signed the accord so that we can all move forward peacefully on the vocations mission of the Catholic Church.
Jim and Nancy King have announced the birth of their first great-grandson, Jackson Lee Wilks, just before midnight on October 23.
I want to take a moment to thank Jim Hunter for leading the discussion of Chapter One of the Be Happy Attitudes. His thoughtful comments and ability to get the discussion going regarding the first beatitude made for a lively luncheon discussion. There have been a multitude of positive comments about the book and Jim's presentation following the meeting.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!
Agnes Kempker-Cloyd
Editor's Note: I was so sorry to have missed our fourth-Monday meeting last month, but rest assured that none of you would have wanted to share in the cold that has struck at our house. I especially regret missing out on the book discussion, which I understand received many positive comments. Please prepare for Chapter 2, the discussion of which will take place at the noon meeting on January 27. Thank you, Aggie, for a great idea. Also, please continue our adoration practice whenever you're able. IHM 5412 and St. Isidore 513.
Finally, we note the passing of Dominican Sister Lourdes Palazzolo on October 31. Her funeral mass will take place today at the Dominican Chapel at Marywood. As noted in her obituary, she was proud of her roots at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish. She was the sister of Anne (Abraham) Rossi. Memorials in her name may be made to the Dominican Sisters--Grand Rapids Health Care Fund. May her soul rest in peace.
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