Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter March 2014

Calendar of Events for Our Club.
March 6, 2014.  Ash Wednesday.
March 10, 2014.  Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at the University Club.  Our speaker for March will be the Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak.  This would be a good time to bring guests, especially prospective members.  RSVP to Aggie by Thursday, March 5.  Responding is particularly important for this meeting, so that Aggie can give the University Club a count.
March 17, 2014.  Serra Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Sts. Peter and Paul's School and Parish Center Building.
March 24, 2014.  Prayer Service and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Sts. Peter and Paul's School and Parish Center Building.
May 3, 2014.  Sisters' Appreciation Dinner at St. Jude Parish.  Mass begins at 4:00 p.m., with social hour and dinner to follow.  Beth Gumina will be the main cook.  She is asking for help with set-up, cooking, serving and clean-up.  Let her know if you, your children, your grandchildren, or your friends would like to help.  This is always a wonderful event for both our club and the sisters.  Set-up and preparation will take place on the Friday afternoon and early evening before.  We will keep you posted as the time approaches.
May 17, 2014.  Schubert Concert, 7:30 p.m. at East Grand Rapids Fine Arts Center.  Please note that there will be no regular meetings during May.  We especially invite those who can't attend on Mondays to join us for either the dinner or the concert, or both.

Calendar of Events for USAC and Serra International.
April 3-6, 2014.  Transitional Board Meeting Retreat, St. Paul, MN.
May 11, 2014.  51st. Annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  Visit the serraus.org site to find the link for related materials.  Begin planning today if you would like to organize a special activity within your parish.   Visit the web site also for Pope Francis's Message.
July 9, 2014.  USAC Meeting for Retiring/Incoming Board Members, Sacramento, CA and USAC Annual Meeting.
July 10-13, 2014.  Serra International Convention, Sacramento, CA.  See the web site for related events centered around the life and missions of Blessed Junipero Serra.

Priests' Anniversaries for March.
Father Richard Host, March 17, 1974. 

A Joint Announcement from Sean Yeo and Dan Jones.
To:  All Serra Clubs, Officers,and Members
From:  Serra International President Sean Yeo and USAC President Dan Jones
We are pleased to report a key element in the Resolution of Unity has been accomplished!  The CAO Task Force has recommended and the boards of SI and USAC have approved a new "consolidated administrative offices" plan for SI, USAC and the SIF.  This plan will result in financial savings to each organization, provide more flexibility for space in the future and allow the organization to provide more efficient and effective benefits and services to you, our members and Clubs.

The new location is on the fifth floor of 333 West Wacker Drive in Chicago.  Phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mails and web sites are not affected by this move; they stay the same.  ONLY THE ADDRESS CHANGES.

Club treasurers should send dues payments to this one office as follows:

Serra International                                 USAC
Attn:  Sarah Knob                                 Attn:  Jan Cholke
333 West Wacker Drive                        333 West Wacker Drive
Suite 500                                               Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60606                                Chicago, IL 60606

The physical move to the new office is scheduled for the end of February.  There may be slight interruptions of services during the period between February 27th and March 4.  If there are any questions regarding dues payments, please call
Serra International  1-800-4008
 United States Council of Serra 1-888-777-6681

Our thanks to the Holy Spirit for His guidance on this significant event.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!
  

Serrans United in Prayer.

International President Sean Yeo writes, "Dear Fellow Serrans, Shalom!
With the arrival of Ash Wednesday on March 5, the Church enters the season of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation for the celebration of Easter.  Our Serrans United in Prayer for Lent 2014 will commence on Ash Wednesday, 5 March, and end on Holy Saturday, 19 April 2014.
The number 40 has always had special significance regarding preparation, and in addition to the Scriptures, the number 40 is frequently used to indicate preparation for something important to follow.  On Mount Sinai, Moses prepared himself to receive the Ten Commandments by 'stay(ing) there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, without eating any food or drinking any water (Ex34:28)  Most importantly, our Lord Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights in the desert before he began his public ministry (Mt. 4:2)

In keeping with this beautiful tradition of 40-day preparation, and in addition to the usual fasting, prayer and almsgiving which we all partake in each yer, as one Serra family, let us unite our prayers as we recite one decade of the Rosary daily starting from Ash Wednesday, 5 March, to Holy Saturday, 19 April, for the common intention:

We pray for Serrans all over the world to use this period of Lent to empty ourselves through personal prayer, repentance, penance and sacrifices, so that God can sanctify us and make us effective and faithful instruments in the Serra lay apostolate of promoting vocations to the priesthood, and that we will continue to have a deep love for the Eucharist and be ardent promoters of vocations to the
priesthood.

As St. John says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
Furthermore, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, God promised:  "if my people who are called by name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and you will forgive their sins and heal their land."

Therefore, in addition to the decade of the Rosary, let us pray and meditate on Psalm 51 daily.  As we pray and contemplate on this psalm and beg the Lord, who is infinitely kind and merciful, for pardon for all the sins we have committed, and unite all the challenges and obstacles we face in The 'Way' that His Holiness spoke of reminded me of Fr. Serra as he traveled El Camino Real, which was not an easy path for him to travel, but his journey was of vital importance.  This mirrors our beloved
Serran apostolate.  For Serrans, the 'way' has not always  been easy or comfortable, particularly in recent years.  However, just as the missions that Fr. Serra established along El Camino Real
...to shape the state of California, the vocations it invited, encouraged and affirmed by Serrans continue to flourish to strengthen the Church.  As we walk forward together as Serrans, it is my prayerful hope that we continue to experience the joy of walking with him.

Keeping in mind the way is always more enjoyable when traveled with friends, I would like to invite you to attend Serra's 72nd International Convention in Sacramento, California, 10-13 July, 2014, to enjoy the beautiful Masses, wonderful events, and the fellowship of your fellow Serrans.  Another way for us spiritually to travel together is for us to participate in President Yeo's Serrans United in Prayer initiative during Lent.  For more information on either of these events, please e-mail me at jliston@serra.org or visit us at www.serra.org.

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not use this opportunity to encourage your Serra club to pay Serra International and Serra USA Council dues, if it has not already done so.

Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!
John Liston
Executive Director

As We Prepare for Lent...

A Reminder from The Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak.
"CRS Rice Bowl is a concrete way to enter into the powerful practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during the 40 days of Lent...Contributions to CRS Rice Bowl bring tangible assistance to our brothers and sisters in need.  Seventy-five percent of contributions help the poor and vulnerable outside the U. S., providing clean drinking water, education for children, training for farmers in sustainable agriculture, instruction in maternal and infant health, and assistance for small business owners.  Twenty-five percent of contributions address local hunger and poverty.  From the funds collected in the 2013 CRS Rice Bowl collection, five food pantries in our diocese received grants to support their critical work."

Let us pray for our Seminarians.  
We are providing the mailing addresses of our seminarians, along with their names, in case you would like to write them or send a card as a special Lenten activity. 

Mark W. West is at St. Joseph College Seminary
1120 W. Loyola Avenue
Chicago, IL 61626

Douglas A. Braun, Thomas J. Cavera, Patrick Jegar N. Fickel, Colin J. Mulhall, Daniel P. Schumaker, Steven W. Geerling, Kyle J. Kilpatrick, and Michael J. Goodwin are studying at Mundelein.  Address mail to them as follows:
St. Mary's of the Lake
100 E. Maple Avenue
Mundelein, IL 60060
These are the names of those studying in St. Paul, Minnesota:
Michael M. Steffes, Justin J. Wiltse, Andrew M. Ayers, Patrick J. Byars, Robert C. Mulderink, William R. Marcinkus, Andrew J. Decker, and Philip A. Wasinski.  Write to them at
St. John Vianney College Seminary
2115 Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105

Also, let us pray for Reverend Thomas A. Schiller, who passed away  February 28 in Ludington a few days after surgery for the repair of an aneurism.  He was the brother of Sister M. Rosita Schiller, RSM, of Grand Rapids.  More information may be found in the Sunday, March 2 Grand Rapids Press or on mlive.com.

A Message from our President.

Dear Fellow Serrans:

We are fast approaching the start of the Lenten season.  On Wednesday we will have a visible reminder of Christ's love for each of us.

The Serra club of Grand Rapids is making progress on many fronts.  Nancy Mulvihill works steadily on the 31 club.  Nancy King brings us an informative newsletter each month.  Tim Hile, Dennis Leiber and Weldon Schwartz are our representatives in the Venturing program.  Program chair Beth Gumina has brought in thought-provoking speakers and is working on the sisters' appreciation dinner, and John Osterhart just finished leading us in a lively discussion of the second chapter of The Be-Happy Attitudes.  We invite all Serrans to take an active part in our Grand Rapids Serra Club.  The more engaged we are, the better the club becomes.  We need everyone's ideas, suggestions, and help.  Please let me know what areas you are interested in volunteering your time and talents.  There are opportunities for the sisters' appreciation dinner, sale of tickets for theSchubert choir, leading the book discussions for chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 of The Be Happy Attitudes and a new committee being formed for the college connection.  Maybe you have a new way to serve that you would like to share with the club.  You can e-mail me at aggcloyd@aol.com  May God bless you and your families.

Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for us!
Aggie Kempker-Cloyd

A Recipe Suggestion for the Lenten Fast.

Let's Make Lentil Soup!

In one of the first stories of the Torah, we learn about how Jacob tricked his brother Esau into giving up his birthright for some red lentil soup.  After spending a day hunting in the fields, Esau just couldn't resist a taste of this hearty stew.

Ingredients

2 T. oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1/2 t. black pepper

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. turmeric

1 t. paprika

1 t. kosher salt

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 1/2 cups, red, green, or black

1 cup (8 oz). tomato paste

5-6 cups vegetable stock or water

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and stir to coat.  Let cook five minutes, until the onions are just translucent.

Add the pepper, cumin, paprika, and salt and stir to coat the onions in the spice mixture.  Continue to cook, stirring regularly, another five or so minutes, until the spices are aromatic.

Add the diced garlic and lentils and stir to mix evenly.  Then add the tomato paste and stir to coat.  Add the stock or water and mix to combine.

Bring the soup to a boil.  Then lower heat to a simmer and cook 30-40 minutes until the lentils are just done.
Source:  The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

Note: For those of you who don't like to cook, pass the recipe along to a friend who does.

Grand Rapids SerPerra Club Newsletter February 2014

 The February verse from the Beauty from Above calendar, Silent Reminders Inspirational Scenic Calendar is, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."  Genesis 9:13.

Calendar of Events.

February 2, 2014.  World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.
February 2, 2014.  Presentation of the Lord.  On the weekend of February  2, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which occurs 40 days after the birth of the Jesus and is also known as Candlemas Day.  On Candlemas Day the blessing and the presentation of the candles is included in the Liturgy.  Read Luke 2:22-35 for an account of the Presentation, including the Canticle of Simeon.  In the Latin Rite, the Presentation of the Lord is the Fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.
February 2-3, 2014.  The weekend of February 2-3 marked the third anniversary broadcast of Jerry Usher's Vocation Boom, Holy Family Radio, 1140 AM.
February 10, 2014.  Speaker and Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at the University Club.  Speaker will be Fr. Mark Przybycz.
February 17, 2014.  Serra Board Luncheon and Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Ss. Peter and Paul.
Note our review of Barbara King's directions to the meeting place:  Traveling west on Leonard, turn right at Quarry (3 blocks west of 131.  Come to a four-way stop which is Myrtle (2 blocks north of Leonard.  The church is      church and into the church parking lot.  The school address is 1443 Hamilton, but enter the building from the parking lot from either Hamilton or Quarry.  There is a sign that says SSPP School and Parish Center (or something like that).  Remember that all subsequent board and 4th Monday meetings will be held at Ss. Peter and Paul.
February 24, 2014.  Luncheon Meeting and Book Discussion, 12:00 Noon at Ss. Peter and Paul.
Prepare by reading Chapter 2 of the Be Happy Attitudes.  John Osterhart will lead the discussion.
Looking Ahead...
April 3-6, 2014.    USA Council Transitional and Incoming Board Meeting and Retreat, W. St. Paul, MN.
May 11, 2014.  World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
June 7, 2014.  Ordination of Deacon William Vanderwerff, 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Andrew.
July 9, 2014.   USA Council Retiring/Incoming Board Meeting, Sacramento, CA.
July 10-13, 2014.  Serra International Convention, Sacramento, CA. All convention Masses will be celebrated at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, located just two blocks from the Hyatt Regency Sacramento, the official hotel of the Serra International Convention.  All convention events will take place in the Hyatt Regency Sacramento.  Visit serraus.org for information, as it becomes available,  about the city of Sacramento, including exclusive discounts on dining and ground transportation available to convention attendees and room information.  Serra International has negotiated a room rate of US $129 per night. 
November 28, 2014.  National Vocation Awareness Week.

Treasures from our Tradition.  Additional information regarding Candlemas.

By Candlemas, forty days after Christmas, February 2, the season of Christ's coming has depleted our candle supply.  Soon, the parish will order a new paschal candle from a catalog or a candlemaker, or in some communities,  wax will be collected to be melted and molded.  Last year's paschal candle shows the wear and tear of the summer heat, or many funerals and baptisms.  Paschal candles have been around since at least the fourth century, when Constantine's biographer Eusebius reported that the night of the sacred vigil was "transformed into the brilliancy of day, by lighting throughout the city pillars of wax, while burning lamps in every place so that the splendor of this night was brighter than the brightest daylight."
Light was a precious commodity in the ancient world, and this lavish use of precious beeswax was a sign of the Christian's call to bear Christ's light into the world's darkness.  In a pre-electric age, a whole city aglow from the paschal flame must have been a glorious sight, and a reminder to every baptized Christian of our vocation to "be the light of the world."
Source:  Our Lady of Sorrows Bulletin, February 2, 2014.

Priests' Anniversaries for November.  
Father Phillip Witkowski, February 2, 1975.
Father William Langlois, February 24, 1974.

Pray for our Seminarians.  Go to the Office of Priestly Vocations link of the Diocese of Grand Rapids website to find the names, home parishes, biographical information and current addresses of our 2014 seminarians.
Our diocesan seminarians are Douglas A. Braun, William R. VanderWerff, Thomas J. Cavera, Patrick Jegar N. Fickel, Colin J. Mulhall, Daniel P. Schumker, Stephen J. Durkee, Steven W. Geerling, Kyle J. Kilpatarick, Michael J. Goodwin, Michael M. Steffes, Jr., Mark W. West, Justin J. Wiltse, Andrew M. Ayers, Patrick R. Byars, Robert C. Mulderink, William R. Marcinkus, Andrew J. Decker, and Philip Wasinski.  Our Lady of Sorrows is now publishing the names and mailing addresses of two seminarians per week on a revolving basis.  This past week OLS encouraged parishioners to pray for Patrick Jeger N. Fickel, whose home parish is St. Francis deSales, Holland, and Jorge Humberto Zetino, (not a diocesean Seminarian), whose home parish is Our Lady of Sorrows.  Patrick's mailing address is University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein Seminary, 1000 East Maple Avenue, Mundelein, IL 60060.  Jorge's mailing address is 102 Jacoby Drive SW, Epworth, IA 52405.  Let us resolve to pray for them and all seminarians and to send them a note of encouragement and support.  Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!  
Editor's Note:  Founded by the Society of the Divine Word, Divine Word College is the only undergraduate Roman Catholic seminary dedicated to educating men and women for missionary service.  Epworth is located 12 miles west of Dubuque and is within the Diocese of Dubuque.

Club Directory.  

We are finishing up the draft of a 2014-2015 club directory.  It was presented at the January board meeting, and we will finalize it within the next month.  We also discussed how many copies we need and how many of our membership would prefer a paper directory, as opposed to an e-copy.  E-directories would have to be scanned and sent to e-mail addresses.  We do not want to put it in blog form (which we use for newsletters) because we do not want to post the information on the internet.

Please keep Nancy posted on any new information (people tend to get new cell phone numbers fairly often these days), and on your preferred mailing and/or e-mail address, by e-mail if you have it, or by phone.

Adoration Opportunities.
IHM 24/5.  Code 5412
St. Isidore 24/7.  Code 613. 

February's Prayer Intention for Serrans United in Prayer.
On the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter on Saturday, 22 February 2014, Serrans are encouraged to attend Mass and offer the Mass for Pope Francis that he will faithfully and courageously uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church in the midst of increasing secularism in the world.  In addition, pray a decade of the Rosary after Mass before the tabernacle, asking Our Blessed Mother to pray for us with said intention.

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.  And may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7.

Thank you and may God bless you abundantly!
Mary, Mother of Vocations, pray for us!
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Sean Yeo

President, Serra Internation

Vatican Outlines Plans for Year of Consecrated Life.
From Catholic World News, January 31, 2014.
At a press conference on January 31, Vatican officials outlined plans for the Year of Consecrated Life, which Pope Francis has declared for 2015.  This special year, which was announced by Pope Francis in December at a meeting with superior generals of male religious orders, was an answer to suggestions made by many religious superiors said Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, the prefect of the Congregation for Religious.  The year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Vatican II decree on religious life, Perfectae Caritatis.
The Church recognizes that we are experiencing a "difficult and delicate" time in religious life, Cardinal Braz de Aviz said.  The Year of Consecrated Life is designed to help religious face the future with confidence, he said.  The cardinal encouraged members of religious orders to rediscover the original charisms of their communities, as set forth in their founding.
Archbishop Jose Rodriguz Carballo, the secretary of the Congregation for Religious, mentioned some of the Vatican's plans for the special year, which will begin in October 2014.  The solemn inauguration of the year will be marked by a Eucharistic celebration at St. Peter's Basilica, which Pope Francis likely to preside, in November.  That same month will see a plenary assembly of the Congregation for Religious.
During the year that follows, the Vatican will host meetings for young religious and novice and for spiritual directors, and an international conference on religious life.  The year will conclude with another major ceremony at the Vatican, probably on November 15, 2015:  the 50th anniversary of Prefectae Caritatis.
Archbishop Carballo expressed the hope that before the end of the Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis would publish a new apostolic constitution on the topic, updating Sponsa Christi, which was released by Pope Pius XII in 1950. Note:  John Osterhart forwarded this message.

Message if Pope Francis for the 51st World Day of Prayer for Vocations, 11 May 2014, Fourth Sunday of Easter.
(Excerpts).   Full text can be found on serraus.org.  Click on the link to the message.
"A vocation is a fruit that ripens in a well cultivated field of mutual love that becomes mutual service, in the context of an authentic ecclesial life.  No vocation is born of itself or lives for itself.  A vocation flows tom the heart of God and blossoms in the good soil of faithful people, in the experience of fraternal love.  Did not Jesus say:  'By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another'  (Jn 13:35)?....
...Let us dispose our hearts therefore to being good soil, by listening, receiving and living out the word, and thus bearing fruit.  The more we unite ourselves to Jesus through prayer, Sacred Scripture, the Eucharist, the Sacraments celebrated and lived in the Church and in fraternity the more there will grow in us the joy of cooperating with God in the service of the Kingdom of mercy and truth, of justice and peace.  And the harvest will be plentiful, proportionate to the grace we have meekly welcomed into our lives. With this wish, and asking you to pray for me, I cordially impart to you all my Apostolic Blessing.'"
From the Vatican, 15 January 2014.
FRANCIS

A Message from our President.
February 2, 2014.
Dear Fellow Serrans:
Today is the Presentation of the Lord.  The Pope said, "The feast of the Presentation in the Temple is also known as the feast of the Encounter."  It is where Jesus encounters his people.  Mary and Joseph presented their first born at the Temple according to the Jewish law.  In the New Testament St. Paul tells us:  'Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?  Therefore, glorify God in your body.'"

I want to take a minute to thank Dan LaVille for all his work for the GR Serra Club.  He is currently on theh board and has held almost every leadership position in our club.  For years Dan has been instrumental in ensuring a fun event for the Sisters of the diocese.  He has also been a wonderful mentor to me in my role as president.  Thanks, Dan, for all you do for Serra!

Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!

Aggie Kempker-Cloyd


A Word of Wisdom from St. Terese of Avila
"There is no such thing as bad weather.  All weather is good because it is God's."