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.
No comments:
Post a Comment