2015. The Year of the Family.Calendar of Events.
January 1, 2015. Mary, the Holy Mother of God. New Year's Day. Holy Day of Obligation.
January 3, 2015. Most Holy Name of Jesus.
January 4, 2015. The Epiphany of the Lord.
January 11, 2015. The Baptism of the Lord and the end of the Christmas season.
January 12, 2015. Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at the University Club. Beth has announced that Kevin Matthews is the speaker for the occasion. He will talk about his "Broken Mary" project and Beth urges you not only to attend, but take up Aggie's challenge to invite guests as prospective new members. Beth advertises Kevin's talk as a huge treat!
January 15-18, 2015. Serra International Rally, Houston, Texas. Let us pray that the more favorable location, with regard to the weather, will bear fruit in the form of greater attendance, especially among those accustomed to warmer climates. Let us all pray for renewed resolve in our mission of fostering, nurturing, and praying for religious vocations.
January 19, 2015. Board Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Ss. Peter and Paul.
January 22, 2015. Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. See wnd.com for some very favorable news regarding protection of the unborn.
January 26, 2015. Luncheon Meeting and Book Discussion, 12:00 Noon at Ss. Peter and Paul.
We will discuss the last chapter of The Be Happy Attitudes.
Serra Clubs Around the World.
Since it was founded in 1935 in Seattle, WA, USA, Serra has chartered 1170 Serra Clubs in 46 countries on five continents. Let us review our objectives and purposes and inform potential new members of them:
1) To foster and promote vocations to the ministerial priesthood in the Catholic Church as a particular vocation to service, and to support priests in their sacred ministry.
2) To encourage and affirm vocations to consecrated religious life in the Catholic Church.
3) To assist its members to recognize and respond in their own lives to God's call to holiness in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Also, let us pray for the blessings our club has received during 2014.
In Memoriam for 2014.
Let us pray for the repose of the souls of Nate McKenzie, June 11, 2014, and Ed Verbeke, past Executive Director, December 5, 2014. Also, let us pray for all Priests and Religious and Serrans who passed away in 2014. For those who may still want to send Anne Verbeke a note, her address is 3632 Parthenon Way, Olympia Fields, IL 60461-1322.
Priests' Anniversaries for January.
Fr. Fred Brucker, January 25, 1976.
Fr. Joseph Kenshol, January 19, 1973.
Fr. Mark Mitchell, January 25, 1976.
Fr. Ernest Schneider, January 30, 1977.
Fr. Thomas Simone, January 30, 1977.
Addition and Correction.
The Sister mentioned in the December newsletter is Sister Sandra Delgado, O. P. of Marywood.
She spoke at Our Lady of Sorrows about the consecrated life. She is one of the leadership sisters of the order and one of the guitarists at the Noon Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows.
Information courtesy of Father Ted.
The Beauty and Fruitfulness of the Vocational Culture.
As we strive to cultivate the culture of vocations, let us note the following:
"What the culture of vocation contributes to individual persons and to society:
Recognition of God's Initiative.
The fundamental experience of the experience of the person who feels called, is that the mission does not come from an analysis of reality, more or less accurate, but from God's initiative. It is God who sets the itinerary to follow in the process of evangelization.
The Meaning of Things.
Unity of life. The person called discovers the meaning of things. He or she does not experience work as a survival means, but also a means for personal fulfillment. Life appears to be unified by a project of being, rather than one of doing or having.
Capacity of Response.
A vocational culture attempts to inform not just on vocation, but it also fosters and creates conditions in the recipients of our evangelization in all areas (catechesis, education, ministry, evangelization) which facilitate the capacity to respond to a vocation.
Human Quality.
A vocational culture may create the ground for better maturing of the human person, with all the consequences for a quality social life and, as believers, all those conditions and attitudes without which we cannot listen to god or respond to him. This is called fostering a "vocational personality."
Capacity to Dialog and Search.
A vocational culture approaches and accompanies a level of process in pastoral action; it dialogues with the desires and inner searches of men and women, to the arenas of their desires: "search what you seek, but not where you seek it."
Recognition of Reality.
Far from insecurity, subjectivity or relativism, this fosters trust, security, objectivity, moral values which lead to the recognition of human rights.
Capacity of Service.
Living life as a vocation fosters an excellence in being, serving, and loving;. It gives us the amplitude to to discover who our neighbor is and what that means in our lives. Faith becomes more generous and free in self-giving to others and to the other.
Sense of Community.
The culture of vocation contributes a communitarian sense. The person is a social being. He or she moves in relation to others, not in isolation.
Gratuitousness.
It gives a sense of what is free. It is a deep feeling that the fundamental options in life are not just human action, but the action of God.
Responsibility.
A vocational culture fosters responsibility towards life. We are accountable for what we have done with the gift of vocation. We are not the owners, but the stewards of this talent.
Vision of the Future.
It also gives the capacity to dream and to desire a better future for all: things can change. It gives satisfaction and happiness when the person looks at history and sees the journey already covered. Although full of effort, pain, and difficult moments, vocation gives a point of view from which to look back and feel comforted and motivated because of the journey already accomplished, in order to continue to respons to the call with a renewed spirit.
Source: Reprinted from www.TheCatholicDirectory.com in the Our Lady of Sorrows Bulletin,
December 21, 2014.
Vocations News from Faith Magazine.
This is a reminder to read or reread Father Darrell Kempf's column about the Gift of Vocations, both the priesthood and marriage. Father Kempf was ordained on October 27,l 2012. See also the Prayer for the Year for Marriage, on the back page of that same issue:
Heavenly Father, your Son, Jesus, once part of a family, is a blessing for husbands and wives, for fathers and mothers and their children. Help our moms and dads to be faithful to each other and open to new life, your gift to them;l Guide them to raise their children to be good citizens of both heaven and earth. Pour your Holy Spirit upon married couples to strengthen their bond, upon all families that they may face the challenges of our times with strength that comes from the Gospel, and upon our homes that they may be places of love and joy and thus a source of blessing for our Church and our society. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reminder for Adoration.
St. Isidore, 24/7, Code 513.
IHM, 24/5, Code 5412.
Serra USA Council's New Address.
Serra USA Council
333 West Wacker Drive, Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60606
A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans:
Please pray for me and our local Grand Rapids Serra Club as we work on the important vocations mission as well as our spiritual growth.
I hope this message finds you full of joy and love having celebrated a wonderful Christmas season with your families and friends. Many are looking forward to a less hectic pace in the winter months. It gives us time to reflect on the year of the family and to analyze what works in our families, and what needs to be changed or modified and improved. That also applies to our work and organizations like the Grand Rapids Serra Club..........
I want to recognize and thank Nancy King for her tireless effort each month in putting together a quality newsletter for our club. It is always thoughtful and informative.
May the peace of Jesus be with you and your families as we embrace a new year.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, pray for us and guide us to bring dedicated leaders to the call and service of your Son's Holy Catholic Church.
Agnes Kempker-Cloyd
Agnes Kempker-Cloyd
