VERY IMPORTANT.
The items in this newsletter are all devoted to the upcoming canonization. Be on the lookout for much time-sensitive material.
A Message from Our President.
On September 23, Pope Francis will canonize our club's Patron Junipero Serra. We are planning our own celebration of this event to take place on September 28 at the Basilica Center, immediately next to the Basilica, at 671 Davis Avenue NW, Ste. 225. There us parking on either side of the building. The cost of the celebration will be $25 per person for appetizers and wine. We will begin at 5:30 p.m. The event will include a couple of brief speeches and an opportunity to discuss our work as a Serra Club. We have invited members of the Muskegon Serra Club.
I purchased a media kit from Serra International which contains large posters suitable for display at our local parish. Let me know if you can post one at your local parish and I will deliver it to you. There is space at the bottom to write the date and location of our event. Also, there are five smaller cards Questions and answers about Serra, Pope Francis, Serra International and canonization, and an invitation to join Serra International in celebrating the canonization. These cards are also available to you. Call me at 616-401-0227.
Hope to see you and any guests at our event.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us.
Weldon Schwartz
Aggie adds:
The dining hall at the center holds approximately 100 people, and the event will feature heavy hors d'oeuvres catered by Chef Tommy Fitzgerald. Coffee and lemonade will be included in the menu, and the cost of beer and wine will be included in the price of the ticket, $25. Franciscan Sister Maria Serra will give a short talk on Junipero Serra and how she was given the name. RSVP to Pat Leikert. Payment can be made with your dues statement. Members are encouraged to bring guests. If you need more information, call or write Sara Vanderwerff or Agnes Kempker-Cloyd.
Also Very Important. Spread the Word Fund.
Fellow Grand Rapids Serrans,
All Serra Clubs in the United States are being asked to contribute to the Serra "Spread the Word Fund" to be used to help with expenses including security costs related to Pope Francis' visit to the United States and especially the canonization event in Washington, D.C., on September 23, 2015, when our patron Bl. Junipero Serra will be declared a saint.
Funds will also be allocated to publicizing our new saint and promoting the vocations work and mission of Serra--the organization which has taken his name as patron. Donations will be channeled to and through the Serra International Foundation
We would like for our club to contribute at the$1000 level to this cause. A small number of Grand Rapids Serrans have offered to match donations of up to $500 as encouragement to others in our club to help meet or exceed this goal.
We hope that overall our Serrans will be able to contribute at least an average of $50 per member. Regardless of amount--we are asking for 100 percent participation from our Grand Rapids Serrans. The Council is asking for 100 percent participation from all 200-plus clubs. Donations are being received internationally as well.
Time is short as we have a deadline of September 11 to send a donation to the Serra Chicago office to be used by the Serra Spread the Word Fund.
Please send your donations as soon as possible to:
Grand Rapids Serra (Please note purpose as: Spread the Word Fund
Attn: Pat Leikert
Dolinka, VanNoord, & Company
360 E. Beltline NE #200
Grand Rapids, Mi 49506
Calendar of Events.
September 14, 2015. Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at the University Club. Speaker will be Mr. Douglas Kindschi, founder of Interfaith Institute of Grand Rapids and Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy at Grand Valley State University.Also, Feast Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Rosh Hashanah.
September 21, 2015. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Ss. Peter and Paul.
September 23, 2015. Canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D. C. From our club, Sara VanderWerff will be in Washington, D. C. that day and is still waiting for information about tickets to the event. We may follow the canonization on EWTN.
September 21-28, 2015. World Meeting of Families, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pope Francis will take part in the events, and will hold Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul in the morning. Please consult the September issue of Faith Magazine for information about our local families who plan to attend and for information about a virtual pilgrimage to Philadelphia. The following parishes will serve as host sites: St. Robert of Newminster, Ada; Holy Family, Caledonia; St. John Paul II, Cedar Springs; Cathedral of St. Andrew, Grand Rapids; St. Isidore, Grand Rapids; St. Thomas, Grand Rapids; Our Lady of the Lake, Holland; St. Francis de Sales, Holland; St. Philip Nieri, Reed City; and St. Michael, Remus. The parishes plan to live stream the keynote address and general sessions each day, followed by prayer and discussion;
Tuesday, September 22, 2:30 p.m. Fr. Robert Baron, "Living as the Image of God: Created for Joy and Love.
September 28, 2015.
Our local canonization event, 5:30 p.m. at the Franciscan Center of Grand Rapids at the Basilica of St. Adelbert. See above, in our president's message.
November 1-7, 2015. National Vocation Awareness Week. Watch for information about how to celebrate this week in your parish.
Priests' Anniversaries for September.
Fr. Loc Trinh, 9/19,1992.
Fr. Ron Hutchinson, 9/24/1994.
We continue to pray for:
Hazel Paul and Robbie Gross. Let us pray also for the repose of the soul of Mary Stepanovich.
Letters from our two Presidents.
"Our Best Days are Still Ahead!" from our Serra International Past President, Dan Grady.
",,,It has been a great privilege to represent Serrans this past year. I have enjoyed the pleasure of visiting countless Serrans around the world, and everywhere I went I experienced generous hospitality and enthusiasm for our mission--wonderful conversation, great food, prayerful liturgies. Your enthusiasm helped make 'my yoke easy and my burden light.'
My deepest regret is that I could not fit more visits into my schedule. One of Serra's most underappreciated blessings is the blessing of the global Catholic fellowship we experience and share. I look forward to seeing many of you again and meeting more of you at future Serra conventions (St. Louis in 2016, Rome in 2017, Nashville in 2018 and wherever we meet in the future)!)
I have missed many of my own club's events this past year, and I look forward to returning to more active work for vocations in my own diocese. and, I hope to have more time to visit my daughter and first grandchild...
I am pleased with the progress we have made this past year. The Serra International/USA Council task force and staff have made tremendous progress in reducing our operating costs and yet laying the foundation for more effective service going forward. The recently completed audit through December 31, 2014, will document the strengthening of our financial position. Our use of technology and social media is improving. Serrans in leadership positions around the world are forthrightly addressing the questions we need to answer to remain a vibrant apostate in the 21st century.
...Both staff and board members have worked diligently to offer Serra's participation in whatever way the organizers of the event deem appropriate. Information about the canonization event is tightly held and many decisions have not yet been finalized. We are doing our best to inform you about the canonization and appreciate your patience.
Since many Serrans will not be able to attend in person, we have prepared canonization "kits" for clubs that provide some of the resources and suggestions for promoting and celebrating the canonization in our local communities. We can use the excitement about Junipero Serra's canonization to promote Serra among our Catholic brothers and sisters. This is a great opportunity to expand our apostolate!
I am foolish enough to believe that our best days are still ahead. The publicity surrounding the canonization, the hard work of our board and staff, and most importantly the enthusiasm of the Serrans I met during the past year give me great hope.
Finally, thanks to John Liston and the CAO staff for their efforts, my fellow Board members for their sacrifices for Serra and their patience with me, to Bob Labat and the USA Council Board members for their work to develop the CAO, and most importantly to all my fellow Serrans for their prayers, work, and enthusiasm in promoting vocations through our Serra apostolate!
Mary, Mother of Vocations, pray for us! Blessed (soon to be Saint) Junipero Serra, pray for us!
Source: the Serran. Vol 62 No 3, Summer 2015
In the same issue, USAC President John Osterhart writes about the outstanding downloadable resources available on www.serraus.org. "All of these are underutilized and even unknown to
a large portion of our Serra members and club leadership. Many of these are internal programs directed at enhancing our members' own spiritual lives and knowledge of their faith.
Such material related specifically to our patron Blessed Junipero Serra includes the following:
*In His Steps: A Program for Renewal and Recommitment" found in the Programs Manual--Part II.
*"Junipero Serra, A Study Guide--Rediscovering Blessed Junipero Serra" is another program downloadable from our website and found in the Programs Manual-Part II.
*A prayer for the canonization of Blessed Serra
Club meeting resource programs offered by the Programs Manual-Part II, like the two mentioned above, follow a standard format: Opening Prayer; Scripture; Introduction; Historical Tradition; Discussion Questions, Reflection; Closing Reflection; and a Bibliography. These programs provide opportunities for Serrans to:
*Turn our attention to God in our lives
*Examine the topic in a Scriptural context
*Consider how the topic fits into our organizational context
*Increase our knowledge of the topic
*Look for lessons we can put into action
Please spend some time exploring the www.serraus.org website starting with the Programs Manual--Part II. The materials on the website were developed specifically to aid Serrans in achieving their programming goals.
The point of this is two-fold One, we have a great chance to learn more about and reflect upon the life of our soon-to-be canonized patron and take to heart and put into action lessons from his example. At the same time, we can explore the treasure trove of programs and resources that make available to us depth of content designed to provide spiritual reflections to nurture and support our own call to sanctity.
Similarly helpful resources can be found for our other major club functions of vocations, membership, and communications.
To better assist Serrans, we will be working to establish a new "Information Technology (IT)and Resource Awareness/Utilization Leader" position in each of our clubs and in other levels of Serra.
God bless you and thank you for all you do for the cause of vocations and Serra."
Let us all consider John's suggestions and all other aspects of the canonization not so much as a one-day event but an ongoing opportunity to make our mission and our work known to our fellow Catholics.
.About Meeting Times.
So far, we have received no objections to changing our meeting schedule from midday twice monthly to a once-monthly evening meeting. Our board has not yet finalized any plans and is still considering several options. We will keep you posted.
Adoration.
IHM 24/5, Code 5412
St. Isidore, Code 613.
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