Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, August 2017

Save the Date.
August 14, 2017.  Luncheon Meeting followed by a short Business Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Olive's Restaurant, 2162 Wealthy Street SE.  Order from the Menu.  Parking available nearby.  Our speaker will be Dr. Jared Ortiz, Professor of Theology and Director of St. Bernard Institute, Hope College.
August 28, 2017.  Mass at St. Ambrose Chapel at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, 12:05 p.m.

Also Save the Dates for the Our Lady of Sorrows Devotions, 101 Hall St. SE beginning August 4 at 7:00 p.m.  All are Invited.

The feast of Our Lady of  Sorrows is celebrated each year on September 15.  Parishioners at Our Lady of Sorrows will prepare for that day by  weekly devotions, August 4-September 15, 2017.
The service includes the chaplet and stations of the Seven Sorrows, including Marian hymns, and will conclude with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.  There will be a homily each week addressing one of the Seven Sorrows of Mary:

August 4, The Prophecy of Simeon, Homilist Rev. Jegar.
August 11, The Flight into Egypt,  Homilist Rev. James Bozung.
August 18, The Loss of Jesus in the Temple, Homilist Rev. Donald Lomasiewicz.
August 25, The Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross, Homilist Rev. George Fekete.
September 1, The Crucifixion, Homilist Rev. Stephen Dudek.
September 8, Mary Receives the Body of Jesus, Homilist Rev. Brian Johnson.
September 15, The Burial of Jesus, Homilist Msgr. Gasper Ancona
Future Dates. Plan Ahead.

October 29, 2017  Priesthood Sunday.
November 4-11, 2017.  National Vocations Awareness Week.

Priests' Anniversaries for August.


Fr. George Darling, August 11, 1984
Fr. Stephen Dudek, August 11, 1984
Fr. Dennis Morrow, August 24, 1975
Fr. Dennis O'Donnell, August 20, 1983

Update.

John Osterhart recently sent us an update regarding fellow Serran Dr. John Stepanovich.  John has moved to Clark Home at 1551 Franklin SE, Room 2037, Grand Rapids, MI 49506.  His daughter Ann Dadkowski will make every effort to get him to our regular Serra meetings and will  keep us informed as to any new information.   John has a cell phone at the Clark Home:  616-248-9828.

Ann says her father would welcome visitors, and he is able to leave on his own if someone can pick him up.  He is not driving and is using a walker for mobility.  John has been a loyal Serran for 54 years.  Please keep him in your prayers.

We Welcome our New Serra International Board for 2017-2018.

Congratulations to John Osterhart, who is now serving as a trustee on the new Serra International Board.  He has also served as President of Serra USA Council in 2015-16 and in numerous other positions, including national programs vice-president and Grand Rapids Serra Club trustee.

Also named in the 2017-2018 roster is John Liston, Serra International Executive Director.  John holds a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University School of Law and teaches courses at Loyola as an adjunct professor in negotiation, mediation, and client counseling.  He is also treasurer for Innovation Experts, a non-profit support service group for public libraries.

Let us Pray...

for our fellow Christians in Pakistan.  On July 6 several members of our club visited Father Ayub  Francis Nasar at St. Mary's Parish in Marne, who was hosting Bishop Joseph Arshad of the Diocese of Faisalabad, which is Fr. Ayub's home town.  During his time in Grand Rapids, Bishop Arshad spoke to Bishop Walkowiak, Bishop emeritus Robert Rose, and parishioners of St. Mary's and St. Michael's abour the problems Christians in Pakistan face every day.

If you wish to make a donation to Bishop Arshad, make checks payable to Instrument of Peace.  If you send notes of support along with the checks, they may be mailed to Fr. Auyb, St. Mary's Parish, 15164 Jupiter Drive, Marne, MI 49435.

A Message from our President for more details.

As was discussed at the last meeting, we are changing our location and times and format for paying for the lunches for the August 14 meeting and lunch.  We will be meeting in East Grand Rapids at Olive's Restaurant at 12:00 noon upstairs.   Each member will be able to order the food or drink each wishes and will receive a separate bill from the restaurant for what is ordered.  As a club we will now be paying only for guests's lunches.  This change will enable us to reduce our monthly dues.. There is a small elevator to assist people in getting to the second floor. This luncheon will be just a test to see how we like the new format for our monthly meetings.  There will be a short business meeting to follow to discuss the suitability of the new time and location.  We look forward to seeing all of you at Olive's Restaurant.

Grand Rapids Serra Club July 2017

498 Clubs, 46 Countries, 14, 940 Members.
Calendar of Events.
July 1, 2017.  Feast Day of St. Junipero Serra.
July 6, 2017.  Special Meeting at St. Mary's Parish in Marne, 7:00 p.m.  St. Mary's is Fr. Ayub's parish.  He will be hosting clergy from Pakistan, including Bishop Arshad, as he has on past occasions.  They wish to update us on the situation for Christians in Pakistan, and the situation of seminarians in particular.  Please plan on attending and invite friends.  This meeting offers us an excellent opportunity to fulfill our mission of heeding the Lord's call to holiness and nurturing and supporting priestly and religious vocations.  Notification of this meeting was the subject matter of our president's July message.  If you can't attend, at least pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in Pakistan and elsewhere in the Middle East.  Also, we will provide information regarding financial support for these priests.  Also, we will make note of Pakistan in our news of Aid to the Church in Need.  See below.
July 10, 2017.  Dinner Meeting and Speakers, 5:30 p.m. at the University Club.  Our speakers will be those who attended the Serra International Convention in Rome and the special audience with the Holy Father.  This is another very important occasion for our club, to learn about what took place in Rome.  Attendees were John (and Ellen) Osterhart, Dennis (and Margaret) Lieber, Dan Grady, and Sara Vander Werff.  Board Meeting  begins at 4:30 p.m.
Coming up...
Beginning on August 4, 2017 and each Friday through September 15.  Seven Sorrows of Mary Devotions, 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows. 101 Hall St. S. E.  Details to follow.
October 29, 2017.  Priesthood Sunday.  Begin preparing now for special plans for your parish.
November 4-11, 2017.  National Vocations Awareness Week.

Goal for July.  Election and installation of new officers.
This is our most current slate of nominees:

President:  Weldon Schwartz
Past President:  Sara Vander Werff
Treasurer:  Pat Leikert
Vice-President, Programs:  Dan LaVille
Vice-President, Communications:  Nancy King
Vice-Presidnet, Secretary, Karen Schwartz.  Karen is also serving as editor of the newsletter.
Vice-President, Membership:  Dominic Niewald.  John Osterhart will assist.
Vice-President , Vocations, Larry and Marian Burns
Trustees:  Jim Hunter, John Osterhart, Nancy Mulvihill
Moderator:  Msgr. Edward Hankiewicz
We need a President-Elect:  Please step forward if you would like to consider this position.

Priests' Anniversaries in July.

Fr. Raymond Bruck, July 20, 1958.
Fr. Larry King, July 8, 1989.
Fr. Peter Omogo, July 7, 2004.

Why Be a Serran?  Let us keep these thoughts in mind as we work and pray for vocations and for new members for our club...

...A Special Honor for All Serrans

On June 23, 2017, as a testament to the outstanding work of our Italian Serrans, as well as a sign that Serra International is ever more recognized for its essential vocations apostolate, all convention attendees were invited to be present for  a special audience with the Holy Father after the opening Mass at St. Peter's Basilica.  To learn what the Holy Father said to the Serrans, please note your special e-mail notification which was sent on Sunday, July 2.  You have also received pictures of the Papal audience which Sara Vander Werff sent.

...and a Special Honor for Our Grand Rapids Club...

In 2016, thanks to your generosity, 22 clubs received awards recognizing their outstanding donations to the Serra International Foundation.

This year the Foundation received more than 90 grant applications.  The Foundation's current resources allowed for less than 11 per cent of these grant applications to be founded.  But with your help, we an do more to support vocations and bring honor to your local Serra Club.

Named to the Majorca Club, the highest category of awards, with $10,000 or more, Houston and Grand Rapids.  The Siempre Adelante Award winner was Grand Rapids.
Source:  The Serran Magazine, June 2017.

Congratulations...

are in order to John Osterhart, who has been recommended to serve as a trustee on the Serra International Board .  Others were Guiseppe Miccal of Ferrara, Italy; Maria Gemma Sartesch, of Lucca, Italy; Richard Peterson, of the Serra Club of the Tri-counties Area of Washington; and Julio Camara of Merida, Mexico.

Why am I a Serran?

Shortly after entering the Catholic Church, my friend Dave Maza suggested I consider joining the Serra Club.  As a new Catholic, I was eager to contribute to the good of this great gift (the Church) that I had discovered.  Married, with four children and a busy financial planning practice, the Serra Club provided a means for me to contribute to the good of the Church without detracting from my family nor my profession.

The mission  of Serra inspired me.  Recognizing the need to pray for, invite, encourage and promote vocations as well as heed our Lord's call to holiness resonated with my desire to serve the Church and, at the same time, cultivate fellowship with others who shared the zeal for Christ and His Church.

It is the vocation of each Catholic to share in the temporal and spiritual works of the Church.  My patron, St. Josemaria Escriva, said, "You have got to be a man of God", "a man of interior life, a man of prayer and sacrifice.  Your apostolate must be the overflow of your life within."  When I read this, it inspired my work  in the apostolate of Serra to deepen my prayer life.  I realized that much of life can be filled with activity.  often fruitless activity.  The only activity that bears the fruit of eternal goodness begins and ends with prayer that is united with Jesus to God, the Father through the Holy
Spirit.  In this way, I find the apostolate of Serra to be a very practical way to contribute to the spiritual work of the Church and at the same time, be formed by this apostolate.
By Wayne Rich, Serra Club of Phoenix, AZ, USA
Serran Magazine, June, 2017

Prayer for Pakistan.

Please visit the website of Aid to the Church in Need, whose mission is helping persecuted and oppressed Christians around the world through prayer, information, and action.  In preparation for the special meeting on July 6 in Marne, let us offer the following Prayer for Pakistan.

Heavenly Father, you call all of those who suffer in your name.
We ask that you be with the Christians in Pakistan and encourage them to remain strong in faith and trust despite physical and psychological abuse.
We remember those who are imprisoned for their faith.
We especially remember Asia Bibi who still remains in jail with a death sentence hanging over her head as a result of Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws.
Please comfort all those who have lost loved ones and who live in fear.  Strengthen the Church leaders in Pakistan; give them wisdom and courage to seek justice and peace.
We also pray, most merciful and loving Father, that our brothers and sisters in Christ are blessed wtih grace to forgive those who persecute them.
Mary, help of Christians, Mother of mercy, pray for them.
Amen.

A Message from our President.

Please refer to the Calendar of Events announcing the special meeting in Marne on July 6 with Fr. Ayub and his Pakistani friends.

Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us.
Let us go forth with renewed resolve to pray and work for strengthening our prayer life, for vocations, and for our club and its mission.