April 8, 2018. Grand Rapids Diocese Celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday, 2:00-4:00 p.m.at Holy Redeemer Parish, Jenison. The Divine Mercy celebration includes Praise and Adoration, along with the Sacrament of Healing, with Testimony by Dr. Bryan Thatcher,Founder of Eucharistic Apostles of Divine Mercy. See more about Divine Mercy Sunday below, following the calendar of events.
April 9, 2018. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Ss. Peter and Paul. We will have a short prayer meeting and discussion to prepare for World Day of Prayer for Vocations on April 22.
April 9, 2018. The Annunciation of the Lord.
April 15, 2018. Spaghetti Dinner, 11:00-3:00 at Our Lady of Sorrows. Tickets are available in advance by calling 243-0222, or they may be purchased at the door.
April 22, 2018. World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
April 23, 2018. Board Meeting and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Ss. Peter and Paul.
Looking Ahead.
May 14, 2018. Dinner Meeting and Speaker Greg Schweitz, 6:00 p.m. at St. Stephen's Parish. Greg Schweitz is planning to come to Grand Rapids from Omaha and wanted to make the Grand Rapids stop. The Muskegon Club will join us for that meeting. Please put the date on your calendar and plan to attend if you possibly can. More details will follow as we come closer to the day. Greg Schweitz is the President of Serra's National Council for the United States.
June 27-July 1, 2018. Serra International Convention, Nashville, Tennessee. Please keep in touch with the Chicago office if you are thinking of attending. Hotel space is limited to 200 guests.
October 28, 2018. Priesthood Sunday.
The Message of Divine Mercy.
The mesage of Divine Mercy is that God is merciful. He is love itself poured out for us, and He wants no one to escape that merciful love.
The message is that God wants us to turn to Him with trust and repentance while it is still a time of mercy, before He comes to us as the just judge. This turning with trust to Him who is mercy itself is the only source of peace for mankind. Turning to and imploring God's mercy is the answer to the troubled world. There is no escaping that answer.
What is Divine Mercy Sunday?
Jesus requested that a special feast devoted to his Divine Mercy take place on the Octave day of Easter (Second Sunday of Easter), a day in which he would pour out special graces on the whole world. Jesus grants an indulgence (either partial or full remission for the temporal punishment of sin) for all who will participate in this feast and implore His Divine Mercy.
What exactly is the Divine Mercy devotional?
The Divine Mercy devotional is a modern devotional to the attribute of God's infinite mercy that was promulgated by St. Faustina'Kowaalska in Poland, and later to the Universal Church by Pope St. John Paul II ("The Mercy Pope").
Priests' Anniversaries for April.
Fr. Steven Cron, April 1, 1978.
Fr. Peter Damian, April 22, 2005.
Fr. Roc Gerard Magalla, SAC, April 29, 1992.
Good News.
We welcome our newest member, Earl Burhans.
We Need to Elect a New President and Update Our Board.
As we continue on our journey of supporting and promoting priestly and religious vocations and growing in our own spirituality (as per the Serra Mission), we need to consider ways in which we can serve the Lord, the Serra mission, and our club.
Our present board is as follows:
Weldon Schwartz, President John Osterhart, Trustee
Nancy King, VP Communications Pat Leikert, Treasurer
Nancy Mulvihill, Trustee Dan LaVille, VP Programs
Sara Vander Werff, Past President Msgr. Edward Hankiewicz, Chaplain/Moderator
Open Positions:
Vice-President, Vocations Trustee
What Does a Trustee Do?
The Serra USA Council of Serra International defines the responsibilities of trustees as follows:
Attend all Club and Board meetings. Trustees are responsible for the overall policy-making,
governing and coordination of club activities, approves all bills and conducts all ordinary business, determines annual tasks for the club, approves the club annual budget, fills any officer vacancy by finding and assisting with the appointment of appropriate candidates.
In our club, trustees have not traditionally met separately to carry out such tasks. In practice, trustees have attended regular and board meetings and participated in our club's policy decisions along with other members of the board.
What Else Can I do to Support the Serra Mission?
Review the Serra International Foundation Special Issue, December 2017. The Serra International Foundation takes the work of Serrans far beyond the reach of local clubs. The special issue features how the Foundation helps vocations promoters in India, Zambia, Rwanda, Haiti, the US and more.
John Liston, Serra International's Executive Director,has worked tirelessly to establish the regular distribution schedule for the Serran Magazine for 2018. As he explains, the first issue will focus on Serranship": how we can be better Serrans outwardly; the second issue on the spirituality and the development of the interior lives of Serrans; the third will feature the events of the Serra International Convention in Nashville, and the final issue of the year will highlight the good works performed by the Serra International Foundation. We look forward to the continued publication of the magazine.
Visit the web site for Aid to the Church in Need to find a variety of opportunities to help the cause of persecuted Christians around the world.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for us!
A Message from our President.
Dear Serrans:
I wish to confirm that on May 14th we will have our Grand Rapids Serra Club meeting at 6:00 in the evening at St. Stephen's Parish in East Grand Rapids. Greg Schweiz, USA Council President, will be our honored guest and speaker.
We are inviting members of the Serra Club of Greater Muskegon to join us for this informative meeting. The meal will be catered and wine will be served.
Weldon Schwartz
