Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, August 2018

Calendar of Events

August 3, 2018.  The first of the annual series of devotions to the Seven Sorrows of Mary, 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows.  Homilist will be Father George Fekete.  A full list of the Sorrows and homilists will appear below.  Please consider attending one or more of these devotions, which will take place each Friday evening until September 14, the eve of the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish.
August 13, 2018.  Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at Cathedral Square.  Weldon will pick up a tray of assorted sandwiches at Subway.  Please note that this is a new location.  Please RSVP to Weldon or Nancy King so that we can better plan for the food.
August 15, 2018.  The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Holy Day of Obligation.
August 27, 2018.  Board Meeting and Luncheon, 12:00 Noon at Cathedral Square.
Looking Ahead, to prepare for a possible Parish celebration...
October 28, 2018.  Priesthood Sunday.

Friday Night Devotions at Our Lady of Sorrows.

These devotions will be held as follows:

August 10.  The Flight into Egypt, homilist Fr. Don Lomasiewicz.
August 17.  The Loss of Jesus in the Temple, Fr. Steven Cron.
August 24.  The Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross, Fr. Bill Edens.
August 31.  The Crucifixion, Fr. Larry King
September 7.  Mary Receives the Body of Jesus.
September 14.  The Burial of Jesus, Fr. Stephen Dudek.

Keep in mind that only those parishes that display the Seven Sorrows icons are eligible to conduct these devotions.

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.

Help Suppport Our Seminarians and Priests.  Bishop Walkowiak Wants Your Feedback.

Please note that the Diocese of Grand Rapids will be conducting a feasibility study throughout July and August, and Bishop Walkowiak would like to hear from you.  The study will seek feedback on a potential diocesan-wide campaign to support our seminarians and priests.  A high level of responses from Catholics throughout West Michigan is needed to aid the Bishop on making an informed decision on whether to move forward.

Potential campaign goals include investing in the education of our growing number of seminarians, supporting specialized education for our priests, and funding the Priest Retirement Fund.  The Steier Group, a Catholic development and fundraising firm, has been hired to conduct the study.  A final recommendation on the viability of the campaign will be made in the early fall.

Visit dioceseofgrandrapids.org for additional details on how you can participate.  Stay tuned to your church bulletins throughout the study for regular updates.

Pray for Our Seminarians.  

Our current number is 23, which presents a challenge to us as Serrans:  how to help fund their education.  One of the very interesting things about this list is that it contains two sets of brothers. Jacob E. Beers and William L. Beers, sons of Robert II and Kristina Beers.  Their home parish is St. Michael Parish, Remus, Michigan,  Deacon Robert C. Mulderink and Luke F. Mulderink, sons of Robert and Kathryn Mulderink.  Their home parish is St. Luke University, Allendale.  Other seminarians are Cody J. Armock, Deacon Andrew M. Ayers, Nicholas R. Baker, David J. Bridge, Dominic T. Couterior, David Dinh, Mitchell E. Dietrich, Maxim T. Ferrell, Deacon Michael J. Gordon, David A. Jameson, Jonathan W. Johnson, Andre W. Klaes, Jake A. Kreuger, Daniel R. Orris, Jr. Eric B. Rewa, David J. Sachs, Noah I. Thelen, Logan C. Weber, and Jacob M. Zemaitis.  Pray for each of these seminarians by name.  Visit the dioceseofgrandrapids.org home page for further information.


New Member Orientation.

Keep in mind that the Serra New Member Orientation is available online. Go to serraus.org to find the 35-minute webinar.  This information is good for all of us to review, especially if we are inviting potential new members to join the club.

What We Can Do Every Day to Boost Our Serran Ministry.

In the June issue of Serran Magazine, Fr. Vincent De Rosa, Chaplain of the Serra Club of Downtown Washington, D. C. suggests the following:

*Make a promise to St. Junipero Serra to devote a manageable number of hours to Serra work each week.  After a few months, review in prayer with Our Father and see if He prompts you to do more.
*Read passages from a biography of St. Junipero Serra as part of your daily prayers.
*Explore Franciscan teachings that were essential to St. Junipero's spiritual life.
*Before embarking on any Serra related work, take a moment to reflect on the deeper reasons why you are doing it.
*Consider conducting more Serra functions at home.

The entire June 2018 issue of the magazine can be downloaded at serraus.org.

A Message from Our President.

We are going to begin meeting at the Catholic Information Center (CIC) located at Cathedral Square at the intersection of South Division and Wealthy Streets.  We will begin meeting at that location at 12 Noon on August 13 and continue meeting there on our usual days of the month, that is the second and fourth Monday of each month.  We will meet on the second floor in one of the classrooms.  We will provide a light lunch and drinks.  There is both covered and uncovered parking available a few feet from the main entrance of the CIC.  Hope to see all of you there.

(Please RSVP to Weldon or Nancy regarding the 13th).

Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us.

Weldon Schwartz

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, July 2018

BEFORE WE GET STARTED, WE WOULD LIKE TO MENTION SEVERAL ITEMS OF IMPORTANCE.

1)  WE NEED HELP FINDING OUR TRAVELING CHALICE WHICH NATE AND PAM MCKENZIE DONATED TO THE CLUB SEVERAL YEARS AGO.  PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHALICE OR ANY IDEAS AS TO WHERE IT MIGHT BE, PLEASE LET US KNOW.

2)  THERE ARE STILL SPOTS AVAILABLE ON THE MUSKEGON/GRAND RAPIDS BUS PILGRIMAGE TO DETROIT ON FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2018.  MUSKEGON AREA PARISHES ARE HOSTING A DAY TRIP TO DETROIT TO VISIT THE HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER,  THE SOLANUS CASEY CENTER, AND GREEKTOWN.  COST IS $100 PER PERSON.  ACCEPT CASH OR CHECKS MADE OUT TO FR. PHIL LEGACY PROJECT.  GRAND RAPIDS FOLKS WILL BE PICKED UP AT 8:15 A.M. AT THE CASCADE MEIJER STORE AT 5531-28TH ST. SE ( CORNER OF KRAFT AND 28TH STREET S.E.) AT THE ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATION.  DROPOFF ON THE WAY HOME WILL BE THERE AS WELL.  COST INCLUDES MOTOR COACH AND ADMISSION FEES.  MEALS ARE EXTRA.  FOR MORE INFORMATION AND /OR TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT, CALL MARY JO TRENTER AT 231-329-2918 OR CHRISTINE AMANTE AT 231-206-4844.  CHRISTINE'S ADDRESS IS 5036 DAVIS ROAD, NORTON SHORES, MI 40441 FOR MAILING CHECKS.  SO FAR JOHN AND ELLEN OSTERHART AND WELDON AND KAREN SCHWARTZ ARE ATTENDING FROM GRAND RAPIDS.

3)  PLEASE NOTE THE OPENING OF A SPECIAL EXHIBIT AT THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM ON JULY 21, 2108 CALLED, "RALPH W. HAUENSTEIN:  A LIFE OF LEADERSHIP."  ESPECIALLY THOSE NEW TO THE CLUB WILL BE ABLE TO LEARN ABOUT  RALPH HAUENSTEIN, OUR GRAND RAPIDS CLUB'S FOUNDER AND PHILANTHROPIST.  SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.  ALSO, VISIT SERRAUS.ORG FOR A LINK TO A VIDEO, AN ORIENTATION FOR NEW MEMBERS.  LONG-TIME MEMBERS ALSO COULD BENEFIT FROM THE INFORMATIN AS TO HOW TO INFORM NEW AND PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS ABOUT SERRA AND ITS MISSION.

4)  IT'S TIME TO REVIEW THE LIFE OUR PATRON, ST. JUNIPERO SERRA.  SEE BELOW AN ACCOUNT OF AN IN-DEPTH ARTICLE BY FATHER JOSEPH CINNICI. OFM, HISTORIAN AND PRESIDENT EMERITUS.OF THE FRANCISCAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AT OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

Calendar of Events.

July 9, 2018.  Luncheon meeting and speakers, 12:00 Noon at Ss. Peter and Paul.  Speakers will be John Osterhart, Dan Grady, and Dennis Leiber, who will tell us about the recent Serra International Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.....
July 21, 2018.  Opening of the special Ralph Hauenstein exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW.  There is a parking ramp at the museum.  Interactives will allow visitors to test out writing a headline for the newspaper on an antique typewriter and try their hand at writing a secret code.  Hauenstein was a leader in the West Michigan community, remembered for his role as a journalist, a member of the military and intelligence service under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, dedication to the Catholic faith, and his entrepreneurship and philanthropy in Grand Rapids.  The exhibit will run through January, 2019.
July 23, 2018.  Board Meeting and luncheon, 12:00 noon at Ss. Peter and Paul.

Priests' Anniversaries for July.

Fr. Raymond Bruck, July20, 1958.
Fr. Larry King, July 8, 1989.

What West Michigan Leaders Have Said about WW II Hero Ralph Hauenstein, who passed away at age 103 on January 10, 2016.

Bishop David J. Walkowiak of the Diocese of Grand Rapids:

I am saddened to learn of Mr. Hauenstein's passing.  For more than a century, he had profound impact upon our Catholic Church both locally and internationally.  He was an active layman, working as an auditor at the Second Vatican Council.  In West Michigan, Mr. Hauenstein founded the Grand Rapids Serra Club, helping to provide support for men who are interested in pursuing the priesthood.  He was a longtime member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, which supports the Christian presence on the Holy Land.   In 2013, he was awarded with the Silver Palm of Jerusalem for his extraordinary service to the Order.  Mr. Hauenstein is an inspiration to us all as someone who lived and practiced his Catholic faith...

Gleaves Whitney, director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University:

Ralph Hauenstein's life of leadership and service inspires everything that we do at the Hauenstein Center.  He was active in our programs, strategic vision and with our students' development.  Ralph had the gift of friendship.  He was an effective, ethical leader in every endeavor he undertook.  In an age that fixates on celebrity, Ralph was a true hero, the real deal.  He always stressed ethics, integrity, and service to others.  He was a dear friend, and we will miss our mentor deeply.

Grand Valley President Thomas J. Haas:

Ralph Hauenstein was an etraordinary individual.  He was a man of great honor, great integrity, and all who knew him feel it was a privilege.  His presence in our lives an din this community will be sorely missed.


Phil McCorkle, former president and CEO of Saint Mary's Health Care (Now Mercy Health of St. Mary's):

Ralph not only gave his money, but he convinced others to support St. Mary's.  We would't have this nationally acclaimed neuroscience program without Ralph's support. It was Ralph's style, it was his sensitivity, it was his respect in this community that made it happen.

Michelle Rabideau, President of the Saint Mary's Foundation:

People loved to see him.  I think he was so proud, but he also simply loved walking through and thanking people.  It was very personal for him.  He wanted to get to know the physicians and nurses and staff members at St. Mary's.  He wanted to inspire them to greatness.  Who better to do that than Ralph Hauenstein.

For our new members to learn about, and for our long-term members to review as we think of this great man.

"Walk with Saint Junipero Serra as he traces our Lord's footsteps in search of workers for the vineyard."

A Franciscan missionary, St. Junipero Serra is well known as the 18th century founder of a string of California missions.  Like St. Serra, the Serrans of today put faith into action,  whether through meetings, vocational programs, or personal involvement in school, parish and diocesan activities, Serrans accept the challenge of fostering vocations and encouraging spiritual growth.

Let Serra inspire us to nurture vocations and become missionaries ourselves as we work for vocations.  The USA Council Program Committee invites you to carry out this program of renewal by which all Serrns recommit themselves to furthering Serra International's principles and activities.

If you want to know more about our patron, please read the in-depth article, "Missionary Disciple:  The Spirituality of Saint Junipero Serra," by Father Joseph Cinnici, OFM, historian and President Emeritus of the Franciscan School of Theology at Oceanside, California.  Find the link to this article at serraus.org.

A Message from our President:

We continue to search for other places to hold our twice a month meetings.  As you know, every place has its own pluses and minuses.  I am currently having discussions with staff at the Catholic Information Center and the Cathedral of St. Andrew.  I will have more information available to discuss at our next meeting July 9 at Ss. Peter and Paul.

Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, July 2018

ul.