Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, January 2019

Calendar of Events.

January 14, 2019.  Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at Cathedral Square.  Our January speaker will be Fr. Michael Hennessey, CSP, Associate Pastor of the Cathedral of St. Andrew.
January 17-20, 2019.  Serra Rally, Ventura, California.  A three-day tour of the California Missions will follow for those who wish to stay after the rally.  Weldon and Karen Schwartz and John and Ellen Osterhart will participate in the tour.
January 28, 2019.  There will be NO Board Meeting on January 28.  Weldon and John both attended the late Mass at the Cathedral yesterday and they agreed not to schedule  the board meeting on that date.  Both will be attending the Serra Rally in California, followed by the Mission tour.

Other Important January Dates.  

January 1, 2019.  Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.  New Year's Day.  Holy Day of Obligation.
January 2, St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen.
January 3, 2019.  The Most Holy Name of Jesus.
January 4, 2019.  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
January 5, 2019.  St. John Neumann, Bishop.
January 6, 2019.  The Epiphany of the Lord.
January 7, 2019.  St. Raymond of Penafort.
January 13, 2019.  The Baptism of the Lord.......
January 17, 2019.  St. Anthony Abbot.
January 21, 2019.  St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr.
January 22, 2019.  Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn.
January 24, 2019.  St. Frances De Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.
January 25, 2019.  The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle.
January 26, 2019.  Sts. Timothy and Titus, Bishops.
January 28, 2019.  St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church.
January 31, 2019.  St. John Bosco, Priest.

Spend time in 2019 by learning more about each of the Saints on his or her Holy Day.
Also, Mario Biscardi, President of Serra International 2018-19, reminds us:
Membership in Serra is everybody's business.  Every Serran is to recruit 1 new Serran in 2019.
He also suggests that every Serra District is to charter one new Serra Club in 2019.
Please download and review the membership materials from serrainternational.org or serraus.org.

Christmas Message from Serra International President Mario Biscardi.

Saturday, December 22, 2018.

Advent season is a very joyful time for us to prepare ourselves to celebrate the real reason for the season, namely, the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  We cannot help but remain totally awed and humbled by the realization that God so loved us that He assumed human form so that He could be close to us.  Not only that; he chose to come to us in the form of a baby,  completely defenseless and vulnerable, born in a strange place where to our knowledge had no family or friends or other tangible means of support. Imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt after a lengthy journey from Nazarath to Bethlehem.  As the Son of God, Baby Jesus could have been born in a place that exceeded the splendor of all of the wonders on earth, but yet He chose a bed of straw in a manger, in a stable with animals inside.  Truly, this was far from the expectations that the people in Israel held for their Messiah...

(During this Christmas season) let us thank the Lord for the gift of life, the gift of family, the gift of Serra, and most of all the gift of our Catholic faith, the most wondrous of all gifts by which we have the means of achieving eternal life with Him in heaven.

It is in being true to our Catholic Faith that we can meaningfully give thanks to our Good Lord for all of the gifts that He has bestowed upon us, for which we were created but for which we are unworthy, were it not for the graces that come to us through being true to our Catholic Faith and through being of faithful service to His Church.  It is, after all, the only true gift that we can give to Him, namely being His true disciples here on earth.

May our daily reflection and meditation of the first Christmas lead us to our ultimate goal of being found worthy of life with Him for all eternity in heaven when our day is done, along with our loved ones.

May the true joy of Christmas remain within us each and every day of our lives, and may we magnify that joy to all around us!

Blessings for a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year to all!

The Serra Foundation.

As we end 2018 and look forward to 2019, we are reminded to look to the Serra Foundation as we allocate our gifts to charitable organizations.  On December 28, John Liston wrote, "How Far Do Your Donations Go?"

In Cameroon, 25 Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis were trained to perform community outreach and evangalization from a grant awarded by the Serra International Foundation last year.  When you donate to the Serra International Foundation, your dollars can travel as far as India, Uganda, Australia, Mexico, the United States, and Canada to touch the lives of people discerning and living their religious vocations.  If you are considering a donation, there is one day left to prayerfully consider making a generous donation to the Serra Foundation.  If you missed out on 2018, you may, of course, consider 2019.  Follow the link to Support the Serra International Foundation.  Try johnliston@serrainternational.org/http://www.serrainternational.org.

Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament for Vocations.

O God, Our Father, You have called us to Baptism, to follow Your Son through lives of living service to You and to one another.

Grant us Your assistance as we seek to live out our vocation in life.

We pray especially for those who have answered Your call as priests, brothers, sisters, and deacons.

Keep them faithful in following Your Son, and dedicated in serving You, in their brothers and sisters.

Grant that many more men and women will be open to the challenge of dedicating their lives in the ministry of building Your Kingdom.

Jesus, High priest and Redeemer, we ask You to call men and women to Your service as priests and religious.

May they be inspired by the lives of dedicated priests, brothers, and sisters.

Holy Spirit, give to parents the grace of generosity and trust toward You and their Child, so that their sons and daughters may be helped to choose their vocation in life with wisdom and freedom.

We ask all of this through Christ, Our Lord.  Amen

From www.serrainternational.org

Bus Trip to St. John Vianney Seminary, St. Paul, Minnessota.

Please note Fr. Stephen Durkee's article in the latest issue of Faith Magazine about the annual bus trip to St. John Vianney Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Viannney Visit provides men ages 16-24 the opportunity to take a closer look at the priesthood by experiencing a few days in the life of a seminarian at St. John Vianney College Seminary.  Transportation, accommodations, and meals are provided free of cost.  According to Fr. Durkee, the trip bears much fruit in helping prospective priests to discern their vocations.  Supporting this trip with our prayers is still another way to fulfill our Serra mission.

From Our President.  

Weldon is looking for a replacement.  If you feel called to fill this position, please step forward.
Let us thank Weldon for arranging our Christmas party and for all he has done for our club in the past.

Adoration:  IHM 24/5, 5412.
St. Isidore, 24/7.  Find out the code by calling the office at 616-459-4731.

What doth the Lord require of thee, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Micah 6:8.

Grand Rapids Serra Club Newsletter, December 2018

December Dates To Remember and
Calendar of Events

The main date for our club during December is the Christmas Dinner on December 10, 2018 at the University Club.  Social Time begins at 5:30 p.m.  Dinner will be served at 6:00.  Please help Weldon keep track of numbers.  If you have not already reported to him, please do so ASAP.  Call him at 401-0227.  In accordance with our commitment to increase membership during 2019, please invite prospective guests who you think would be good Serrans, committed to pray for, foster, and promote priestly and religious vocations.  Thank you, Weldon, for your work in getting this event organized.


Other December Dates.

December 6, 2018.  Feast of St. Nicholas.
December 8, 2018.  Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
December 25, 2018.  The Nativity of the Lord.  Holy Day of Obligation.
December 30, 2018.  Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Celebrate Advent With Serra.

Serra International President John Liston invites you to sign up for Serra's daily Advent Reflections at jliston@serrainternational.org

Dear Serrans:

Joyful Advent greetings to Serrans one and all.

As in previous years, we are happy to present to you our Advent calendar.  This year, in the spirit of anticipation and delight, we would like to offer the calendar via e-mail.

25 Days of Serra Treasure:  What is Serra Treasure?  These are tips, resources, historical facts and other goodies you may not already know about.  They can be used to strengthen your club and give you greater resolve to fulfill our vocational mission.

In addition to Serra Treasures of the day, we will offer you a different prayer for vocations daily.  That's 25 chances to add another vocation prayer to your collection.

If you would like to receive the daily message, send John an e-mail.  Thank you, John, for all you do for Serra.

Upcoming Dates in January.  

January 8, 2019.  Membership Conference Call, 7:20-8:20 p.m.   Dial in with 641-715-0700.  Access code 936393.
January 10, 2019.  Alternative Date.  Same time, same place.
January 14, 2019.  Luncheon Meeting and Speaker, 12:00 Noon at Cathedral Square.  Speaker will be Fr. Michael Hennessey, Assistant Pastor of the Cathedral of St. Andrew.
January 17-20, 2019.  Serra Rally, Ventura, California, followed by the Serra Mission bus tour led by Father Jim Heyd.

Priests' Anniversaries for December.

Reverend Charles Dautremont, December 18, 1960.
Reverend Norbert Leyrita, December 21, 1963.
Msgr. John F. Porter, December 15, 1953.
Reverend Julian Reginato, December 19, 1964.

Who is Father Jim Heyd?

Ordained a priest in 1989, Fr. James F. Heyd is a member of the Archdiocese of Chicago.  He considers the presence of Serra International in Chicago to be a blessing.  As a 1985 graduate of Notre Dame with a major in history,  he is well prepared to appreciate the life, legacy, and meaning of the newly-canonized Fray Junipero Serra and the California missions.  Fr. Jim played a role in the Tricentenary of the birth of Fray Serra (1713-2013). and has participated in Serra Conventions over the last decade.  Fr. Jim has traveled throughout Mallorca, Mexico, and California to learn and understand Fray Junipero Serra.  Fr. Jim sees him as one of the pivotal mission disciples of the evangelization of the Americas, a staunch defender of human dignity, and a learned and saintly man.  At present, Fr. Jim is studying the role of pilgrimage in the spiritual and cultural development of Western Civilization.  Let us pray for our Grand Rapids pilgrims Weldon and Karen Schwartz and John and Ellen Osterhart as they participate in this 2019 pilgrimage.

Who is St. Nicholas, Santa Claus and Father Christmas?

St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century in a place called Myra in Asia Minor, now called Turkey.  He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him with a lot of money.  He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people in need.  There are several legends about St. Nicholas, although we don't know if any of them are true!

The most famous story about St. Nicholas tells how the custom of hanging up stockings to put up presents first started.  It goes like this:

There was a poor man who had three daughters.  The man was so poor that he did not have the money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get married.  One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house.  (This meant that the oldest daughter could get married.  The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry.  This was repeated later with the second daughter.  Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold.  Nicholas begged the man not to tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself.  But soon the news got out, and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from St. Nicholas.

Because of his kindness, Nicholas was made a Saint.  St. Nicholas is not only the patron saint of children but also of sailors.  One story tells of him helping some sailors that were caught in a dreadful storm off the coast of Turkey.  The storm was raging around them and all the men were terrified that their ship would sink beneath the great waves.  They prayed to St. Nicholas to help them.  Suddenly, he was standing on the deck before them.  He ordered the sea to be calm, the storm died away, and they were able to sail their ship safely to port.

St. Nicholas was exiled from Myra and later put in prison during persecution by the Emperor Diocletian.  No one really knows when he died, but it was on the 6th of December in either 345 or 352.  In 1087, his bones were stolen from Turkey by some Italian merchant sailors.  The bones are now kept in the church named after him in the Italian port of Bari.  On St. Nicholas feast day (6th of December) the sailors of Bari still carry his statue from the Cathedral out to the sea, so that he can bless the waters and so give them safe voyages throughout the year.

In 1066, before he set sail to England, William the Conqueror prayed to St. Nicholas asking that his conquest would go well.

Priests and Seminarians Need Our Special Prayers.  

In these times, please pray in a special way for our priests and seminarians.  See Fr. Ron's column in the December edition of Faith Magazine.

Adoration.

Adoration 24-7 is available at St. Isidor's, Code 513, and at IHM 24-5, Code 5412.

Do you feel called to Serve?

Weldon Schwartz is asking for a replacement for him as our President.  Also, we have various officers' positions available.

Isaiah's Prophecy for Our Lord and Savior:

But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.  
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
A spirit of wisdom and understanding,
A spirit of counsel and strength,
A spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord,
and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.

We wish all of you a Blessed Christmas Season.  
Let us celebrate with one another at the Christmas Dinner at the University Club on December 10.
Invite guests to this event if you can.