August 26, 2019. 12:05 p.m. The August 26 meeting which we had scheduled for a joint session with members from the Muskegon Club was cancelled because of a power outage at Cathedral Square. Weldon donated the food to God's Kitchen. We will keep you posted as to a reschedule. We were planning to discuss some of the activities which the two clubs could do together.
September 9, 2019. Luncheon meeting and speaker, 12:00 p.m. at Cathedral Square. September 9, 2019 Our speaker will be Daniel Orris, a transitional deacon who will be ordained a priest next summer. He was scheduled for August but when he realized that he had double booked himself for that day and rescheduled for September.
September 17, 2019, All parish musicians of the diocese are invited to Mass with a blessing of renewal and recommitment to their ministry, 6:30 p.m. St. Andrews Cathedral. All pastors, deacons, music directors, instrumentalists, cantors, choir members and staff associated with liturgical music are welcome. A reception on Piazza Secchia will be held afterward.
September 19, 2019. Right to Life Annual Fall Dinner 6:30 p.m. Note a change in the usual location. The dinner will be held at Thousand Oaks Golf Club, 4100 Thousand Oaks Drive, Grand Rapids, MI 49525. Register online at www.helppregnancy.org/events The speaker will be Father Frank Pavone-Priests for Life.
September 23, 2019. Mass, Board Meeting and luncheon, 12:05 p.m.at the Cathedral, followed by the Board meeting and luncheon at Cathedral Square.
September 28, 2019. Parish Ministry and Catechetical Conference: Open Wide Our Hearts, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 P.M. at West Catholic High School, 1801 Bristol Avenue NW.
Keynote address will be given by Mike Patin, speaker and faith horticulturist. More than thirty workshops will be offered along with day-long institutes on the topics of Scripture with Deacon Lucas and Catechesis with Jared Dees. Bishop Walkowiak will celebrate Mass at noon.
We sadly note the passing of Dr. Laurence Burns. Dr. Burns passed away on August 19. He was an accomplished person who contributed much to our society. I, for one, had noted earlier that he and Marion had not been attending meetings of late, but I had no idea that he was very ill. If you wish to send a card to Marion and her family. If you wish to send a card, you may get the address from the diocese. Contributions in his honor may be sent to Grand Rapids Right to Life or to St. Stephen Church and School.
Also, Weldon has received a letter of resignation from Sara Vander Werff. She has taken a new job and will be moving out of state. We appreciate her service to the club, both as a member and a board member. We will miss her, but we congratulate her
Priests' Anniversaries for September.
Fr. Loc Trinh and Fr. Ron Hutchinson.
Priesthood Sunday. Priesthood Sunday is coming up on September 29, 2019. It is a special day set aside to honor priesthood in the United States. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the Church as a central one. Compared to the other national and world vocations celebrations, Priesthood Sunday is a more personal one for parishes and organizations with a chaplain, who cultivate close working relationships with their priests and therefore could benefit from a special day to express their gratitude. Starting in 2019, Priesthood Sunday was moved from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday of September, to allow it to better stand on its own apart from National Vocations Awareness Week. All the resources you need to plan this and the other three vocations awareness weeks are available at www.serraspark.org. Choose Tool #11.
Membership. The August, 2019 issue of the Serran features membership in several of the articles.
Mario Biscardi, Past President of Serra International, concludes the issue with Just Do It! Overcoming Inertia to achieve your membership goals. Download the issue from the Serra website if you do not receive it in the mail. Download it and read it and begin implementing the suggestions you see there. If you cannot find it, just let me know and I will print it out and give it to you at our next meeting.
Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with your God!
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!
