Vol. 63 No. 1 | September 2016 Setherr an · daily celebration of the Eucharist and an active con -...

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Vol. 63 No. 1 | September 2016

“A highlight of the Catholic Church”Saint Louis Convention kicks off the Serra year in high style

2 the Serran | Vol. 62 No. 1

The Serran CalendarSept. 24, 2016International Rosary for Vocations Call

Oct. 29, 2016International Rosary for Vocations Call

Oct. 30, 2016Priesthood Sunday

Nov. 6-12, 2016National Vocations Awareness Week

Nov. 26, 2016International Rosary for Vocations Call

Dec. 31, 2016International Rosary for Vocations Call

Feb. 5, 2017World Day for Consecrated Life

SAVE THE DATE:The Serra Rally, Houston, TXFeb. 16-19, 2017Phoenix, Arizona, USA

June 22 - June 25, 2017

2017 Serra International Convention, Rome, Italy

“We must be focused on building a stronger culture of vocations in each of our local dioceses tohelp each Catholic realize that we all have a responsibility to invite young people to consider ifGod is calling them to the priesthood or consecrated life. This is the work of Serra!

—Most Reverend Robert Carlson, Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri, USA

In This Issue:3 Homily from Serra International Convention Opening Mass

by Most Rev. Robert Carlson, Archbishop of Saint Louis

5 The State of Serraby Serra International Past President Timothy O’Neill

6 Serra’s 74th International Convention RecapPhotos by Wayne Mikols

10 Introducing Serra International’s 2016-2017 Executive Board

13 The Year Aheadby Serra International President Dante Vannini

14 Key to Success in Serra: Actionby USA Council President Greg Schwietz

16 Responding to Our Call to Holiness Year-RoundLiturgical calendar annotated with club program suggestions

18 Understanding Changes in Serraby Serra International Executive Director John Liston

20 The Serran Time Capsule 1960: “Informed in Divine Truth and Conforming to It” by Ralph Hauenstein

22 A Serran “Buried Treaure”Spiritual benefits for all Serrans, 54 times a year (at least)

24 “Come and See” in Salem, IndiaFoundation makes vocations program possible

26 The Serran Mission in ActionClub activities from around the world

ON OUR COVER:The iconic Gateway Arch rises behind the

Old Cathedral Saint Louis, the oldest build-ing in the city. Serrans gathered here forMass on Junípero Serra’s Feast Day dur-

ing the international convention.Photo by Wayne Mikols.

The Serran magazine is the official publication of Serra International. It is published electronically threetimes a year and printed once annually. Views expressed in this publication may not reflect the views ofthe Board. Send letters or manuscripts to [email protected]. The Serran does not ac-cept advertising.

The Serran editor: Anne McCormackSerra International Executive Director: John Liston333 W Wacker Drive, Suite 500 Chicago, IL 60606

www.serrainternational.org

3the Serran | Vol. 63 No. 1

Not worthy, but stilled calledHomily by Most Rev. Robert Carlson, Archbishop of Saint LouisOpening Mass of Serra’s 74th International Convention

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to sendout laborers into the harvest” (Matthew 9:36-38).The work of encouraging and supporting vo-

cations finds great inspiration in this passage fromMatthew, and those other places in the scriptureswhere Jesus calls his disciples to follow him and trainsthem with love and care. Indeed, a vocation is alwayssituated in the context of Jesus’ love for us.

Jesus also tells us, in this passage, how to dealwith the need for new and worthy vocations: Pray!God’s voice inviting us to love him is heard in the peo-ple and events around us, but especially in prayer.

Pope Benedict XVI put it this way: “Voca-tions to the ministerial priesthood and to the conse-crated life are first and foremost the fruit of constantcontact with the living God and insistent prayer liftedup to the ‘Lord of the harvest.’”

We should especially pray that there will notbe a lack of vocations —- good shepherds who willbe able to equip others with the necessary means ofsanctification.

At the beginning of his public life, the Lordcalled the 12 apostles. St. Theresa, the Little Flower,wrote in her journal: “Jesus called those he wanted, notthose who were worthy.” This came in handy when I

The convention’s opening Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louiswas celebrated by Most Reverend Robert Carlson, Archbishop of SaintLouis, on June 30, 2016. Photo by Wayne Mikols.

4 the Serran | Vol. 63 No.1

was the vocation director and a young man told me hewould go home and pray about it to see if he was wor-thy. I told him I would save him the time—-he wasn’t.

Pope Benedict said, “It is a challenging anduplifting invitation that Jesus addresses to those towhom he says: ‘Follow me!’ He invites them to be-come his friends, to listen attentively to his word andto live with him. He teaches them complete commit-ment to God to the extension of his Kingdom in ac-cordance with the Gospel: “Unless a grain of wheatfalls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if itdies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).

In two of the dioceses in which I served asbishop, I appointed myself the vocation director. I be-lieve that the bishop has to take a special interest invocations to the priesthood and consecrated life ifthey are going to flourish. And actually this has to gobeyond his concern for the local dioceses and find ex-pression in missionary vocations as well.

When a candidate comes forward to test hisvocational call, the role of the bishop as outlined inPastores Dabo Vobis, 3 is clear: to help them be well-formed and holy priests. If the bishop himself offerswitness to an active spiritual life and the need to growin personal holiness, then he can effectively accom-pany those men who have heard the call and are nowresponding to the Lord. This demands that the bishophimself have a daily hour of prayer, frequent confes-sion, a monthly meeting with his spiritual director,

daily celebration of the Eucharist and an active con-cern for the poor.

My role is one of spiritual father as I offer myseminarians the gift of “attentive listening” anchoredin my own prayer and discernment. I invite them toopen themselves to the love that the Father —- theone Jesus calls “Abba Father” —- has for them and Ishare my experience of the Father’s love for me. Myconcern as a bishop for the seminarian is “an awak-ened heart” that yearns for the love of the Father (Pa-stores Dabo Vobis, 12).

We need good, holy priests and dedicatedmen and women committed to the consecrated life tohelp build the Kingdom of God here and now. There-fore, we must be focused on building a stronger cul-ture of vocations in each of our local dioceses to helpeach Catholic realize that we all have a responsibilityto invite young people to consider if God is callingthem to the priesthood or consecrated life. This is thework of Serra!

The Lord has his plan for each of us; he callseach one of us by name. Our task is to be listeners,capable of perceiving his call, to be courageous andfaithful, so that we may follow him, and in the end befound as trustworthy servants who have used well thegifts entrusted to us.%

This is the work of Serra:

Building a stronger culture of vocations in eachof our local dioceses to help each Catholic realizethat we all have a responsibility to invite youngpeople to consider if God is calling them to thepriesthood or consecrated life.

—- Archbishop Robert Carlson


The State of SerraPresident O’Neill reflects on a year of progress and celebration

Last July, over 10,000 miles away in Melbourne,Australia, I began my journey as your presi-dent. Because of the distance and timing, mem-

bers of my family were not able to attend, but todaythey are with me here as they have been for over 28years. I talk about this Serra journey being a familyaffair, because without their support and participationI may not have been able to stand here before youtoday.

My goals for the year seemed very attainableand included things we could do together, like prayingthe monthly worldwide Rosary for vocations; thingsthe administration could do for us, such as the Lentendaily reflections; something that needed to be doneby all of us: an annual membership drive; somethingoverdue: to bring our Constitution and Bylaws up todate; and above all, do what we do best, and that isto celebrate. This has been a year of celebration forthe elevation of Fr. Junípero Serra to sainthood. Thecanonization of St. Serra in Washington, D.C., wasattended by Serrans from all over the world. By thetime Pope Francis started the Canonization Mass,about 100 of these Serrans were blessed to obtain tick-ets for this glorious occasion.

Celebrations in our clubs were to take place

throughout the year. In my own area of Omaha, Serraclubs from Nebraska and Iowa came together for acelebration Mass with Archbishop George Lucas andArchbishop Emeritus Elden Francis Curtiss. An iconof St. Serra was presented to the archbishops.

Following the canonization, several Serranstraveled to Philadelphia for the World Conference forFamilies. Serra International shared a display boothwith the National Conference of Diocesan VocationDirectors, trying our best to spread the Serra wordand moving forward as a family of our own to evan-gelize the mission of Serra.

Serrans like Affonso Iannone of Brazil andRuben Gallegos of Texas have been spreading theword of Serra for years. Through their efforts, we areworking on forming a Spanish-speaking council inSouth America. John Liston and I attended a regionalconvention in Villarrica, Paraguay. The enthusiasmfor our mission was very evident during our stay. Theinfluence of the family was very important to manywho attended the convention with their families. Anew club was chartered. Over and over, we heard,“The foundation for vocations is the family.”

One of our keynote speakers was Bishop

Continued on page 12

Immediate Past President ofSerra International TimothyO’Neill delivers his “State ofSerra” speech on July 1, 2016, atthe Saint Louis convention.

“Best convention in years”Saint Louis Serrans pull out all the stops

Over 350 Serrans from nine countries attended the SerraInternational convention in St. Louis at the end ofJune and beginning of July, and thanks to the excellent

work of Convention Chair Ann Moloney and her ConventionCommittee, convention-goers called this "the best conventionin years," and said one it "reminds me of conventions in Serra'sgolden years."

The Saint Louis convention was perfectly placed in themiddle of downtown Saint Louis, allowing Serrans to enjoy funand spirituality just steps from Busch Stadium, the GatewayArch monument, and Old Cathedral Saint Louis (the oldestcathedral west of the Mississippi River and the oldest buildingin Saint Louis).

Convention attendees enjoyed a fabulous array of talksfrom first-class speakers, including an inspirational presentationfrom Serra favorite Father Brett Brannen, and a powerful callto action for Serran humility and courage from Most ReverendEdward Matthew Rice. Newly installed Serra InternationalPresident Dante Vannini also delivered his "The Year Ahead"message.

Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, O.P., said: "Nowords are adequate -- I am filled with gratitude. What WON-DERFUL people -- truly a highlight in the Catholic Church!Honestly, it was all so uplifting, fun, and full of wonderful en-counters in the Holy Spirit and Mother Mary!” %


TOP: “Serra Night at the Ballpark” filled Busch Stadium with Serransand religious for a battle between the St. Louis Cardinals and KansasCity Royals. TOP RIGHT: Opening Mass was held at the Old CathedralSaint Louis. MIDDLE: Most. Rev. Nicolas Djomo, Bishop of Thsumbe, cel-ebrated the Closing Mass. BOTTOM: A panel of seminarians discussedissues facing today’s priests with Sr. Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, O.P.

the Serran | Vol. 63 No. 1 7

Serrans marveled at the breathtaking Cathedral Basil-ica of Saint Louis (ABOVE and RIGHT), whose interiorhouses more mosaics than any building in the world.BELOW: Most Rev. George J. Lucas, Archbishop ofOmaha, Nebraska, graciously posed for photos afterhis Mass on Saint Junípero’s Feast Day at the OldCathedral. Here he is with Serrans from Nigeria. BOTTOM: USA Council President-Elect Judy Cozzens(left) goes undercover next to the real deal, Sr. JosephAndrew Bogdanowicz, O.P.

RIGHT: Wichita Serrans George andVi Schuckman attended with theirson, Fr. Kenneth Schuckman.BELOW: The convention vendor andexhibit hall attracted many visitors.


Clubs who donated to the Serra Interna-tional Foundation were honored at a spe-cial convention luncheon. Clubrepresentatives were presented withawards (pictured above).

Majorca Award Winner ($10,000+)& Siempre Adelante Award Winnerfor the largest gift to the FoundationBismarck-Mandan, ND, U.S.A

Carmel Award Winners ($5,000-9,999)

Northwest Hennepin, MN, U.S.A.St. Louis, MO, U.S.A.

Padre Award Winners ($3,000-4,999)Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.Green Bay, WI, U.S.A.

Green Bay East, WI, U.S.A.Houston, TX, U.S.A.

Lake Charles, LA, U.S.A.Portland, OR, U.S.A.Reading, PA, U.S.A.

West Omaha, NE, U.S.A.

Mission Award Winners ($2,000-2,999)

Arlington, VA, U.S.A.Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.Beaumont, TX, U.S.A.

Corpus Christi, TX, U.S.A.DuPage County, IL, U.S.A.

Lima, OH, U.S.A.Memphis, TN, U.S.A.

Metropolitan Dallas, TX, U.S.A.Omaha, NE, U.S.A.

Philadephia, PA, U.S.A.Singapore

Southwest Metro Twin Cities, MN, U.S.A.Toledo, OH, U.S.A.Wichita, KS, U.S.A.

Banner Award Winners ($1,000-1,999)

Arlington-Metro, TX, U.S.A.Bangalore, India

Bay Area, CA, U.S.A.Boulder County, CO, U.S.A.

Bronx-Westchester County, NY, U.S.A.City of Orange, CA, U.S.A.Clarksburg, WV, U.S.A.

Colorado Springs, CO, U.S.A.Detroit-Oakland, MI, U.S.A.

Downtown Washington, D.C., U.S.A.Harlingen, TX, U.S.A.

Ibadan, NigeriaIndian River Area, FL, U.S.A.

Indianapolis, IN, U.S.A.Kansas City, MO, U.S.A.Melbourne, Australia

North-Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.Orange County, CA, U.S.A.

Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.South Bend, IN, U.S.A.Wheeling, WV, U.S.A.

Wichita-Metro, KS, U.S.A.Williamson County, TN, U.S.A.

James Madigan, Past Serra InternationalPresident and member of the Green BayEast Club (above center, pictured with im-mediate Serra International President TimO’Neill and Serra International ExecutiveDirector John Liston), became the secondperson in history to receive Serra's high-est honor: the Samuel Cardinal StritchSpirit of Serra Award. This award, namedafter Serra's first episcopal adviser, wasfirst given to Ralph Hauenstein (see p. 20for an article from this esteemed Serran).Mr. Madigan earned this award throughhis selfless service to vocations and Serra.For decades, he has been a guiding lightfor Serrans around the world, always will-ing to help when asked but never insistingthings be done "his way" -- despite thefact that "his way" and the right way areusually one and the same!


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Dante Vannini, President, was born inSiena, Italy. He and his wife, Niccoletta,have two daughters and three grand-children. He holds a degree in Mechan-ical Engineering from the TechnicalInstitute of Siena and a Masters in Lo-gistics from Eindhoven University, theNetherlands. He has worked as factory

manager for Phillips in New Delhi, India, a factorymanager for Whirlpool in Alexandria, Egypt, Directorof Logistics for Whirlpool Europe, and President ofElectichal Company. He joined Serra in 1994. Duringhis 20 years in Serra, he has been president of the SerraClub of Siena, ttrustee of the Serra Council for Italy,and trustee of the Junípero Serra Italy Foundation.

Daniel Jones, President-elect, grew upon a dairy farm in Snohomish, Wash-ington. Dan practiced physical therapyfor 38 years and was a founding partnerof Therapeutic Associates.When serving as co-chair of a com-

mitee to lead the building of a newchurch for his home parish in 1980,

Dan was invited to join Serra, and he did. His wife,Lynn, is an active partner with Dan in Serra. Dan hasserved in numerous VP offices of the Portland SerraClub as well as two separate terms as president, districtgovernor and regional director. On the United StatesCouncil of Serra International, he has served as chair-man and VP of Vocations, and president.

Dr. Ruben Gallegos, VP for Member-ship, worked in the agricultural fieldsof Texas, California, and Coloradofrom an early age. In 1970 he gradu-ated with Ph.D. from East Texas StateUniversity. He worked as a teacher, as-sistant principal, principal, and assistantsuperintendent in Brownsville. Also he

worked as assistant superintendent in Dallas and su-perintendent in Edinburg. He worked 33 years in thefield of education with the last nine years as universityprofessor. In 2001, Brownsville named a school the Dr.

Ruben Gallegos Elementary School for his contribu-tions in the field of education for children in migrant,bilingual, and multicultural educational programs.Since 1988, Dr. Gallegos has served as the CEO of aneducational agency. He joined Serra in 1993 and servedas club president, district governor, regional director,and board member of Serra's National Council for theUnited States and Serra International.

Bertha Rosa Acuña Hallatt, VP forCommunications, has Bachelor's de-grees in History and Psychology fromTexas Southmost College. She was agrant holder of the National Councilof Science and Technology for re-search on the “Theology of Liberation

and Charismatic Movements in Cuernavaca.” She hascoordinated the organization, classification and rescueof the colonial archives of the Cathedral of Cuer-navaca and presently she is working to preserve thecathedral’s historic library. She has been an activemember of the Serra Club of Cuernavaca, Mexico, for25 years as secretary, vice president of Communica-tions and club president, where she has enhanced therelationship of the club with the bishop and the semi-nary. She has lived in different countries, which hasgiven her a wide appreciation and understanding ofSerra’s diverse membership and the commitment wehave with the Lord to set an example as members ofthe Catholic Church.

Roberto Sobral Pinto Ribeiro, VP for Vocations,graduated in Economics from Brasilia University(UnB) in 1976 and earned a MSc. in Economics fromUniversity of São Paulo in 1978. He worked for Brazil-ian Securities and Exchange Commission from 1978-2013 as a market analyst, doing economic research,market surveillance and enforcement. He is now re-tired. He was an adjunct professor of Candido MendesUniversity, Rio de Janeiro, teaching Financial Systemsand Microeconomics from 1979-1983. Roberto joinedthe Serra Club of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil’s first club) in1983. He is a past club president, past district governor,and Brazilian Serra National Council member.

Introducing the 2016-2017Serra International Executive Board


Kurt Metyko, VP for Programs, ob-tained a Bachelor of Science degree inCivil Engineering from Notre DameUniversity in 1964. Following gradua-tion, he served on active duty in the U.S.Army for two years, including one yearin Viet Nam, retiring as a Captain. Afterhis service, Kurt joined his father's civil

engineering firm and is still practicing today. Kurtbecame a member of the Houston Serra Club in1968, joining his father Frank (1977 Serra Interna-tional President). Kurt held all the club, district andUSA Council positions culminating with the 2011presidency of Serra's National Council for the UnitedStates. He has been a member and past Chairman ofthe Diocese of Galveston-Houston's St. Mary's Sem-inary Advisory Board, serving from 1978-2014. Since1997, Kurt has served on the Board of the ShalomCenter in Splendora, Texas, a counseling center forCatholic priests and religious.

Mario Biscardi, Treasurer, is a memberof the Toronto Central Serra Club, Dis-trict 26. Mario has been a Serran since1981, and during this time has been in-strumental in the formation of six newSerra clubs in the Archdiocese ofToronto plus two other dioceses in thesurrounding area. Mario recently retired

after a 40-year rewarding career with a major Cana-dian bank, having spent 18 years in lending to the realestate and construction industry as well as 14 yearsin the commercial and corporate banking area in On-tario. He is now very active as a consultant and alsovolunteers his time in various Church-related chari-table and non-profit organizations. Mario has beenmarried to Luisa for 45 years. They have three chil-dren and five grandchildren.

Michael Bragg, Secretary, graduatedfrom the College of Wooster with hon-ors and obtained his Juris Doctoratefrom Case Western Reserve University,cum laude. Michael is a partner in thelaw firm Spengler Nathanson PLL inToledo, Ohio. Michael is a 4th Degree

Knight of Columbus, current Grand Knight of St.Joan of Arc Council 15905, Serra International dis-trict governor, president of the St. Joan of Arc Ath-letic Board, sits on the Executive Committee of theMaumee Valley Historical Society, and sits on theboard of Friends of Russian Orphans. Michael hasvolunteered as a coach and scout leader and sung inhis parish choir. Michael is a past president of theToledo Bar Association Real Estate Committee andcurrently sits on the Bar Admissions Committee. Heis active at St. Joan of Arc Parish, has been marriedfor 30 years, and has four children.

Timothy O’Neill, Past President, isa member of the Serra Club ofOmaha. Tim has been actively in-volved in Serra for 25 years. Duringthis time, he has held several officeswithin his club, serving as president in1991. Tim has served as district gov-ernor, SI trustee, and SI vice president

of Communications. Tim currently serves on theLong-Range Planning Committee, and the Consoli-dated Administrative Office taskforce. Tim and hiswife Sally chaired the 2009 and 2014 SI conventionsheld in Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, Califor-nia, respectively. They are very active in the Archdio-cese of Omaha. Tim is a member of the Archbishop’sCommittee for Development. They are also active inthe Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) where Timserves as chair of the IPF Mission AdvancementCouncil. Tim and Sally belong to Christ the KingChurch. %


Adalberto Martinez Flores. Bishop Flores had stud-ied in the United States and was a great friend of SeanCardinal O’Malley. The regional conventions I at-tended focused on experiences of innovation, im-provement and best practices of Serra clubs.

Serra International should be firmly estab-lished in the mindset of the clergy and the bishops.Renewal of our relationships with our bishops was agoal of the Long-Range Planning Committee. Serrahas been invited to be an advisory group to the UnitedStates Conference of Catholic Bishops. We have at-tended this conference the past two years and BishopThomas Anthony Daly of Spokane, Washington, re-ports: “Serra International and Serra USA are work-ing together and have a lot of fidelity to its missionsof staying focused on vocations, refraining from di-versifying their focusto any generic typeof ministry.” It wasemphasized that thefamily and the roleof evangelization is the key for vocations. Strength-ening family life is key for lay groups like Serra.

Your Executive Board gathers in Rome in theFall as we meet with members of the Congregationof the Clergy. Beniamino Cardinal Stella and Arch-bishop Patron Wong, whose orders we follow, are ourcontacts there. This year we celebrated Mass at St.Peter’s with the Italian Council who was also havingtheir congress in Rome. While in Rome, we met withas many members of the different congregations ofthe Church as possible. We also attended lunch at theNorth American College with their seminarians. Acheck was presented to the seminary college from theSerra International Foundation. Cardinal O’Malleyalso attended this luncheon.

In the midst of winter, it was great to travelto the warmer temperatures of Houston, Texas, forour mid-year International Board meeting and Rallywith the USA Council of Serra International. Won-derful presentations, spiritual enrichment, and a wayof getting to know one another in fellowship wasshared by those in attendance.

As president, I was blessed to have opportu-

nities to experience firsthand some of the great eventsthat this organization sponsors. In March I attendedthe Ordinandi Dinner in Toronto, Canada, for soon-to-be-ordained priests. Over 1,500 people attended theevening meal and 850 high school students attendeda related daytime event. Hearing and learning of per-sonal vocation stories, and the amount of time andeffort spent by Serrans is amazing. I had an opportu-nity to visit with Cardinal Collins of Toronto for al-most an hour. Incoming USA Council President GregSchwietz and Serra International Treasurer MarioBiscardi, our host, also attended this visit.

In an effort to bring Serra International cur-rent with today’s club and membership needs, I calleda Constitutional Congress. Members of the boards,past presidents, and national council heads gathered

in Chicago to discussconcerns that hadbeen raised aboutour bylaws. Itemsdiscussed included

conventions, membership, club size, and officer terms,to name a few. These items were brought forward tothe Delegates Meeting in St. Louis for their approval.All amendments were passed and I thank those in at-tendance and those who sent proxies for fulfillingtheir responsibility for the good of Serra.

I want to thank the members of the Serra In-ternational Board for their time and effort towardmaking this organization something special. To theleaders of the national councils, Foundation andclubs, thank you for saying “Yes.” Your leadership isvital to the continued life of Serra.

I have tried to connect with as many clubs as Icould during my term as president and I have tried tospread the good news of Serra to whoever would listen.

To be a Serran means to reap many gifts; fel-lowship, spiritual nourishment, and to be a part of amovement that seeks to renew, strengthen and ensurethe future of our Church for untold generations.

Why wouldn’t someone want to be a Serran?Why wouldn’t you want to share that joy with anyonewho would listen? Why not start today?

St. Junípero Serra, Pray for Us! %

O’NeillContinued from page 5

Over and over, we heard: “The foundation for vocations is the family.”


President Vannini delivered the following speech at the SerraInternational Convention in Saint Louis on July 2, 2016.

Ihave been entrusted with a very delicate task of serv-ice. Therefore, I wish to thank the assembly of del-egates for my appointment; my predecessors, Tim

O’Neill and all the presidents of Serra Internationalfrom whom I learned how to serve Serra.

Being president bears with it a great responsi-bility assigned to me. If I were to try to accomplish thismission depending merely on my own strength, itwould be impossible to achieve it; but with the help ofGod, the help of our Lord, our heavenly Mother, SaintJunípero, all saints, and foremost, with your help – mydear brothers and sisters – then, yes, I will be able to doit in the best way I know how.

To serve the Church is not only a daily task,but also a long-term moral commitment. The seminar-ians whom we support today will become tomorrow’spriests; and in their hands and in their ministries will bethe guidance for the Catholic community.

No Serran should experience any sort of con-fusion, distrust or disconnection since we are called tocarry on our mission with joy, perseverance and gen-erosity. “Always forward,” as St. Junípero Serra encour-aged his brothers during his long journeys along theCamino Real in California. Even today, Saint Juníperoshows us the way forward on how to strengthen andmotivate Serra International worldwide.

We must become messengers of hope. Joy andenthusiasm should always be present in us! As commit-ted lay people we must bring our experiences every-where we are: at work, the classroom, in our careers,and all other places.

We need to find new strength to promote andincrease the membership of Serra, most especiallyamong the youth, who are the future. At this time Iwould like to share with you a wish: that during mypresidency a new club is formed in each district andeach club gets at least one or more new members. I in-vite you to achieve this wish all together and with theBoard of Serra International.

I am willing to give a testimony of our com-

mitment by traveling toany country where mypresence or one of thevice presidents is deemednecessary. I will ask themto collaborate with deter-mination and in a pro-ductive way thatundeniably will not fail.

We are in theYear of Mercy, a desirefrom Pope Francis who invites us to prayer and worksof charity. Remember, prayer without works is like atrain that operates on a single rail; it starts, but does notmove.

The existence of Serra International will con-tinue longstanding in accordance with our commitmentand efforts. Not delegating to others the mission towhich we have been called, let us live joyfully with theprecious gift that has been given to us.

Our approach should be directed to countrieswhere Serra is fairly new or going through a phase ofconsolidation. It is there where we should not fail tohave the valuable presence and warm support of ex-perts. Therefore, we need to keep an open mind towardnew ideas, be respectful of traditions, and find the idealincentive for the renewal of our actions.

The unity of our goals, the communion withthe holy Church, our autonomy as lay people involvedin the world’s labor, the perseverance, commitment anddevotion to our charism, are lights that will lead us tocreate a path in the direction of our goals as challengesdictate.

May the noble and generous enthusiasm thatinspired our founders in Seattle to give life to this won-derful adventure remain with us. We hope that the Ser-rans who have preceded us into the Kingdom ofHeaven may, with tenderness, accompany our stepsuntil we are together in the unity of Jesus.

May God bless Serra International.Mary, Mother of Vocations, Saint Junípero

Serra, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Bernardino, prayfor us. %

The Year AheadIncoming Serra International President Dante Vannini

President Vannini is from the SerraClub of Siena, Italy.


Key to Success in Serra: ActionReal work is needed to accomplish our vocations mission

President Schwietz presented the followingon June 29, 2016, at the opening meetingof the 2016-2017 USA Council of Serra In-ternational Board in St. Louis, Missouri.

Few times in a person’s life canone honestly say that he or she isfully prepared for the future. This

is the case as I enter my year as president of the USACouncil. I am sure that there will be unforeseen de-mands. And yet, on the other side, there are alwayslife experiences which form us in unique ways, waysthat hopefully benefit the organization which theychoose to serve, prepared for the challenges of thetime. So as a way of introduction, I must say I feel thatI bring a wealth of Serra experience to this new posi-tion, yet I feel woefully unprepared for the job. I trustGod will give me the wisdom over the next 12 monthsto apply myunique talentsand experi-ences to thebenefit of thisgreat organi-zation that welove, SERRA.

My journey in Serra began in 1980 when Imet my first Serran, Francis Schaefer of the St. ClareCounty, Illinois, Serra club. I was just 30 years old;Francis was 40 years my senior. Yet, even in the ap-parent generational distance, I quickly realized him tobe a friend. We met while working on retreats forTeens Encounter Christ (TEC), which at that time wasexperiencing great growth around the country. He wasfrom Belleville, Illinois, and I was from Omaha, Ne-braska. Though we were decades and 400 miles apart,we found ourselves working for the same goal, namely,the introduction of Christ into young people’s lives.Franny, as I soon would affectionately call him, spokeof SERRA in the highest terms.

As fate would have it, in 1983 I was invited to

join Serra. I joined for three reasons: first, it offeredme a way to continue to be in close contact with themany priest friends that I had gained over the years inTEC, and secondly, it provided me with a necessaryadult faith sharing/growing group. The third reasonsimply is that a friend of mine reached out and invitedme. As a young man, membership in Serra offered menew relationships with members from many walks oflife and of many ages, most of them older or mucholder than me. These relationships helped me grow asa young Catholic. Intergenerational benefits might bea way to describe it.

The Serra Club of Omaha was chartered in1951. When I joined, there were still charter memberspresent among its 100 members, many of them stillactively engaged in the Serra-sponsored vocations ac-tivities of the club. Even the older members, the oneswho appeared to be more reserved, would be the same

ones thatcould be spot-ted at dailyMass doingone of themost impor-tant of allSerra activi-

ties: praying. It was a great group to fall into, and myassociations and resultant friendships with Serransover the years have been the grace of my life, and ofmy family.

Immediately I realized the objectives of Serra:The first objective of Serra being to foster and affirmreligious vocations to the priesthood, with the secondobjective, added recently, that formally and properlyalso recognizes the importance of our Catholic voca-tions to the vowed religious life. The third objective,one which provides the glue of Serra, was the resultof a great organizational structure which valued itsmembers becoming informed and action-orientedCatholic leaders for their family, their local diocese,and society at large.

Greg SchwietzPresident,

Serra’s NationalCouncil for theUnited States

Club leadership must provide work that relates to a RELEVANT mission; inviting new members to an

organization that does IMPORTANT work. This is how your club becomes great.

15the Serran | Vol. 63 No. 115 the Serran | Vol. 62 No. 3

“No” isn’t an answer in Serra.A good friend of mine, fellow Omaha Serran and im-mediate past president of Serra International, TimO’Neill, frequently states, “The last time I had an op-portunity to say ‘No’ in Serra was when I was askedto join. After that, only ‘Yes’ has been the necessaryanswer.” When invited to become more deeply in-volved in the organization, I was given tasks that saidto me that even as a neophyte member I could make avaluable contribution to the mission of Serra inOmaha; I was wanted and needed.

The best leaders are “doers.”As the saying goes, there are three types of people: 1)Those who make things happen, 2) those who watchthings happen, and 3) those who say, “What hap-pened?!” Serra is known world-wide within theCatholic church as a organization consisting of“doers.” I am proud of that. Unfortunately, like otherinternational service organizations, if there isn’t an ef-fort to provide new leadership, the organization un-dergoes a slow decline, and one day it discovers that ithas died to the mission, being perceived as becominga “knife and fork” social club, or one that has a hardtime recruiting new members, and an even more diffi-cult time retaining its members. These are the symp-toms of an unhealthy club.

How to become a great club.When we ask new people to consider joining Serra,we must remember that we are asking people to joinan organization in which they are expected to DOSOMETHING. There is no peanut gallery in Serra.If there is, it is to our detriment. New recruits want tojoin something that is BIGGER than themselves.There must be expectations given to new members.Club leadership must provide work that relates to aRELEVANT mission; inviting new members to an or-ganization that does IMPORTANT work. Keep thisin mind. This is how your club becomes great.

Finally, a finer group of people one couldhardly hope to meet when you join Serra. Each intheir own right, we are blessed by our relationshipswhich are born and nurtured in Serra. For this alone,being a Serran is one of the things people are mostproud of. It is the reason that “Serrans stay Serrans,”some for life, and the reason that in many cases thelast public announcement of their life formally ac-knowledges that the work of Serra was important tothem. I suspect you are no different. Nor am I.

Serra is relevant and is organized to do veryimportant work of our Church, namely, fostering reli-gious vocations and growing Catholic leaders fortoday’s world. Please pray for vocations daily. Thenlet’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. The harvestawaits our labor. %

Members of the 2016-2017 USA CouncilExecutive Board at their inauguralmeeting in Saint Louis on June 29, 2016:

Front row, L to R: Past President JohnOsterhart; Membership VP Nancy Gib-son; President-elect Judy Cozzens; Pres-ident Greg Schwietz; Region 14 DirectorPat DeJarnett.

Back row, L to R: Region 12 DirectorMartin Weber; Region 10 Director DonSimoneaux; Programs VP Richard Ari-ans; Serra International Executive Di-rector John Liston; Region 9 DirectorFred Gorges; Region 6 Director Gino Di-Mattia; Secretary Mark Bonkiewicz;Communications VP Margo Geddie; Vo-cations VP Col. (Ret.) John Halloran.


In November 2014, Pope Francis greeted the Gen-eral Audience with Vatican Radio providing atranslation on the Holy Father’s catechetical ex-

hortation regarding “The Universal Call to Holiness.”He quoted the passage from the First Letter of SaintPeter 4: 10-11: “As each one has received a gift, use itto serve one another as good stewards of God’s variedgrace. Whoever preaches, let it be with words of God;Whoever serves, let it be with the strength that Godsupplies, so that in all things God may be glorifiedthrough Jesus Christ.”

Vocation ministers assist in the mission of es-tablishing a culture of vocations in both parish andfamily life. Program ministers are called to teach Ser-rans the art of prayer, thus strengthening one an-other’s interior and fraternal life so that Serra’smission can be fulfilled. This is our Call to Holiness.

Club programs aredesigned to help Serransrespond to this call by en-hancing their faith througheducation and prayer. Inorder to make planningquality club programs asstreamlined, fulfilling andtimely as possible, the USA Council Programs Com-mittee has put together a liturgical calendar of feastdays and events with corresponding suggested clubprogram topics (see following page). Some of the sug-gestions are already in your Program Manual - Part II.Other topics are not. However, you can be creative,requesting a retreat facilitator, a priest or a Serran toengage the topic by providing a day or evening ofprayer. Simply review the calendar and choose whatfeasts/events would be a good fit for your club’sschedule or special interest; if it has a correspondingprogram in the Program Manual, by all means use itor let it inspire your own original program or speaker.

As an example of how the Program Manual -Part II can help you plan programs appropriate to the

Serran liturgical season, we can look at July 1, thefeast day of our patron, Saint Junípero Serra. Natu-rally, your July club program should have focused onhis life and perseverance to “always go forward andnever turn back,” exploring what that means for us inour vocations ministry, over two centuries later. TheProgram Manual - Part II offers a “Rediscovering Ju-nipero Serra” program that can be used year afteryear, or as a guide to modified presentations for yourmembers. Download the latest revision of the manualat http://www.serraus.org/resources/manuals/pro-gram_manual_part2_revjun2016.pdf.

Speaking of Serra and the enduring examplehe sets for us especially as Serrans, USA CouncilPresident Greg Schwietz has requested our clubs toprayerfully perform the “In His Steps” renewal andrecommitment program this year. Designed to bring

members’ focus back to themission and objectives ofSerra International, thisprogram can be especiallypowerful after a summer oflight club activity (due tomembers on vacation orparish schools out of ses-

sion, etc.). This program can include new membersas well as guests. Your club may choose to do this asa club program, a prayer service, or a ritual. You canfind the “In His Steps” program in the manual linkprovided above.

In keeping with our commitment of provid-ing you easier access to communication, the Pro-grams Committee will continue to share our gift withjoy in service by providing quarterly updates throughAlways Forward, Never Back e-news, the Serran Magazineand district governor webinars.

Let us continue to share our gifts by strength-ening and supporting one another along the path toholiness.

-- Aileen Fields, USA Council Program Chair

Responding to Our Call to Holiness Year-RoundLet Serra’s Program Manual - Part II enhance your liturgical calendar

Club programs are designed to help Serrans respond to their call to holiness

by enhancing their faith through education and prayer.


Liturgical Calendar and other Events, Sept. - Dec. 2016 Suggested Program Topics/Jubilee Year of Mercy through November 20, 2016 Program Manual Part II PageYear C (Sundays), Year II (daily until Nov. 27, 2016) Including topic ideas for presenters

Sept. 8 Feast of the Nativity of the Bl. Virgin Mary Immaculate ConceptionSept. 14 Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross “The Triumph of the Cross” 55Sept. 15 Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows The Seven Sorrows of MaryOctober Serra USA Council Membership Drive “In His Steps” 1,2 or 3 85, 89, 93Oct. 7 Memorial, Our Lady of the Rosary The Glorious Mysteries of the RosaryOct. 23 World Mission Sunday; Nat’l. World Youth DayOct. 30 Priesthood Sunday “Mission & Ministry of Priesthood” 11Nov. 1 Solemnity, All Saints’ Day Oh Lord, I Want to Be in that Number:

Called to HolinessNov. 2 All Souls’ DayNov. 6-12 National Vocation Awareness Week “Life as a Vocation” 71 Nov. 20 Solemnity, Christ the King (Jubilee Year of Mercy ends)Nov. 24 Thanksgiving Day

Beginning of Cycle A (Sundays), Year I (weekdays)Nov. 27 First Sunday of Advent “Advent” 22

Dec. 8 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Mary, Mother of the Americasof the Blessed Virgin Mary (Patronal Feast Day of the United States of America)

Dec. 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe “Our Lady of Guadalupe” 59Dec. 25 Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord “Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ” 61

Liturgical Calendar and other Events, Jan. - March 2017Year A (Sunday Readings), Year I (daily Readings)

Jan. 1 Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God “Christmas Season” 24Jan. 8 Solemnity of the Epiphany of the LordJan. 9 Feast of the Baptism of the Lord “Ordinary Times” 33Jan. 22 (USA) Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn ChildrenFeb. 2 Feast of the Presentation of the LordFeb. 5 World Day for Consecrated Life The Many Forms of Consecrated LifeFeb. 11 Our Lady of LourdesFeb. 22 Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle “Church, Beacon of Hope” 43March 1 Ash Wednesday “Lent” 27March 20 Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse “Humanity, Called to Hope” 45

of the Blessed Virgin MaryMarch 25 Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Serra Club Program Planning Calendar, September 2016-March 2017


“The Lord makes all things new” (Ex. 12:1)

Life is a series of constant changes.We are called by God to bechanged by the love of Christ each

day, particularly when we receive themiracle of the Eucharist. Often, changeshappen in imperceptible ways, like the

daily growth of a tree, while other times we areknocked down or blinded by the speed at which changehappens, like Saul (who would soon change his nameto Paul) on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).

Serra is still in the midst of a period of changefor the better. I know some of these changes might bedifficult to understand and occasionally hard to make.All of these changes are necessary and will help Serramove forward as a stronger apostolate for vocations.This article will help you understand some changes inthe way Serrans use technology, changes that weremade to Serra International’s Constitution and Bylaws.Further, it will alert you to opportunities to be a partof future growth within Serra.

Technology changesFor many years, Serra International has worked to de-velop an online portal that would connect Serransaround the world and give our organization one sharedcommunications resource. Those years of work havefinally paid off: we are thrilled to announce that thelong-awaited Serra International Members Portal isnow live!We invite all Serrans to use this resource notonly as a source of inspiration to be even more activein our unique apostolate, but as a practical tool to bringthe basic housekeeping aspects of club maintenanceinto the 21st century. This new Web-based portal is de-signed to make communicating with your club andSerra Headquarters in Chicago easier than ever before.With the new portal, you will be able to:

Post photos, news and articles. Choose to share•with just your club, your district, or with Serransworldwide.Update, organize and maintain club rosters. Share•

directly with the Chicago office so you never missimportant communications.Pay dues securely online.•Maintain and share a club calendar, and let mem-•bers know instantly whenever there’s a change.

To access the portal, go to http://serra.be-racha.org/user and request a new password using theemail address you have on file with Serra. You will besent an email with a temporary password which willthen allow you to set the password of your choosing.Once your password is set, you will be able to connectwith Serrans in your local club and around the world.

We are very excited to announce this changeand encourage every Serran to log in and participate.If you have any questions about the portal, pleaseemail [email protected].

Bylaw changes The delegates to Serra’s 74th International Conventionapproved 11 amendments to Serra’s governing docu-ments. These amendments were drafted by a Consti-tutional Congress composed of Serra leaders fromaround the world and are designed to improve Serra’soperational effectiveness and clarify issues that werepreviously unclear. A current copy of Serra’s Consti-tution and Bylaws can be found at http://serra.be-racha.org/content/bylaws.

Changes to the procedure for making amendments:The first two amendments approved by the delegateschanged the process for amending the Constitution andBylaws of Serra International. The prior language al-lowed proposed amendments to be modified by a thirdparty Serra entity (club, district, or council) beforebeing considered by the delegates. The revised lan-guage removes that step and allows proposed amend-ments to reach the floor of the Delegates Meeting aswritten by the submitting club. The amendment maybe modified at the Delegates Meeting, following properparliamentary procedure.

Understanding Changes in Serra

John ListonExecutive Director,Serra International


Changes in reporting responsibilities. The fourthamendment clarified the reporting responsibilities ofdistrict governors. For years, there has been confusionover whether district governors report to their Serracouncil or directly to Serra International. This amend-ment clarifies the issue and states district governors re-port to Serra International through their regionaldirector, if applicable, and Serra council. The ninthamendment establishes and acknowledges the positionof regional director. The Serra councils in the UnitedStates and Brazil, due to their large Serra populationand expansive geographic size, have utilized regionaldirectors to better administer to club needs for severalyears; this amendment officially recognizes an estab-lished position that has served Serra well in these coun-cils. These changes are best expressed in Figure 1,which shows Serra’s organizational structure.

No change in Serra’s organizational focus. Amid thisdiscussion of organizational structure and governingdocuments, it is important to note that all of thesestructures exist to serve Serra clubs so that clubs canbetter perform their work and grow stronger culturesof vocations in their parishes and dioceses. The func-tional structure of Serra is shown in Figure 2. TheSerra club is the operational unit of Serra. WithoutSerra clubs, we can do nothing as an organization.

Clarification regarding council dues. The fifthamendment approved by the delegates clarified theright of a Serra council to levy dues on Serra clubs inthe council’s jurisdiction and the responsibility of thoseSerra clubs to pay dues to their Serra council in orderto remain in good standing with Serra International.This amendment will become effective with the Serradues payable on Jan. 15, 2017.

The remaining approved amendments do not impactSerra clubs and need not be discussed here.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Continued on p. 25


The Serran Time Capsule 1960: “Informed in Divine Truth and Conforming to It”

From the August 1960 Serran MagazineBy Ralph HauensteinPresident, Serra International

While serving this past year as your First Vice-President, I discovered that the Holy Seehad become acutely aware of Serra Inter-

national and the work it was doing for vocations. Inthe furtherance of my duties, correspondence tookplace which ultimately led to my visiting Rome and the

Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities.This is the Congregation to which Serra is aggregated.

As you heard on Monday, several meetingstook place with members of the Congregation, includ-ing the prefect, His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Piz-zardo, and myself. Time will not permit a detaileddiscussion of these meetings, but I quote from a letterfrom Cardinal Pizzardo:

I take very willingly this occasion to reconfirm thefollowing points as first result of our meeting. These points

Ralph Hauenstein (1912-2016)

Grand Rapids Serran and former Serra International President RalphHauenstein passed away on Jan. 10, 2016, at the age of 103. Serra is aworldwide organization today because of his efforts. He knew Serra's four

Seattle founders and was a charter member of the Serra Club of Grand Rapidsfounded in 1948.Ralph’s service to our nation began in 1934 when he sensed that war would

break out and inevitably involve the United States. The following year, Mr. Hauen-stein was commissioned in the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant andbecame commander of an all African-American Civilian Conservation Corpscamp in Michigan. After two and a half years on active duty, Lieutenant Hauen-stein returned to civilian life and became city editor of the Grand Rapids Heraldnewspaper.In 1940, one year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he was called back

to active duty in the United States Army. During the Second World War, he rose to the rank of Colonel andserved under General Dwight Eisenhower as chief of the Intelligence Branch in the U.S. Army’s European theaterof operations.

In 1945 he was among the first Americans to see liberated Paris, war-torn Germany, and Nazi concen-tration camps. Witnessing this destruction steeled in him the resolve to work for better international relations andpeaceful solutions to conflict. After the war, Colonel Hauenstein saw opportunities to build bridges between theUnited States and a Europe devastated by war. He went into international trade and partnered with Europeanenterprises to provide goods and services to consumers in Europe, the Middle East and other places where democ-racies were struggling.

Pope John XXIII awarded Mr. Hauenstein the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, an award and medal given by thepope to individuals for their services to the pope and Church. He has received high decorations by the UnitedStates and French governments. The British government awarded him the Order of the British Empire, OBE.

Mr. Hauenstein initiated Serra International’s affiliation with the Congregation of Seminaries and Uni-versities at the Vatican and served as a Lay Auditor at the Second Vatican Council. He is known in Serra for start-ing the first international clubs in Italy, England, Hong Kong and many other areas of the world. During his timeas a Serran, he attended over 50 international conventions.

Mr. Hauenstein was and always will be a true hero for Serra, our Church, our nation, and the world. Weare proud to count him as fellow laborer in the harvest for vocations!


are the thought of this Sacred Congregation on the presentstage of relations between the Serra Movement and the Pon-tifical Society for Priestly Vocations.

This Sacred Congregation declares its whole ap-proval and unconditional compliance for the wonderful workwhich the Serra Movement has done and is doing for Ecclesi-astical Vocations. Compliance and approval in seeing the ex-cellent disposition of the officers of the Serra International tocollaborate more and more closely with the Pontifical Societyfor Priestly Vocations.

Hence, this Sacred Congregation will have no diffi-culties to recommend the Serra Clubs to the Bishops of OtherCountries, whenever it was necessary and called for by thePresident of Serra International.

These words from a Cardinal Prefect mayhave parallel in the history of the Church, but it is anunique honor for an organization as young as Serra.Without wishing to be presumptuous and in a sense ofdeep humility, I feel it is incumbent upon me to pointout to the members of Serra International the great andsolemn obligation which this additional approval andadmonition imposes upon Serrans throughout theworld.

The Sacred Congregation placed in us in 1951and now reminds us of this most important trust whichit is our sacred duty to discharge. Just as we knowmembership in Serra is a privilege and not an inherentright, so now we must recognize that this same mem-bership is a call to do God’s bidding.

The short history of Serra, though rich indeedin accomplishment, has had its growth in an era ofwars, false ideologies and world tensions. This has re-quired greatness of God-loving nations and men. Wehave been witness to this greatness through the leader-ship of our Holy Mother Church and Her Pontiffs.Now I ask you to form more solidly in her ranks andgo forward with renewed purpose and dedication.

SERRANS MUST PROVIDE LEADERSHIPIt is this challenge Serrans have long sought

and are prepared to meet. The laity has again andagain been called upon to assume its proper role in thelife of the Church and this embraces a part for whichthe Serran is so adequately prepared – that of leader-

ship. This leadershipis an inevitablemeans when work-ing towards theobjectives ofSerra. Are wenot then andmust we notcontinue tobe a notable andhighly significant part ofcontemporary Church life?

We have transcended parochialismthrough our universality of action. We find that Ser-rans and would-be Serrans in all corners of the earthmeet on common ground when dedicating themselvesto our objectives. This wonderful bond between menworking in the love of our Holy Mother Church haspleased her and brought this honor and responsibilityto us.

This honor must be accepted with a firm reso-lution to keep our standards high. We recognize thatthe customs and cultures of people in the world mayvary, but nowhere do we find disagreement in the pat-tern of Serra, nor may we allow deviation from it.

While the Cardinal Prefect has generouslyproposed to recommend Serra to the Hierarchy of theworld, it is to be expected that Serra will accomplishits objectives so illustriously and with such success thatour growth continues to stem from the voluntary de-sires of Bishops and Catholic lay leaders.

Let us go forward then in worthiness of thisrenewed recognition, resolved to strengthen ourselves,to meet not alone adequately but fully Serra’s require-ments. To do less would be to fail God and ourselvesand to fail a most solemn trust.

We are Serrans. As Serrans we are called to beleaders. As leaders we must be informed Catholics. Asinformed Catholics we strive to understand and com-ply with the mind of the Church. For this reason andbecause of the Sacred Congregation’s endorsement, Ichoose for this years’ theme: INFORMED IN DIVINETRUTH AND CONFORMING TO IT. %


Ihave found Serran "buried treasure" --one that many (most!) Serrans do notknow about, even those who have been

in Serra over 30 years like myself. Most of us know that Serra was aggre-

gated into the Holy See in 1951 but many donot know the spiritual benefits that are avail-able to all Serrans because of the aggrega-tion, thanks to a great extent to the awesomeefforts of Cardinal Stritch and the late greatSerran Ralph Hauenstein (see p. 20) whopassed away last January at the ripe old ageof 103, after an amazing and unique life'sjourney, one that is an inspiration to us all!

The spiritual benefits provide all Serransthe privilege of obtaining a plenary indul-gence which removes all residue of our sins,not just once or twice each year but 54 timeseach year, including on St. Junípero’s feastday on July 1. The list of the dates is givenon the next page.

We are talking about our own salvation,to be with God in heaven with all of ourloved ones, for all eternity, which is why wewere created by God. Our efforts to obtainthese special indulgences is a very small priceof inconvenience to pay, and we will be trulygrateful for this spiritual benefit, down theroad, when our day is done, and we comebefore our Lord and Savior, and when wecan in all honesty and truthfulness say, "HereI am, Lord... I tried my hardest."

To our knowledge, no other lay organi-zation has this privilege, and so it should bewell understood and well used by all Serrans.Why wouldn't we? When we do, then wemay find it a whole lot easier to grow mem-bership in Serra. It truly is Serra's buriedtreasure, and all Serrans are truly privilegedto have this honor bestowed on us.

-- Mario Biscardi, Treasurer, Serra International

Serran “buried treasure”Spiritual Benefits for Serrans, 54 times a year

Serra Aggregated to Pontifical Work in 1951

At its ninth annual convention, held in Kansas City in 1951, SerraInternational approved a request, made through its episcopalmoderator, Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Archbishop of Chicago, foraffiliation with the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations. TheCongregation of Seminaries and Universities, having been in-formed beforehand of the request and wishing to show by a quickreply the favor with which the petition was received and thus toencourage the important work of Serra International, granted therequest immediately, on the very day of the convention, and soinformed the delegates by radiogram directed to the Most Rev-erend Apostolic Delegate.

The Statutes of the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations

I. The Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations is the principal workfor protecting, promoting, and helping priestly vocations. It wasestablished by Our Holy Father Pope Pius XII in the Apostolicletter, Cum Nobis, given motu proprio on November 4, 1941.

II. The Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations has its headquartersin the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities.

III. To attain the end for which it was instituted, the PontificalWork1) is concerned primarily with setting forth a true and clear notionof the nature, the necessity, and the excellence of the priesthood;2) promotes the offering up of Masses, Communions, prayers andworks of penance and charity to the end that God may grantmany and excellent priestly vocations;3) encourages the growth of the project which is established ineach diocese for priestly vocations, and tries to have such projectsset up where they do not already exist.

IV. Societies can be aggregated to the Pontifical Work, and per-sons joined to it.

V. The Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations is consecrated toOur Lord Jesus Christ, the Supreme and Eternal Priest; it is en-trusted to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, theQueen of Apostles, and to the guardianship of Saint Joseph, thePatron of the Church Universal. It pays particular honor to thesaintly Princes of the Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul.


On the following feasts of Our Lord Jesus ChristChristmas, December 25The Circumcision, January 1The Epiphany, January 6The Holy Family, Sunday within the Octave of the

EpiphanyEasterAscensionFinding of the Holy Cross, May 3Corpus Christi, Thursday in the second week following

PentecostThe Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday following the Octave

Day of Corpus ChristiThe Precious Blood, July 1The Transfiguration, August 6The Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14The Feast of Christ the King, last Sunday in OctoberFeast of the dedication of the Archbasilica of Our Savior,

November 9Feast of the dedication of the Basilica of the Apostles

Saints Peter and Paul, November 18

On the following feasts of the Blessed Virgin:Immaculate Conception, December 8The Purification, February 2Feast of the Apparition of Lourdes, February 11The Annunciation, March 25The Seven Sorrows, Friday after Passion SundayThe Visitation, July 2Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16Our Lady of the Snows, August 5The Assumption, August 15Nativity of Our Lady, September 8

Holy Name of Mary, September 12The Seven Sorrows, September 15Our Lady of Mercy, September 24Our Lady of the Rosary, October 7Maternity of Our Lady, October 11The Presentation, November 21

On the following feasts of St. Joseph:Feast of St. Joseph, March 19The Solemnity, Wednesday following the second Sunday

after Easter

On the following feasts of the Apostles:Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29St. Andrew, November 30St. Thomas, December 21St. John, December 27St. Matthias, February 24 (or 25)Sts. Philip and James, May 1St. Barnabas, June 11St. James the Greater, July 25St. Bartholomew, August 24St. Matthew, September 21Sts. Simon and Jude, October 28

On the following feast days of the Saints:St. Peter’s Chair at Rome, January 18St. Aloysuis Gonzaga, June 21All Saints, November 1St. Charles Borromeo, November 4

On the feast day of the individual society, and on the day setaside for prayer for priestly vocations

On one day out of each three Ember Days.

These spiritual benefits are available to the members of all Serra clubs because of SerraInternational’s affiliation with the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations.

A plenary indulgence is granted on the day a person joins the society if he or she receives the Sacraments of Penance andof Holy Eucharist and prays for the intentions of the Holy Father.

A plenary indulgence is granted under the usual conditions (confession, communion, visit to a church or public oratory,and prayer for the Holy Father’s intention) on the following days:

A plenary indulgence is granted at the moment of death, when the person has confessed and received Holy Communion, or is atleast contrite, and when he has devoutly invoked Our Lord’s Holy Name, orally if he is able to do so, and in his heart if he is unableto speak, and shall have been resigned to death as the penalty of sin and as something that comes to him from the hand of the Lord.

A partial indulgence of one hundred days may be gained for each act of charity or of piety performed by the members to furtherthe ends of the society.

All the Masses offered by any priest for the soul of a member who has died in the state of grace are to profit that soul just as if theMasses were offered at a privileged altar.%

In the past year, the Serra Club of Salem in TamilNadu, South India, has brought the message of vo-cations to hundreds of altar servers and over 1,000

Catholic children with their “Come and See” program.Headed by the club’s chaplain, Fr. M. Solomon Raj, theambitious program uses diocese-wide exhibits and sem-inars in various vicariates to promote and affirm voca-tiosn to the religious life.

Targeted mainly at altar servers, the programdeepens the spiritual life and experience of these specialyoungsters in the Mettur, Salem, Attur, Thiruchengode,and Namakkal vicariates starting with a one-day“Come and See” program. The program consists of pre-sentations on the following topics: The Value of Voca-tion, Holy Altar and the Altar Server, Vocation in the

Life of Saints, and Vocation in the Bible. Program co-ordinators record how many boys and girls report inter-est in a vocation after the events (so far, over 100).

A diocese-wide “Vocation Camp” held at theSt. Xavier Minor Seminary in Salem hosted boys onlyfor three days discussing the same topics; of the 56 boyswho participated, nine came forward expressing interestin becoming a diocesan priest.

The Serra Club of Salem is doing a magnificentjob with this special project, which is completely in linewith our unique Serran mission to support, encourage,affirm, and promote vocations. Donors to the Serra In-ternational Foundation should be proud to have helpedfacilitate the growth of vocations in South India! %


Over 1,000 children “Come and See” Serra International Foundation funds vocations program for Serra club in India


Serrans directing changeAfter all this talk of recent changes, some of you mightbe wonder what you and the Serrans in your club cando to be a part of future changes and to help guideSerra.

Serra’s International, Foundation and nationalcouncil boards have always relied on leaders nomi-nated by Serrans. The future of Serra depends on vol-unteer service of dedicated Serrans. If you know aSerran who would be willing and able to serve as amember of your Serra council’s board, the board of theSerra International Foundation or the Serra Interna-tional Board, please nominate him or her as a trustee.Nominations for the Serra International Board are dueDec. 16, 2016; nomination forms are available atwww.serrainternational.org. Please contact me at [email protected] for information aboutnominating a Serran to the Serra International Foun-dation Board.

The Serra International Foundation is Serra’sglobal fundraising and grant-giving arm. Over the past10 years, our Foundation has issued over

US$1,000,000 in grants to over 200 seminaries, dioce-ses, Serra clubs and councils, and houses of religiousformation around the world. If you know of an organ-ization that supports vocations and that could benefitfrom funding from the Foundation, please encouragethem to submit a grant application. Grant applicationsto the Serra International Foundation are due Sept. 30,2016. Grant application forms are available atwww.serrainternational.org.

Additionally, the Serra International Founda-tion has implemented a new policy regarding the com-position of its grants committee. Any Serra club thatcontributes US$5,000 or more to the Serra Interna-tional Foundation in a calendar year will be entitled toappoint a member of the club to serve on the Serra In-ternational Foundation’s Grants Committee.

All of these changes were designed to betterserve Serra, and you, as we go “always forward.” Feelfree to contact me at [email protected] ifyou have any questions.

St. Junípero Serra, pray for us! Mary, Motherof Vocations, pray for us! %

ListonContinued from p. 19

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North Houston Club honors altar serversOver 100 altar servers and their families attended theSerra Club of North Houston’s Altar Server Appreci-ation Mass and breakfast at Prince of Peace in Hous-ton, TX on August 6, 2016. (See photo of the day’shonorees, above.) Principal celebrant Father John Kellergave a beautiful homily saying the altar servers areblessed to be surrounded by all the angels while serv-ing on the altar. A certificate, blessed cross and prayerbookmark were given to each altar server. Deacon BillBarnes, Sylvia Rodriguez, Joyce Blackburn andNorth Houston Club President Candice Tyrrellhelped coordinate the event; the Serrans providedbreakfast to over 200 people.

Toronto Ordinandi Day attracts thousandsOn Tuesday, March 1, 2016, over 2,000 supportersfrom the Archdiocese of Toronto gathered for an Or-dinani Youth Event and 26th annual Ordinandi Din-ner to celebrate the vocation journey of eightordinandi from St. Augustine's Seminary and Re-demptoris Mater Seminary.

This large-scale event is held under the aus-pices of the Serra Canada Foundation and The

Toronto Central Serra Club, with the support of thefour other Serra Clubs in the Archdiocese of Toronto(including the Vocations Office and Office ofCatholic Youth) and more recently, local Catholic ed-ucators.

The Ordinandi Youth Event, the fourth of itskind, was held in partnership with six Catholic Dis-trict School Boards and several independent Catholichigh schools. This morning program was focused en-tirely on Catholic high school youth. Over 800 boysand girls from 74 Catholic high schools participated.The program was organized by a committee of threeSerrans and representatives from each of the sixschool boards. The morning ended with vocationspeeches from one of the 2016 ordinandi and a con-secrated nun of the Salesian congregation, followedby Cardinal Thomas Collins who addressed the stu-dents and led them in Grace before lunch.

Later that day, the dinner program was at-tended by 1,532 individuals who included university-age young adults as a result of Toronto Serra’sVocations Awareness program including 90 associ-ated with Serra House and with Fr. Chris Lemieux,the Archdiocesan Director of Vocations. Also note-

“Surrounded by angels”: Houston altar servers assemble for a groupphoto at the Serra Club of North Houston’s Altar Server AppreciationMass and Breakfast event in August.

The Serran Mission in ActionClub activities around the world

worthy is the attendance by three college/universitychaplains each with a full table or two of youngadults. Other supporters who attended and filled sixtables with young and potential vocation supportersincluded the Office of Catholic Youth, the NewmanCentre and the Squires of the Knights of Columbus.

Serra was honored to have a number of no-table visiting guests including two representatives ofSerra International who attended personally to wit-ness this amazing event. Tim O’Neill, Past Presidentof Serra International, and Greg Schwietz, Presidentof the USA Council of Serra International, both trav-elled from Omaha, Nebraska. Bishop William Mc-Grattan, from the Diocese of Peterborough, alsoattended along with Archbishop Emeritus of Lahore,Pakistan, His Grace Lawrence Saldanha.

The Ordinandi Dinner raised approximately$26,000 and this was distributed to two seminaries,Serra House and the Office of Vocations for the Arch-diocese of Toronto.

The Ordinandi Dinner and Youth Event isnow a hallmark of the vocations awareness effortwithin the Archdiocese of Toronto. It is a significantevent in the calendar of the Catholic faithful of theArchdiocese and provides a wonderful opportunity torecognize and thank our ordinandi as well as expose

our Catholic youth to the true meaning of a religiousvocation.

St. Junipero Serra relic venerated in HonoluluSerra's vocations mission was featured in the Dioceseof Honolulu's monthly Holy Hour for Vocations atthe Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa with the very specialpresence of a first-class relic of our patron, SaintJunípero Serra, on display for veneration. Attendeesreceived a holy card to touch to the relic so they couldcreate their own personal third-class relic. The holyhour took place on July 6, just five days after SaintSerra's feast day and two days after the Serra Interna-tional convention in Saint Louis.

Bishop Larry Silva presided over expositionof the Blessed Sacrament, followed by silent prayer,rosary for vocations, and Benediction.

Honolulu Serran and Serra Internationaltrustee Chuck Furr organized the event and gave atalk on Saint Junípero Serra following the holy hour.Refreshments were provided afterward along with anopportunity for attendees to browse exhibits on reli-gious life, different religious orders, and various localreligious organizations including the Serra Club ofHonolulu and the Knights of Columbus. %


Pray the Rosary for Vocations, via Conference Call!

Join us in a monthly international prayer of theRosary, via conference call! This global prayer takesplace at 8:00 a.m. Central Time (-6:00GST) on the

last Saturday of every month, when Serrans world-wide gather to recite the Rosary for vocations.

The next four Rosary dates are:Sept. 24, 2016 Oct. 29, 2016Nov. 26, 2016 Dec. 31, 2016

To join our rosary from your computer, tablet orsmartphone, go to:

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/31431598“It is great to join this prayer with our brothers and sisters in Serra all overthe world and it is truly a good experience for us”: Macau Serrans gather inthe small chapel at the Seminary of Macau for the monthly Rosary for Voca-tions call.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/31431598

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