THE SERRA CLUB OF HOUSTON
C H
A R T E R N U M B E R 1 4 - D I S T R I C T 1 0 - R E G I O N 1 0
Welcome!
The Serra Club of Houston welcomes you and invites you to learn more about joining in our mission and ministry.
Serra International is a global organization of lay Catholic men and women whose goal is to bring young souls to the service of God in the religious life and to strengthen our members' common Catholic faith.
Our name honors Blessed Junipero Serra (1713-1784), the "Apostle of California" who established a chain of missions and baptized over six thousand indigenous Natives.
Our Mission
As members of the lay vocation arm of the Church, our primary mission is to foster and affirm vocations to the ministerial priesthood and vowed religious life.
Our secondary mission is, by working and praying together, to encourage our personal spiritual growth. It is an opportunity for lay Catholics to further their faith, and an invitation to those who may be considering the religious life to counsel with us and participate in our programs in fellowship.
About Us
The Serra Club of Houston was incorporated in November, 1941, as a non-profit volunteer organization, and received our charter on April 28, 1942. We are the oldest and largest club in District 10, with about 100 members at present.
We’re part of Serra International and the USA Council in Chicago, which we support financially. Our local programs support the work of the Office of Vocations of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, St. Mary’s Seminary, and Shalom Center, Inc. We’re affiliated with the Holy Name Retreat Center, and Holy Rosary Church in downtown Houston.
Our Programs
At the National Level our club is involved in the Bishop Britt Vocation Fund which underwrites a program designed to enhance vocations from foreign countries by helping those priests reduce their accented language so that they can communicate better with their English-speaking listeners. We are in discussions with the archdiocese on this topic.
At the Archdiocesan Level, we currently support six programs:
◊ National Vocation Awareness Week (January)
◊ Catholic Schools Week (January-February)
◊ Vocation Expo! (February)
◊ World Day of Prayer for Vocations and a special Mass (May)
◊ St. Mary’s Seminary Ordinations Mass (June)
◊ Hispanic Vocations Retreat in August
At the Parish Level we participate in the Life Awareness Program in the thirty-seven parishes for which we’re responsible, and we coordinate with parish Vocations Committees to activate local efforts.
The bulk of our programs are concentrated at the Club Level. We have thirteen Programs in progress:
◊ The Seafarer Center support luncheon (January)
◊ A Good Friday luncheon with spouses and Mass at the Holy Name Retreat Center (April)
◊ Gaudeamus Day, a free golf outing and meal for area priests
◊ “Explore” program for Junior High School boys at St. Mary’s Seminary with a Serra-sponsored cookout and athletic activities (May)
◊ “Explore” program for Junior High School boys at St. Mary’s
Seminary with a Serra-sponsored cookout and athletic activities (May)◊ Blessed Junipero Serra Mass (July)
◊ Membership drive: annual “Bring-a-Guest Day” on a scheduled third Thursday meeting
◊ Mass for Deceased Serrans and luncheon for their spouses (First Friday in November)
◊ Jubilarian Mass and reception for senior vowed religious (November)
◊ Epiphany party
◊ “Advent Event,” a Christmas reception for seminarians
◊ Thirty-one Club prayer devotions once a month
◊ Various unscheduled Eucharistic Adorations, Holy Hours and Vocation Masses.
◊ "Tomorrow's Shepherd": A pilot program to involve parish Vocations committees, Serran coordination, and the Archdiocesan Vocations Office.
Event Calendar
| 1 July | Annual Junipero Serra Mass | 7:00 PM, St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica (#1 below) |
| 4 July | First Friday Mass | 12:00 Noon, Holy Rosary. No lunch afterward. |
| 17 July | Third Thursday meeting | Hess Club, Noon, speaker to be announced. |
| 24 July | Fourth Thursday Trustees' meeting | 11:30 AM, Kelvin Group conference room |
| 25-27 July | Life Awareness Vocation Weekend (#2 below) | |
| 1 August | Induction of New Members | 1st Friday Mass, Noon, Holy Rosary, Luncheon. |
| 21 August | Third Thursday meeting | Hess Club, Noon, speaker to be Fr. Page Polk, O.F.M. Director of Chaplains at the Texas Medical Center. |
| 28 Aug | Fourth Thursday Trustees' meeting | 11:30 AM, Kelvin Group conference room. |
| 5 Sept | First Friday Mass | 12:00 Noon, Holy Rosary, lunch afterward. |
| 18 Sept | Third Thursday meeting | Hess Club, Noon, panel of Catholic school principals: Fr. John Huber, St. Thomas High; Sister Jan Dunn, Duchesne Academy and Richard Nevele of Strake Jesuit. |
| 25 Sept | Fourth Thursday Trustees' meeting | 11:30 AM, Kelvin Group conference room. |
EVENT DETAILS: |
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#1. Celebrant to be Cardinal DiNardo, with a reception after Mass in the KC Hall. |
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#2. For single adults from ages 18 to 45 at the Holy Name Retreat Center. For information call 713.464.0211. |
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| SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: #3. The Serra Regional Convention will be held in McAllen, Texas from October 24-26. Start blocking out your plans now! |
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#4. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will be our speaker at the Third Thursday meeting at the Hess Club on November 20, 2008, celebrating the first anniversary of his elevation as Cardinal. Please make your plans early and bring guests, friends and family. We'll arrange for a larger room upstairs to accommodate the crowd. Announcements will be made at our meetings. |
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Meetings
We have three types of meetings:
1) General Membership Meetings twice a month. The first is held at Holy Rosary Church at noon on the First Friday of the month, with Mass followed by lunch.
2) Board of Trustees Meetings are held at St. Mary’s Seminary on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 P.M. and all members are invited to attend.
3) Annual Regional, National and International Conventions are variously scheduled and members are notified well in advance.
Membership
Membership Benefits include:
◊ Goal-driven association with dedicated, practicing
Catholic men and women◊ Improvement of your personal prayer life and knowledge of our faith
◊ Opportunity to make a statement (as a group) in support of our priests and religious
◊ Provide an example to our children and grandchildren of the continuing need to invite, pray for and support men and women to consider a vocation.
Our club also publishes a quarterly newsletter, the HouSerran containing thought-provoking articles and a full calendar of membership activities for the quarter. For a free sample, contact Jim Glass, VP Communications by email.
How to Join
The path to membership is easy and comfortable, paced to give you time to consider its benefits. Once you have contacted us, we will provide a membership application and help you find a sponsor. You will need a letter from your pastor certifying that you are a parish member in good standing, a recommendation from your Serra Club sponsor, and the completed application.
After these are submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval, the VP Membership will begin to form orientation sessions as two or three applicants become available. Our goal for 2007-2008 is 25 new members.
The final step is
induction
into the club at a special Mass at our host church. Dues: To help minimize
possible
financial stresses, membership terms are on a semi-annual basis from June
through
November, and from December through May. Dues are $70.00 per term plus $35 per
term
for each spouse who also joins.
Contact Us
Contact Larry Massey, VP Membership, or through our website "Serra Club of Houston."
Our Officers
| 2008-2009 | |
| Margo Geddie | President |
| Gregory Turner | VP Programs |
| Larry W. Massey | VP Membership |
| Mitchell J. Fontenot | VP Vocations |
| James L. Glass | VP Communications |
| Jerry Ziemnicki | Secretary |
| Mark Hotze | Treasurer |
| Dr. John Gallagher | 1st Year Trustee |
| Kirk Pfeffer | 2nd Year Trustee |
| Dr. William Riley | 3rd Year Trustee |
| Our Club Chaplain is Rev. Paul Chovanec, St. Justin Martyr Church | |
Pray! Invite! Encourage! Affirm! Vocations
Text & Design © 1997-2007 All rights reserved.
| Last Modified:
November 09, 2007 |
Serra Club of Houston, Texas