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12/18/09
Dear Serrans,
The end of the year and Christmas are upon us and I hope you have found as much to be grateful for as I have.
Here are just a few of the great things Serra accomplished in 2009:
In my travels as USA Council President, I've had the blessing of being able to travel to meet many Serrans across the country and witness firsthand their dedication and enthusiasm for our mission. I get to do this for at least another half year before our President Elect Joe DeLoy from Denver takes over!
The next opportunity I'll have to meet some of you will be at the SuperWeekend in January in Chicago. If you've never been to one of these meetings, I hope you'll consider going. (Click here to find out more and to register... it's not too late!)
If you're a district governor, district governor-elect, regional director or regional director-elect, I hope you will especially consider coming for the one-day training and planning event taking place the day before SuperWeekend starts. This event replaces the Kansas City weekend we used to have in February for the same purpose. If you're not already planning to come, I hope this article will convince you. It really is a fantastic opportunity to learn how to be the best leader you can be.
It's been a great year, Serrans! Know that I congratulate you on all your year's successes and that you share in the successes of your council as well. I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a energized New Year.
Mary, Mother of Vocations, Pray for Us!
Doug McRoy
9/9/09
Dear Serrans,
The officers in your clubs should have received a copy of the Serra Leader newsletter containing the following article by USAC Communications Committee Chairman Frank Gerner. Their duty is to share it with all members of your club, but if you haven't seen it yet, I'm including this very important information here so that you can see where your dues dollars for our USA Council go.
--- Doug McRoy, President, USA Council of Serra International
by Frank Gerner,
The reign of God is like a bonfire in which the individual logs gathered to provide a magnificent display of light and a blanket of warmth. The logs unselfishly shared their very substance to provide the brilliance and heat to all who gathered in community around them.
One log, perceiving that there was not a continuing need to be associated with the others, rolled away from the bonfire and burned brightly on its own while radiating a substantial amount of heat. But soon the log became aware that its flame had diminished to a few flickers and the heat was not reaching as far as it had when independence from the bonfire was first achieved. The brilliance of the bonfire burned on as more logs moved into the flames, while the independent log found that its warmth was self-consuming and ceased to provide either heat or light.
We envision the synergy generated by individuals and organizations together, like the bonfire, as a means to achieve a common goal. The light and heat represent the dedication and commitment to the common goal. The independent log illustrates the isolation of a person or a group who believes that they have perfected a process and need no association with others pursuing the same goal.
If prayer alone were sufficient to promote, foster and sustain religious vocations, there would be no reason for the Serra Movement to exist. Serrans are called to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of vocations -- that takes time, talent, and treasure along with the prayers to accomplish the mission.
Individual Serra clubs need funds throughout the year for a variety of programs and activities: meals; mailings to members; meeting facilities; recognition of anniversaries and birthdays; affirmation events for priests, deacons, sisters and brothers; dinners, picnics, barbeques, and social events for seminarians; gifts, care packages and other support programs or projects. These are just a few examples of financial expenditures.
Consider the needs for funding in the world of Serra. The mission of Serra is not just a local effort. It is equally district-wide, regional, national, and international in scope. Just as the needs of the Church are both local and universal, so the needs of Serra are both local and worldwide. Financial support is required from all membership to promote the objectives and purpose of Serra at all levels if we are to "set the world on fire" with the Serran zeal for vocations.
1. Support a Volunteer Organization
The Serra movement in the
2. Fund the USAC Office Staff
The salaried staff members function as specialists in communications, coordination, organization, and innovation in providing a united resource center for all USA Serrans. They have demonstrated that they serve willingly and with deep commitment by providing maximum performance in their desire to fulfill the mission of Serra. Their tasks include the following:
3. Maintain website (www.serraus.org)
Through the technological expertise of the USAC staff, all Serrans have access to an easy-to-use website that provides:
A visit to the site will reveal much more in resources and other valuable information.
4. Support Training of Volunteers
The Leadership Development Committee of USAC annually provides a three-day regional director/district governor training session in Kansas City, Mo. Spring Leadership Training Conferences are to be held in each district in the Spring months, organized by the district governor. These SLPCs are for all club officers, training them in their roles as leaders and presenting them with an opportunity to problem solve and contribute to the training from experience. In addition, the district governor organizes a seminar for incoming presidents. USAC provides the manuals for the regional directors, district governors, and each local club officer for these training events. These manuals are continuously updated to reflect new methods, technology, and administrative revisions; they are available at all times for free download from www.serraus.org.
5. Provide nationwide
In addition to the resource manuals provided for Serra leaders, the USAC staff publishes the SerraUSA magazine three times each year, and the Serra Leader newsletter, which is published quarterly either online or in print. These publications are included in the USAC dues.
Also available to Serrans are DVDs and CDs of the national and international meetings. The documents necessary for the formation of new clubs are available as well. A review of the list of available publications is best done by a visit to the website and using the linkage on the left side of the screen.
6. Provide a centralized communications center
The USAC staff functions as a hub for information exchange for all Serra clubs and individual Serrans. This service is provided through the staff's broad knowledge of Serra programs and activities, the staff's research capabilities, and the various information sources available to them. The staff may also refer a question to another Serra club or individual who has engaged in a similar project or program. Contact the USAC office by phone (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time) at 888.777.6681, by FAX at 888.777.6803, or by email at serraus@serraus.org.
7. Develop program resources
Charter anniversaries, membership records, individual Serran recognition awards, newsletter awards, and Outstanding Serran and club awards are all coordinated through the USAC Office in
8. Relieve clubs of certain legal concerns
USAC provides all government registration and reporting as a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt corporation/organization for all
USAC also provides liability coverage for USA Serra officers.
9. Maintain contacts with Catholic organizations
Through the USAC Relationships Committee, the USAC staff and committee members maintain ongoing communications and interfacing with the United States Council of Catholic Bishops, the National Council of Diocesan Vocation Directors, the National Coalition for Church Vocations, the National Religious Vocations Conference, and the National Federation of Priests' Councils. Additionally, there are working relationships with the Knights of Columbus, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, and the National Evangelization Team -- to name a few other organizations.
In summary, the mission of Serra is not just a local effort. The USAC services provided through member dues do much to support and coordinate local club activities and to provide the leadership needed to achieve Serra goals and purposes at the national level.
6/25/09
The Dick Stolly I Knew: A Man of Commitment
Being from the same club, the same city, and the same parish for many years, I knew Dick pretty well. Our common geography and spiritual life allowed me to know and appreciate Dick and his family’s efforts and accomplishments with our church and other community activities. The Stolly family is well known at St. Charles Parish in
Dick was also a charter trustee of the Lima Central Catholic Endowment Fund and a board member of “The Lima Church People for Change and Reconciliation.” In his secular career, Dick was a principal along with his brother Tom at Stolly Insurance. The agency now is managed by his sons. He held many positions with various insurance professional organizations.
Dick became the first president of the USA Council in 1993 and remained closely involved with the Council’s work and development until his death. Despite all of Dick’s work with Serra at the Council and International level, he did not neglect his work to make our Serra Club of Lima Area successful in our vocation missions. I believe Dick started the idea of Serra Parish Contact Teams quite a few years ago. It has always been used in the Lima Club, certainly since I became a member, and I’m sure years before. This was Dick’s pet project and I believe it led him to explore and become involved with Campus Ministry, and then later College Connection. I can tell one and all, the enthusiasm and care Dick had for College Connection reflected his way of doing just about everything he was involved with in Serra. Not much was left to happenstance!
As I became involved in committee work and leadership of the USA Council, Dick and I would travel together the five-hour drives from
I do know one thing: I always went to Dick for inspiration! I certainly will miss having him there, especially this year.
God speed, Richard J. Stolly.
With loving respect,
Doug McRoy
At its annual Executive Planning Meeting in
The USA Council Board has voted to have President-elect Douglas McRoy of
3/25/09
Our Serra USA Council is very fortunate to have position descriptions for each office and a nominating procedure that is so helpful for council officers moving into a new position. Like many newly elected Presidents taking office, I have spent two years as a USA Council vice president, one year as president-elect in addition to two years on the Board as a regional director.
Because of this amount of recent service and the Serrans with whom I have served, it is easy to be excited about what is happening with our organization. The dedication of our Board members, our committee structure and members, and of course our very dedicated staff and Executive Director Ed Verbeke give me much encouragement.
We are at many crossroads in our Serra involvement. We will reduce the number of our regions and concentrate on a team of leaders within a larger region under the direction of a Regional Director. We have enhanced our Super Weekend efforts to make them more productive and more committee oriented. We will try for the first time next January to combine our Leadership Planning and Training with the January Super Weekend. It is our hope that more Serrans will gravitate to leadership positions with this concept and that more governors and district leaders will participate in our committee meetings.
For these reasons and with your trust and prayers, I look forward to serving you as president of our wonderful USA Council of Serra International. It truly is my honor to serve. I pray for strength from our God, I ask for your prayers and I ask all Serra members to “strengthen their faith with good works” for our Serra mission.
God Bless you all.
Doug McRoy
(Michael Strong resigned from the USA Council presidency in March of 2009.)
1/31/09
Dear Serrans,
The second week of January 2009, I made what has become an annual trip from my home in rainy Tacoma, Wash., to cold and snowy Chicago to take part in our midyear Council Board of Directors meeting. This time I decided to take an extra day and visit our corporate office in downtown
On arrival I was warmly welcomed by Jan Cholke, Administrative Assistant. Jan gave me a tour and I found
After my tour of the office, Ed offered to drive me to our Council meeting place, the O’Hare Marriott Hotel. More than 50 Serrans from all parts of the country were gathering for two and a half days of SuperWeekend meetings.
Two changes in our meeting format were implemented, both intended to promote a more efficient use of time and facilitate sound decisions.
1. Consent Agenda: This is a practice by which non-controversial board action items are organized apart from the rest of the agenda and approved as a group. These routine items are sent to Board Members in advance for review.
2. Streamlined Financials: Treasurer Richard Schwappach and Executive Director Ed Verbeke have redesigned the financial reports presented to the board resulting in a clearer presentation of key data on fewer pages.
These two changes shortened the board agenda and allowed us to devote more time to our standing committee meetings.
Serra International President Cesare Gambardella was a welcome guest for the weekend and presented formal remarks on Saturday morning. Many of our Council leaders were able to visit with Cesare during the weekend and share our common vision for the growth of Serra.
I was pleased to announce that Bishop Peter Christensen of the Diocese of Superior, Wis., has accepted the role of USA Council Episcopal Adviser, succeeding Bishop Blase Cupich of
I also summarized the final report from the joint task force studying a consolidation of the USA Council and Serra International’s business offices. Dr. Daniel Lowery’s report on behalf of the five members concluded that there are not sufficient tangible savings or intangible benefits to justify the considerable cost that could be incurred by pursuing consolidation.
After two presentations by USA Council Past President Jim DeNike and lively discussion, our board unanimously approved an implementation plan to comply with the
Assisted by Serra International staff members John Woodward and John Liston, Serra International Vice President for Communications Darrel Ross gave a presentation to USA Council staff and leadership on the new dynamic Serra International website being developed by Teledec Corp. The public site appeared to be a great improvement over what currently exists. To view a test page on the internet, go to www.teledec.com/clients/serra/. The project is intended to eventually serve all of Serra with a central internet resource. We look forward to providing additional input as this project moves forward.
Last November, USA Council Past President Gary Davis represented us at a dinner meeting of Catholic lay leaders in
As we look forward to spring, let us continue to invite new people to join Serra and thank our local leaders for their service to this worthy apostolate VOCATIONS.
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” Psalm 95
Michael E. Strong,
Winter 2008
The holiday season gives us wonderful opportunities to reflect on our Catholic faith and our special role as Serrans.
On November 1 and 2 we celebrated All Saints Day and All Souls Day. These two special days encourage us to reflect on family, friends and Serrans who have gone before us to join the saints in heaven or the souls in purgatory. We are reminded that we are one with them in the body of Christ, the living and the dead. Our response in love is to pray for them all. For our family Nov. 1, 1977 became personal: Cecilia Durnin, my wife Judith's mother, died of cancer on that day. Each November 1 since then we have been consoled by the simple statement made by our parish priest and the religious sister who visited Cecilia during her last illness in our home: "She died on her day." Her memory helps us to pray not only for her and other family members but those who have no one to pray for them.
Later in November on the fourth Thursday, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. This is a wonderful time for family, friends and Serrans to give thanks for the many blessings showered upon us daily by a generous and loving God. Our response in love is to share what we have, both material and spiritual.
On the first Sunday of Advent we began the four-week vigil of Our Lord's birth in
I am grateful and edified by the many contributions made by our USA Serrans to their families, their parishes, and our Church. But we can do more! Let's take up the challenge to invite committed Catholics among our family, friends and parishioners to join us in our mission, praying and working to awaken new vocations to the priesthood and religious life that have been planted by an all-loving God and Father of us all. May our efforts be rewarded with more laborers for His vineyard.
Michael E. Strong,
Summer 2008
Sometimes I don't fully realize the importance of things until it strikes close to home. In July, Judith and I returned after two weeks’ vacation to our parish for our regular 8:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. We were greeted in the vestibule by a complete stranger. Who was this pleasant but unfamiliar priest vested in our pastor's favorite green chasuble? We knew that our pastor had undergone successful heart bypass surgery, but what happened while we were away? Is our pastor gone? Maybe we won't have a full-time pastor? What will happen to our small parish?
As I knelt praying before Mass, it dawned on me: This is why it is so important that we Serrans pray daily for vocations, and encourage our fellow parishioners to do the same. Somewhere among the 350 families of our small parish, there may be a priestly vocation sprouting and we can foster and nourish it with our prayers so that the young person hears the gentle whisper: "Come, follow me."
After Mass, we were assured that our pastor was recovering nicely and would be back with us in a few more weeks. Today's celebrant was a dynamic Jesuit from a nearby university and I was able to tell him what a wonderful homily he had preached on "the pearl of great price."
On the way home we shared our appreciation of the homily we had heard and how lucky our parish is to have this wonderful visitor while our pastor recovers. Indeed we are lucky, because every weekend in our country there are hundreds of parishes that either do not have a resident priest or share one with up to five other faith communities. That is why it is so important that we continue and expand our prayer and work on behalf of vocations.
Our USAC Membership Vice President, Greg Lynch from
First write down a one-page membership plan for yourself. If you are a club president write a plan for yourself and one for your club. If you are a District Governor or Regional Director write a plan for yourself and your district or region. Finally, share your plan with someone who will hold you accountable. If we join together and work as a team our membership will grow, and with the grace of God, vocations will follow. We need only be faithful and persistent.
Michael E. Strong,
7/14/08
 Michael E. Strong, Serra Club of the Tacoma, WA |
Dear Serrans, The first All-American Serra Conference closed with a rosary lead by three Franciscan friars at the grotto on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana. Our closing Mass took place a few steps from the grotto in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, one of the most beautiful and impressive places of worship in our great country. |
We arrived 45 minutes early for Mass, and thanks to our host Serrans from South Bend, led by Mr. Dick Dornbos, we were seated in the front rows. When Mass began at 10:00 a.m., the Basilica was filled with nearly 1,000 people from all corners of this country – students, young families with children, single people, the very young and the very old. All joined Notre Dame’s choir in song. Father Peter Rocca CSC, the Rector of the Basilica, greeted us before Mass began and recognized Serra and our mission of vocations with appreciation.
Wednesday through Saturday was spent primarily at the Gillespie Conference Center, a short distance from the Notre Dame Campus. The Hilton Garden Inn and the Inn at St. Mary’s were headquarters for most of us.
Wednesday and Thursday were devoted primarily to the USA Council board meetings and committee meetings, where the business of reviewing and evaluating our programs to better serve our districts and clubs in this vocation apostolate takes place.
Friday and Saturday we were educated by five excellent nationally recognized speakers and a panel who all addressed our conference theme “Vision of the Catholic Church in 2025.” Bishop Blase Cupich, our episcopal advisor, began Friday morning with a challenging keynote address. CDs and DVDs of all of the presentations are available from www.verandatapes.com.
The liturgies were celebrated at local churches each day beginning with Bishop John M. D’Arcy of Fort Wayne / South Bend, on Thursday, a great friend of Serra.
After lunch on Saturday, Bishop Cupich installed USA Council Officers, Region Directors and District Governors for the 2008/09 Serra year.
The demographics of our church in the United States are changing rapidly and we need to respond with our own changes, if we are to be of real service to the church in the U.S.
We can pray more. We can look for new ways to support our priests and bishops. We can build up our clubs with more active members and we can form new clubs in every section of our country.
Working together, let’s FOCUS our effort on membership for the next three years until we reach our goal of 15,000 active USA Serrans happily working in His vineyard.
“O that today you would listen to His voice. Harden not your hearts” – Ps 95:7-8
Michael E Strong, USA Council President
Serra Club of Tacoma WA
3/24/08
 Ernest P. Doclar, Serra Club of the University of Dallas, TX |
Summer Serra gatherings, This summer hundreds of Serrans from around the world will converge on São Paulo, Brazil, for the annual Serra International Convention. Our Brazilian friends promise a bang-up, exciting, colorful gathering in the beautiful Águas de Lindóia resort outside the city. We hope that as many USA Serrans as possible will join their sister and brother members there. |
But we surmise that many living in the USA will feel that Brazil is too far and costly to journey. If you are among them, the USA Council of Serra offers an alternative: an annual meeting and Super Weekend, dubbed the “Serra All-American Conference” by its coordinators, to take place on June 18-22, 2008, in South Bend, Ind.
Regularly, the USA Council conducts two Super Weekends a year, one in January and one in September. Here our board meets as do our various national committees. Also, it's been the custom to hold our annual meeting as part of the Serra International Convention when that event occurs in North America. When that's the case, more of our members feel the trip is affordable and not so tiring as a 10-hour trip to Europe or the Americas to the south. Combining the two events and placing them in the central USA, we hope to attract those who would ordinarily attend the SI convention and those who look forward to the Super Weekend. We hope to draw some who never take part in either but who might be intrigued by a different kind of conference in an interesting locale.
Several of our devoted Serrans from USAC Region 7 led by Dick Dornbos have organized what we anticipate will be an enticing conference in South Bend near the legendary Notre Dame campus. USA Council committees will conduct business on the opening days, June 18 and 19, but on the following two days we'll star workshops in the standing four committees: membership, vocations, program, and communications. Presenters for these workshops will be outstanding ladies and gentlemen who are experts in those areas. Renowned clergy and laymen and women will speak: our Episcopal Adviser Bishop Blase Cupich will talk on priesthood in the year 2025. Brother Paul Bednarczyk will address the subject of the future of religious men and women.
There are two convention hotels: the Hilton Garden Inn, the host hotel; and the Inn at St. Mary's. Several of the meals will be included in the registration fee of $150. You may want to stay at other nearby hotels. You can pull a registration form off the serraus.org website, or see pages 8-10 of this issue. Conference planners encourage you to book your room by May 18.
All of us USAC officers look forward to a large crowd, an enormous amount of socializing with new and old Serra friends, loads of new techniques to promote vocations, and inspiration to go forth enthusiastically in the coming year. I guarantee you a conference you'll not soon forget. I hope I see you and your spouse there.
Finally, the harmonious agreement developed by members of the the Serra International and USA Council boards in Omaha last December was reviewed and approved unanimously by the Serra International Board when they met on March 8 in Nashville, Tenn. We see this as a tremendous stride toward healing and cooperation within Serra. My board and I would like to thank all Serrans for their prayers and support.
1/21/08
For a change, when Serrans arrived in Chicago for their January 2008 Super Weekend they didn’t have to slog through snow to make their way to the Marriott—O’Hare Hotel. Chicago in January can sometimes greet travelers with fearsome weather. Fair though overcast skies this time had to be a favorable sign from the Holy Spirit. Did it portend an easy time of the board’s passing of the terms that would settle the nagging restructuring controversy? We hoped so.
(Scroll down for pictures from the event.)
The weekend meetings of the USA Council board and its committees chugged along smoothly. We laid ambitious plans for an all-out membership drive and stronger initiatives for vocations work in the clubs. We devised helps to stage interesting internal programs and tied up the work of establishing a strong e-mail network between the council and clubs and districts. At the final Sunday board meeting the motion to accept the terms agreed to at a December meeting in Omaha was first item of business. At that Omaha gathering council and international delegates fashioned an agreement they nicknamed “The Omaha Accords.” Moderating the session were one-time Episcopal advisor Omaha Archbishop Elden Curtiss and our own Episcopal Advisor, Bishop Blase Cupich. A number of queries answered on Saturday afternoon to clarify the Accords had paved the way for a unanimous vote “For” the agreement on Sunday.
The terms of those Accords or whatever you wish to call it, have appeared in detail in this web site for several weeks. The agreement is repeated here for your reference. Now the Accords go to the March board meeting of Serra International. If the document gets the approval of that group, then its terms start to be implemented. Completion may take up to early 2009.
I want to thank those who accompanied me to Omaha. They spent considerable time, effort, and money preparing for this meeting and negotiating so that we arrived at a peaceful resolution of the restructuring matter. They were: past presidents Jim DeNike, Tom Benson, and Gary Davis, President-elect Mike Strong, and board members Patricia DeJarnett and Don Herman.
Please continue to pray that all will goes well at the March Serra International meeting so that “The Accords” pass and we can get back to our major business, vocations.
Ernest P. Doclar
President, USA Council of Serra International
Serra International President Lloyd Crockett hands Blessed Junipero Serra medals blessed by Pope Benedict XVI to Topeka Serrans Yoshi and Frank Gerner. Lloyd distributed the medals as a gift to all who attended the SuperWeekend.
Serra International President Lloyd Crockett addresses SuperWeekend attendees at the General Session on Saturday morning.
Serrans Tom Moretti, John Latenser, Pat Manzo, Gary Davis, Mike Doohan and John Tichenor pose for a photo.
The USA Council Board assembled on Sunday morning for a meeting, during which they approved the accords from the summit in Omaha last month.
Christmas 2007
12/11/07
|
Ernest P. Doclar, Serra Club of the University of Dallas, TX |
Many of you have eagerly awaited the results of the meeting to discuss the proposals regarding restructuring. |
If you have questions about this, please send an e-mail to the Chicago USAC office, to my attention.
To all of you who prayed for a peaceful, just resolution of our difficulties regarding the restructuring proposals, thank you and thank God.
Mary, Mother of vocations, pray for us.
Ernest P. Doclar
President, USA Council of Serra International
A Serra friend reminded me that for several weeks our website has promised a message from your USA Council of Serra President. I hope you haven’t spent too much time accessing the President’s Message page only to find nothing there. This below will remedy that.
Priesthood Sunday was observed by Serrans throughout the USA on the weekend of October 27-28. I hope that your club used the suggestions in the brochure that our USA Serra office sent via our web site and U.S. mail. We need to know what you and your club did to make Priesthood Sunday effective. Please send us a brief report and we’ll tally up the responses and issue some kind of summary with the best ideas receiving special mention. Send via e-mail here, or mail it to the Chicago office of the USA Council.
Several of my colleagues from the USA Serra executive board and I attended a number of fall regional and district conventions. Each was unique and, from reports I have heard, were excellent symposiums to share new ideas and review the old techniques about vocations. I’m going to ask my Serra board associates if they’d share just a few notes from whichever convention they attended. We’ll publicize them here. Personally, I was present at the Mid-Atlantic Convention set in the New Jersey Meadowlands across the Hudson River from Manhattan. A particular treat for me, though I had lived in New Jersey for 15 years and never been there, was a lengthy visit and Eucharistic celebration at the Newark Diocese cathedral. It is magnificent building equal to and even surpassing the great church structures of Europe. An integral part of the program were the liturgies there and at the hotel presided over by local bishops.
In October I flew to New England and took part in a memorable Serra convention held at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass. Though fall colors were muted because of the lack of rainfall and cold weather, the scenery still charmed the eye. The New England Serrans held only a one-day session but in that short time they jammed in talks by some outstanding guest speakers. In both of the conventions mentioned, local seminarians were included in the program which always heartens Serrans who get to see their work pay off.
Also in October I was able to enjoy the hospitality of Colorado Serrans at their convention. One of many features stand out in my memory: Lloyd Crockett, Serra International president, was also present. Here I had the chance to show the cordial relations that we have with him. While there are some forces in SI that militate for a number of the changes proposed by the SI Long-Range Planning Committee, Lloyd is open to discussing these amicably. Lloyd addressed the group regarding the restructuring question and I had the chance to respond. Serrans present were able to weigh what both sides had to say and that is always advantageous.
Now for a few notes about the Serra International effort to restructure the USA Council. We are still embroiled in that matter. Your USA Council believes it doesn’t need restructuring although we admit that a few minor alterations may help our operation. SI has called a meeting to occur in Omaha on December 3 and 4. All councils may attend to discuss the proposed restructuring. We shall be represented by seven experienced USA Serrans who are prepared to state our case against drastically changing our way of working for vocations. More information later so keep watching this page.
God bless you and the work you do for vocations.
Ernie Doclar, President, USA Council of Serra International