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Pray, Invite, Encourage, Affirm: Support Vocations

Presented by USA Council President William E. Ramsey
USAC Annual Luncheon, June 29, 2002

This text has been lightly edited for space consideration

In the midst of our “hurry up” society and through an endless barrage of media messages, we must also face a new challenge that has confronted our Church. With stories of sexual abuse afflicting some of our priests, Serrans must engage in the struggle to assist the Holy Father, our bishops, priests and religious to help weather this storm of scandal and sadness. We cannot sit idly by as this nightmarish story pervades our lives. As individual Serrans, we should demonstrate our loyalty and love of the 99 percent of priests who faithfully and unselfishly serve the people of God. We should do this through our prayers and personal contacts with our pastors and priests in our parishes and other institutions.

As a Knight of Columbus, I am heartened to see my shepherd, Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss in Omaha, commend the Knights for their national advertising message. I quote:
“Two weeks ago the Knights of Columbus in the United States published a simple, but profound statement in the major magazines and newspapers of this country regarding Catholic priests.

“Every vocation will face challenges. Now is such a moment for the priesthood. At a time when betrayal by a few has inflicted deep suffering with little solace, our compassion goes to victims and their families. And we stand with the vast majority of priests who serve with generosity, dignity, and honor. To those who have remained faithful, we say, ‘You still have our faith.’

“This support for the vast majority of good priests in this country by the Knights of Columbus is welcome relief from the incessant media attention that has kept the public focused on sexual abuse and negligence by some of our clergy. We Catholics need to focus our attention on the great majority of good priests who are working faithfully throughout the nation, and especially in our own archdiocese.

“The Knights of Columbus in their national statement in support of priests have done a great service, not only for all the good priests in this country, but also for all the Catholics in this country who love and trust their priests.”

That public demonstration should be considered by Serra as well. It must be a balanced message of support and at the same time, of compassion for the victims of actual and alleged abuse, and their families.

I went to Montreal in April with more than 1,100 delegates to attend the Third Continental Congress on Vocations. Bracing for a grim and pessimistic meeting, in that great city, with the meeting dedicated to Mary and in the shadow of St. Joseph Oratory and dear Brother Andre, a small miracle occurred.

The message: living our faith is the foundation for our Church’s future. Spirituality and strong role-modeling are keys for attracting people to religious vocations. These vocations should be prayed for, encouraged, nourished and affirmed by the family, by the parish, by role models and mentors. Private and public support for the Church was deemed critical as well.

Through it all, new horizons of hope and service loom for Serra International, the United States Council and for us as Serrans. It will be a most exciting time for us to be Serrans as we enthusiastically accept the Holy Father’s invitation to serve as Jesus served.
As the lay vocation arm of the Church, we have new mountains to climb and vocation victories to achieve. I know we will all want to be an integral part of this new chapter in Serra’s illustrious history.

Serra is poised with strong leadership, dedicated members, committed staff, a well-crafted plan readily adaptable, creative and high tech communication tools to transmit our messages and a renewed esprit de corps that will give the spark to help us realize our challenging goals in this time of great peril and confusion in our beloved Church.
In order to be even more effective, Serra International has helped develop national councils. The councils, now serving some 95 percent of Serra membership, have proven successful in meeting diverse cultural needs in a given country and region.

The USA Council, now in its 8th year, has progressed steadily since its inception. Rough spots have been smoothed and the Council continues to provide services in an efficient, economic, and timely manner. It’s important that we understand the workings of the Council and access these services. Furthermore, each Council, in this case, the USA Council, needs our support.

Many Serrans serve on the Council Board and committees at the national level and travel twice a year to Chicago, at their own expense, to convene at Serra Super Weekend. These gatherings enable the Council and its committees to formulate programs, study issues, conduct long-range planning, create better communication systems and generate the spirit of friendship and service that marks Serra and its members as something special.

In addition, District Governors are called on to attend training seminars to better prepare them for their key role.

“Always go forward, never to turn back,” was the driving force in the life of Blessed Junipero Serra. His fiery determination resulted in the establishment of many of California’s beautiful missions and enabled him to work for the rights of Native Americans and tend to their spiritual needs as he walked thousands of miles in his journey for Christ.
His battle cry should be ours as well, as we continue our own journey to seek and secure vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. It’s a long road, but so was Father Serra’s. Longer than the travels of Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo combined.
I ask, for your consideration, that we focus on the following objectives and goals I present:

Establish the theme---Pray, Invite, Encourage, Affirm – Support Vocations, Celebrate Vocations, Respect Vocations.

Re-commit Serrans to the challenge of advancing the cause of canonization for our patron, Blessed Junipero Serra.

Continue to improve our excellent new look and new name Council magazine, serraUSA.

Intensify our efforts to support our priests and religious, especially during the national crisis threatening the Church.

Strive to stay connected to our more than 300 individual clubs…through our district-governor/regional director system, and with any new approaches to strengthening our network of clubs and members.

Maintain financial stability through periodic dues increases, and practical and effective fund raising.

Continue our strong communications programs in telling of the responsibilities, work and plans of the USAC and encourage Serrans to be alert for our Spirit of Serra award for exceptional stories promoting vocations and supporting our priests and consecrated religious.

Recognize and thank our board, committee members and staff for their dedication to the mission of Serra.

Seek to trim the number and length of board and committee meetings.

Work in concert with our parent organization, Serra International, to advance the mission of Serra.

Help strengthen the SI Foundation by building its endowment and identifying prospective donors, soliciting gifts, and broadening its scope of interests.

Emphasize the importance of the annual re-commitment to Serra and its mission at the club level.

Recruit talented, interested and dedicated Serrans to bolster our committee structure.

Ease the financial burden on officers and board members as they travel to and attend meetings.

Be open to new ideas and strategies for renewing and revitalizing Serra.

Create an Affirmation Task Force to help formulate Serra’s public response of support for our Church and the Holy Father, our priests and consecrated religious.

It should be a driving goal for us now to project the most dramatic and exciting image of our patron, Blessed Junipero Serra and work selflessly to advance his canonization.
By so doing, more prospective Serrans will take note and be open to our invitation to share our gift of Serra.

The increased awareness of Father Serra—who he was, what he did, how he inspired us for these nearly 70 years of Serra International’s existence to serve Christ and His Church in the vital area of stimulating religious vocations for the Church—is essential to our cause.

As the Blessed Sacrament religious worked tirelessly on behalf of the canonization of their foundress Saint Katharine Drexel, so, too, should Serrans take up the banner in the cause of Blessed Junipero Serra’s march to sainthood.

Mother Teresa said so well: “God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful.” That is also Father Serra’s call to us as he walked thousands of miles, often in great pain and deprivation, to spread the good news of Christ. He remained faithful to God’s call to extend His church through missionary work. That work, two centuries ago, continues to bless our land. With a myriad of reasons to give up, Father Serra stayed the course thoroughly blessing California with the beauty and spiritual power of the missions he founded and with the thousands he converted to our faith.

We must extend his missionary efforts in a terror stricken world, in a time of scandal marring our beloved Church founded by Christ Himself.

Another missionary, St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit who labored in God’s vineyard in India and the Far East, asked: “Here I am, Lord; what would you have me to do?”

I believe that God’s answer to us is: to commit ourselves to helping overcome the religious vocation crisis; to support our Church in perilous times; and to work diligently to advance the cause of sainthood for our patron Father Serra.

Are we ready to accept that call, our vocation as Serrans, to remain faithful to our mission?

I close with this petition from the 90th Psalm: “Lord, grant us success for the work of our hands and guide us on our way.”

Thank you for your commitment to Serra and its mission.

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