Accepting the Serran challenge — together

by Lloyd P. Crockett, USAC President

The Lord touches our lives in so many different ways. A priest friend recently commented to me, "many incidents in our lives are really miracles—it is God’s way of touching our lives." The older I get, the more convinced I am that God has a sense of humor. My message here: I became a Serran because I made a Cursillo.

Being a convert to the Catholic faith, I had never attended an event that was so "Catholic" as that Cursillo weekend was some 19 years ago. I can still remember on that first night (Thursday), I would have gone home if I had had my car. By Sunday night, I didn’t want to leave. Once I began my fourth day, I did two things: I called the Birthright Office and signed up as a volunteer; and secondly, I accepted an invitation from a friend to become a Serran. Life has not been the same since!

I recall an early Ultreya Mass for Cursillistas, in which the priest made this profound statement: "not even Jesus Christ walked alone – we draw strength from each other." This is how Serra and Serrans have touched my life.
This is why our International, Regional and District Conventions are so important. This is why our Super Weekends are so important! Alone, we can do little; together, we can move mountains!

In 1994, the USA/Canada Council was formed and our journey began. In 2000, Canada formed its own council and their journey began. As we look back over these seven short years, we have come a long way! To me, one of the greatest things that has happened for Serrans in the United States was the formation of the Council. It allowed us in this country to concentrate our efforts and our energies on problems and situations unique to the United States. It has allowed Serra International to concentrate their efforts on growing Serra throughout the world. In other words, God was again touching our lives in helping us grow in our faith and in our mission.

As we look forward, the future of Serra has never looked brighter. Our impact upon the Church and our influence on promoting vocations has never been greater. We have been asked to play a leading role in the formation of the North American Congress on Vocations to be held in Montreal in April, 2002; our membership is growing; we have begun building relationships with other vocation-minded groups in the Church (remember, "together, we can move mountains!"); and finally, the growth in the number of parish vocations committees has been phenomenal, thanks in large part to the involvement of Serrans around the country.

Before I become too proud, I’m reminded of our Holy Father’s words during the Serra pilgrimage to Rome this past December. He reminded us to remember our roots, and that the most important action we Serrans can do is pray, pray, pray. . . because it is through prayer that we "move the heart of God."

I chose "Plant the seed for Serra and vocations" as my theme this year. If we had a priority, let us continue to plant the seed for growth and membership, not only in new members but in younger members and in the retention of current ones. Let us accept the challenge of rejuvenating our existing clubs and listen to God’s call and feel His touch as we work diligently to bring new vocations to our Church. Although we have had much success in growth this past year and many of you deserve our special thanks for this, we still have so much to do, so many areas to grow—there are still over 60 dioceses that have no Serra presence. As Christ has told us, "the harvest is great but the workers are few." Let us accept our challenge to fill this void as we go forward.

Secondly, let us all plant the seed to grow in our faith—this is a vital part of our mission—to grow in fellowship with Him and through this love, to grow in our work for Serra.
Let me close with this thought: A wise man once said, "one of the noblest things man can do is to plant the seed of a small tree that one day will give shade to people we will never know." Think about it. This is what Serra is all about: helping to plant the seed in a young man or woman to become a priest or religious who one day will serve people we will never know.

As we continue into this new millennium, let us always be encouraged by the words of Father Serra: "always go forward, never turn back!" With God’s good grace and with our growing strength and support for each other, we can fully realize the challenge our Holy Father has given each of us to become the vocations arm of the Church.

Thank you for all you do for Serra.

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