Serra Club of Augusta, Georgia Augusta Deanery, Diocese of Savannah Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 Serra Spectrum 2010 Most Outstanding Newsletter Serra Clubs USA Council Prayer for Vocations O God, hear my prayer and let my cry come unto you. Bless our Diocese of Savannah with many priestly and religious vocations. Give the men and women you call the light to understand your gift and the love to follow always in the footsteps of your priestly Son. Amen W e re still almost four months away from our first official anniversary, but the eyes of the nation the Serra Club USA Council are upon us. Serra Spectrum has been selected Most Outstanding Newsletter of the USA Council of Serra International for 2010. Shannon Kaiser- Jewell of the Augusta chapter was honored by the Serra USA Council during the international organization s annual meeting and Super Congratulations to us! Weekend conference June 16-20 in Chicago with announcement of the selection from chapters nationwide. The bi-monthly electronic newsletter Kaiser-Jewell a member of The Church of the Most Holy Trinity of Augusta writes, designs and edits as newsletter editor. She was cited by the USA Council for her tireless efforts to produce an exemplary newsletter that communicates effectively and efficiently. Fr. Mark moves to diocese vocation office Dear Serrans, What an opportunity! in God's grace for vocational work, and for our prayer for St. Mary on the Hill parish and yours truly in this transition. I'll be parochial vicar at the Cathedral parish and assistant vocation director, working with Fr. Mike Ingram. Imagine if I were a military chaplain, I could be moving along with so many of our soldiers to Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, or a number of other places less hospitable and further from home than Savannah. In Christ, Fr. Mark Fr. Mark VanAlstine (center), his parents (front) and Augusta Serrans gather for a farewell dinner. About us: Augusta Serra Club sponsors a special Holy Hour the second Wednesday of each month at various churches in the deanery. Watch our calendar for dates, times and places. We welcome new members. Look for membership information in this newsletter. Monthly meetings include Mass followed by a program and/or speaker. All are welcome. Again, check the calendar for dates and sites. Our Mission The Serra Club of Augusta has, as a deanery wide effort, the mission of promoting, encouraging and supporting vocations to the priesthood and religious life by creating a culture of vocations in our parishes and our homes. To prepare ourselves for this mission, we assist one another in recognizing and responding to the universal call to holiness in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.
Page 2 Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 July 2010 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Blessed Junipero Serra 2 3 St. Thomas, apostle 4 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 5 St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, priest 6 St. Mary Goretti, virgin and martyr 7 8 9 St. Augustine Zhao Rong, priest and martyr 10 Blessed Virgin Mary 11 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 12 13 St. Henry 14 Fr. Gaspar Hegedus, birthday 15 St. Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church 16 Our Lady of Mount Carmel 17 Fr. Tim Donahue, birthday 18 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 19 20 St. Apollinaris, bishop and martyr 21 St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest 22 St. Mary Magdalene 23 St. Bridget of Sweden 24 Mass 10 a.m. Church of Most Holy Trinity then Meet 25 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 26 St. Joachim and St. Anne, Blessed Virgin Mary s parents Serra Club of Augusta, Georgia President..Richard Ramirez President-Elect.Michelle Migone Treasurer...Terry Wick Secretary...Jennifer Hitt VP Programs...Beth Powers VP Membership...position open VP Communications...Jeff Ryan VP Vocations.Dee Campbell Co-Chaplains Fr. Mike Lubinsky Fr. Mark VanAlstine Spectrum Editor. Shannon Kaiser-Jewell Contact us: augustaserra1@gmail.com Or call 706-737-8946 Follow us on Facebook: Serra Club of Augusta Send comments or ideas for the newsletter to: SKJKRK@aol.com Serra Spectrum is published bi-monthly. 27 28 29 St. Martha 30 Caleb Harkleroad seminarian, birthday 31 St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest Join with us Membership in Augusta Serra Club is open to all practicing Catholic laypersons and permanent deacons from all the Augusta Deanery area parishes. Members are encouraged to attend club meetings, participate in activities sponsored by the club and share responsibilities by serving on committees. Individuals interested in joining our chapter can email us at augustaserra1@gmail.com; attend a meeting, Holy Hour or other sponsored activity, where membership forms are available; or contact us on Facebook: Serra Club of Augusta.
Page 3 Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 A Knight to remember Being a priest, you have to be a people person. Lots of people will say it s a lonely life, but that s not true, seminarian Vernon Knight believes. Talking to the Serra Club of Augusta, Vernon continued, 24/7, the priest is around a lot of people. They see a lot of sick, visit the schools. You just don t want to be a priest for yourself. It s a ministry. It s a service. The Diocese of Savannah seminarian is majoring in theology at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, PA, When I was 7 or 8 years old, I was attracted to the priesthood. When I was going to Mass, I was seeing myself up there at the altar. a long way from his youth. I was a military brat, he smiled. His father, a native of Kentucky, was a career sergeant in the U.S. Army when he married Vernon s mother, in her native land of South Korea. Vernon was born in Indiana. Depending on his father s duty assignments, the family traveled from South Korean to El Paso, TX, from Kentucky to the Azores Islands off Portugal, from Italy to Germany, until his father retired from the Army after 20 years and the family settled eventually in Warner Robins, GA. The seminarian s home parish is Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Warner Robins, and he graduated from Warner Robins High School in 2002. He then attended Macon State College, earning an Associate in Teachers Education of General and Special Fields degree. In my third year at Macon State College, I decided to make contact with the vocations director there, and ended up meeting with Fr. Tim McKeweon, diocesan vocations director. But that was not his first thought of discerning a vocation in the priesthood. When I was 7 or 8 years old, I was attracted to the priesthood. When I was going to Mass, I was seeing myself up there at the altar. During my college years, I started to get serious about it. About a month later, my parents finally agreed. He transferred to St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, PA. I went through the physical and psychological interviews in mid-july and then Aug. 24 I began orientation. I signed up for a new major, going from teacher education to majoring in theology. It sparked a new interest in church history. This is the place I had to be, Vernon said of the seminary. After two years I m finally catching up on theology. If you pass first theology, you survived. I m starting to find a natural feel. Daily life is like any college, except everyone is a seminarian looking to be a priest. (Continued on page 12)
Page 4 Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 While many children moan about getting up Sunday morning to go to Mass no further than across town, consider one Nguyen Bá Thông. His journey to attend Sunday service at a Catholic mission in his native Vietnam meant overnight travel there and back, across jungle terrain and a river. One particular attempt to attend mass at the South Vietnamese Catholic mission in 1983 was life-changing for this 7-year-old boy and his mother. After making the long trip from their refugee camp, they were greeted by a torn, handwritten note on the front of the mission church: Priest Arrested. No Mass Today. As the now grown man recalls that day, he said to his mother, When I grow up, I am going to be a priest. Through a childhood filled with persecution, a young adulthood in college and then the business world, he never lost that desire. Today Fr. Martino, as he is known, is parochial vicar of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Grovetown, GA. He shared his thoughts on his life, the priesthood and Serra Club s goals at a recent meeting. We have a problem with vocations. No, we have a problem working on vocations, the animated priest told the Serrans. His life started shortly after the Vietnam War and was in turmoil immediately. His parents had worked for the U.S. government -- his mother as an administrator, his father as Saigon commander of the Quan Cahn, the South Vietnamese military police. When the U.S. withdrew from South Vietnam, anyone who had worked with them were enemies of the communist state. Fr. Martino s mother was jailed in Saigon, his father in North Vietnam. Since his mother was seven months pregnant and on the verge of death from starvation, she was released to her brother to live in the streets of Saigon. Once she delivered Being Catholic not always easy her son, they were both sent to a refugee camp in Long An Province near the Cambodian border. Fr. Martino never saw his father until 10 years later, when he was finally released from prison in 1986 and the family reunited in Xuan Loc, north of Saigon. A 14-year-old Martino found Catholicism was barely tolerated by the communists. He had started teaching catechism classes, but by age 16 had been arrested and beaten four times, imprisoned in a windowless cell he has described as the size of a shower stall. (For a more detailed account of his life in Vietnam, go to http:// savannahnow.com/ node/223167) By the time he was 17, his family was eligible for repatriation to the U.S. and they immigrated to Chicago. After high school graduation, he spent some time with the Xaverian Missionaries in Wisconsin before earning a Bachelor of Arts in finance from the University of Wisconsin along with employment with Blue Cross Blue Shield, eventually becoming an investment broker. At age 23, however, another journey brought him back to that childhood promise. He volunteered to work for a month for Mother Teresa at the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity of Calcutta in India. His experiences confirmed his desire for the priesthood. He enrolled in pretheology at St. Mary s Seminary in Baltimore for the Diocese of Richmond, VA. He was not happy there, however, and was considering moving to Florida. En route, he met with Fr. Tim Donahue and Fr. Brett Brannen, who paid for his flight to Georgia. Because of the personal way he was treated, he cancelled his flight to Florida and stayed, transferring to the Savannah Diocese. They brought out in me commitment, a willingness to serve. I am here today because of that personal touch. I complain? Yes. Regret? No. I hug children and think, I wish I had my own. It s a normal human desire, but it doesn t mean I made the wrong choice. While assigned to Savannah following his ordination, Fr. Martino for a time was chaplain of the Savannah Serra Club. Priority No. 1 for Serra: Pray for vocations, he told the Augusta Serrans. Call your own priest to contact the vocations office if you can reach them. If I don t return your call, call 9-1-1 and tell them to come for the body! he chuckled.
Page 5 Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 St. John Vianney: Patron saint of priests The patron saint of priests John Vianney, also known as Cure of Ars was born Jean- Baptiste-Marie Vianney, the third of six children of Matthieu Vianney and Marie Beluze in Darilly, near Lyons, France, in 1786. Before his death at Ars Aug. 4, 1859, he became acclaimed worldwide as a confessor with a simplicity of devotion in his daily faith. It was in observance of the 150th anniversary of his death Pope Benedict XVI declared the Year of the Priest 2009-2010. When the French Revolution in 1790 forced priests to carry out the sacraments in secret illegally, according to the government the Vianneys journeyed to distant farms to pray in secret. At at young age, the youth thought the priests heroes, since their ves were at risk for celebrating the sacraments. By 1802, the Catholic Church was re-established in France and Jean-Baptiste-Marie wanted an education, But it wasn t until age 20 his father let him enter Fr. Balley s "presbytery school" in the neighboring village of Ecully. He struggled with his studies and had to be tutored in Latin by fellow student Matthias Loras, later to be the Bishop of Dubuque. Jean-Baptiste-Marie s masters at the school never doubted his desire to be a priest. But France s war with Spain interfered when Napoleon withdrew ecclesiastical student exemption from military service. Jean-Baptiste-Marie s father could not hire a substitute to fulfill his son s military obligation, so the youth prepared to head to battle with his regiment. The morning of departure, Jean-Baptiste-Marie went to church to pray and, on his return to the barracks, found his comrades had already left. He was threatened with arrest, but the recruiting captain believed his story and sent him after the troops. At nightfall he met a young man who volunteered to guide him to his fellow soldiers, but led him to Noes, where some deserters had gathered, according to Catholic Encyclopedia. The mayor persuaded him to remain there, under an assumed name, as schoolmaster. Eventually he resumed his studies at Ecully and in 1812 was sent to Verrieres seminary. He was ordained Aug. 13, 1815, and in 1818 assigned as parish priest of Ars, a village near Lyons. Faced with a parish with few active parishioners, he made it his mission to convert all 200 villagers, so they were living up to the ten commandments of God, the six precepts of the Church and the fulfillment of their duties in life. It was not an easy task: Complete enforcement of the third commandment took eight years. "You labor, but what you earn proves the ruin of your soul and your body. O what a beautiful thing it is to do all things in union with the good God! he would say. Oh! What a beautiful thing it is to offer oneself, each morning, as a victim to God! (www.catholic-saints.net/saints/stjohn-vianney.php) From remote Ars, he became known around the world. He founded a home for destitute girls, The Providence, later the model of similar institutions all over We should consider those moments spent before the Blessed Sacrament as the happiest of our lives. - Saint John Vianney France. The priest instructed the girls in the catechism and later brought the popular instructions to large crowds daily in the church. He soon started drawing people from other parishes even from other countries. During the last 10 years of his life, he spent from 16-18 hours a day in the confessional. His advice was sought by bishops, priests, religious, young men and women in doubt as to their vocation, sinners, persons in all sorts of difficulties and the sick. In 1855, the number of pilgrims had reached 20,000 a year. His direction was characterized by common sense, remarkable insight and supernatural knowledge. His instructions were simple in language, full of imagery drawn from daily life and country scenes, but breathing faith and that love of God which was his life principle and which he infused into his audience as much by his manner and appearance as by his words, for, at the last, his voice was almost inaudible....he labored incessantly, with unfailing humility, gentleness, patience and cheerfulness, until he was more than 73 years old. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney was proclaimed Venerable by Pope Pius IX Oct. 3, 1874 and was enrolled among the Blessed Jan. 8, 1905. Pope Pius X proposed him as a model to all parochial clergy, and Pope Pius XI canonized him May 31, 1925, with the day of his death, Aug. 4, set as his feast day.
Page 6 Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 Elijah Cup Program active in parishes Weeks before our charter ceremony, Serra Club of Augusta s presence was known in area parishes through establishment of the Elijah Cub program. The program is part of the club s mission of creating an environment conducive to vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life. At The Church of the Most Holy Trinity. Augusta Serra President Richard Ramirez presented the idea to Fr. Tim Donahue last October, and Fr. Tim offered his chalice for use by the parishioners in the program. The last weekend of October the weekend of Serra International s Priesthood Sunday, pulpit announcements by Ramirez drew enough interest families signed up to fill the first five months of the program. At St Mary on the Hill. the program started the first Sunday of Advent, headed by Serrans and parishioners Frank Campbell, Miriam Cooper and Rhonda Wallace. Fr. Jerry Ragan, pastor, generously offered his great uncle's chalice to use for the program. In the initial weeks, 22 families had registered to participate. The club learned the guidelines of the program from Rita O'Keefe, who helped reinstate the program at St Joseph parish. Her son, Kevin, is a Diocese of Savannah seminarian at the Theological College in Washington DC. At participating parishes, each week at a Sunday mass, a family, individual or couple are called forward to receive the cup and a blessing. The cup is placed in a place of honor in the home, and the family prays for a week for vocations and keeps a journal about their experiences. The next Sunday they return the cup with the gifts of bread and wine at the Offertory. By implementing programs like the Elijah Cup, we are all made aware prayer is an essential part of promoting vocations. The gospel scripture we hear in Luke 10:2 is a reminder to all it is the call of the laity to ask for laborers and likewise to pray for their commitment and holiness in their vocation. Ultimately, we should continuously show our support towards those It s not Sierra, but Serra As our club establishes its presence in the Augusta Deanery, we talk to friends about the organization and often are met wit h the response: Oh, yeah, Sierra Club. I ve heard of that. You do things with the environment, right? We may not be thinking green, but there is an environmental quality about what Serrans do: Helping to create a spiritually healthy and strong environment for those seeking a life in a religious vocation. When even Catholic friends are unfamiliar with the organization, there are questions to be answered and information offered. While the Sierra Club plants trees, the Serra Club strives to plants the seeds for future vocations. Our prayers, support and encouragement will hopefully help deepen the roots of faith that may lead someone to religious life. who have been called by God to follow Him in the life giving ministries of the priesthood and the religious life. The Elijah Cup program is based on 1 Kings 17 when, during a drought, Elijah instructs the poor widow of Zarapeth she should make him a small loaf of bread with her remaining flour and oil and the jar of flour will not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the Lord sends rain upon the earth. The widow baked the break and, for a year, she, her son and Elijah ate bread baked from the flour and oil. The Elijah Cup has some history in the Passover Seder meal of the Jewish faith, when a cup of wine is set for Elijah. The Seder recalls the historical redemption of the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage. The cup of Elijah derives from a problem in Talmudic Law, according to Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner. During the Seder meal, there are four cups of wine to drink based on the four expressions of deliverance, but there is actually a fifth expression of deliverance. So the rabbis came up with the perfect Jewish compromise. We fill the fifth cup, but we don t drink from it... Elijah s cup.
Page 7 Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 August 2010 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2 3 4 St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests 5 Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome 6 Transfiguration of the Lord 7 Blessed Virgin Mary 8 Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 9 St. Teresa Benedicta, virgin and martyr 10 St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr 11 St. Clare, virgin 12 13 St. Fontian, pope Hippolytus, priest 14 15 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 16 St. Stephen Of Hungary 17 Fr. Daniel Firmin, birthday 18 19 St. John Eudes, priest 20 St. Bernard, abbot 21 St. Pius X, pope 22 Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time 23 24 St. Bartholomew, apostle 25 26 27 John Wright, seminarian, birthday 28 Meeting TBA 28 Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 30 31 We have many exciting programs coming in addition to our monthly Holy Hours, which have been very inspirational thanks to the host priests doing such a great job! Holy Hour attendance is growing. Keep coming and bring friends who might be interested in joining our club! Jason Adams, seminarian for the Diocese of Savannah at the Pontifical North American College in Rome who was featured in our first issue of Serra Spectrum, will be our speaker July 25. Mark it on your calendar so you don t miss his talk at the 10:45 AM meeting in St. Patrick Hall after 10 AM Mass at The Church of the Most Holy Trinity across Telfair Street in Augusta. In Augusta Serra Club s future * * * We ve been invited to visit the Carmelites in Savannah and are considering that visit in place of our regular August meeting. More details will be discussed at the July meeting. * * * If you can, attend a Mass Wednesday, Aug. 4 to observe the Feast Day of St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests. This Mass would be a great opportunity for us to offer our special prayers to not only encourage individuals to discern a vocation in the priesthood and religious life, but ask St. John Vianney s blessings on those already ordained. Did you know? Fr. Martino N gu ye n Bá Thông posts all his homilies on YouTube.com. He is known for his straightforward, unique approach, so check him out.
Page 8 Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 God speed, Fr. Mark! Love and prayers, Your Augusta Serrans Having the Serrans to count on... will make my job easier, Fr. Mark Van Alstine, co-chaplain with Fr. Michael Lubinsky of the Serra Club of Augusta since its inception, said of his move to Savannah. Fr. Mark has joined the Vocations Office of the Diocese of Savannah, where our chapter will continue to work closely with him on encouraging and supporting those who choose to follow in his footsteps of a religious life. At his farewell dinner co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus of St. Mary on the Hill, Augusta, his home parish while assigned here, Fr. Mark offered his beliefs on what the Serra chapter has accomplished and advice on how the chapter can continue to grow. Michelle Migone, vice president of the Serra Club of Augusta, also presented Fr. Mark with some farewell gifts, along with promises the club will continue its mission with the added input of our former co-chaplain from his new diocesan position. It will not be the last you see of me! Fr. Mark told the Serrans and Knights. One of my own goals was to be a holy priest. But the call to holiness is an ongoing challenge. I didn t know what to expect. It s promising to see we actually have a stable Serra Club. We have a core group of people who are capable and communicative. Help your young guys and girls (realize) God has a part in your life... doing what God wants you to do. He also thanked the Knights for doing things to help support our seminaries, like raising money through the pancake breakfast. Some guys in the seminary are not very well supported, and it can make a difference to have pocket money. Just help people live their lives fully. One of the things about vocations it really does become fulfillment to a priest. It may be in a way unexpected. He encouraged our Augusta Serra Club to keep growing. To see what opportunities we have, to nurture that desire. My great Serra Club reality is when it was very quickly developed with a number of people helping to make the club great. It will continue. I m impressed with your level of goal formation. There is great potential for our club to help others.
Page 9 Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 Mass of Thanksgiving for Fr. Bingham, OP John Marie Bingham joined the Catholic faith at The Church of the Most Holy Trinity July 4, 1993, so it was fitting to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving July 4, 2010 at that same church following his ordination as a Dominican priest June 25 in California. Fr. Bingham as a high school junior, his father, Fletcher (a former Episcopal priest), his mother, Kay, and a younger brother had been received into the Catholic Church at Most Holy Trinity by Fr. Allan J. McDonald. He started discerning his vocation at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, CA., returning to Georgia where he accepted a position as assistant to the Vocation Director of the Diocese of Savannah, Fr. Brett Brannen. Now Fr. Brett watched me twiddle my thumbs concerning my vocation for a couple of months, and then he had had enough. He called me into his office and gave me a proverbial kick, now Fr. Bingham wrote on his blog (www.opwest.org/ profiles/b/binghamjohn.htm). I had to go visit religious orders and let God open the doors he wanted me to walk through.... After a few visits to various communities, I discovered the Dominican charism of seeking the truth, living the truth communally and preaching the fruits of the contemplation of that truth resounded in my soul. So I entered the Order, made vows on Aug. 30, 2003. He studied with the Western Dominican Province, The Order of Preachers, in California, and was ordained to the priesthood at The Church of St. Dominic, where he has been assigned as parochial vicar. Serra patron s life recalled in Feast Day Mass Our patron was inspired, Serra Club of Augusta chaplain Fr. Michael Lubinsky proclaimed at the Feast Day Mass for Blessed Junipero Serra July 1 at The Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Augusta. As a young child he determined on his own he would become a priest. He was ordained and was a teacher and gifted orator, he related during his homily. But there was something in him that said this is not enough. God is calling me for more. So the padre was granted permission to travel to Mexico and the California coast. He was beatified because of his model of evangelization. His life boggles the mind in what he achieved, Fr. Lubinsky said. He was not a healthy man. His gait was not the best because of an injury soon after he arrived in the Americas. He was 56 years old and he did not stop at anything in creating a Catholic mission. He is credited with 6,000 Native American baptisms. He established nine missions. He taught the native Indians about Jesus and about agriculture. He taught them not to give up (by example as well as word). He is the perfect patron for Serra Club. Our patron was inspired. He traveled all over the west coast. He IS an apostle and he s saint worthy. He s very saint worthy. He never complained because his mission was to bring God to the new land.... in discipline, in dedication and in developing disciples for Christ.
Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 Page 10 Reaching out to our college-bound students When teenagers graduate from high school and go off to college, it often is their first time on their own without parental supervision or guidance on their day-to-day lives. Helping them maintain some bridge to home and especially their faith is a program called College Connection for Catholics. This spring the Serra Club of Augusta partnered with the Augusta Deanery churches to offer their graduating seniors a way to stay in touch with their faith. Announcements were made at the Masses and notices placed in the bulletins for the seniors to call their church office with their contact info and the college they were attending in the fall. We also worked with the youth ministers of each parish to spread the word about the program. Serrans Miriam Cooper and Rhonda Wallace designed flyers and message boards to be displayed in the narthex of each church. Serrans Dee Campbell, Mary Carter, Jeff Ryan and Michelle Migone collected the names from the parishes. For the initial campaign, 35 college-bound students have registered, with our club forwarding their contact information to the national College Connection database. Each student has been matched in that database with their chosen university or college and then received a College Connection packet in the mail, including a welcome letter and a list of available Catholic ministries on their campus. As part of the program, the campus ministers also received the incoming student s contact information. In the future the local Serra club hopes to have a stronger outreach next year with a more visible presence in each of the deanery s parishes. As part of the Catholic Community, it is imperative for us to let the youth know their faith is important and should not be neglected once they leave home, says Migone. Like our dear JPII used to say: the youth are the future of the Church. If we can help foster this growth through the College Connection program, we will have done them and the church a great favor. Messages to Fr. Mark from his Serrans: In Ireland, there is now only one seminary. In France, there is a strong growth of Islam. In Africa and South America, vocations are booming. In Nigeria, there are 30 seminaries and 20 to 100 ordination s. In Korean, there are 10 diocese and 10-20 priests each year. The past few years of our Priest son being assigned in Augusta was very good. It is with excitement we look forward down the road with him in Savannah. When you see your son or daughter enter the ministry you know their life is given to serving the Lord and that may mean not being an everyday member of family activities. We try to savor the times when he can take part in family activities but also savor the service he gives to plowing in the Lord s vineyard wherever that may be. We thank the Serra Club and its support of Fr. Mark Van Alstine, the other priests of the deanery as well as the religious of the deanery. Bill and Toni Van Alstine * * * * * * Thank you for all the many ways you served the Serra Club over the past year. You will be greatly missed. We love you. * * * * * Richard and Beth Ramirez It was a blessing to have Fr. Mark as one of our first co-chaplains. I am very happy for him as he moves on to his new assignment at the Cathedral and as co-vocations director for our diocese. I look forward to working with him as part of the Serra Club! Michelle Migone
Page 11 Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 Savannah seminarians ordained transitional deacons Bishop J. Kevin Boland ordained seminarians Dawid Kwiatkowski (left) and Christopher Ortega (right) to the transitional diaconate June 5 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. Natives of Poland and of California are the two latest seminarians ordained to the transitional diaconate for the Diocese of Savannah. Bishop J. Kevin Boland ordained Dawid Kwiatkowski of Poland and Christopher Ortega of California at a June 5 Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. Both are studying for the priesthood at Mt. St. Mary s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. Attending the Mass and reception were members of the Serra Club of Augusta along with members of the Savannah Serra Club. Bishop Boland told the men during his homily: Dawid and Christopher, you will be configured to Christ who is the servant of all. You are ordained for service to the Church. You will carry out this service under the authority of the bishop in the ministry of the Word, divine worship and pastoral care and charity." The diaconate ordination reminded me mostly of my own two years ago, where I took the promises of celibacy, obedience and prayer, recalls Fr. Pablo Migone, parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Church in Warner Robins and brother-in-law of Michelle Migone, club president-elect. I relieved that moment when you let go and then know you are completely in God s hands. Fr. Pablo said. It was exciting to return to the cathedral for a big celebration and realize a whole year had already passed since my own ordination. After attending so many ordinations as a seminarian, it was neat to experience it as a priest. It seemed almost unreal to be there as a priest since all previous ordinations I had attended I had been an altar server or was the one being ordained. I felt proud of the two guys being ordained and happy to see two new young guys join into the diocese. Michelle s observances are based on previous experiences as well. Ever since I attended my first ordination back in 2007, I realized that being present for this yearly event should be on every Catholic s top 10 list. So many truths of our faith come together during the ceremony. Witnessing an ordination helped me better understand that the priesthood is truly the response to a higher calling. These men have arrived here thanks to God s grace. Seeing all brother priests and deacons, along with our bishop, seminarians and the faithful kneel in prayer asking for the intercessions of all saints in heaven while the ordinandi lie prostrate on the floor is always very awe-inspiring. It reinforced to me that need for prayer and grace for the ministry the young men are about to undertake. The imposition of hands from our bishop is that sign of continuity of the ministry that has been instituted by Christ, and handed down from the time of the apostles. Michelle also noted the ethnic diversity of those assembled, with Dawid s family of Polish nationality and Christopher s of Hispanic descent. It emphasized to me the universality of our Catholic faith. Summer assignments for the new deacons have been: Dawid to the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Savannah and Christopher to Saint Peter the Apostle Parish in Savannah. They will return to Mt. St. Mary s in the fall to finish their last year of study before possible ordination to the priesthood in 2011.
Volume 1 Issue 3 July-Augusta 2010 Page 12 (Continued from page 3) You re up by 6:30 AM, then morning prayers at 7:30. Classes start at 8:30. I usually attend midday prayer with the monks. The seminary is run by Benedictine monks. At 4:30 PM you pray the mass, then after dinner you re on your own. The student body is a hodgepodge of students, from Columbia, Venezuela, Slovakia, England and the United States. You feel how the small the world is when we all come together. Friends ask me, Is it cold? Is it damp? It s a university. It s a place of discernment. It s not a final decision (to be ordained into the priesthood). One of the biggest influences in Vernon s discernment was his mother. Mostly my mother. She was the one who wanted me to be a priest. Her younger sister is a nun. It s a tragedy some parents don t want their children to be religious. They want better than themselves for their children (in material gains). Really, the desire for a vocation has to start at the home, probably at the elementary age. But some parents don t want to hear it at all. They re looking for comfort for their children. While Vernon won t get married and have kids, I ll still be a spiritual father. Hopefully I ll be a good role model. ~ ~ ~ ~ A Knight to remember ~ ~ ~ ~ Really, the desire for a vocation has to start at the home, probably at the elementary age. Vernon, who has been spending the summer working with homebound Catholics, said it gives me the opportunity to learn what to say to people. He also has worked spending the summer working with homebound Catholics and visiting patients in the hospital, said, it gives me the opportunity to learn what to say to people. He also has worked with Vacation Bible School. We talked about vocations, whether it s married life, priesthood, religious life, simple life. Each is a vocation. Some students were surprised priests still have a life. One of the professors at Latrobe is a monk and an archaeologist. We have people in religious orders who are involved in media arts, videos, teaching, forensic science. The kids will say, Oh, kewl. I thought you only did Mass. Vernon admits, I ve seen priests who don t want to be around people. (But) as a priest, you re making a commitment just not to one person, but to many. Hopefully I ll make an impact on kids discerning a religious life. For me, it s being there for people in their time of need for comfort. Being there includes a high school friend who was raised Methodist. We talked a lot and at one time we both were going to be Jesuits. He went to the University of Georgia, then went through RCIA. He joined the Army ROTC and became an Army chaplain. Whatever I said and whatever I did, it made a difference. Individuals making an impact on Vernon through his classes are ecumenical. A rabbi teaches pastoral counseling. A course on the Protestant and Catholic Reformations is taught by a Lutheran minister. Vernon suggested the Internet to me is a great source. Plus reading books in high school and college helped him to explore the possibility of a vocation. The rosary is a great tool for meditation of discernment. We have the rosary every day, and, because of the international student body, one part may be done in English, another in Spanish, French, Vietnamese or Chinese. There are five seminarians currently representing the Savannah Diocese in Latrobe. In our seminary class, we look out for each other. Just as Vernon Knight hopes to look out for his parishioners some day. Book update The book signings for Fr. Brett Brannen were well attended, and he sold about 100 books during the events around the Augusta Deanery.