July 2008
Prayer Intention:
For an increase in vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life. For an end to abortion and a respect for all life from birth to natural death.
For our military personnel and their families
On July 1st Pat Englehart brought the meeting to order by Prayer. Our guests were Jeff Smith who has been accepted to the Josephine Seminary in the fall. Fr. John Miller introduced his mother Oleta .
Fr. Joe spoke and he thanked all Serrans for the reception for he and Monsignor Dunn for their anniversaries.
Mass will be a 9:00 for the fourth of July and on Saturday for vocations. He also mentioned the Dedication for Mercy Hospital Chapel on July 13th the same day as our festival. Bishop Blair will be here for that. Joanne Brickner reported on the chapel at Mercy. The new chapel is for patients and family and it is a parish organization so we are no longer going to have the Holy Hour the chapel starting with July’s Holy Hour. Fr. Joe said we are surely welcomed to have our Holy Hour at St. Joseph’s church starting in July.
The committee gave their reports. Tom Shook introduced Fr. John Miller and presented Fr. with a stoll that his wife Joanne made for Fr. with the Serra logo’s on it. Fr. John then spoke. He asked the members to ask questions and then he answered them. How old were you first realized you wanted to be a Priest. Fr. Was a server when he was young and the pastor kept telling he and his brother they would be good priests. He wished the pastor would quit saying that. I did not want the attention that would bring to me. The reality is that I am going to be in school for 12 years. He realized he wanted to be a priest when he working as an engineer. He finally realized that God was calling him. He worked at the Shrine from the sixth grade through college. He said it was back and forth as that God was and was not calling me. He was enjoying his work and getting married and having 5 to 6 children. He didn’t know if that was what she wanted though. What if God is not calling me and I am leaving my work and girlfriend. When he finally realized he wanted to be a priest and then the wheel started to set into motion. I had a couple of issues I had to work through. The first was I don’t want to go back to school. I realized that during this time of yes and no who is the one who has the answer and that is God. I had a prayer life but I intensified my prayer life. What is your biggest fear as a priest in your first year? There is so much going on with marriage annulments, marriage preparations and that I don’t miss an appointment. I you spend your time well in seminary and prayers it helps to minimize those fears. The parish I am gong to is a little shy of 8.000 parishioners and 500 in the school. There is the pastor and myself and the vocations director and Fr. Adam Hersol will live in residencies and a few retired priests available. There will be plenty to keep me busy. I am at St. Rose’s in Perrysburg. The three most important thing for a priest is to be is holy, happy and healthy .
Deacon Floyd Hohman introduced Deacon Chris Bohnsack who be ordained next May a Priest. He is serving internship at All Saints Parish. He was at All Saints 13 months ago. Chris wants to reflect on what has happened since the last time he was here to speak to us. Being at All Saints was a wonderful experience. Going back to the Seminary after that made me realize how much I liked learning about the faith. I had great classes to take and for the first time at age 38 I got all A’s. As the year went on and I got close to be a Deacon it got chaotic and I was struggling to maintain that spirituality of the moment of what was happening. He went into being a Deacon knowing more that God was calling me. They had two tight weeks. The week previous we took a bus trip to see the Pope. To see the Holy Father was a great experience as got within 20 feet of them. The hair was standing on the back of his neck. We had to stand for 9 to 10 hours. I was encouraged by that and the next week was ordination to be a deacon. He thanked the Serrans for all of our prayers. He has had two Baptism since becoming a deacon and a wedding rehearsal and preaching the homily at 5 masses and going to graduation party all in one weekend. He saw how busy a life can be as a priest. He was not physically tired but he was spiritually energized by all of it. He preached his first homily at his home parish St. Thomas Aquinas in Toledo on Corpus Christy Sunday. If you see someone that you feel would be a good Priest tell them and maybe that will put a spark into them that they need. Keep praying for vocations.
On July 15th the meeting was brought to order by Pat Englehart with prayer. Fr. Joe thanked everyone for all our help with the successful festival. Fr. had breakfast with Phillip Smith before he went to Sandusky St. Marys for the summer. He was in Rome for over a year studying there.
Pat got a letter from the Serra International that they are increasing their dues. She read it and they explained what they have eliminated to save money and how much of increases. Our club rejected it.
Jim Ewald talked about the location for the Holy Hour. NEW LOCATION AND TIME: St. Joseph’s transcept at 7p. for everyone. No longer three different hours. It was voted on and approved to have it for one hour instead of three different hours. This will start at the end of this month.
The picnic was discussed. It will be at the K, of C, on Aug, 5th with Mass beginning at 6p.m. Please come and participate in Mass and the picnic after.
Joanne Brickner & Joanne Kirian are heading the new Youth Ministry program that the Serra Club is starting. It will start with grades 6 through Senior year. It will be for all the parishes in the Tiffin deanery.
Mrs. Fran Hipp introduced our guest speaker. Deacon Jason Kahle is her pen pal whom they have written back and forth for a couple of years. Jason will be ordained a Priest on May 30, 2009. Jason was born and raised in Kalida, OH.. With a little over 3000 people and about 90% Catholics. He has 3 brothers and one sister. The elementary and high schools were public schools. Grades K through 6 Jason remembered having religion classes in a public classroom for an hour everyday. In high school he went to CCD. He was the normal teenager. He dated and thought about marriage and having a family and having a normal job and normal life. He was very much involved in the youth group during high school. Through that some people started telling him that Jason you would be a good priest but he told them they were nuts and everyone once in a while his parents would mention the priesthood to him and he said no I don’t want that and they would say OK, They were not pushy but every once in a while they would drop that seed. He had good Priest friends. He changed from 3 different careers and colleges in three years. Finally his parents said that is enough moving. He stayed in industrial designing. He decided he didn’t want to do this anymore. He started thinking about the people saying he should be a Priest. He talked to his good friend who was the priest in his youth group in high school and Fr. Dave Knauss who was vocations director at the time. He graduated from college and started his application for the seminary. Everything started falling into place. He visited St. Meinards, Mount St. Mary’s in Cincinnati during his spring break. He decided to apply to Mount St. Mary’s in Cincinnati and was accepted. He graduated from Ohio Ste in June 5, 2003 packed up for the summer and took it off. In the fall of 2003 he started the seminary. After his first year for the summer he went to the parish in Fort Jennings and Ottoville & really got energized from it. Enjoyed the parish end of being a possible priest more so than the academics of the seminary. Second summer was in defiance St. Mary’s with Fr. Tim Kummerer. Third summer was in Columbus. He did a clinical pastoral experience by working in a children hospital. In He was Sandusky St. Mary’s for an entire year of 2006 and 2007. This summer is at Upper Sandusky with Fr. Bob Dendinger. He then answered questions from the group.
On August 10th Fremont St. Anne’s will be hosting the Seminary Dinner. We are responsible for desserts. Denny will be going around during the picnic signing people up for giving desserts. Denny will make sure the desserts arrive at St. Mary’s that day.