KANSAS CITY, Kan. — At a special memorial Mass and 50th anniversary celebration Nov. 10, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann expressed his gratitude for the encouragement and support those members of the Serra Club of Kansas City in Kansas have provided to archdiocesan seminarians for the past 50 years.
The event was held at St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, where Archbishop Naumann celebrated a Mass that was followed by a dinner in McDevitt Hall.
Now in its 51st year of service, a celebration for the Serra Club had been planned for May 2020 but the pandemic forced a delay. The annual memorial Mass for deceased Serrans and their widows was also curtailed last year because of the pandemic.
This year, the memorial Mass and anniversary celebration were combined, and drew over 100 Serrans, spouses and guests to the event.
Following Mass, the widows of 16 Serrans who have died since December 2019 were honored, each presented with a candle commemorating the deceased Serran with his photo. This year, the memorial Mass celebrated 115 deceased Serrans who helped grow vocations in the archdiocese.
During the program, Serra District Gov. Nancy Gibson awarded the club recognition from the Serra International Foundation as a “Mission Club” for its support last year of more than $3,000 to the Serra Foundation to fund activities worldwide.
Years of service pins were also presented to members for 10, 25 and 50 years. Wayne Jenicke was presented with a 25-year pin. Bob Chenoweth, who was a featured speaker at the dinner, was awarded a 50-year pin.
The Serra KCK club was formed in 1970 at the request of Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker. It grew out of a Catholic men’s group called the Catholic Layman’s Conference. Over the years, the Serra footprint in the archdiocese has grown through support for seminarians both financially and spiritually. The Serra Club has also sponsored activities for religious Sisters and for those discerning the consecrated life.
Among other sponsored Serra programs have been activities encouraging vocations for fifth and sixth grade Catholic school students throughout the archdiocese.
Serrans have also supported the Running Revs, Catholic Radio’s softball game between the Kansas and Missouri priests, and new Serra clubs within the archdiocese.
Serra is recognized as the lay vocations arm of the Catholic Church. The KCK Club is one of the largest clubs in the United States and there are approximately 550 Serra clubs worldwide.
For more about the Serra Club of Kansas City in Kansas and about Serra worldwide, go to the website at: serrakck.org.
For more photos from the Mass, visit facebook.com/theleavenkc.
