By Anthony Mangione
Serra International Programs Committee
My name is Anthony Mangione and I’ve been a proud Serran since 2002. Over the years I’ve held most Serran Club positions and am currently V.P. Program, Serra International.
With my Council Committee members of Maria LoPresti (Italy), Gino DiMattia and Moire Ratuiste (USA), Susan Berdusco and Ann Mangione (Canada), Pricilla D’Gama (India), Sylvester Ada (Nigeria) and Niphon Saengpradab (Thailand) we’ve been asked to write a few words about S.I. Program, but first let’s review what Program (Internal) is all about.
Many have described it as the “lifeline” of Serra. Certainly, a strong Program plan will help with membership retention, and source new members.
Bylaws describe the Committee Role as:
Programs Committee of Serra International: “The Programs Committee shall study and recommend ways and means to help Serrans to recognize and respond to God’s call to holiness. By promoting fellowship, prayer, and continuing Catholic education, the Programs Committee seeks to better prepare Serrans to fulfill their Christian vocation to service, especially in the Serran mission and ministry….”
All Councils have a V.P. Programs or Trustee charged with this responsibility. They in turn, with the help of the District Governors and Regional Directors, make sure that every Club has a vibrant Program plan through their V.P. Program. Again, remember that this is the lifeline of the Clubs.
Bishop Robert Barron recently reminded us that Pope Benedict stated three essential things in the Church: 1) Prayer; 2) Service; and 3) Evangelization.
How wonderfully this connects in with our Serran Mission. Is the Holy Spirt at work here? A resounding YES!!!
Let’s compare. First, we “Pray” for vocations. Prayer brings us into a relationship with God. Jesus appointed the twelve “to be with Him” (Mark 3:14). So the first vocation of a disciple is to pray; to listen to God, to do His will and thus to be with Him. Examples of resources available to Serrans to help us here are Traveling Monstrance, Traveling Chalice, Adoration, Rosary, etc. Unless we pray, we are not going to be successful. We need to be rooted in prayer hence Serrans are “prayer warriors”!
Secondly born of prayer is “Service”. How do we affirm the Priesthood? How can we help our Priests? Pope Francis said at the S.I. Convention in Rome in 2017 that Serrans are “…friends of Priests”. Priests need our encouragement and support.
Thirdly “Evangelization”. To proclaim and to journey in faith with other Serrans, friends and family. To do this Serrans need to be knowledgeable of their faith. To go deeper!
Every Club needs a Program plan! Program resources like Spark, The Seven Greats, is an excellent resource kit for every Club to follow. Along with our Catholic Bible and Catechism, keep the book Serrans Called to Holiness, Handbook for our Spiritual Life and our Mission of Fostering Vocations, nearby.
Additional material to help us with the third essential point to go deeper in our faith, is a suggested theme which for 2024 – 2025 is the Jubilee Year: Pilgrims of Hope. More will come as we get closer to the start of the Jubilee Year.
Our Clubs around the world in general are following programs mostly modeled after Serra International guidelines, that is, Mass, fellowship, meal and speaker at each meeting. Clubs meet once or twice per month plus one Board meeting.
Over the next few months, we hope to contact each Council President and Council VP Program individually and have a chat about your programs.
Keep up all the great work that you do for the good of Serra.
Image: Anthony and Ann Mangione (center), with fellow Serrans at the 2024 Rally in Miami.
