BY BETTY SCHOENBAECHLER

Special To The Bulletin

ATLANTA--While small in number, members of the Atlanta Serra Clubs quietly perform a multitude of tasks to encourage religious vocations and support the men and women already committed to church ministry in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Whenever there is an ordination in the archdiocese, Serrans are the ones who host the reception for the new priest. They also sponsor several events yearly for priests and sisters who work in the archdiocese, pray continually for vocations in the church and seek to deepen their own faith and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

But when asked, most Catholics have not even heard of them.

“When I tell people that I’m a member of a Serra Club, their first question is usually, ‘Isn’t that an environmental group?’” said Mary D. Elkins, president of the North Metro Atlanta Serra Club.

“What draws people to Serra is a love of the sacrament of the priesthood and of Religious life,” said Elkins, the first woman to serve as Serra Club president in Atlanta. “We are people truly called to be there to support our priests and Religious. We want them to know that they are loved and that we truly appreciate their vocation and what they give to us and our church.”

In Atlanta, there are three Serra Clubs with approximately 30 members in each. The original, Metro Atlanta Serra Club, was chartered in 1953. The North Metro Atlanta Serra Club started in 1988 and just a year ago, a new club was chartered in the Gwinnett County area, Greater Northeast Atlanta Serra Club.

All three are part of Serra International, founded in 1935 by four Catholic lay persons who wanted to encourage vocations to the priesthood. The name “Serra” was chosen to honor Blessed Father Junipero Serra, an 18th century Franciscan missionary to Mexico and California. Serra now has 2,210 members in 705 clubs in 37 countries.

In addition to hosting ordination receptions, the three Serra Clubs sponsor events such as the priests’ Day of Recreation at Bent Tree Country Club in North Georgia. Serra also honors priests at Shepherd’s Night, an appreciation dinner usually held in February, said Metro Club president, John Chambers.

Each January, there is a luncheon for all women Religious who live in the Atlanta area and in the summer Serrans host a barbecue for seminarians at the archbishop’s home.

“We also sponsor the vocation Mass each spring at St. Pius X High School for the entire student body,” Chambers said. “Archbishop Donoghue is very supportive of our organization and attends Serran functions.”

The three clubs communicate frequently to coordinate these activities. Each event is hosted by one club, but the others are invited to attend. There is a joint meeting at least once a year. Individually, they meet twice monthly and usually have a speaker or program designed to help members grow in their own faith walk.

Serra does much more than host appreciation dinners and luncheons.

“We work very closely with the director of vocations in the archdiocese, Father David Talley, and support him with various programs throughout the year,” said Elkins.

“Called by Name” is probably the Serra Club’s most visible program, said Phil Grant, president of the Greater Northeast Club. Serrans place signs at a designated church the first week of the three-week program. A parish priest usually will devote his homily to vocations the following weekend. For the final weekend, Serrans will ask parishioners who feel called to do so to write on a card the name of someone they believe might have a vocation to be a good priest, sister or brother. The persons named will be contacted by Father Talley and invited to a discernment Mass.

“It’s a wonderful way to enhance vocations at the local parish level,” Grant said.

Serrans also establish what are called 31 Clubs at various parishes. A 31 Club is a prayer program in which a Serran or church member chooses one day of the month to commit to attend Mass and pray for vocations in the archdiocese.

The archdiocese currently has 52 men in major seminary, who are in post-graduate study of theology and are five years or less from ordination. Twelve others are in minor seminary.

“We had 13 priests ordained last year and have two more being ordained in December. Father Talley told us that Atlanta has more seminarians per capita than any other archdiocese in the United States. I’d like to think our prayers and efforts to encourage vocations are one of the reasons,” Elkins said.

Father Adam Ozimek, parochial vicar of St. Lawrence Church in Lawrenceville, said the Serra Clubs made a difference to him while he was in the seminary. A native of Poland, Father Ozimek remembered receiving cards and letters from Serrans when he first arrived.

“When I came to the Atlanta Archdiocese, the Serrans were the first ones who reached out to me. I really felt a sense of support. Most Catholics do not realize that so many seminarians need to know that someone cares about them and their vocation. It doesn’t have to be anything big--just simple ways of saying we’re here to help you.”

Serrans fund all the receptions and activities themselves. “We have an informal list of ‘Friends of Serra’ who don’t have the time to commit to the organization but are willing to help whenever there is a need,” said Elkins. “And the gifts are not always cash. It could be someone saying they will make a tray of sandwiches for an ordination reception.”

The Serrans also try to maintain an emergency fund for seminarians, so if there is a family emergency and a seminarian needs to get home immediately, the Serrans can provide a plane ticket. Once the groups put the word out that there is a need, it is taken care of.

Serra Clubs in Atlanta are looking to grow.

“At our joint Serra luncheon last month, Father Talley spoke with us about his goals for Serra Clubs in Atlanta,” said Grant. “We’re going to become a more proactive organization. Father Talley’s goal is to get vocation awareness committees established at every church in the archdiocese and he has asked the Serra Clubs to help him. What led him to seeking our help is Pope John Paul II’s directive to Serra International, asking the organization to be the ‘lay vocation area of the church.’”

All three clubs are now working with Father Talley to develop a two-year plan, which will include setting up parish vocational committees and starting up new Serra Clubs in order to support the committees.

“In order to start vocation awareness committees at every parish, we will be going to the pastors and setting up times we can come into the church and make presentations to all parishioners,” said Elkins.

Originally, only men joined the Serra Clubs, but now there is a good mix of men and women, young and old. Helen Schellman, whose late husband, Bob, was one of the original Serrans in Atlanta, joined after he died four years ago. “It meant so much to my husband,” she said. “I wanted to carry it on.”

She explained that the Serrans try to support the sisters in the Atlanta area also, although the challenge is greater because the sisters belong to many different orders and typically live in apartments throughout the metro Atlanta area. When Serrans learn of a new sister in the area, they do their best to make her feel welcome. The clubs will also help the sisters if there is a need, as they did this past summer assisting a group of sisters who were moving.

More than 60 years ago, when there was no shortage of priests and other Religious, a small group of Catholics had the foresight to set up the first Serra organization. The objectives of Serra have remained fundamentally the same since the beginning: to foster and promote vocations to the priesthood and all Religious vocations in the Catholic Church, and to encourage its members to fulfill their own Christian vocation to service.

Grant said that “Serra is the best kept secret in the archdiocese.” But as the organization continues to expand in the Atlanta Archdiocese, members hope Catholics will no longer ask, “Serra, what is that?”

For more information on the Serra Club, contact Mary Elkins at (770) 587-1394, John Chambers at (404) 325-9970 or Phil Grant at (770) 945-6577.