Print Issue: April 18, 2002

Elijah Cup Fosters Family Prayer For Vocations

The Penniman family receives the Elijah Cup at a Serra Club Vocation Conference held at St. Peter Chanel Church, Roswell, on March 19, 2000.

By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer

ATLANTA-While hoping to foster vocations, members of Serra Atlanta are also bringing families back to prayer with their Elijah Cup program.

The program, which gives individual families in parishes an opportunity to pray for vocations, is one of many sponsored by Serra Atlanta. At the end of Mass each Sunday a family is given a chalice that they take home for the week as a reminder to pray for vocations. Over 30 parishes in the archdiocese are currently participating in the Elijah Cup program.

The mission of Serra Atlanta is twofold. Members work to foster and promote religious vocations in the archdiocese as well as deepen their own spiritual lives.

Joe Krygiel, regional director of Serra, said that being involved in the organization has deepened his own faith.

"Before I joined Serra, I realized the beauty and importance of the Eucharist, but in my ministry I work to promote and sustain the Eucharist," he said. "Without the priesthood, there is no Eucharist and without the Eucharist there is no Catholic Church."

The three clubs of Serra Atlanta-the North Metro Club, Greater Northeast Club and the Metro Club-work together to sponsor events, such as ordinations, and priest and sister appreciation events. Last year for the first time they sponsored an appreciation event for the permanent deacons of the archdiocese.

"Serra is not for everybody," Krygiel said. "That's not said to be exclusive, but not everyone has the zeal to work as a Serran."

Right now, with allegations of church scandal, that zeal is especially important, Krygiel said.

"We want to show our priests and Religious that we support them, but that we expect them to be holy and courageous and leaders, just as we ourselves are expected to be holy and courageous and leaders," he said.

Father Frank McNamee, pastor of St. Peter Chanel Church in Roswell and chaplain of the North Metro Club, said that the support of Serra is essential.

"If (priests) don't have the support of the laity then we don't have any support at all," he said. "Especially during this time, it's really encouraging."

Father McNamee's parish is one that is participating in the Elijah Cup program and he has seen the benefits.

"(The Serrans') ministry means that their support towards clergy and Religious life and vocations is very clear and evident," he said. "But with programs like Elijah Cup, which is the third biggest ministry in our parish, they've not only brought an awareness and a need for others to pray for vocations, which is a wonderful thing, but it's brought back family prayer. That's very powerful."

On the Serra Atlanta Web site, the Kapteyn family from St. Peter Chanel expressed their joy in having the Elijah Cup in their home.

"The Elijah Cup is an extremely powerful symbol of the priesthood and religious life," said Carol Kapteyn. "Because of the uniqueness of the cup in our home it was a constant teacher and reminder of the need for prayer for religious vocations and for those who now serve us in the Church. The Elijah Cup inspired much prayer and discussion in our home. It was a wonderful experience."

Serra was born in 1934, taking its name from Franciscan missionary Blessed Junípero Serra, well known as the 18th century founder of a string of California missions. In that year four Catholic lay men in Seattle, Washington, decided to meet in fellowship to grow in their faith through programs of Catholic education and to contribute to the mission of the church. They chose the support of seminarians as their special project.

Krygiel said that even those who have a call to the priesthood or Religious life must continue to foster their vocation.

"A vocation is a gift from God that has to be nurtured by prayer and support to sustain it," he said.

Serra is constantly trying to recruit new members and support for the clergy.

"Our priests and Religious need some cheerleaders-people who are out there to say 'these are really great people and we need to support them,'" he said.

For more information about Serra Atlanta, visit the Web site at www.serraatlanta.org.