BRIDGEPORT—You will want to view this inspiring video on vocations to the priesthood provided by the Serra Club of Bridgeport.
The goal of the Serra Club is to promote vocations to the priesthood and other forms of consecrated religious life in the Catholic Church.
Deacon David Flynn of St. Jude Parish in Monroe is the founder of the Serra Club in Bridgeport, a chapter of the USA Council of Serra International.
The first Serra Club was founded in 1935 to encourage vocations. Serrans are lay Catholics, men and women of all ages and from all walks of life. They take their name from Father Junípero Serra, a Franciscan missionary who founded the first Spanish missions in California. Father Serra was canonized by Pope Francis in 2015.
Serra Bridgeport recently its second anniversary with a Mass and dinner at the St. John Fisher Seminary on April 19, and is looking to grow its membership.
“Like everywhere else, the need for priests here is great,” he said. “We want to help people who God is calling. The priesthood is a life in which they will be happy,” says Father John Connaughton, director of vocations for the Diocese of Bridgeport and chaplain for the Serra Club chapter in this diocese.
He said the Serra Club is all about “cultivating a culture of vocations” because too often when a young man announces his intentions to become a priest, the community is surprised.
“That shouldn’t be something that surprises us,” Father Connaughton said. “It should be seen as a normal thing.”
Support from the Serra Club for those considering the priesthood comes in the form of prayer, meetings for coffee, community meals, attending ordination Masses, and being involved with seminary events, said Thom Field, the current president of the Serra Club chapter in Bridgeport.
Twenty-five seminarians are preparing for the priesthood in the Diocese of Bridgeport. St. John Fisher Seminary is located on Newfield Avenue in Stamford. For information on discerning a vocation, visit: http://www.bridgeportpriest.org
Do you know a family member, friend or daily mass attendee who would like to attend a meeting and find out more about Serra?
To learn more about the Serra Club and for information about meetings or joining, please contact: Susan Barr at sportsnut8528@aol.com. For information on discerning a vocation in the Diocese of Bridgeport, visit: http://www.bridgeportpriest.org.
