Serra Club of Chicago helps promote vocations to priesthood

Serra International, an organization of laypeople whose purpose is to promote priestly vocations, now has a local affiliate in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Serra Club of Chicago helps promote the archdiocese’s Vocation Office’s events, such as Quo Vadis Days and Who Will Fill These Shoes?, by creating bulletin ads and distributing them to parish bulletin editors.

Members also attend the Masses of new priests to show their support and host events such as tours of Mundelein Seminary and dinner with Chicago seminarians.

Father Tim Monahan, the archdiocese’s vocations director, tried for several years to find someone to start a Serra Club, but didn’t have much luck.

But when Joe and Martha Mehringer moved on as leaders and founders of the Chicago Area Parents of Priests and Seminarians  group, Monahan asked Joe Mehringer if he would start a club.

“All the credit goes to Joe and Martha for doing all of the heavy lifting,” Monahan said.

“It’s the laity’s role to promote vocations,” Joe Mehringer said. “The big need is that parishes don’t really have a direct line or connection to the Vocations Office, and we have parishes who, if asked, would work on it. It really is about talking about vocations on a parish level.”

It can be easy for a vocations director to become isolated because it is such a specific ministry, Monahan said, so he is grateful for the support he receives from groups like the Serra Club.

The Archdiocese of Chicago group has monthly meetings to keep members up to date on what the Vocations Office is doing and learn how they can help out.

“It’s been such a great experience of slowly broadening out an understanding of what the Vocations Office does and who we are to those out there,” Monahan said. “I would say even some of my brother priests aren’t always aware of what we’re trying to do, so now to have laypeople there who are very supportive and asking good questions is very helpful.” 

Laypeople have a key role in promoting vocations, he said.

“We need the laity because vocations come from our families,” he said. “The church teaches that the normal course of action is to have vocations coming from our families — from our pews and our families.”

Its mission is promotion of all vocations, he said.

“We firmly believe that there are many called here in Chicago to make a public consecration or vows or promises: matrimony, consecrated life, priesthood,” he said. “So the laity should care about it, because it helps them understand the very beautiful and mysterious dynamic of how God calls people and how they can grow in maturity and fidelity with God and with others.”

To learn more about Serra Club of Chicago, email [email protected].