Archbishop Golka Celebrates the Catholics Praying Behind the Scenes for Vocations
- Madisen Martinez
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Serra Clubs quietly support seminarians, priests and religious vocations through prayer, friendship and encouragement — a mission Archbishop James Golka says the whole Church can share.
On Saturday, August 29, Archbishop James Golka celebrated his first Mass for the local Serra Clubs and their members at the Christ the King Chapel at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. The Mass took place the day after the Charter Mass for the new Hispanic Serra Club.
“Archbishop Golka is a huge supporter of Serra and understands the importance of praying for vocations, which is why I asked him to be with us that day,” said Nancy Akers, district governor and president of the Aurora Serra Club. “What a wonderful Mass this [was] for us.”
Archbishop Golka shared in his homily that his first encounter with the Serra Club was while he was in the seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, as Serrans would invite all seminarians to dinner.
“I remember good food, but I remember mostly the people,” the archbishop said. “People who love the priesthood and love their Church. You get to see that in them, and you wanted to be near them. That’s you.”
What is the Serra Club?
The Serra organization is named for St. Junipero Serra, a Franciscan who established missions across the Western United States. He believed the power of persistent prayer always overcomes any obstacle.
Those involved are known as Serrans, laymen and laywomen of all ages and occupations, and are dedicated to promoting and fostering religious vocations.
Pope St. John Paul II has said:
Serrans accept their responsibility for the promotion of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. They possess a deep appreciation of the ministerial priesthood as being essential to the Church. Serrans have been generous in offering their support to those who hear the call to serve Christ in the priesthood.
There are 10 active Serra Clubs in District VI, spanning Colorado, Wyoming and Utah (which does not have an active club at this time).
“We pray for vocations, and that's the whole basis of the Serra Club,” Akers shared. “We are international. There are clubs in India, Asia and South America. We have them in Africa. We have clubs all over the United States as well.”
(Photos by Madisen Martinez/Denver Catholic)
At the same time, praying for vocations is not all that Serrans do.
“We attend the ordinations of our priests and also of the diaconate candidates,” said Akers. “We give certificates to the altar servers to encourage them to continue to be altar servers.”
There are also opportunities for leadership training, annual conventions and more. The local clubs have weekly meetings to gather and pray together as a community.
“We are there praying for vocations and encouraging vocations … not just the priests, but for consecrated life … for the nuns, the sisters,” said Susan Curtis, a member of the Colorado Springs Serra Club. “It’s all over the world.”
Curtis has been a Serran for the past eight years, serving two years in Texas and the last six in Colorado.
“My main job is to cook for them, and that's why I got involved in Serra,” said Curtis. “Father Kyle needed some cake made for the young men going on a retreat … the next year I made all their food, except for the pizza.”
Curtis enjoyed the special Mass with Serrans who came from all over the area, including several making the trip from Colorado Springs, Archbishop Golka’s previous diocese.
“[Archbishop Golka] is very supportive, and he would come for Masses,” said Beth Pressley, a Serran from Colorado Springs. “He would guide us in the right direction.”
Celebrating the Serra Club
In his homily, Archbishop Golka expressed his gratitude for the Serrans and all they do for vocations. Three seminarians served the Mass, praying among those who often pray for them.
“A few other brother seminarians and I came to help serve and get a chance to meet some of the Serra Club members who support us,” said Nathan Laudan, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, currently in his second year of Pre-Theology.
“They not only have been financially supportive, but they do an incredible job of praying for us in a variety of ways,” said Laudan. “One of the things that has been really impactful for me is I'll get a card periodically throughout the year from the Serra Clubs in Kansas City saying, ‘Hey, we've offered up this Holy Hour for you,’ and ‘We’ve offered up this Mass for you,’ which is really impactful just to know that I have folks back home who are praying for me.”
While Laudan receives support from his home archdiocese’s Serra Club, he has also been impacted by the local Serra Clubs of District VI.
“What's neat about being a seminarian from outside of the archdiocese here,” he stated, “is each of these Serra Clubs takes on one of the houses of the St. John Vianney Seminary.
“One of the Serra Clubs actually sponsors Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is my house, and invites us out to a picnic,” he continued. “Just knowing that we have so many people in this diocese who are praying, even for me … who won't serve in this archdiocese, but love us, support us and want us to be happy, fulfilled priests is really incredible.”
What We’re All Called to Be
Pointing to an East Coast study decades ago, Archbishop Golka noted two major reasons young men do not consider the priesthood.
“Number one was most of the priests they knew were old, burned out and bitter,” he said. “As a bishop, I'm convicted that I don't want any priests that I’m with to get there. So I'm going to pour myself into our priests to be happy priests, to be joyful priests, to be grateful priests.”
Encouraging the faithful — Serran or not — to join him in that mission, he exhorted a more prudent use of language. The second reason that young men didn’t want to consider the priesthood, he explained, was that their parents complained about priests.
“So Catholics, how do we use our words?” Archbishop Golka asked. “To divide, to tear down or to build up and to support? We build up and support. That's the work of the Holy Spirit.”
Even as the faithful pray for vocations, asking God to inspire more young men and women to follow him, the best way to encourage that kind of fidelity is to model it ourselves, the archbishop said.
“Just be a happy, joyful Catholic,” he said, pointing to the Serrans as great examples.
