Cy recently appeared on CatholicTV to explain the mission of the Society. The clip can be viewed below:

For more information on this society, and to discover how you can help donate, please see the links below:

• Labouré Society
• Current Aspirants supported by the Labouré Society
• How to Donate to Labouré Society
• CatholicTV: Labouré Society

A lay Catholic organization announces the formation of a new movement to support Catholic priests called EncouragePriests.org™ . This announcement comes on Holy Thursday, the day Christians celebrate the anniversary of Christ instituting the priesthood and the Eucharist.

Throughout the centuries, over a billion people around the world have witnessed the service and dedication of Catholic priests. Some recall the heroic and sacrificial example of military chaplains, priests who serve in nursing homes and hospitals, fathers who feed the poor, pastors who serve as peacemakers during marriage counseling, or priests who have celebrated a family wedding or funeral Mass.

View the full press release at: CatholicsComeHome.org blog: Catholic Priests Supported by Emerging Grassroots Effort

Serrans helped greet guests, distribute altar server certificates, and even scoop ice cream. The ice cream was sticky and required some extra muscle, but it was well worth it to help reward the altar servers of the Archdiocese of Boston!

Photos of the ice cream social can be seen in the slideshow below.

You can see photos of this event and other Serra Club events at our Flickr site: www.flickr.com/serraboston

Thanks to the Archdiocese of Boston Vocations Office for organizing this event!

To view the documentary, click the “play” button below:

For more information on this documentary, please visit The Catholic Priest Today DVD site.

Listen to the talks online at: Fr. Michael Najim: Gift & Mystery

This stained glass window of Blessed Junipero Serra can be found at St. Victor Church in West Hollywood, CA. Reproductions of this window were given out as gifts at the recent Serra Club of Boston chartering ceremony, along with a Serra International pin.

For a larger view of this window, please click on the image to the left.

For more photos of the stained glass windows in this church, please see www.saintvictor.org

See more videos at the RomeReports web site.

Loretta was given the award for her work to found the Boston-based chapter of Serra International, her efforts to coordinate and promote the Monthly Prayer Request for Priests apostolate, and her life as a lay Carmelite.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley congratulates Loretta Gallagher on the award.

Loretta was introduced to the stage by Vocations Director and Serra Club chaplain Fr. Dan Hennessey.  As Chris Harding noted in his recap of the conference:

Fr. Daniel Hennessey, who heads the Archdiocese of Boston’s vocations office, beamed as he presented the “Laywoman of the Year” award to colleague and friend, Loretta Gallagher, whom he called a “spiritual mother to so many priests and seminarians in the archdiocese.”

As shown in the photo below, Fr. Dan also promoted our “Pray for Priests” magnets in his introduction.

Fr. Dan Hennessey (Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Boston, and chaplain of the Serra Club of Boston) showcases the "Pray for Priests" car magnets.

Loretta accepted the award on behalf of all those who promote vocations, and encouraged those in the audience to support priests by attending this year’s ordination, write letters to newly ordained priests, and other efforts.

To see a video of her acceptance speech (with Fr. Dan’s introduction), please click on the “play” button in the video below.

The Archdiocese of Boston web site posted photos of the event, which can be viewed below.  (All photos © George Martell 2009.)

Loretta Gallagher accepts the award on behalf of all those who promote a culture of vocations.

Cardinal Sean, Scot Landry, and Mary Jo Kriz watch the acceptance speech.

During both the Men’s and Women’s conference, several members from the Serra Club of Boston helped run the Vocations Boston table in the exhibitors’ hall.  The vocations table can be seen in the following photos:

Loretta Gallagher and Fr. Dan Hennessey stand in front of the vocations table in the exhibitors' hall at the Boston Catholic Women's Conference.

Several members from the Serra Club of Boston helped run the vocations table at the Boston Catholic Women's Conference 2009. Pictured here (from left to right): Francis Jesch, Fr. Dan Hennessey, Loretta Gallagher, and Mary Jesch.

Several publications and web sites covered the conference and provided photos and video.  For more information, please visit the following links:

• Boston Pilot: Prayer, song and talks inspire at Catholic Conferences
• BostonCatholic.org: Boston Catholic Women’s conference photo slideshow
• Boston Catholic Women’s Conference recap

Congratulations to Loretta on her devotion to the Catholic lifestyle, and for living out the Serran mission to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life!

The Bishops’ Committee on Vocations created this DVD as part of a larger program to actively invite men to consider a vocation to the priesthood. This program, entitled Priestly Life and Vocations Summit: Fishers of Men, is a presbyteral workshop which utilizes the appreciative inquiry method of asking priests about their most positive experiences in the priesthood.

To view the video, click “Play” below:

Fishers of Men from Serra Boston on Vimeo.

The USCCB has provided the following online resources for those who watch the video and want more information:

• USCCB Vocations & Priestly Formation
• Fishers of Men overview
• Testimonies
• Questions for discussion

By posting this film to the Internet, we hope to spread the word about Fishers of Men and brings its message to a larger audience.