Serra Club for Vocations supports vocations in the Diocese through prayer and connection

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Serra Club for Vocations in Northern Kentucky is a large and active group in the Diocese of Covington dedicated to encouraging vocations to the priesthood and religious life, while supporting the priests, deacons and women religious of the Diocese. They provide assistance financially to the Diocese’s Priest Retirement Fund and Seminary Education Fund and spiritually and socially, through programs such as the women religious picnic, priest appreciation dinners and private prayer.

“I love being in this group,” said Diana Henke, parishioner at St. Pius X Parish, Edgewood. “I just enjoy having an outlet to recognize and help pray and support vocations, because I think that there’s not enough appreciation for all the work that any of them do.”

“All of the people in the club are very dedicated and generous,” said Dennis Reinersman, president of the Serra Club for Vocations. For Mr. Reinersman, being a Serran is about having an opportunity to make a difference in diocesan vocations. “I thought the best way to contribute was to help increase vocations for religious life … the opportunity to make some positive impact in terms of the number of seminarians and women religious,” he said.

For Mrs. Henke, it is about supporting and appreciating those who have accepted the call to religious life, and those who are currently in formation.

“What I love is the seminarians,” she said. “They’re our future for the Catholic Church, they’re going to be our priests, and we really need to support them.”

Mr. Reinersman shares this sentiment.

“If we don’t have seminarians, we don’t have priests, and we don’t have priests, we don’t have the Eucharist and we don’t have access to reconciliation,” he said.

Part of seminarian support in the Serra Club for Vocations is through support on an individual level. Where a Serran will spend time with a seminarian throughout the year and offer encouragement and guidance.

“It’s good for them to see the encouragement that the Serrans are willing to give them,” said Mr. Reinersman

The Serra Club for Vocations recognizes the work of the religious sisters in the Diocese of Covington, those who administered care in hospitals and ran our schools, forming the next generation of Catholics.

“They’ve given their lives to teaching children, I was brought up by teachers, all of my teachers were nuns, and I learned so much from them, especially my Catholic values. You can’t put a price on that,” she said.

The Serra Club for Vocations is open to anybody who wishes to be part of the mission in supporting vocations.

“It’s just a wonderful organization,” said Mrs. Henke. “We do a lot for vocations, and we encourage people to pray a lot for all of our vocations.” And, if you’re not a member of the Serra Club, Mrs. Henke said, then you can still offer your prayers. “Whether you’re a Serran or not, pray for vocations because we always need those prayers,” she said.