31 Club prays for church vocations

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
Posted February 13, 2003

The Diocesan Council of Catholic Women teamed up with Serra Club of Siouxland in 1997 to implement a club throughout the Diocese of Sioux City that focused on praying for current and future vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Known as the 31 Club, it consisted of people making a commitment to attend Mass on a particular day - such as the 5th or the 17th - of the month for a year.

"The program has been revised so that people can become a member merely by signing up to pray once a month for vocations," said Mary Stevens, a member of Serra Club of Siouxland and an active member of the DCCW. "Once you make a commitment, you are more apt to follow through."

The prayer can come in a variety of forms from attending Mass, to praying the rosary or attending the Stations of the Cross.

According to Stevens, the 31 Club was first organized in 1996 at the Sioux City parishes and shortly thereafter it expanded to other parishes because they wanted to get everyone involved in the cause.

She pointed out that the DCCW was then and continues to be a great network to get information out to parishes. Every two years they ask parishioners to renew their commitment to pray for church vocations.

Parishioners should soon see a sign up poster in the back of the church. With listings from one to 31, individuals merely have to sign up on the day they plan to pray for vocations. In the past, Serra Club members have recommended that people sign up on a date they will remember such as their birthday or anniversary.

"A couple of years ago, our assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception said that he could look at the 31 Club poster and see who was praying for him. It really meant a lot to him," said Stevens. "He appreciated that spiritual support."

Dee Haubrich, diocesan church commissioner for the DCCW, pointed out that the DCCW opted to help in the promotion of the 31 Club because they see value in it.

"It is something that everyone can do - the homebound, residents of nursing homes and young busy mothers on their way to work," said Haubrich, a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Fonda. "I know in our parish we are going to ask the CCD and confirmation students to do this. Then maybe if we get the students involved, the parents will become involved. They could do this as a family."

Some individuals or families, she added, may opt to give something up such as not drinking soda pop or coffee for a particular day each month or no television.

Bishop Daniel N. DiNardo said the 31 Club is a very good program.

"The work of the DCCW on the 31 Club is very fine and prayerful," said the bishop, who added that it was a great way to support and promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

Father Jim Tigges, diocesan moderator of the DCCW, said he was impressed with the project.

"I value prayer power very much," he said. "The more we pray, the more united we are in serving God and one another."

Father Tigges pointed out that he is enthused with the fact that people are willing to spend extra time in prayer because "that's where it all starts - in prayer."

Now that fulfilling the obligation of the 31 Club has expanded to other forms of prayer rather than Mass only, Haubrich predicts that more people will become involved in the ministry.

"As some of the older people died, it got harder and harder because the younger ones didn't want to sign up. They couldn't commit to attending Mass because of their jobs," she explained.

In addition, Stevens pointed out that some parishes no longer offer daily Mass so that created more difficulties in fulfilling the commitment in the past. The revised 31 Club is simple, but still powerful.

The Serra Club has recently sent information packets to DCCW contact persons in all parishes. Some parishes may have already supplied the information to parishioners and others may wait until Lent or later in the year to do so.

Stevens stressed the fact that prayer was effective and essential. She offered this quote, "Few are called to the priesthood or religious life, but all are called to pray for vocations."

The 31 Club, she noted, is a way to offer spiritual bouquets to priests of the diocese in order for them to feel appreciated and supported while promoting new church vocations.