St. John Neumann Men’s Club

A Parish Ministry of St. John Neumann Catholic Church

President's Message

April 2021

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Greetings:

We are in the fourth month of the year and the Men’s Club had our third General Meeting in person. I do not foresee any virtual meetings and I hope you enjoyed our April Dinner Meeting, which was April 5 at 6:30 pm (social hour). Dinner was served at 7:30 pm. Our chef Jimmy Iovino prepared a wonderful Easter dinner and always has a surprise for us and takes great pride in serving the membership.

This is a special month including Holy Week, ending on Sunday April 4 with Easter (our Resurrection of Jesus Christ). The next six weeks the Men’s Club has a lot of activities planned. Our May 3 (General Meeting) the Men’s Club will be honoring Myrna Gallagher. We will be dedicating a plaque and remembering Myrna for all that she did for our parish, especially Emmaus and the Marriage Covenant. This will be opened to wives and have limited maximum seating of 150. All tickets must be pre purchased on this website prior to the event. No sales at the door. The guest speaker will be Jim Loretta with Father David Russell on a pre-recorded video cameo tribute to Myrna.

On Saturday May 8 (Vigil) and on Sunday May 9, which is Mother’s Day, the Men’s Club will be handing out orchids to Moms. All hands on deck, meaning we need members who attend a specific Mass, please wear your Men’s Club polo shirt and assist in the distribution after Mass.

On the following Saturday May 15th, the Men’s Club will be hosting our annual Thomas Rhodes III Golf Tournament at Doral. See the website Golf Tournament Tab above for further information. Mike Mesa has been working overtime in organizing this key fundraiser. The Men’s Club distributes thousands of dollars annually to a host of ministries and parish directed needs. We still need golfers, sponsors, and members to volunteer and work the event. Thank you, Mike, for all of your tireless efforts.

I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy. Before long we will be putting this pandemic in our rear-view mirrors and putting away those masks. Be patient and kind to one another. Love your neighbor. God loves you and so do I.

Happy Easter. Jesus Christ is Risen.

Tom

Tom Visney 

SJN Men’s Club President 

305-898-2235 

 

'ZOOM' Catholic Prayer Breakfast

The Catholic Prayer Breakfast, Chaired by Men's Club member Gerry Pecknold, has gone virtual on ZOOM.  Watch our site for regular updates on the latest program information for the next monthly Prayer Breakfast meeting.

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We eat and pray together as community in the Body of Christ.  Join us, just once. You’ll look forward to the next meeting. It’s the second Tuesday of every month.

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For Thirty Years: Catholic Christians Committed to Spreading the Good News

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Next ZOOM Breakfast Meeting: SEE YOU ON TUESDAY, APRIL 13th, 2021

Witness Speaker: Fr. Ryan Saunders, celebrating his first year as a priest

Father Saunders remembers the question the late Auxiliary Bishop Agustin Roman would ask him whenever he visited St. Mary Cathedral: "When, Ryan, when?"

At the time, Saunders was working fulltime as master of ceremonies at the cathedral and associate director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship, while he was completing his studies in political science at Barry University in Miami Shores.

Near the end of his years at Cardinal Gibbons High School, young Ryan spoke to his pastor at St. Anthony, where he had attended elementary school, taught religious education and served as an extraordinary minister of The Eucharist, about entering the seminary. His pastor, Father Hannon, advised him to get some life experience and finish college first.

So, Ryan graduated from Barry and worked at the cathedral until 2010, when a friend, Chip LaMarca, asked him to run his campaign for Broward County commissioner. LaMarca, now a member of Florida's House of Representatives, won that seat and Saunders became his chief of staff."

It was a fantastic opportunity," Father Saunders recalled. "I loved what I did, but there was always something missing, always something I would experience at Mass, receiving the Eucharist, a voice in the back of my head saying, 'This is what you should be doing.'"

The voice turned into a psalm one day while he took part in daily Mass at St. John the Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale: "You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek." "It was like a lightbulb went off," Father Saunders recalled.

He left church knowing he had to enter the seminary. As he was searching for his car keys, he inadvertently pulled from his pocket the holy card from Bishop Roman's funeral.

"When, Ryan, when?"

"To this day, I keep that holy card on my desk,”

Fr. D. Ryan Saunders is currently Parochial Vicar at Epiphany Church

Jesus Christ Is Risen!  He is Risen Indeed!

Future Witness Speakers:

May 11: Carmen Andrade; Living in The Power and Grace of the Holy Spirit

June 8: Sue S. DeFerrari, Director of Ministry, MorningStar Renewal Center

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It’s free, but you must supply your own breakfast in the comfort of your own home or office! REQUEST THE LOGIN LINK HERE and we will send it to you. (Click on link)

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Jesus Christ Is Risen!  He is Risen Indeed!

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