By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic
Photographer: TOM TRACY | FC
Serra Club Broward County President Georgette Meikle, right, poses with 50-year member Thomas Metzger and his wife Betty, after recognizing him at the club's holiday dinner Dec. 6 in Pompano Beach.
POMPANO BEACH � Fifty years of supporting priestly and religious vocations to the Church have given Thomas Metzger a lifetime of friendships and even travels around the world to places like California, Brazil and Spain.
The south Florida small business owner and family man was honored Dec. 6 for his longtime commitment to the USA Council of the Serra International movement supporting religious vocations.
Over the years, the Broward County Serrans have brought vocations awareness to area Catholic high school students; supported the regional seminary in Boynton Beach; written vocations articles for church bulletins, and engaged lay Catholics through various presentations and speakers at monthly dinner meetings.
�Serra has given me the opportunity to better practice my religion by meeting devout people and outstanding Catholics; it makes you feel good,� said Metzger, a native of Ohio whose parents moved the family to the Miami area in the 1940s. They had 10 children. Later, Metzger moved to Pompano Beach to be closer to his aluminum window and doors manufacturing facility � a small business he still helps run with his sons.
Metzger recalled how in 1960 he first attended Serra meetings, bringing him in contact with Archbishop Coleman Carroll, Msgr. Bryan Walsh and other outstanding Church leaders in Miami. He and his wife Betty went on to attend Serra conventions around the United States and beyond.
�The original club was founded in Seattle by a group of businessmen who decided to have a purpose for their lunches by sponsoring vocations to the priesthood in the 1930s,� Metzger said, adding he had a chance to visit Petra, Spain, the birthplace of the organization�s namesake � a Franciscan missionary, Father Junipero Serra. Father Serra is known as the 18th century founder of a string of California missions.
�We need priests,� Metzger said. �We know a lot of our churches are being staffed by retired priests, but if you go up north you see churches closed or doing without Masses and that is a result of (a vocations crisis).�
Older vocations � men in their 30s, 40s and older with a previous career � are often good priestly candidates, he added.
Metzger recalled fondly how a member of the Church hierarchy from Portugal spoke about the Fatima shrine during one of the Broward County Serra meetings.
More recently, the small group is under the spiritual direction of Father Anthony Mulderry, pastor of St. Gabriel Parish in Pompano, who celebrated a holiday Mass and attended dinner Dec. 6 with the Broward Serrans.
Georgette Meikle, president of the Broward chapter, said a renewed focus for Serra continues to be vocations awareness programs that involve children of all ages, and exploring ways to promote and foster vocations among Catholic families.
�As Serrans, an essential part of our ministry is to be active in our Catholic community by reaching out and to invite men and women to consider priestly and/or religious vocations. We are encouraged to continue our current successful activities and to consider using tried and true, successful programs that may have been discarded from our past activities.�
The Broward Serra Club meets the second Monday of each month. For more information call Meikle at 954-946-2551.
The south Florida small business owner and family man was honored Dec. 6 for his longtime commitment to the USA Council of the Serra International movement supporting religious vocations.
Over the years, the Broward County Serrans have brought vocations awareness to area Catholic high school students; supported the regional seminary in Boynton Beach; written vocations articles for church bulletins, and engaged lay Catholics through various presentations and speakers at monthly dinner meetings.
�Serra has given me the opportunity to better practice my religion by meeting devout people and outstanding Catholics; it makes you feel good,� said Metzger, a native of Ohio whose parents moved the family to the Miami area in the 1940s. They had 10 children. Later, Metzger moved to Pompano Beach to be closer to his aluminum window and doors manufacturing facility � a small business he still helps run with his sons.
Metzger recalled how in 1960 he first attended Serra meetings, bringing him in contact with Archbishop Coleman Carroll, Msgr. Bryan Walsh and other outstanding Church leaders in Miami. He and his wife Betty went on to attend Serra conventions around the United States and beyond.
�The original club was founded in Seattle by a group of businessmen who decided to have a purpose for their lunches by sponsoring vocations to the priesthood in the 1930s,� Metzger said, adding he had a chance to visit Petra, Spain, the birthplace of the organization�s namesake � a Franciscan missionary, Father Junipero Serra. Father Serra is known as the 18th century founder of a string of California missions.
�We need priests,� Metzger said. �We know a lot of our churches are being staffed by retired priests, but if you go up north you see churches closed or doing without Masses and that is a result of (a vocations crisis).�
Older vocations � men in their 30s, 40s and older with a previous career � are often good priestly candidates, he added.
Metzger recalled fondly how a member of the Church hierarchy from Portugal spoke about the Fatima shrine during one of the Broward County Serra meetings.
More recently, the small group is under the spiritual direction of Father Anthony Mulderry, pastor of St. Gabriel Parish in Pompano, who celebrated a holiday Mass and attended dinner Dec. 6 with the Broward Serrans.
Georgette Meikle, president of the Broward chapter, said a renewed focus for Serra continues to be vocations awareness programs that involve children of all ages, and exploring ways to promote and foster vocations among Catholic families.
�As Serrans, an essential part of our ministry is to be active in our Catholic community by reaching out and to invite men and women to consider priestly and/or religious vocations. We are encouraged to continue our current successful activities and to consider using tried and true, successful programs that may have been discarded from our past activities.�
The Broward Serra Club meets the second Monday of each month. For more information call Meikle at 954-946-2551.
