Serra Club of Omaha celebrates 75 years, and looks to the future

An Oct. 26 meeting of the Serra Club of Omaha was routine in some ways: prayers, lunch, guest speakers and more prayers.

But the late October gathering was different, too, with a larger-than-normal lunch crowd and some special guests – all to celebrate 75 years of service in support of religious vocations.

The Serrans used their regular gathering time at the German American Society in Omaha to mark the 75th anniversary of the group receiving its charter from Serra International.

The actual anniversary date was the following day, Oct. 27. On that day in 1951, the charter was presented at a formal dinner at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha.

Ever since, club members have been finding ways to honor, support and pray for priests, seminarians, deacons and those in consecrated life, to encourage religious vocations and raise money for that cause.

Those efforts have included seminarian picnics, altar server awards, seminary visits, a Priest Appreciation Sunday, a Priests Jubilee Dinner, and a Mass and brunch for consecrated women.

A longstanding contribution has been the club’s televised Mass for Shut-Ins, which keeps people who are homebound connected with the Church while encouraging prayers for vocations.

Another group, the Serra Club of West Omaha, also traces its history to the 1951 charter. That club was formed as membership grew in the Serra Club of Omaha, and “with the guidance of the Holy Spirit,” the Serra Club of West Omaha received its own charter in the late 1980s.

Currently each club has more than 100 members, and the two groups unite their efforts on projects like an annual tennis, pickleball and golf fundraiser for the archdiocese Vocations Office.

About 80 people were on hand at the Serra Club of Omaha’s recent luncheon at the German-American Society in Omaha. Many guests were present for the celebration, including two archbishops and a retired monsignor who recalled some of the club’s earliest days.

Archbishop Michael G. McGovern and Archbishop Emeritus Elden Francis Curtiss each led some of the prayers at the gathering and offered a few remarks.

Archbishop Emeritus Elden Francis Curtiss

Mike Knier, co-president of the Serra Club, interviewed Msgr. William Whelan before the luncheon audience. The priest of 69 years talked about what the club’s support has meant for him, first as a seminarian and then as a priest.

Msgr. William Whelan FILE PHOTO

From the start, the Serra Club of Omaha organized seminarian picnics, which Msgr. Whelan said he particularly enjoyed. His father, Edward Whelan, had been the founding president of the organization.

The Serrans not only looked back at their history at the meeting. They also announced a bit of the future – an endowment for the St. John Paul II Newman Center in Omaha. Father Dan Andrews, pastor and director of the Newman Center, was there for the presentation.

Father Dan Andrews

The Serra Club has seen the impact that Newman Centers across the country – including the St. John Paul II Newman Center – have had on vocations, said Michele Pohlman, also a co-president of the club. She spoke in a interview after the meeting.

The endowment is to be used to fund things like Bible studies, fellowship activities and other ways of encouraging holy vocations of all kinds.

Pohlman joined the Serra Club of Omaha in 2009, well before her son, Father Matthew Pohlman, entered the seminary and was ordained an archdiocesan priest in 2024.

Her mother, Kathy D’Ercole, was a member and had invited her to join.

Michele Pohlman, pictured in March ERVIN PHOTOGRAPHY

“Father Matthew had talked about becoming a priest since he was in first grade,” his mother said. “So just knowing that I had a son who felt like maybe he had a vocation felt like a good reason to join.

“Even if he had not become a priest, I still felt strongly about supporting vocations,” Pohlman said. “It’s just a great organization – really an apostolate more than an organization.”

Serrans not only support and encourage others’ vocations. They also are called to help each other grow in holiness. Serra clubs are named after the famous and zealous missionary of California, Junípero Serra.

Pohlman said she’s passionate about her local club and its future.

“We continue to do what we do because we know that young men and women need our support as they discern their vocation in life,” she said. “So I hope it’s around for another 75 years, plus.”

Members of the Serra Club of Omaha are pictured with Archbishop McGovern on March 10 at Christ the King Church in Omaha, during an earlier 75th anniversary celebration for the club. ERVIN PHOTOGRAPHY

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