Holy Name Society centennial welcomes bikers and awardees

The title says it all. The primary objective of the Holy Name Society is to bring about love and reverence for the Holy Name of God and Jesus Christ. 

Offering support throughout the Diocese of Buffalo for 100 years, the local union gathered for its centennial celebration convention on Oct. 19 with guest speakers, a Mass, and an awards banquet. 

“I wonder if in 1924, the men of the Holy Name Society in our diocese could have imagined what their world would be like in 100 years, or if they ever thought the Holy Name Society would ever be around. And here we are celebrating the centennial of the formation of our union,” said Bill Schuster, executive director for the diocesan Union of Holy Name Societies.

This year also marks the 750th anniversary of the international founding of the society by Blessed John Vercelli in Europe. Bishop William Turner approved a diocesan union in Buffalo in 1924. At its peak 250 societies existed locally. Now 34 parishes have societies with 950 members.

At the October meeting, Schuster took a look at the future of the Holy Name Society as a number of parishes are slated to merge. Fourteen of these parishes have Holy Name organizations.

“In some cases those parish societies will simply resume their operation in their new location. For some other societies, things are going to be a little bit different. Some societies will possibly merge with other societies in their family,” he said.

In the Diocese of Pittsburgh, a similar restructuring plan led to the closing of half of its societies.

“It would be a shame to see that happen in our diocese,” Schuster said. “I think we can avoid such a thing. We will experience a reduction in the number of Holy Name parishes, but we don’t have to lose any members. There can be a home for anyone who wants to remain active in the Holy Name Society.”

It will take planning and cooperation, he admitted. But he thinks the renewal will provide an opportunity to reach out for new members as current members will be meeting with people unfamiliar with Holy Name.

“Invite and involve your pastor, parochial vicars and deacons to a meeting. If they’re new to your family of parishes, let it be known the works that you’ve done,” Schuster suggested, adding that the societies serve parishes with the blessing and support of the pastors, so members should ask their pastors for any guidance. 

Another suggestion, if younger people are unable or uninterested in joining, focus on older people, closer to their own age. And always emphasize the organization’s spiritual aspect when speaking about it.

“Let every potential new member know that we’re not just another men’s group.” Schuster said. “Membership in the Holy Name Society will bring a closeness to God and Jesus Christ that they may not know they could have had or even wanted.”

The Holy Name Society members are akin to the elves who anonymously help the shoemaker. They help out wherever they can, usually running raffles and pancake breakfasts. 

“Anything that the pastor of the church needs at the time,” said Dennis Marone, from St. John XXIII Parish in West Seneca. “We’re just men on hand anytime they needed to do anything, we were there for them.”

Craig Weiss was recruited by a fellow member at Fourteen Holy Helpers Parish in West Seneca.

“He said, ‘Why don’t you join us for the Holy Name Society meeting?’ I thought to myself, I’ll give it a try.”  He saw 40 elderly gentlemen in sportcoats at the meeting he saw as the elite of the parish. At the age of only 23, Weiss decided to give it a chance for a few months. “I went to 90 meetings before I missed a meeting,” he said, adding, “It’s something I like to do. I look forward to it. The guys I met are my friends.”

Guest speakers at the convention were the Bikers Against Child Abuse. Tex and Caribe, using their road names, spoke about helping children regain trust and building social support through the family-like bond of the motorcycle club. 

An awards banquet at Kiebzak’s Restaurant closed out the day.

Diocesan Holy Name Awards honorees include:

David Wielgas, Member of the Year

Glenn Fitzgerald and Mark Schlueter,  District Achievement Awards

Joseph Fotta, Joseph Jagodzinski, Jack Nowak, Susan and Leonard Pokornowski, Larry Ricigliano and Bob Schuster, Parish Achievement Awards