YOUR CATHOLIC NEIGHBOR

Greg Petrowski

Serra Club member helps foster, promote vocations

By Joyce Coronel | May 21, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

As the Diocese of Phoenix gears up for the ordination of three men to the priesthood on June 6, the Serra Club chapter that Greg Petrowski belongs to is busy preparing gifts sure to be treasured for a lifetime.

The Serra Club is a Catholic organization whose members support vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Worldwide, there are more than 19,000 “Serrans” in over 800 chapters, including two in the Valley.

Petrowski, a member of St. Benedict Parish and past president of the Phoenix Serra Club, said every year the organization presents a chalice to each of the new priests upon ordination.

“The sole purpose of the Serra Club is to promote vocations through prayer and through the money that we raise,” Petrowski said. The local businessman and father of two understands plenty about both finances and faith.

He credits much of his success in life to the 12 years he spent in Catholic schools, finding out early on that not doing one’s homework meant serious consequences, most notably a rap on the knuckles with a ruler wielded by a nun.

The firm discipline and faith-filled atmosphere he encountered in Catholic schools continue to shape his life. It’s one of the reasons Petrowski is drawn to supporting vocations to the priesthood and religious life. His son and daughter both attend St. John Bosco Catholic School in Phoenix.

“I really enjoyed having nuns and priests in school when I was growing up,” he said. “It’s rare to have that anymore.”

Petrowski graduated from Penn State with a degree in accounting in 1984 and moved to the Valley in 1987 to work in a risk management company. About 10 years ago, he and his partners bought out a small practice which has since grown to 28 people. The firm does mostly accounting and tax work.

His job keeps him busy — he makes about 30 short business trips a year and works 70-hour weeks during tax season — but Petrowski always makes time for the Serra Club meetings. Held as luncheons the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Mount Claret Retreat Center, the gatherings include fellowship time and a speaker.

“No matter what happens at work or what happens at the lunch, you get fired up,” Petrowski said of the meetings. “It re-energizes you. It’s almost like going to Church on Sunday and hearing a really good sermon,” he added.

Instead of adding to an already heavy workload — he’s got at least 700 clients across the country — Petrowski looks at belonging to the Serra Club as a great way to reduce tension.

“No matter how stressed out I am, I go there, and it’s like your heart rate goes down,” he said. Belonging to Serra has taught him to keep a balanced perspective on life.

“You get wrapped up in work and you forget that work is important, but it’s not everything,” Petrowski added.

Speakers at the twice-monthly luncheons are often seminarians, priests or people actively involved in apostolic work. Representatives of Maggie’s Place, St. Vincent de Paul and the Arizona Catholic Conference have all paid visits to the Serrans.

Petrowski said his fellow members enjoy learning about their faith and are eager to help support more vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

The club also gives about $1,500 annually to the diaconate educational fund. Other money raised is for the twice-yearly stipend checks for seminarians, checks to clergy and religious to mark their anniversaries, and the chalices given to the newly ordained.

What do you like most about being Catholic?

I like the beliefs we have and I’m 100 percent committed to what we believe. I like the pamphlet “Catholics in the Public Square” by Bishop Olmsted. I believe in what’s in the pamphlet. I’m not one of those Catholics who says, “I believe in the faith, but these are some issues I’m different on.”

What do you enjoy most about Serra?

I believe in what we do but I really enjoy going to the lunches and the functions, just getting to visit with the clergy and sisters. It’s a diverse group with members from all walks of life, including attorneys and retired people. It’s something that if you’re really busy you can still participate.

Any thoughts on the recession?

You’ve got to rely now more than ever on your family and your beliefs and increase your prayers. You can’t identify yourself as who you are during the workday. It’s who you are spiritually and from a family standpoint. Those are the things that are important.