UNICO

Messages
ComUNICO
Second
Vice PRESIDENT
A message
from
Lee Norelli
On the morning of June 2, 1905, with
only an elementary school education,
my grandfather Luigi Norelli embarked
on the steamship Regine Luise to sail to
America from Naples. He kept notes in a
small book and like many of our forefathers,
he left “my dear motherland, Italy,
and emigrated to America, not to abandon
my family, but to help it, and see it
in a state of happiness.”
I am UNICO National’s new Second
Vice President from the Greater Philadelphia
Chapter. I am blessed with a large
immediate and extended family. I have
been an active member of UNICO serving
as a Chapter Vice President, Chapter
President, District Governor, and member
of the previous Executive Committee.
As Second Vice President of UNICO
National, I will work to see our organization
and Chapters around the country
in a state of happiness. I am honored
to have this opportunity to serve and I
promise to do my best.
My charge: “The Second Vice
President shall assist the President by
supervising the activities of all Chapter
Presidents and Chapter Secretaries.” To
do this I’ll need your help and participation
in the following activities:
1. Submit your Chapter Reports
monthly. The form is available online
and takes minutes to complete. The receipt
of this information is important to
the continued success of the entire organization
and helps us know what areas to
focus on.
2. Submit your Chapter or another
Chapter for a Chapter Achievement
Award.
3. Come to a National Event, like a
Regional Meeting, Mid-Year Board Meeting
or the National Convention. Having
attended these meetings and the last five
Conventions, I have met people who will
be lifelong friends.
I look forward to learning about your
Chapter and assisting in any way I can. I
am available by email at lnorelli@unico.
org or by telephone at 609-685-7860 and
enjoy talking with old friends and meeting
new friends. Please don’t hesitate to
introduce yourself.
My grandfather later wrote, “After
almost a year that I resided in America,
and having understood what this land
was about, I brought my entire family to
me. So, I hugged again my dear father,
my brothers and sisters…”
110 years later, we are all doing very well.
Chaplain
A message
from
Fr. Robert Wolfee
Jesus used a variety of teaching
methods throughout his public ministry.
The use of parables was one. Often, the
stories Jesus told were drawn from the
world of planting, harvesting, shepherding
and pruning because these things
were such a big part of everyday life. We
can see how Jesus recognized, in these
ordinary events, places of grace and of
God’s work at hand. People worked the
land, planted the seeds and reaped the
harvests, but the growing itself, the journey
from the tiny seed to the great tree
happened almost without them being
aware of it. In other words, God’s loving
power is secretly at work, making
our routine efforts abundant with life
and goodness.
In one parable, Jesus spoke of a tiny
mustard seed, which grows so huge that
it provides a resting place for all the
birds of the air. Jesus tells us that the
kingdom of God is like that. It started
very small with Adam and Eve but
continues to grow because nothing
can stop God’s plans. Our faith gives
us hope; it reminds us that there are
endless possibilities.
Jesus tells us that we must act on our
faith because faith without good works is
not enough. Jesus had plenty of faith, but
he also performed plenty of good works.
He healed the sick, cast out spirits, fed
the hungry, all while sharing God’s word
as found in Scripture. There are many
ways that we put our faith into action.
For example, we sacrifice our time,
talent and treasure for those in need. We
teach. We care for others. We practice
the UNICO motto of “service above self.”
Those are just some examples. The list
goes on and on.
God plants in each of us many tiny
seeds of goodness that we are to bring
to fruition by our good works and loving
care of others. We can produce good
fruit, through our efforts and God’s grace.
He is still at work, building his kingdom
on earth and bringing his plan to completion.
We co-operate with that plan
by being willing to go where he leads
us and by being patient if we do not see
the results we want or expect. After all,
holiness happens one step at a time, not
all at once; and God is in charge of the
process, not us!
God bless.
Celebrate Columbus Day!
6
September 2015
UNICO National