The first Serra Club was formed in 1935 in Seattle, Washington by four humble men in 1934. Then, as now, the two great needs for the Church were dedicated priests and religious and informed lay leaders who understand and live their own Christian vocations to service.
The founding Serrans chose as the organization’s patron Father Junipero Serra, (now St. Junipero Serra) the 18th century Franciscan missionary to Mexico who was very influential in creating missions there and in California.
Serra is modeled after other successful service clubs with the exception that it has a deep spirituality. From 1934, until 1938, five clubs came into being: Seattle, the parent; Tacoma, Spokane, Portland in Oregon, and San Francisco. Recognizing the need for organization and coordinated program, these five clubs gathered at Seattle for the first convention July 2, 1938, to form what is now Serra International and to adopt a constitution which, with slight modification, is the constitution of the organization today. By 1941 Serra had grown through action of volunteer Serrans to thirteen chartered clubs, having extended through Montana into Minnesota, with one club in Wisconsin, and one in Illinois. During the five years that followed, ten more clubs came into charter status, and by 1946 there were chartered units extending as far as St. Louis, Houston, and Pittsburgh.
The Serra Club of Kansas City Missouri (KCMO) was formed in 1947 (Club #25). From its humble origins with just eleven members, it has grown into a robust organization with a little under 100 members. Our club is affiliated with USA Council of Serra International (USAC) and one of the 1,160 clubs in 46 nations that are part of Serra International (SI).