My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
“Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.” 
– John 6:68c

May Jesus’ peace be with you,

Growing up, Lent in our household was a time of “giving something up” and waiting.  I waited for Holy Saturday noon when Lent’s grip of fish on Fridays, extra, boring visits to church, and “no candy” would finally start to loosen.  Easter would be the next day. Finally. Thank God!

Many of you taught me that Lent can be about “feasting”,  feasting on compassion, love of others, and forgiveness. You taught me that it’s ok to look deep inside my soul and ask for forgiveness from God and others. I’ve come around that Lent is a season of hope – a reverent and introspective season – to be embraced and not simply endured.

My eyes are set on Easter and the Resurrection, but I’ve unfinished internal work yet to do this Lent.  Now, I look forward to it, because of you, my Cursillo brothers and sisters.  Thank you.

Our March Ultreya is scheduled for tonight, March 08, with witness talks (Ed Wendler and Serena Rodriguez) and music (Rob Lim).  See details below.

We continue to hold a nascent co-ed group reunion on Saturday mornings – all are invited. Details are below.

Got a prayer?
We now have a prayer wall on our website at www.sanjosecursillo.org/prayer-requests. This allows everyone, including those who don’t use Facebook, to share to the Community of those needing its prayers. Please check out the prayer wall and send along a prayer request.

And finally, we are  planning an in-person Lenten Liturgy on March 20, 2PM, outside at St Christopher. Details will be forth coming.

As always, “Hold out your candle for all to see it” – Chris Rice
Keeping all of you in my prayers daily,
De Colores,
Larry Cargnoni

P.S. For your convenience, a list of Group Reunions (4th Day Groups) can be found now at this link: www.sanjosecursillo.org/fourth-day. We also included a space for Co-Ed Group Reunions. Please contact me if your Group Reunion (4th Day Group) needs to be added or updated.

In This Newsletter
  • Upcoming Events
  • Secretariat Update
  • St. Christopher’s Parish Prayers at Home
  • Prayer Requests
  • Cursillo Links and Resources

Upcoming Events
March 2021 Ultreya
Monday, March 08, 2021
6:45PM – 8:30 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
The Secretariat invites the community to join their fellow Cursillistas for our March 2021 Virtual Ultreya on Monday, March 08, 2021

We will be celebrating an evening of fellowship and music as we walk together in Christ.

We will begin some social time at 6:45PM to 7:00PM followed by prayer, meditation, sharing in small groups, witness or keynote speakers. We will offer our individual petitions followed by a rousing ‘De Colores’.

If you can, please RSVP with Facebook.
March 2021 School of Leaders
Wednesday ,March 24, 2021
6:45PM – 8:30 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
The entire Cursillo Community is invited and encouraged to attend our School of Leaders for an evening to gather and strengthen our faith journey. We will begin with social time at 6:45 and start the discussion promptly at 7PM. (Note, this Zoom session will have a waiting room and you will be admitted by the host).

The Doctrinal talk and discussion will be The Figure of Christ (Saturday morning meditation) and the Technique talk and discussion will center on Agape.

If you are a new Cursillista, this is a great opportunity to learn more. If you are on a formation team, this is a great way to strengthen your overall knowledge of the process. If you are a seasoned veteran or have not been on a team for a while, come and refresh your hearts!

If you can, please RSVP with Facebook.
Saturday Co-Ed Group Reunions (4th Days)
March 13, 2021
9:00AM
Join Zoom Meeting
Many people in our community would like to be part of a Group Reunion (4th Day) Group. However, during these days of minimal contact, it might be difficult. This is an opportunity to meet and to share online until we can meet in person. Open to all men and women here in San Jose or joining long distance.

On Saturday mornings, there is an open meeting to share Piety, Study and Action (PSA) for the week. The meeting will open with sharing guidelines, a brief verse or antiphon to help to center ourselves, followed by the Holy Spirit prayer and then on to sharing. The meeting will end when everyone has had a chance to share their PSA. Final closing will be a traditional prayer.

This is an open meeting. Attending every week is not mandatory but please join when you can and feel free to reach out to other Cursillistas.
Lenten Liturgy (in-person gathering)
March 20, 2021
2:00PM
Save the date! We are planning an outside, in-person Lenten Liturgy, at St Christopher.  Details are forthcoming. Fr. Chris has offered to lead us in prayer.  This will be our first in-person gathering in just over a year.

We will observe Diocese and County safety guidelines.  Please watch for details in the Newsletter and on our Facebook page.

Secretariat Update
We have been discerning for the following openings:

  • Post-Cursillo Chair
  • Three-Day Chair

We are asking the community to prayerfully discern those who are willing to serve. Serving on the Secretariat is a commitment of three years. We are also open to two individuals who are also being called to being co-chairs.

While we aren’t conducting weekends, the Secretariat has been busy. The Secretariat is in a unique spot. We are dealing with COVID and we are currently reviewing all aspects of our weekend and traditions.

Dealing with COVID has pushed our programs completely online. Last year, we held a number of weekly and bi-weekly events. They were popular for some. School of Leaders is active. Group Reunions / 4th Days are active. We need new ideas for engaging Community and building our and refreshing our parish representatives.

There is a new Rector / Rectora Step-by-Step manual that came from National that forces us to review our weekend content and structure. The discussions are thoughtful and introspective. There will be some changes. And we will retain most current traditions. Eventually, we will need to provide updated guidance to the teams.

The Secretariat is a supportive group and we help each other.

Would you please prayerfully consider it? I am happy to answer questions. I invite you to talk to other Secretariat members.

Please reach out to Larry Cargnoni for more information if you are interested. You can contact us and find a summary of the role at www.sanjosecursillo.org/secretariat.

St. Christopher’s Parish Prayers at Home
Father Chris Bennett and his parish provided us a new set of prayers for when we can’t gather for mass (Ordinary Time). The sets of prayers are found on the Secretariat Google Drive found here: Fr Chris Bennett’s Care Packages and Prayers.

Please share this message to other Cursillistas who might be interested.

Prayer Requests
Please also pray for those fighting with illness, Covid-19, mental distress, loss of job and the passing of loved ones.

You may also submit prayer requests on our Facebook page or on our website.

Cursillo Links and Resources
Our Cursillo Movement in San Jose is part of a rich and international fabric of Cursillo movements world wide. Below are links to several Cursillo websites that you might find interesting.

You’ll find books and manuals for purchase the National Cursillo Movement and the Eduardo Bonnin Aguilo Foundation websites below.

The NACG Cursillo North America and Caribbean organization holds weekly Ultreya on Wednesday evening at 6PM Pacific. A truly international flavor! See its website and/or Facebook page for more information.

Posting Guidelines
As a reminder, here are the guidelines for posting material to the Cursillo Facebook page and Newsletter: Posting Guidelines – Nov 1, 2019

2021 Spring Weekend Dates
We have cancelled our Spring 2021 weekends due to the pandemic. Please stay tune and please pray for an end to this pandemic.

Stay Connected
If you are on Facebook, please join our private Facebook group to connect with our community and stay current with our events. Please contact John Huân Vu if you have any issues joining.

Stay up-to-date with our events by integrating the San Jose Cursillo event calendar to your personal calendar via Google Calendar or iCal.