My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord“
– Luke 2:11

We Christians are an Easter people and it all starts with the birth of our Savior!

Our Advent wait is over. Our hearts prepared. Pandemic or not, the celebration of our redeemer’s birth is today, December 25.  Christmas was neither cancelled or postponed. Christmas is with us!

Christmas will not eliminate or soften the blows and impact of a difficult 2020. However, the blessing and peace of Christmas will infuse our hearts when we choose to open them up to the joys of season.

I read the angel’s message to the shepherds in Luke, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” I am reminded that Christmas is a time of hope, love, peace, and charity, for all people. I am reminded too that we are the hands and feet of this beautiful infant. May we each reach out to someone in need and give them the gift of hope, love, peace and charity.

On behalf of the Secretariat, I wish you along with your friends and families a safe, blessed, peaceful, and restful Christmas. May you find and experience joy of Jesus’ birth and share that joy through word and action.

Lastly, we ask you to please enjoy the videos below. The first video is from our Spiritual Advisor, Fr. Chris Bennett, sharing a Christmas message. Our second video is our community’s first virtual choir singing Joy to the World.
Merry Christmas!
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.

A Christmas Message from our Spiritual Advisor, Fr. Chris Bennett

“Joy to the World” sung by members of the Cursillo English Speaking Community of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose
Thank you John Vu for organizing the virtual choir and thank you to community members who contributed: Cathy Allen, Jeff Jacobs, Bob & Margo Voisinet, George Stachnik, Robert Lim, Chris Basanese, Larry & Kathleen Cargnoni, Ed Wendler, Vicky Flynn, Greg & Anna Marie Kirkham, Rebecca Wong, John Vu & Greg Ripa, Carol Yanz, Sharon Lydon, Casey Trumbo (and family), Lynne & David Bergna, Linda Delescale, Mary Grunthaner & Sheri Burns, Richard Morales, Paul Milioto, Julie Goschy-Stalions.

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

Upcoming Events
January 2021 Virtual Ultreya
Monday, January 11, 2021
6:45PM – 8:30 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
The Secretariat invites the community to join their fellow Cursillistas for our January 2021 Virtual Ultreya on Monday, January 11, 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.
Saturday Co-Ed Group Reunions (4th Days)
Every Saturday to January 30, 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. This will be occurring every Saturday including the following:
  • Dec 26, 2020 09:00 AM
  • Jan 2, 2021 09:00 AM
  • Jan 9, 2021 09:00 AM
  • Jan 16, 2021 09:00 AM
  • Jan 23, 2021 09:00 AM
  • Jan 30, 2021 09:00 AM
You can also download and import the dates as a iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
January 2021 School of Leaders
Wednesday, January 27, 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 will be the “Sacraments Rollo”.  The technique talks will be given on the Overview of the Saturday evening activities, including candidate skits, clown skit, shalom dance, Marian devotion.

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.

Secretariat Update
We started our discernment for our Post-Cursillo Chair and 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.

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. In the spring and summer, 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
As some of you may be aware, our dear Cursillista Rita Russo passed away after battling with pancreatic cancer. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. You may also share your prayers and comments on our Facebook post within our group.

Please also pray Lourdes Thevanayagam who is also battling cancer along with Mickey Salem and Sandy Tinapay as they recover from COVID.

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 tuned.

Stay Connected
If you are on Facebook, please also join our private Facebook group to connect with our community and stay current with our events. Please also 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.