VOLUME 2014, ISSUE 1 A Publication of the Cursillo Movement of the Albany Diocese MARCH 2014 Message from the Spiritual Director What a great gift to the Church is the new Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis entitled Evangelii Gaudium or The Joy of the Gospel. It is written in such a common ordinary manner that each of us can read and understand. It is filled with hope and joy for all who decide to spend time reflecting on its message. He begins by reminding us of the joy that will fill our hearts and lives when we encounter Jesus. We sure can t hear that too many times! I wonder if joy comes forth from within each of us when others encounter us. Do we allow the God living inside of us to come forth and spread joy to those we meet each day? Do I recognize and acknowledge the God-life in those who cross my path? Pope Francis calls upon all Christians to renew their personal encounter with Jesus and to at least be open to letting Jesus encounter us. This invitation is not only for the just ones, the saved, the holy ones but it is for all and that means it is for you and for me. The Spirit of God is alive and well and surrounding each of us. The Spirit fills our hearts and enkindles in us the fire of His love. That prayer is indeed very familiar to us as we gather for prayer and ask to renew the face of the earth. The Joy of the Gospel directs us not to become like people whose lives seem like Lent with no Easter. As we enter into the season of Lent let us keep in mind that sacrifice does not have to take away our joy but rather can be very enriching. Choices made during Lent to give up some of the business, material things, and clutter in our lives in order to make room for the simple quiet moments of prayer will bring us great joy. Take a walk in nature and become aware of all the beauty that surrounds you each day that can enrich our joy. Make a phone call to a friend; send a simple note; take an extra moment to just listen, really listen with your heart when someone needs a listening ear; all these things are easy to do and they can all bring so much joy into our world. During this season of Lent let us take time to call upon the Spirit of God to give us the courage to speak of this loving God when the opportunities arise. We live in a MEN S WEEKEND March 20 23, 2014 Dominican Spiritual Life Center Niskayuna, NY Closing Sunday, Mar. 23, 5PM Meet in the Dining Room at 4:15 pm Message from the Lay Director Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, With the holidays behind us, we look forward to a New Year full of promise. Our efforts to reach our goals of increasing our visibility and membership, as well as providing meaningful events to bring our community together, have begun to bear fruit. Thank you all for the loving support you have given me during the first 7 months of my tenure as Lay Director. It s a challenging task and it can t be done alone. I need each one of you to persevere every day in the Cursillo method and to offer palanca for our movement and each other. Let s support the Men s weekend and fill it with candidates. Let s reinvigorate our movement by attending the re-formed Leader s School that begins in March at St. Edward s in Clifton Park. I look forward to a fulfilling 2014 together with all of you! Love and De Colores, Nancy world that is starving to be fed spiritually. Feed the hungry, bring life where there is death, bring light where there is darkness and care for those who live in fear, bring healing by your very being. Go forth in JOY to love and serve the world. Sister Monica Murphy
Rev. Patrick Butler Fisher, Spiritual Director Deacon Warren Dorsch, Spiritual Director Deacon Mike Melanson, Spiritual Director Paul Albrecht Hugh Cameron Dick Carusone Pat Cullings Kevin Fragnoli John Jones Barry Lupe John Wescott Carl Rosenthal, Rector Mike Beehner, Rector in Training Tom Molloy Nick Papa Rob Pilch Tom Quinn Keith Reynolds Mark Sabatini Joe Thouin Richard Athens Patrick Molumby Ronald Jones Dale Naples Robert LaBounty Adam R. Stevens John Cunanan March 14, 2013 Our Lady of the Assumption 498 Watervliet-Shaker Road Latham, New York 12110 Holy Hour 7:00pm Pizza & Ultreya to follow Mar.6 7 PM School of Leaders, St. Edward s Clifton Park Mar.13 7 PM Secretariat, Mater Christi, Albany Mar.14 7 PM Men s Weekend Holy Hour, Our Lady of the Assumption, Latham Mar. 20-23 Men s weekend, Dominican Retreat & Conference Center, Niskayuna Apr.3 7 PM School of Leaders, St. Edward s, Clifton Park Apr. 4 6 PM Soup and Stations, Church of St. Mary, Clinton Heights, Rensselaer Apr.24 7 PM Secretariat, Mater Christi, Albany May 1 7PM School of Leaders, St. Edward s, Clifton Park May 4 3-7PM Men s and Women s Reunion/ Diocesan Ultreya/Pot Luck Supper, OLA, Latham May 22 7PM Secretariat Mater Christi, Albany June 5 7PM School of Leaders, St. Edwards, Clifton Park June 19 7PM Secretariat, Mater Christi, Albany May 4, 2014 3:00PM Followed by Diocesan Ultreya bring a dish to share! Our Lady of the Assumption Latham, NY Come and support our new cursillistas!!!!
P A L A N C A With the men s weekend rapidly approaching, it seems appropriate to remind ourselves exactly what PALANCA is meant to be. Following is a definition of PALANCA and a PALANCA Letter. A PALANCA Letter is one that is sent to the candidates and team, informing them of the prayers and sacrifices that you are offering to God on their behalf. A letter may be sent explaining what type of PALANCA is being offered, but the letter is NOT the PALANCA. The actual PALANCA is the action - intercessory prayer, sacrifice, or works of mercy, and it can be done without writing a letter. What PALANCA has been done should ALWAYS be included in the PALANCA Date: Friday, April 4, 2014 Letter. Time: 6:00 PM Place: Church of St. Mary, Clinton Heights Join us as we break bread before Stations and enjoy an assortment of homemade soups, breads, and salads, compliments of you, our guests. If you are bringing soup, it would be appreciated if you could supply your own ladle as our supplies are limited. Please bring a soup to share and let Kim Gray (518-610-8313) know if you are coming. Do you know someone who is not receiving the Little Light? If so, drop us a note at Albany_Cursillo@msn.com with their name and contact information including email Jan. 25 th, 2014 In spite of the weather, approximately 30 Cursillistas attended the Diocesan Ultreya held on Jan. 25 th at St. Clement s in Saratoga Springs. Our theme was Grace and the Obstacles to It. Sister Monica did her usual marvelous job in providing the meditation. There were several inspired spontaneous witnesses to the power of God s grace in their lives. Beautiful music was provided by Hugh Cameron and Mary Anne Brown. Thanks to everyone who attended, participated and brought delicious snacks. It was especially heartening when so many people began pouring through the doors and 5 new Cursillistas came- 2 of them bringing their spouses. Many of us stayed for the 4 PM Mass and some went for dinner afterwards. All in all, a wonderful example of faith, food, fun, family and friends experiencing the love and warmth of fellowship on a cold and snowy winter s day.
The Advent Evening of Reflection was a beautiful and inspiring experience for all who attended. Thanks again to Joe Thouin and Maureen Hayes for putting together the program for Lessons and Carols. Everyone loved it. Thanks to the readers who also did an excellent job. Special thanks to Our Lady Queen of Peace and Father Vince Ciotoli for allowing us to use the parish space and also to sell raffle tickets. The staff and parishioners were very kind to us. Beth Thayer organized the Basket Raffle and did a wonderful job. Thanks to everyone who bought raffle tickets, made and contributed to the generous baskets full of wonderful items. Cursillo made a $930 profit on the raffle. Congratulations to the raffle winners: #1 Movie Night - Linda Klupka #2 Country Breakfast - Rika Murray #3 Meal for Six - Toni Vogt #4 Saratoga Memorabilia - Maria Jackan (OLQP parishioner) #5 Christmas Breakfast - Lee Bateman #6 Italian Night - Mike/Harrilyn Beehner #7 Taste of Colombia County - Charlene Hoffman A heartfelt thank you to all those who contributed to the Cursillo Annual Appeal. At last count $2,400 in profit was realized after the cost of stamps was deducted. Many thanks to Kathy Peer for printing and paper, Tom and Linda Molloy for supplying envelopes and preparing the mailing and Barry Lupe for providing the labels and all his work on the mailing list. The funds will be used to defray weekend costs, annual dues to regional and national, costs associated with Cursillo events, publication of the Little Light and supplies and mailing costs. Oscar & Sofia Almonte Don Brooks & Mary Ann Brown Rev. Joseph Busch Pat & Nancy Cullings Francis & Sheila Dolezal Jim & Pat Feuerbach Pat & George Galarneau Mike & Sue Getman Robert Gawel Charlene Hoffman Ed & Anne Kampf Alan & Margaret Koechlein Lucille Laurenzo Norm & Vickie Morey Mary Morrison Tom & Cathy Moser Michael Nichols Danielle Parks Vincent & Bonnie Perry Tom Quinn Jim Raymond Anthony Rocco Marion & Carl Rosenthal Tim & Alice Sullivan Janet & Paul Troidle R. Gloria Verdicchio Toni & Gene Vogt Marian & Stan Zemgulis Joaquin Bermudez Kimberly Gray Rev. John Hunter Rich Lesser Pat & Jim McDonnell Rika Murray John Otrembiak Bob & Connie Ottaviano Richard Polsinello Mary Ann and Bob Roche Joe & Sharon Thouin Diane Traegler Jerry & Sue Van Alstine Rich & Karen Winslow
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS PRAYING FOR OUR CANDIDATES & TEAM! All Those who are part of the Cursillo Movement are asked to do Palanca in the form of Prayer for the upcoming weekend. The following instruction is how you know your time to pray for the Candidates and the Team. Your times are determined by the 1st initial of your last name. Please help keep our new Babe Chick s and their team in constant prayer. You know the power of prayer! Thursday Evening 6:00 PM A 6:30 PM B 7:00 PM C 7:30 PM D 8:00 PM E 8:30 PM F 9:00 PM G 9:30 PM H 10:00 PM I 10:30 PM J 11:00 PM K 11:30 PM L P R A Y Friday Morning 12:00 AM M 12:30 AM N 1:00 AM O 1:30 AM P 2:00 AM Q 2:30 AM R 3:00 AM S 3:30 AM T 4:00 AM U 4:30 AM V 5:00 AM W 5:30 AM X 6:00 AM Y 6:30 AM Z 7:00 AM A 7:30 AM B 8:00 AM C 8:30 AM D 9:00 AM E 9:30 AM F 10:00 AM G 10:30 AM H 11:00 AM I 11:30 AM J Friday Afternoon/ Evening 12:00 PM K 12:30 PM L 1:00 PM M 1:30 PM N 2:00 PM O 2:30 PM P 3:00 PM Q 3:30 PM R 4:00 PM S 4:30 PM T 5:00 PM U 5:30 PM V 6:00 PM W 6:30 PM X 7:00 PM Y 7:30 PM Z 8:00 PM A 8:30 PM B 9:00 PM C 9:30 PM D 10:00 PM E 10:30 PM F 11:00 PM G 11:30 PM H Saturday Morning 12:00 AM I 12:30 AM J 1:00 AM K 1:30 AM L 2:00 AM M 2:30 AM N 3:00 AM O 3:30 AM P 4:00 AM Q 4:30 AM R 5:00 AM S 5:30 AM T 6:00 AM U 6:30 AM V 7:00 AM W 7:30 AM X 8:00 AM Y 8:30 AM Z 9:00 AM A 9:30 AM B 10:00 AM C 10:30 AM D 11:00 AM E 11:30 AM F Saturday Afternoon/Evening 12:00 PM G 12:30 PM H 1:00 PM I 1:30 PM J 2:00 PM K 2:30 PM L 3:00 PM M 3:30 PM N 4:00 PM O 4:30 PM P 5:00 PM Q 5:30 PM R 6:00 PM S 6:30 PM T 7:00 PM U 7:30 PM V 8:00 PM W 8:30 PM X 9:00 PM Y 9:30 PM Z 10:00 PM A 10:30 PM B 11:00 PM C 11:30 PM D Sunday Morning / Afternoon 12:00 AM E 12:30 AM F 1:00 AM G 1:30 AM H 2:00 AM I 2:30 AM J 3:00 AM K 3:30 AM L 4:00 AM M 4:30 AM N 5:00 AM O 5:30 AM P 6:00 AM Q 6:30 AM R 7:00 AM S 7:30 AM T 8:00 AM U 8:30 AM V 9:00 AM W 9:30 AM X 10:00 AM Y 10:30 AM Z 11:00 AM A 11:30 AM B Sunday Afternoon 12:00 PM C 12:30 PM D 1:00 PM E 1:30 PM F 2:00 PM G 2:30 PM H 3:00 PM I 3:30 PM J 4:00 PM K 4:30 PM L DE COLORES Check the website for complete and current Cursillo News http://www.cursillo.org/albany/