Words of Wisdom
Mimi Fitzgerald
Lay Director
Mimi Fitzgerald, Lay Director
Message from Mimi #44 Leaders School & Leadership Workshop
3/13/10
Hi all,
Just a reminder!
Saturday, March 13 , St. Anthony , Falls Church - two events
worthy of note:
1. At School of Leaders, from 9:30 - noon, in addition to
participating in prayer, Group Reunion, and fellowship, Fr Tuck
Grinnell will lead a discussion of The Shack.
2. From 12:30 to ~3:30, former Lay Directors Joan Brown & Peter
Roth will present A Team Leadership Workshop. While the
immediate focus is on Rectors, all who are considering or would
like to participate in a Cursillo team or serve as rectors or
angels are invited. if you would simply like to know more about
team formation, join us.
Come for either session, or both! Saturday morning Mass at St.
Anthony is at 8:30am and if you are coming for both sessions,
please bring a bag lunch. Hope to see you there.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #43 Marianne Wall and Br Eddy
Good morning all,
I am forwarding information on Freddie Wall's mother, Marianne's
funeral. Marianne died peacefully on Tuesday morning. Freddie
has served cursillo for many years and her mother has joined us
for many functions over the years and we join the family in
prayer for these lovely ladies one who now lives with God.
Visitation (closed casket) will be at Money & King Funeral Home,
on Maple Ave (Rt. 123) in Vienna on Friday, 2/19, from
2:00-4:00, with Rosary at 3:30, and from 6:00-8:00 p.m. with
prayers at 7:30.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday,
2/20, at St. John the Beloved in McLean, with a reception in the
Parish Hall following the Mass. Burial will be some time next
week in Richmond.
I would also ask that you remember Brother David Eddy, C.F.X.,
Bishop Loverde's Secretary who also died on Monday. Information
is in this morning's Washington Post.
And finally, since I prefer short messages, please check the
website www.arlingtoncursillo.org for details on the Lenten
Quiet Day, next Saturday, February, 27. Hope to see you there.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #42 Mananitas for Fr. Mike Hann's 70th
Birthday/Wednesday, January 27 1/25/10
Dear friends,
Father Mike Hann, who is such a friend (and frequent Weekend
spiritual director) to Arlington Cursillo, turns 70 this
Wednesday. Please join me at 6:40 a.m. this Wednesday at
Missionhurst, 4651 North 25th St. in Arlington, so that we may
all serenade him with mananitas in honor of this event.
Park across Old Dominion in the church or medical building lot
because most of the people on 26th St are still home and there
are quite a few cars and he is celebrating mass at Marymount, so
has to be out of Missionhurst about 7:15.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #41 School of Leaders Jan 9
Dear Ones,
The next Diocesan School of Leaders will be on Jan. 9, 2010 at
9:30 a.m. to Noon at Sacred Heart Parish in Manassas. The
doctrine discussion of Spe Salvi will be Chapter 6, the "Prayer,
Action, Suffering Schools of Christian Hope. " The technique
portion of the meeting will be the weekend talk, Layperson in
the Church. Please join us. The discussion is lively,
informative and enjoyable and the food is usually abundant and
very good.
After the SOL meeting this month, there will be a BYO lunch and
a discussion workshop given by Rectors and Rectoras. This
workshop will be most interesting for all of you to know what
really goes on behind the scenes of a Cursillo Weekend. Those of
you who someday wish to be on a team or participate as a Rectora
someday could find this session most informative and useful ...
along with lots of laughs and fun.
So, again, please join us ... there will be many benefits.
Peace and Joy,
MaryLou McGonigle
Chair, School of Leaders
Message from Mimi #40 12/11/09
The internet is good for one's humanity!! Tried to send this
last night and have just discovered that it did not go anywhere
because I left an "l" out of cursillo, so although it is the
season of waiting, I apologize for this extra wait.
Advent is a season of waiting, a time of preparation. Isaiah
tells us that "They that hope in the Lord will renew their
strength, they will soar as with eagles' wings. They will run
and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint." Thoughts to keep
in mind during the busy days ahead...
Busy weekend ahead:
School of Leaders - this Saturday, Dec 12th
It will be at St Charles in Room 103, after the 9:00 am Mass.
Frank McLeskey will lead the discussion on Spe Salvi and Pete
Roth will give his "Layperson in the Church" talk. . .The
website says it is 9:30 am to 10:30, but it is longer - we
should end around noon or 12:30. There will be bagels and
coffee. . .
For those of you into long term planning School of Leaders in
January will be
January 9th at Sacred Heart, which is in Manassas. . .
I discovered tonight from Fr. Jack O'Hara that the Weekend for
the Seriously Ill starts tomorrow at the Dominican Retreat House
in McLean. You may deliver palanca letters to a brother or
sister-in -Christ at the retreat house, 7103 Old Dominion Drive,
McLean. I am assuming that there will be a serenade on Sunday
morning. Please join other cursillistas as we greet this special
group.
We shall run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #39 11/25/09
We
gather this Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving in many different
ways: giving thanks to God for many blessings in many different
ways with friends and family, preparing and serving dinners for
those less fortunate, joining the Turkey Trot for SOME, just to
mention a few.
Following quickly is the first Sunday of
Advent. How will we celebrate this wonderful season? Will we
light a candle? Will we spend some time in prayer, waiting as
Mary did?
Will we shop for those we love and perhaps take a
tag from a Giving Tree? I can't resist sharing the Christmas
Novena at St. Charles - Simbang Gabi - a Filipino tradition of
Mass at 5:00 a.m. and breakfast after each morning for the nine
days before Christmas.
You can contemplate how you will
spend your season of Advent on Tuesday, December 1, with a Quiet
Night - A Promise Kept. Jane Duffy will present in the chapel at
Missionhurst from 7 to 9 p.m. Join us and give yourself time to
consider how Jesus is birthed in each one of us and how we share
this with those around us.
---
God bless
Mimi
Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #38 11/16/09
Hi all,
Thanksgiving will soon be upon us. We give
thanks for our families, friends and community and gather next
Saturday night at Holy Family Parish, 14160 Ferndale, Dale City
VA 22193 at 7:00pm for Diocesan Ultreya . Check the website for
a map, www.Arlingtoncursillo,org Bring a friend and a snack and
share an evening of rejoicing for all of the gifts that God has
given us. Hope to see you there.
---
God bless
Mimi
Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #37 10/25/09
Hi all,
Many thanks to John Rausch for conceiving the
idea of the Octoberfest and organizing all the volunteers.
Thanks to all for setting up, cooking and clean-up, music,
salads, desserts and anything that I have forgotten. It
was fun to be with everyone, to welcome and get to know new
people and visit with friends of many years. And for those
who missed it, we hope you will join us next time.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #36 10/19/09
Good morning all,
As we sang this weekend, I want to pass this on - Father Mike
Hann stopped me after mass this morning to say "thanks" for
leaving the house at Missionhurst better than we found it , beds
made, downstairs clean, and kitchen spotless - (my words) the
grill has never been cleaner!!! See what the human spirit
can do when illuminated by the Holy Spirit!! (words from one of
our new cursillistas.)
Thanks to all for prayer, support in many
practical ways, clean-up, set-up for closing and all of the many
details!! Hope to see you this Saturday, October 23 at St.
John Neumann for Octoberfest. Coming up: Fourth Day School
(SOL) at St. Mark's on November 14 and Diocesan Ultreya on
November 21 at Holy Family. Please check the website:
www.arlingtoncursillo.org for
details.
Also, I have a men's blue jacket left at OLGC. Give me
a call at 703-527-6721.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #35 10/16/09
Good morning cursillistas,
If you are out and about on this gray wet
morning, think clear and bright as the song says.
You may be delivering palanca to the door at Missionhurst
as some of us do.
Stop and pick up a snack on your way - something healthy,
hopefully. You can
drop it off in the Palanca Box at the main door, put it in the
Shepherd's Door (to the right at the bottom of the stairs) or
give it to the kitchen crew - door on the far left of the
building. Thanks
much!!
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #34 10/14/09
Hi all,
Holiday weekends are wonderful, except that
suddenly it is Tuesday!! In two days the team of the 119th Men's
Cursillo will gather at Missionhurst to welcome candidates.
Please check the website:
www.Arlingtoncursillo.org for
all information on the candidates list., a few spaces left on
the Palanca calendar and a volunteer for lunch on Friday and
Sunday's activities. Also, another spiritual director has
joined the group. Father Joe Nangle will be with them for
the weekend, so please remember him in your prayers.
Finally the leaders from Area II Cursillo will be meeting
in Vineland , NJ this weekend, so please keep us in your
prayers.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #33 10/1/09
Hi all,
Fall seems to be with us. Children of
all ages are back in school, soccer and football are in full
swing and our schedules are a bit more normal. I wanted to
mention two things. We have a Men's Cursillo weekend in
just about two weeks, beginning on October 15, and it would be
nice to add a few more candidates. Many of us have people
we have talked to in the past about cursillo. Pray on it
and perhaps now would be a good time to touch base with these
people. And keep in mind, people make cursillo at a time
that is good for them and God. God's time may differ from
ours.
Please take a look at the palanca clock which
is up for the weekend on the website
www.Arlingtoncursillo.org .
You have your choice of many hours.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
--
Message from Mimi
#32 9/8/09
Hi all,
Summer seems to be over and it has been a good summer, wonderful
weather, new cursillistas and a number of ways to connect with
our God and each other!!
This coming Saturday, September
12, after the 9:00 am Mass, we gather at Nativity in Burke for
SOL. We are studying Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical "Spe Salvi",
session 3. We will also take a look at the weekend schedules,
particularly Sunday, to see "if"or "what" might be done to help
us find more "thinking" time in that schedule. Please join us
and share your thoughts, bring any schedules and your prayers.
We try to finish up about noon.
School of Leaders
continues to be a setting where we are able to grow closer to
God by sharing prayer, reading and discussing new material as an
effort to achieve a deeper understanding of cursillo. Hope to
see you there.
On Saturday, September 26, after the 9:15
am Mass at St. Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax, spiritual director
Hope Shaw will present a Quiet Day on "Gift". We will come
together to share fruit, bagels and coffee and start the program
about 10:00 am. Please bring a brown bag lunch. We will end
about 2:00 pm. RSVP's are requested to Trudy Harlow Dervan at
tpharlow@aol.com.
Think about spending some time not only
to listen to Hope's thoughts, but to enjoy the quiet with God.
The fall days fill quickly with many activities. The Quiet Days
provide nourishment and graced moments to keep us going in the
midst of all that we do.
---
God bless
Mimi
Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #31
Women's 129th Cursillo 7/31/09
Hi all,
I greet you from beautiful upstate New
York, specifically Inlet - wonderful country, beautiful lakes, brisk walks to
early morning Mass and fun to be with family. This coming Thursday night we
begin the 129th Women's Weekend at Camp Happyland, Richardsville, VA. There is
still space on the weekend. In the meantime, we keep the women in prayer and
send off our palanca to Mary Lou McGonigle or to parish contacts.
Let's join them as we are able at Mananita
and Closing. Please check the website for details and directions on all of
these events and information for palanca,
www.Arlingtoncursillo.org and Mary Lou McGonigle, respectively.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #30
Women's 129th Cursillo applications AND How you get His Banner 7/8/09
Hi all,
Two items:
1. We must have your confirmed reservation in to Camp Happyland by July 23 for
the 129th Women's Cursillo . Now is the time to send in your candidate's
application. Our team has been preparing prayerfully and will have their Quiet
Night at Missionhurst this Thursday (July 9). Keep them in your prayers.
2. You may be on our His Banner paper copy mailing list. If this is the most
convenient way for you to receive His Banner, do nothing.
Otherwise: There are a few ways to get your copy of our Cursillo newsletter:
• Read it online or download it from our website (http://arlingtoncursillo.org)
• Receive it by email
• "Borrow" it from a friend
• Receive a paper copy by USPS mail
If you receive a paper copy, and this is NOT the most convenient way for you to
receive His Banner, please email
Pete Roth and tell us which
method you would prefer, and we'll switch your registration.
If you would prefer to receive it at a different email address, please tell us
that, too.
Thanks!
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
sent from the beach...
---
Mimigram #29
5/28/09
What better way to prepare for Pentecost than to take some
time out for quiet!!! Ginny Graham will facilitate the morning at St. Lawrence,
6222 Franconia Rd., Alexandria, VA. Morning Mass is at 9:00 and we will gather
at 9:30 for coffee, doughnuts and fruit. We'll finish about 12:30 with lots of
time for the usual Saturday errands. Hope to see you there.
Please keep the team of the Women's 129th in your prayers
as they start formation on Pentecost Sunday. What a special way to be open to
the Spirit!!
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #28
5/14/09
Hi all,
I would like to invite all of you to join us for three
special upcoming events This Saturday, May 16 the Cursillo School will meet at
Our Lady of Good Counsel (site of the last closing) at 9:30 Frank McLeskey will
facilitate discussion on the 9th Chapter in the Fundamentals of the Cursillo
Movement. The Cursillo Movement in the Life and Mission of the Church. Cursillo
School is open and welcoming to all and Frank does an excellent job of keeping
the discussion lively.
The Retreat for the Seriously Ill is May 22 -24 at the
Dominican Retreat House in McLean. Details can be found at
www.arlingtoncursillo.org under Retreat for the Seriously Ill. Please
consider writing letters and most especially join us for the serenade on Sunday
morning at 8:25. Bring flowers to share with the retreatants.
Take a couple of hours to join us on Saturday, May 30 at
St. Laurence in Alexandria for a Quiet Day. A time will be posted on the web
site calendar. Ginny Thompson will lead us and it is so good just to spend some
time with God in the quiet in the midst of a busy life. It is indeed an
opportunity to simply be. Enjoy!!
Finally we have a Women's Team starting formation on May
31. And the candidate list is posted also. Not too soon to start doing some
palanca. It helps me get things done when I would just as soon put it off!!!
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #27
4/16/09
We are still celebrating the wonderful season of Easter,
even if the temperature feels like July 4th. The story of the early church
unfolds each day in the readings and our own stories unfold as we move through
our own journeys. Come and share your stories with new friends from your
weekend and others in our community. Join us at the Diocesan Ultreya this
Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 at St. James in Falls Church in Teller Hall. Bring a
friend , bring a snack. See you on Saturday!!
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram
#26
4/14/2009
Friends,
It is truly a wonderful season to call this group
together and even more powerful to give us the opportunity to support through
prayer and whatever we choose as palanca during this time.
There will be a Palanca box at Missionhurst all weekend for any latecomers.
Check with your groups, Ultreyas and parishes as to how to deliver Palanca.
Considering the snacks that I have presently in my living room (to be delivered
to Missionhurst on Thursday), I would recommend fresh fruit, but then I always
recommend fresh fruit!!
Please check the cooking calendar. I think there is one space left for Friday
morning breakfast and there are many spaces left on the Palanca calendar.
We will gather at 6:45 on Sunday morning at Missionhurst and Closing is at
5:00(please be seated at 4:45) at Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC). Please check
the website for directions
www.arlingtoncursillo.org .
Finally, I ask for prayers for the Area II Meeting this weekend in Vineland, NJ.
Remember us as we share ideas, prayer and plans for Cursillo and ultimately ways
to deepen our relationship with the risen Jesus.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram
#25
4/2/2009
Friends,
I don't think I can say this any better than Ellen did
yesterday in her e-mail yesterday in sharing the news of the death of her
husband Ron Vincoli.
"God called Ron home today to his eternal home. Thank you
so much for your prayers and support. The information on arrangements follows.
Blessings and peace,
Ellen"
Visitation at Murphy's Funeral Home in Arlington -
Friday, April 3, from 2:00 to 4:00pm and 6:00 to 8:00pm.
Funeral Mass at St. Anthony of Padua on Saturday, April 4 at 8:30am.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Anthony of Padua Church or
Halquist Inpatient Center of the Capital Hospice
6565 Arlington Blvd., Suite 500
Falls Church,VA 22042
Please continue to keep Ron and Ellen and their families
in your prayers.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #24 3/17/09
Hi all,
Great weekend for the ladies!! We have started 24 new cursillistas on their
journey. Let's keep them connected and help them deepen their relationship with
the love of God that they found in a new way on the weekend.
Another opportunity for growth is this coming Saturday, March 21 at Sacred
Heart, 12975 Purcell Rd., Manassas, VA 20112. The first part of the morning at
School of Leaders will deal with Chapter 8 in The Fundamentals of the Cursillo
Movement. Don't worry if you haven't read the other seven, as this simply gives
some explanation of School of Leaders and Secretariats.
The second part of the meeting will be a panel discussion on Team Formation and
Cursillo facilitated by Frank Mcleskey. We have a variety of panelists who have
recently served on teams: Carlos Otal, Phil Kiko(angel), George Brown, Carol
Schloss, Carol Eager(angel), and Pat Durkin.
We have a men's team in formation for the April weekend and will shortly be
making calls for the August Women's Team and the October Men's Team. If you are
interested in working on a team, this will be an excellent experience. Come,
bring your questions, and ideas. Join us for mass at 9:00am and for coffee,
bagels, fruit and community.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #23 3/3/09
Spring is coming. Right now it is hiding with the daffodils
under the snow. The last (?) snow of the season brings with it a certain amount
of quiet and we too have an opportunity to experience some quiet this coming
Saturday morning, March 7 at St. Ann's in Arlington. Jeanne Sweeney will lead
our reflection on "Pondering how to be with the Cross, our own hard times, our
friends and those of the world. What's helpful? How do we meet love, receive
love at the cross?"
Mass at St. Ann's is at 8:30am and we will gather after that at 9:00 for coffee
and bagels and possibly some fruit and begin at 9:30. Join us for the morning.
Take some time for yourself and let your errands go until the afternoon. They
may even go more smoothly!!
The Palanca Clock is on the website
www.arlingtoncursillo.org and our Women's Weekend approaches quickly on
March 12. Team and candidate lists are also on the website.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #22 2/24/09
Diocesan Ultreya at Good Shepherd
Hi all,
Just one more reminder!
Please join us on Saturday night for our Diocesan Ultreya at Good Shepherd in
Alexandria from 7:30 to 9:00pm. (Map on the website:
www.Arlingtoncursillo.org under calendar. Our Spanish speaking sisters and
brothers have been invited to join us.
Two ideas occur to me- we
might gather in the spirit of the season. As we all know, tomorrow is Ash
Wednesday-Miercoles de Ceniza (yo estudio espanol and I am practicing) and we
come together on Saturday not in a spirit of penance, but perhaps to rejoice in
a God who loved us enough to come and live among us. The other thought is that
we might offer our prayers and support as we look toward the Women's Cursillo in
just a few weeks. Bring a friend, perhaps your candidate. Hope to see you
there.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #21 1/25/09 Death of Mike Goody and
Arrangements -- Update Need Help With The Reception
Apologies if you are getting this
message more than once, but I am sure you understand. I am
simply forwarding Fredddie Wall's message. And I ask that you
continue to keep Mike and all of his family in your prayers not
just tomorrow but in the days ahead.
Subject: MORE Re:
Mike Goody Arrangements
Dear Friends,
I am working on
coordinating the luncheon/reception following the funeral Mass
and burial of Mike Goody (Sandy Goody's oldest son.). The
reception will be at St. Ann in Arlington (yes, St. Ann, not
St. John. SEE BELOW for directions.) If you are planning to
attend the reception and can bring food or drinks, please
contact me either by responding to this e-mail message or by
phone 703-356-5706 about what you can bring. It really helps us
to know ahead of time what food/drink we will receive. We are
looking for salads, fruit, desserts, and wine.
Some of you
may have already been called by me - please forgive the
duplicate request.
Blessings!
De colores,
Freddie
St Ann's is located is located at 5300
North 10th Street between Frederick and Harrison Streets in
Arlington. To reach the church follow the directions below.
View maps.
From Washington Boulevard:
Traveling towards Falls Church, cross over George Mason
Drive. Make the first LEFT after George Mason onto North
Frederick Street. Proceed past 10th Street and turn right into
the church parking lot.
From Wilson Boulevard:
Traveling towards Seven Corners make a RIGHT onto George
Mason Drive (there's a McDonald's on the corner). Make a LEFT
onto Washington Boulevard at the next light. Make the first LEFT
onto North Frederick Street. Proceed past 10th Street and turn
right into the church parking lot.
From Lee Highway:
Traveling towards Falls Church make a LEFT onto George Mason
Drive (there's a 7-Eleven, bank, and Friendly's Ice Cream on the
corners). Pass Arlington Hospital and make a RIGHT at the second
light onto Washington Boulevard. Make the first LEFT onto North
Frederick Street. Proceed past 10th Street and turn right into
the church parking lot.
From Route 50/Arlington
Boulevard: Exit at George Mason Drive North. Continue on
George Mason Drive, crossing Wilson Boulevard, until you reach
Washington Boulevard. Make a LEFT onto Washington Boulevard at
the next light. Make the first LEFT onto North Frederick Street.
Proceed past 10th Street and turn right into the church parking
lot.
From I-66 West:
Exit at Glebe Road and make a LEFT at the light at the end of
the ramp onto Glebe Road. Make a RIGHT at the first light onto
Washington Boulevard (there's a Mobil station on the corner).
Cross over George Mason Drive and make the first LEFT onto North
Frederick Street. Proceed past 10th Street and turn right into
the church parking lot.
From I-66 East:
Exit at Glebe Road/Fairfax Drive (Exit 71) and make a LEFT onto
Glebe Road. Make a LEFT onto Washington Boulevard (there's a
Mobil station on the corner). Cross over George Mason Drive and
make the first LEFT onto North Frederick Street. Proceed past
10th Street and turn right into the church parking lot.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #20 1/24/09 Death of Mike Goody and
Arrangements
Friends,
It is with great sadness that I send this news
of the death of Mike Goody on Tuesday, January 20. Mike was a
good friend to many in our cursillo community and most recently
served as angel on the Men's 116th last April. His mother
, Sandy is also a special part of this community. Please
pray for Mike, for his wife China and his mother, Sandy and all
of his family
Friends may call at MURPHY FALLS CHURCH
FUNERAL HOME, 1102 W. Broad St. (Rt. 7) from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8
p.m. on Sunday, January 25. A Mass of Christian Burial will be
offered at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church, 6420 Linway
Terr., McLean,VA, 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 26. Interment
Columbia Gardens Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to
Capital Hospice.
Information on the reception following the
funeral mass will be passed when venue is decided.
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #19 1/8/09 School of Leaders
Hi all,
I hope your holidays were truly blessed and
that you are enjoying the New Year of 2009. On this Saturday
morning, January 10 after the 9:15 Mass the School of Leaders
will be meeting in the Upper Room. It is the second in a series
of SOLs centered on Team Formation and the CursilloWeekend. I
would encourage all those who would like to work on a team who
are presently in team formation and those who are experienced
team members to join us.
Joan Brown, former Lay Director
and current team member and Ken Telesca, presently serving as
one of the Spiritual Directors on the Men's Team for the April
weekend will be presenting. Joan will share her experiences both
as a team member and coordinator for weekends. Ken is presenting
on Team Formation as a Group Process and the Impact on Talk Day
and the Weekend.
As always we will have group reunion
and I am sure a spirited discussion during the morning. Hope to
see you there!!
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #18 12/29/08
To all my sister and
brother cursillistas,
One of our longtime
Cursillo priests , Father George Griffin died on Christmas
Day. Fr. George served on a number of teams and we offer
prayers and comfort to his family and we rejoice that he now
lives with God in eternity.
There will be a Wake at 5
p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, December 30 at St. Isidore the Farmer
Catholic Church followed by a Requiem Mass at 7 p.m. On
Wednesday, December 31 there will be a Wake at 9:30a.m. followed
by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at Good Shepherd
Catholic Church in Alexandria, VA.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Mimigram #17 12/7/08
Happy Second
Sunday of Advent!
"Comfort, give comfort to my people
says your God". So says Isaiah and we have the opportunity to do
that in many ways in this season. We can give comfort to
ourselves by taking some time in quiet this Wednesday evening,
December 10 at Missionhurst from 7:30 to 9:00pm in the chapel.
Father Mike Hann will lead the reflection and we know it is
necessary to take care of ourselves in order to care for others.
We have an opportunity to care for others as the Retreat for
the Seriously Ill is next weekend, Dec. 12-14 at the Dominican
Retreat House. Please check the information on the website,
www.arlingtoncursillo.org for details.
Finally, join us
at St. Anthony of Padua in Falls Church for School of Leaders
next Saturday, Dec. 13 from 9:30 -12 noon. Jack Ligon will be
our speaker giving us an overview of the weekend. If you have
worked on a team, come and share your wisdom and experience. If
you would like to work or are presently starting formation or
about to, please join us. Please remember, we are all leaders,
at home, at work, in offices and in rectories wherever our lives
and ministries lead us.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #16 More Palanca Requests
How
quickly the days move. We have just finished celebrating
Thanksgiving, for many spending time with family and friends,
serving others, participating in the annual Turkey Trot for SOME
and many expressions of being grateful for all the gifts and
blessings that we have.
Today we lit the candle marking
the first Sunday of Advent, a wonderful season of prayer and
joyful preparation for Christmas. We remember the Spanish
Women's Cursillo coming up the weekend starting on December 4
and add the following candidate names to the list:
.the additional ones are as follows:
Alba Regalado
Sandra
Flores
Mayra d. Fuentes
Dolores M. Dominguez
Orlinda
Turcios
Dinora Beatriz Romero
Violeta Ponciano
Nidia
Hernandez
Sandra Castillo
Maria Idaly Najarro
Maria
Virginia Ayala de Contreras
Maria Osorio
Paty Lopez
Llanos.....................Thank you in Christ our Lord
.....Deacon Noel
-----
Palanca may be e-mailed to
noelvivaldisr@cox.net
Our March Women's Team will start
formation this coming Sunday, December 7. Please keep them in
your prayers. Information on the team will be posted on the web
site shortly.
To help us on our Advent journey there will
be a Quiet Night at Missionhurst on December 10 at 7:00pm with
Father Mike Hann. Take some time away in this season of
preparation to prepare yourself for God 's coming.
And
finally please check the web site www.arlingtoncursillo.org for
details on the Retreat for the Seriously Ill on December 12-14.
What a great gift to share a bit of ourselves with people so
close to God!!
Cursi
---
God bless
Mimi
Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #15 11/25/08
Palanca Request!!
Hi all,
At the Diocesan Ultreya at St. Laurence this
month, we welcomed Deacon Noel Vivaldi, Sr. who is the Spiritual
Director for the Spanish Cursillo in the Arlington Diocese. We
look forward to continued sharing with our Spanish brothers and
sisters.
We have the opportunity to support them with
palanca for the Women's Cursillo which starts December 4. The
team and candidate list will follow. Remember the power of
prayer and the gift that you received on your weekend and
continue to receive as you move through your fourth day. Please
send your palanca to noelvivaldisr@cox.net.
Please
disseminate this request for Paqlancas for our Spanish Women's
Cursillo Dec. 4th to 7th
TEAM
Father Larry Hayes,
Spiritual Director
Maria Eugenia Garza, Rectora
Ana Rivera
Siomara Lopez
Aida Duran
Ana Aparicio-Gonzalez
Blanca
Arias
Gilma Esperanza Najarro
Lourdes Salazar
Maria
Alicia Garcia
Kitchen Team....Amilcar Rodriguez, Teresa
and Constantino Covarruvias
Candidates to this date:
Gabriela M. Turcios garcia
Patricia Mejia
Maria Melinda
Fuentes
Maria Eliselda Ortega -Larios
Teresa de Jesus
Gomez
Milagro del Carmen Guerrero
Maria Teresa Palma
Serrano
Ana Zelaya
Ana Elvia Hernandez
Milagro Perez
In Christ our Lord, deacon Noel....................Thanks
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi
#14 11/21/08
There are many
different gifts but it is always the same Spirit." 1Cor 13
And, thus it is with Team
Formation.
During the next four months
the School of Leaders will be conducting very important sessions
for ALL Cursillistas who have been team members and for ALL
those who ever hope to be on a team. Even if you never thought
of yourself as team material (most of us felt that way), please
join us for these meetings. You will gain a tremendous insight
as to how the weekend comes to be. Perhaps you will even pick up
some of the points you missed during your weekend. Even though
some of us have been on teams, we always feel that with each
team we learn and we become more committed to doing God's will.
Teaming is indeed an honor, a commitment, a time of brotherhood
and sisterhood that cannot be compared, a time to deepen our
love for God and for each other.. You are all strongly
encouraged to "Come and see."
Dec. 13, 2008 *9:30 a.m. to
noon St. Anthony's
Deacon Jack Ligon will give us an
overview of the weekend, the way the talks flow and fit
together.
Jan. 10, 2009 *9:30 a.m. to noon St. Mary of
Sorrows
Joan Brown and Ken Telesca will give us pointers
about conducting and understanding Talk Days.
Feb. 14,
2009 *9:30 a.m. to noon St. John the Beloved
Fr. Paul Scalia
will be our guest speaker.
March.21, 2009 *9:30 a.m. to
noon Sacred Heart in Manassas
Panel discussion by first-time
team members regarding the weekend experience
*If there
is a 9:00 a.m. Mass, the meeting will begin after that Mass.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi
#13 11/3/08 Coming Up:
I was struck by the questions given to
the candidates on the 117th cursillo? "What have I
discovered ? and What am I going to do about it/"
These are questions that we might ask ourselves daily. I
was also awed by the honesty and sincerity of the answers.
We are all on that long journey and there are struggles every
day, but we are hopefully aware of God's love with us. We
need to discover more each day about our God who loves us so
concretely through the people we encounter in our families, in
our offices in all the people and places we move through.
We can encounter Him in our fellow
cursillistas along the way. Our next School of Leaders
will be at St. Charles Borromeo in the Parish Center at 9:30am
on this coming Saturday, November 8. There is a 9:00am
Mass in the Chapel.
We will be discussing "The Fundamental Ideas
of the Cursillo Movement", Chapter 5 and Emelda August will be
our additional speaker on "The Road to Emmaus Movement"
Emmaus is an ecumenical form of Cursillo and I think would
provide opportunities for sharing in interfaith marriages.
There will be a Diocesan Ultreya on
Saturday, November 15 at 7:30 pm at St. Laurence Parish in
Springfield. Sponsors, please bring your new cursillistas.
It is a good time to rejoice in all that we have to be thankful
for, experience group reunion, a witness by one of our community
and as always good food. Check the web site
www.arlingtoncursillo.org for
addresses and I hope to see you there
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi, #12 10/18/08
Awareness of Cursillo beyond our weekend
Awareness of
Cursillo beyond our weekend, our group, Ultreya, even our
diocese.: Last weekend I traveled to Vineland , NJ for the semi-
annual meeting of Area II representatives. Area II encompasses
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia, English,
Spanish and Portuguese Cursillistas. Both the English and
Spanish cursillistas were represented at the meeting. Tom Silva
from St. Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax is the Area II rep to
National and Father Joe McCloskey is the Spiritual Director for
Area II.
We gather twice a year to spend some time
reflecting on the message of Cursillo. The theme for this
meeting was “Christ Is Our Light”. Presentations by Fr. Joe, Tom
and other members of the service team focused on the three
encounters of the weekend, self, Christ and others. We shared
thoughts in small groups after each presentation. It is in these
small groups as on the weekend where growing takes place as we
listen to other ideas, feelings, beliefs.
A few thoughts from one
of the small groups-
Do we give the Lord permission to use us?
Are we open to what the Lord asks? Are we aware of God’s
presence in our changing attitudes, our approaches to people in
our families, our offices, anywhere in our everyday lives?. What
have been our miracles this week? Some of our miracles begin
with our surrender to God. Can we listen, believe, and give up?
In addition to time for
spiritual growth, we shared practical information about the
state of Cursillo in each of our dioceses. This was really
helpful as we exchanged information about basically what has
worked and what has not. It is also interesting to note that
there has been a Men’s Weekend in Newark and will be a Women’s
Weekend in Trenton this month, so we are continuing to share the
message and bring friends to Christ.
I simply wanted to share
what I have gained from the time spent with others outside of
our diocese. Sometimes it is hard to make the time to go to
Ultreya whether it is in the parish or a diocesan evening, but I
would encourage you to try to make that extra effort, because it
does nudge us, inspire us and give us an extra boost toward
deepening our friendship with Jesus which opens us to boundless
possibilities!! One of those in addition to driving through the
countryside in beautiful weather was lunch with Ed and JoAnn
Bisone, long time cursillistas who have retired to Middletown,
DE, enjoying life and starting to get involved in their parish
and community!!
Quick reminder!!
We have a Men’s Weekend
starting October 23 – next week! Please check the website
–www.arlingtoncursillo.org for details and join us in prayer and
presence!!
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #11
9/10/08
Opportunities:
Please join us this Saturday, September 13th for School
of Leaders at Nativity Parish, 6400 Nativity Lane, Burke at 10:00am. Frank
McLeskey will facilitate and we will be discussing Chapter 3, The Method of the
Movement in "The Fundamental Ideas of the Cursillo Movement." Mass is at
9:00 and there will be coffee, bagels and fruit. Directions can be
found on the Church of the Nativity, Burke,VA website.
Cook crew volunteers for Men's 117th
Looking for a great palanca opportunity for the upcoming men's weekend? Consider
signing up as part of the serving crew! Following our women's weekend breakfast
debut, Arlington Cursillo is cooking and serving all meals in October. Pete Roth
has created an online signup for two volunteers per meal to help with serving
and cleanup - pick a date and time just like our world-famous palanca clock. Go
to:
http://arlingtoncursillo.org/MealHelpers/M117MealHelpers.asp
Also, Peter Hadinger is looking for two other dedicated Cursillistas who love
the stove (and oven) to join him as the "core crew" for that weekend. Requires
commitment pretty much full time Thu nite-Sun afternoon. Consider it like being
on team but instead of stirring talks you'll be stirring pots. He can be reached
at:
hadinger@cox.net
Oops!! For the Community Quiet Day at Bristow, I
mistakenly stated that the offering of $10 included lunch. It is
simply an offering for the day and We are asking that you bring a bag lunch.
Finally - I am missing a large round glass platter which
usually holds pineapple from the Women's Closing at St. Ann's. If someone
knows of its whereabouts, I would appreciate its return and that can come at the
Men's Closing in October or let me know and I'll come and get it. Thanks
much
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #10
9/9/08 Time spent!!
It has been a busy Cursillo weekend for me. Saturday
night's Ultreya at Our Lady Queen of Peace was a time of
nourishment, sharing with friends, song, prayer and always good
food!!
Yesterday, I had the honor of sitting in on the evaluation for
the 127th Women's Team. We spend some time after each weekend
with the team to see where and how we can work in a different
way on team formation, the weekend and the follow-up. How did
they do it? Were there problems? Can we help as a Secretariat?
The members of the Secretariat are here to serve our Cursillo
community and, further, to help each one grow in a relationship
with Christ. And so this afternoon was time well spent and I
thank Marylee Girardi and the team of the 127th Women's Cursillo
for their time, energy and gift of grace.
Coming Up! Join us!
Quiet Day for Rectors: September 23, 2008, 10:00am to 3:30pm
Led by Jane Duffy, the day will be held at Mt. Tabor. It is open
to all who have served as rectors, those who are presently
serving, and those who would like to serve. Please RSVP to
Freddie Wall at wallflower64@gmail.com as we will be providing
lunch. Come and spend some time in quiet, grateful to the God
who has been present to you as you have, will, or would like to
serve.
Community Quiet Day on Centering Prayer: October 13, 2008,
9:30am to 2:00pm
This day will be held at the Benedictine Monastery in Bristow.
Jim and Diane Bayne will be leading us, sharing the retreat they
attended this summer with Fr. Thomas Keating at St. Benedict's
Monastery in Snowmass, CO. Please join us for this very special
opportunity. There is an offering of $10.00, which includes
lunch. RSVP to Freddie Wall at wallflower64@gmail.com.
In addition, please check the website at
www.arlingtoncursillo.org for many other activities, SOL's,
parish Ultreyas, and volunteering for the cooking team for the
Men's Weekend in October.
Finally, please remember to pray and do palanca for our team now
in formation, the 117th Men's, and especially for their Talk Day
on September 20. Notes of support and about palanca being done
can be sent to rector Jack Finnerty at jjfinnerty@cox.net .
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
Message from Mimi #9 8/29/08 Diocesan
Ultreya
This was written on Monday morning, but not sent out because I
wanted to make sure that the new cursillistas were on the list, so
As I spent some quiet time with today's scripture this line
reminded me of all of you. "We must always give thanks to God for you,
brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and
the love of every one of you for one another is increasing." 2
Thessalonians 1:2 or 3. And it can continue. As I
thought about it this morning, so many of the new cursillistas talked of the
amazing sight of the joyfilled people coming over the hill on Sunday morning.
You are part of that community and can be one of those people for many years to
come
You can come to share your love of God and of life or come
when you need the support and strength of others. Simply come and join us!
And we are fortunate to have an opportunity soon. The community will
gather for a Diocesan Ultreya on Saturday, September 6th at Our Lady Queen of
Peace. Please check website,
www.arlingtoncursillo.org for time and directions. Please bring
a snack, bring your sponsor and be one of those people walking over the hill!!!
More good news: Joan Sheppard from St. Anthony's Parish
has agreed to serve as chair of the Pre-Cursillo Committee. We will have
contact information for Joan and the other committee members at the end of
September. I thank Jack Finnerty for his patience and all of his attention
to detail in this job and his many hours of work . Thanks Jack and
congratulations, Joan.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #8 8/20/08 Women's 127 Cursillo
Hi all,
Just a quick reminder that tomorrow evening the 127th Women's Cursillo begins at
the Dominican Retreat House in Mclean. The Palanca Calendar and all
information pertaining to the weekend is on the website
www.arlingtoncursillo.org and in the Aug.-Sep. issue of "His Banner".
I am delighted to let you know that Marilyn Krause has agreed
to serve as rectora for the Women's Team in March, 2009 and Tony DeCristofaro
will lead the Men's Team in April 2009. Please keep them in your prayers.
The Team Selection Committee will begin shortly to make calls for the teams.
If you are called, please consider the requests pray fully and also consider
joining us at the School of Leaders around the diocese. We will be
scheduling sessions on team
formation and the information from "The Fundamentals Ideas of the Cursillo
Movement" provides us with tools to assist in our growth not simply as
cusillistas but as Christians.
Hope to see you this weekend at mananita and closing.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #7 8/12/08, SOL at St. John
the Beloved
I meant to write this on Saturday afternoon and did indeed put it together once
and lost it. Such is the joy of computers. So it is Monday evening at the beach,
the Outer Banks of North Carolina with 28 members of my family, some watching
the , Olympics, some tucked in bed and a couple in various stages of meltdown.
We had an exciting morning on Saturday at the SOL at St. John the Beloved.
Thanks to Mark and Sue Clemente for gathering many members of that community, to
Freddie Wall for the presentation on the purpose of Cursillo , to Jean Sweeney
on the Why and How To Draw Near to Suffering and to Father Scalia for giving us
his blessing. In particular , Jean asked us to consider being present to others
in their hard places of pain, to find and share the vision of Christ who will
bring something good out of these times. We need to believe in the reality of
Easter resurrection after the pain and death of Good Friday. So many of us have
experienced this in our lives and hopefully it leads us to a deeper relationship
with our God. It is indeed an ongoing journey. Consider joining us at next
month's SOL: at Nativity.
If you haven't already, please check out the Palanca Calendar and the website
for the candidate list for the Women Weekend. I know that Palanca from the beach
doesn't sound very authentic, but consider 14 cherubs under the age of 13!!!!
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald
---
Message from Mimi #6 8/05/08 SOL 8/8/08
For God and for each other, we would love to see you at the next School of
Leaders' meeting at St. John the Beloved in McLean on August 9, 2008 at 9:30
a.m..
Our School of Leaders is coming to YOU. Instead of your traveling far and wide
to take advantage of what the School will do for you, we come to YOU.
The agenda for Saturday morning August 9 is as follows:
Meet and greet - Coffee, fruit, bagels, etc.
Leaders' Prayer
Group Reunion
Discussion of the second half of Chapter 2 of, The
Fundamental Ideas of the
Cursillo Movement", The Purpose of the Movement..led by Sue
and Mark Clemente
Books will be provided.
Guest Speaker is Jean Sweeney speaking on,
Why/How To Draw Near To Suffering
Q&A for Jean
Closing Prayer.
The last School of Leaders at St. Charles provided a lively and thoughtful
discussion. All of you who were there please come and continue.it was great!
The Kairos presentation by Angela Dinkle spread good seed on fertile ground. We
expect to see more Cursillistas doing prison ministry.they need us.
ALL are invited to participate.
Please Join Us -
Mary Lou McGonigle
SOL Director
Message from Mimi #5 7/29/08 Feedback
I meant to do this yesterday, but there were other things to do then. We often
as for your prayers and then forget to follow-up and particularly to say "thank
you".
It was a busy weekend for some cursillistas and I always know when we ask for
palanca , prayers, sacrifices and notes are sometimes written and sometimes
simply offered.
For the members of the Secretariat, it was a prayerful, peaceful time at Mt.
Tabor on Friday night and Saturday. It is a beautiful place, tucked in the
woods, and Father Paul Weyant's hospitality is as wonderful as it was for those
who remember his days at Missionhurst. It is good to come away and spend time in
quiet in the company of our brother, Jesus and His friends. Jean Sweeney guided
us and hopefully we will be better servant leaders for this community because of
this time.
The 127th Women's Talk Day went well and their smiling faces are on the web site
as is the Palanca Calendar for the weekend and there is still some space on the
weekend.
Sunday, the October Men's Team met for the first time/ Their journey has just
begun. Please remember them palanca during formation. The team list is now on
the website.
The National Encounter begins on Thursday and there is an opening Mass on
Friday. Again take a look at the website.
And so , I do say "thank you" for prayers and all of the "yes's" of this
community. I am constantly aware of the support that you give and I keep you in
my prayers, daily.
---
God bless
Mimi Fitzgerald