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Another Moments with God gathering down in the books! For those who may not know (where have you been hiding??), Women’s Cursillo Spiritual Team Members – Chris Anest, Jo Anne Ayers, Lisa Brogan, Darlene McGovern,
Theresa McHugh and Angie Vazquez along with Cursillo Angel Norma Scally – lead bi-monthly sessions where women can spend some moments with God in prayer, reflection and community.

The clouds may have been marking their territory, but on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at St. Anthony’s Hall in St. Brigid’s parish in Westbury, NY, there was a room full of light as 31 women gathered to spend time in prayer and reflection.

Team members leading this particular event were Jo Anne Ayers, our spotlight presenter for the day, and Chris Anest who led our prayer experience. Darlene McGovern helped emcee the event while Theresa McHugh handled the visual presentation.

We began the morning with prayer led by Jo Anne Ayers. Afterwards, Jo Anne presented a talk wherein she invited us to contemplate the nudges we have received from God throughout our lives. She then asked a significant question, “How do you respond to one of God’s nudges?”

As we entered into discussion, Jo Anne’s question gave us the opportunity to consciously reflect on the ways in which we perhaps resist or shy away from God’s nudges and the ways in which we wholeheartedly step into them. Tables became enlivened as people were engaged in what seemed to be meaningful conversations about their thoughts and feelings in response to all Jo Anne shared and asked.

After a brief break, Chris Anest began our prayer experience for the day where she invited us to explore movement prayer. Chris explained that movement prayer is all about the intention behind the movement. We were then invited to recite prayer as we reflected on the words and moved intentionally along to them using the works of Joyce Rupp and Julian of Norwich. We were even able to spend some time doing Tai Chi, originally a kind of marital art that has evolved into the practice of meditation in motion. The room came alive as we moved in prayer, which led to a fitting closing prayer of dancing to Christian music!

Clouds and all, it was a beautiful morning spent in fellowship as 31 women came together to learn, talk, and enrichen their spiritual walk. But don’t just take my word for it– read on to see some of the comments of the other women present.

Some comments from participants:

“I am so happy I attended today! I loved everything! Thank you to all who spoke, planned, and worked on this beautiful session. I especially loved the movement prayer and meeting such kind, faithful genuine women.”

“You always learn something…”

“Met the nicest people and had wonderful discussions.”

For the women reading this, if you, or any women you know, think you can benefit from spending some time in fellowship, the next Moments with God is scheduled for Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Thomas Berry Place. You never know what God has waiting for you. Remember, “Be a friend, make a friend, bring a friend.” De Colores.

I love the summer! It comes with so much joy but also some challenges. One challenge is to neglect my prayer time. Our grandson doesn’t have school in the summer. He is either in camp or “camp grandma and grandpa.” He certainly keeps us busy. It’s such a joy, but it’s also a challenge. We are either taking him to camp in the morning or entertaining him during the day. My challenge is to get my prayer time in. God doesn’t take a break during the summer and neither should I!

The good news is that I can pray anywhere. God is always with me.

When I take a walk, I can imagine Jesus walking beside me. I can have a conversation with Jesus, my friend.

When I am sitting outside at night, I can look at the dark sky with its sparkling stars and think about how vast is the universe that He made for us. He made the stars in the sky and He has names for them, just as He has called each of us by name.

I can do patio prayers. As I sit in my backyard or patio, I can relax and just listen to God. As I drink my cool drink, I can think about how our God refreshes and strengthens me.

I can do Gardening with God. As I work the soil, I can work out my problems with my Counselor, God. As I weed and remove old blooms, I can ask God to help me remove the things that need to be removed from my life so I can become stronger in my relationship with Him.

There are so many opportunities to pray especially in the summer when there are less structured meetings. I will make a conscious effort to praise God for all the blessing He has bestowed on me, most especially my family and my 3 grandsons. I am also grateful for my Cursillo Community who walks this journey of faith with me.

I will remember this phrase that I learned:

THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR PRESENCE

How will you pray this summer? Enjoy!

On Saturday, June 21, 2025, there was another successful Men’s Cursillo Follow Up session led by Joe Amato. There were 31 men gathered to listen to a presentation on The Sermon on the Mount, followed by small and large group sharing! Four of these men have not made a Cursillo, but this experience has intrigued two of them to commit with applications— and will be attending the next weekend in October. Closing prayer was followed by pizza and fellowship. Please save the date of Saturday, September 6th @ 9:00 AM, which will be our next chance to be together at Our Lady of Hope Church in Carle Place for the Men’s Follow Up!! Look forward to seeing you there! DE COLORES!!

On May 10th, 32 women, including 7 team and 9 new attendees, gathered together to share their love of Jesus during Moments with God. Team member, Lisa Brogan, asked us the question, “What does it look like to say Yes to God?” During her presentation, we were asked to contemplate some beautiful paintings depicting some famous Yeses. The first was Mary’s Yes to becoming the mother of our Lord and another of St. Matthew’s Yes to giving up his prominent position of tax collector and becoming a disciple of Jesus.

It’s not always easy for me to say Yes to God. Sometimes He asks me to be challenged in new and different ways, which can be scary. But when I reflect back on the scariest Yeses, they have always brought me closer to God and
helped me grow in unexpected ways. Like when He asked me to be the primary caregiver for my mom at the end of
her life. Mom moved in with me for 18 months and while it was one of the most challenging times in my life, it was also one of the most fulfilling times. This time together strengthened my relationship with both my mom and my
God.

How about you? When has God asked you to do something that you thought was scary? What gifts did you receive as
you walked through the fear and said Yes?

One of my most recent Yeses wasn’t scary at all. After my mom passed away and we were arranging for her funeral
mass, I was very disappointed with the way her church did not take any interest in consoling the family. Her church did not have a Consolation Ministry. After a few months, the Holy Spirit placed on my heart, the desire to help other families with this process. After retirement and much discernment, I volunteered for my church’s Consolation Ministry. Surprisingly, I was asked by our pastor to lead this ministry. I did not hesitate to say Yes. I take great pride in helping grieving families experience God‘s love for them in the darkest times of their life.

Is God calling you to say Yes to a particular ministry or service?

After a brief break, team member, Theresa McHugh, lead us through an inspiring prayer experience Visio Divina. Visio Divina invites us to encounter God through images. Through prayerful consideration of and interaction with a photograph, an icon, or a piece of art, we experience God in a unique and powerful way. Each table was given a sketch drawing of Jesus in a particular scene. As we gazed at the image, we were asked to notice what specific part of the
image was drawing our attention. What is God directing our eyes towards? As we meditated on that part of the picture, we were asked to consider the emotions that it evoked and what message God might be revealing to us in that image. We were then asked to tell God what was on our hearts, our joys, trials, questions, all of it. We then turned to silence to simply rest with our God and allow God to hold our hearts in his hands.

It was a wonderful morning of prayer and sharing our faith with one another.

Here are reactions from some attendees:

“Today’s experience has opened me to a new method of praying and reminded me of the peace I feel when I stay connected to Jesus through prayer.”

“Enjoyed today’s presentation and feel closer to God because of it. Thank you.”

“I love this workshop and how we share our thoughts and experiences with one another. Love the diversity and openness as that is how I grow and learn with my God.”

“What an exceptional prayer experience. It is always a blessing to share our faith in community.”

“Moments with God brings new ways to pray and new community experiences that I treasure.”

“I never thought that I would enjoy reflecting with women. What an amazing experience.”

Our next Moments with God will be held on Saturday July 12th at St. Anthony Hall in Westbury. I hope to see you there.
DeColores , Chris

The annual Cursillo Raffle was another success! The drawing was held at the Our Lady of Victory Ultreya Gathering on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Our Fourth Day Speaker, Silvia Madison, not only provided a beautiful talk, but pulled the winning tickets from the one hundred sold. The winners are as follows:

1st PRIZE ($2,500.00) was awarded to Mike Donovan.
2nd PRIZE ($200.00) was awarded to Fran Filloramo.
3rd PRIZE ($100.00) was awarded to Marie Cardiello.

We thank ALL OF OUR SUPPORTERS!!!

A special thanks to Rich Grillo, who sold the majority of the tickets for this fundraising event. Rich will say he does
it for fun, but it’s really for his undying love for Cursillo! Thank you!

The weather has me questioning the calendar-is this “April the sequel”? No, it is in fact June, but Mother Nature has been giving off those chilly damp vibes that has me wondering just when we can see the long-awaited extended days of sunshine and warmth. And the Church calendar has me questioning something too. How can I make this “Ordinary” time extraordinary? I don’t mean ordinary in the context of mean what it normally means: commonplace, mundane, or unexceptional.

For some of us, at least now we have more time, at least theoretically, to grow and mature in our faith precisely because things have settled down and we can allow the practices and insights of those special seasons of Advent and Lent to percolate within us. What I believe defines us as Christians, is less about how we respond to extraordinary situations and more of how we respond to things on a day-to-day basis.

During our past Lenten Evening of Prayer, our theme focused on the “in-between”. That is a great correlation to Ordinary Time. It is meant to be the time that we get to know Jesus; that we get to soak in the “in between” story of His time on Earth, to learn and follow His teachings in our daily lives, to grow as His followers, and to become better able to give witness to His Good News in our everyday lives.

In using my own life as a reference, I contemplate on what I am “in-between” and how I can make use of this time in suspension in extraordinary ways. One way to continue to deepen my faith is through the Gospel readings each Sunday, focusing on Jesus’ message. Hearing Jesus describe the Kingdom of God invites me to examine my own images of God. As He heals countless people from all walks of life, I can examine those relationships in my own life that need healing. While He perform in credible miracles, I look inward to discover the parts of myself in need of transformation. In this way, Jesus’ day-to-day life during his ministry affects my own every day experiences. Every season is filled with God’s grace. Our challenge is to cooper
ate with that grace so that our ordinary lives will be filled with God’s extraordinary love for up.

How will you make this season extraordinary?

We all experience the ups and downs of life, and we do not go through them alone. God has promised to be constantly with us. However, when we are in the depths of the valleys, this is not always so clear to us.

I recently lost a friend who I have known since childhood. She was a woman of faith who was not shy about sharing her faith with others. She taught preschool at her local Catholic school and spread her love of Christ with the children at the preschool and through volunteering to teach religious education for many years. I was lucky enough to have met her in the 7th grade. She was always kind and a positive light throughout all the years that I have known her.

The past few years have been very difficult for her and her family. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and went through surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. She amazed me as she fought so bravely in the midst of all her suffering. She remained the kind beacon of light that she always was.

Very recently, my dear friend lost her battle with cancer and went to be with the Lord. At her services, her husband spoke about how, at times, they questioned why she had to experience all the suffering of the past few years. But in their prayer and reflection, they knew that the experience had made their faith and their family bond stronger than ever before.

This experience, in recent days, has led me to reflect on the tremendous amount of suffering in this world. Yes, some experience more than others, but we all have to walk through the valley at times in our life. No one, no matter how good a person he or she is, can be assured that they will be exempted. Just consider Job, who was commended of God as a perfect and upright man. Consider the misery he suffered, losing his health, wealth, and family, and even his wife turned against him! Yet, God was glorified through his suffering.

It also reminds me of the tremendous suffering of Mother Mary in witnessing the torturing and death of her son. Yet she remained steadfast in her faith in God’s plan to sacrifice His son for the promise of eternal life.

It is at these difficult times, that we must remind ourselves that “the God on the mountain is still God in the valley. As revealed in Revelations 21: 4 = “Those who are willing to suffer for Jesus in this life will enjoy the rewards of eternity with no suffering at all.”

DeColores, Debbie Iomio-Whiffen

Every year, St. Paul’s Cursillo has its one and only official fundraiser: the Annual Cursillo Raffle. This event secures $2200 to be used for operations and scholarship when all tickets are sold successfully. This year, like every year, we sold all one hundred tickets at $50 each. The First Prize of $2500 was awarded to Tom Michel, Second Prize of $200 went to Ann Marie Dodd, and Third Prize of $100 went to Hank Kraker.

St. Paul’s Cursillo & Retreat Programs, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization. It has a board of thirteen members that meet approximately every six weeks. The Board consists of men and women who are program directors and team members. We review all sponsored programs under our umbrella. We discuss all aspects of our programs: locations, supplies, insurance, stipends, leadership. All decisions are made for the best interests of the Cursillo Community, and to promote Cursillo.

We are grateful for all the support you give to our Raffle, as well as for all the countless donations made to support our efforts. THANK YOU! Also, we are grateful for your attendance at our events and programs. We know why – because you believe in all having a life in God’s friendship. THANK YOU! This Cursillo program cannot, would not, continue without you. THANK YOU!

The 11th Annual Jane Nowicki Weekend was held April 19, 2024, in West Hampton in a large house overlooking the water. Every year this is spearheaded and organized by Cathy Bauer, Team Member, and is named in honor of our friend, Jane Nowicki. Jane lost her battle with cancer in 2012, and we lost a wonderful team member. She is missed and celebrated every year.

It is an amazing blessing to share my faith with my sisters in Christ. The first night we all take a name out of a hat, and we are to pray for that person until we leave on Sunday. We have no idea who is praying for us. The abundance of snacks brought every year is over the top! Everything from candy, chocolate, potato chips, nuts, a ton of fruit, home baked cookies, and much more for a two-night stay. Laughter and sharing is always in great abundance as well.

The weekend is structured and requires preplanning of meals and prayer services. Women volunteer for the meals, and it is a beautiful thing to be served! Prayers are said Friday evening, Saturday morning (which I presented) and Sunday morning followed by a talk. Small group sharing follows much like the Cursillo. Cathy chose as the theme this year “God I believe, help me in my unbelief.” Talks followed on this topic, and it is glorious to be able to share from our hearts. It is a wonderful way to refresh spiritually because there is so much love in the air.

We also have our play time; we have a happy hour with appetizers and this year we played Bible Jeopardy led by Anne Haffey. What fun! This will become the mainstay for future weekends, two teams and if you answer incorrectly the other team can steal with the right answer. There was much laughter and embracing. Saturday we always attend mass together, return, eat dinner, then watch a movie. The enclosed picture is of us after Mass.

Before we leave one another, we get up one at a time and describe the person we have been praying for before sharing her name. It is always so much fun. There is an energy in us which makes things happen when the paths of other people touch ours. This is the second year it rained on Saturday, but it doesn’t matter because we were lit from the inside.

DeColores,
Silvia Madison, Team Member

Every six weeks, the Men of Cursillo have an opportunity to gather at Our Lady of Hope Church in Carle Place, NY, to listen to a presentation given by Joe Amato. Like on our weekends, we break into groups to share about the subject matter and how it affects our Fourth Day journeys!

We end each session with a group prayer or ritual in the Mass Chapel. The men are able to bring guests that might be interested in making the weekend, to see how we do it.

To date, we have had at least ten men who signed up in the past year and a half. We have some men already scheduled to attend their Cursillo for the October weekend. Please join us this Saturday, May 18th, at 8:45 AM for the next group session. DeColores!