CALVERT ULTREYA
LEADERS: Joe and Cassie Garcia
Joe and Trudy Mihalcik
This is a summary of our
January 12th Ultreya gathering.
We met in the Columbus Room of the
Gathering: Our opening song was “Here I Am, Lord”. Music for the evening was provided by Pete
Abresch on his banjo, Toni Abresch on guitar, and Carlos Victoria on the
bongos.
Welcome and Opening Prayer: Joe recited the Priestly Blessing from Numbers 6:22-27, the reading for Mass on January 1st. “The Lord bless you
and keep you! The Lord let his face
shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look kindly on you and give you
peace!” Joe reminded us that God is
always there, every day, to bless us and keep us in his loving care.
Introductions: After our opening prayer we introduced ourselves and
shared information about our Cursillo weekend.
(This is why it is a good idea to wear your “cookie”) We were especially happy to see a few
visitors who have not yet made a Cursillo weekend.
Small Group Sharing:
In order to form into smaller
discussion groups, we counted off by 11s.
We spent about 15 minutes In our small groups, sharing
our experiences of piety, study and action since our last meeting.
Regathering: Our Gathering Song was “The Magnificat…And
Holy is Your Name”.
Witness Talk: John Thorp spoke with us about “Wake-Up Calls”. He shared his experiences with literal
wake-up calls that are a traditional part of standing watch aboard U S Naval
vessels, and events that may only be seen in retrospect as wake-up calls from God. Whether that is a health scare, a family
event, or a real or spiritual journey, it is always a grace from God that is
calling us to Him. John spoke of his
gratitude for all the times in his life that the Lord has called him to a
closer relationship. Several people thanked John for his thoughts and related
similar wake-up calls that have brought them closer in relationship with God.
John passed out a great paper
on Our Lady of Guadalupe and shared his experiences in
Old and New News:
We discussed several upcoming
events:
·
January 2009
o
Jan. 21 -- 7-9 pm Cursillo School of Leaders* The School of Leaders will be
meeting Wednesday, January 21st, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at St.
Joseph Catholic Church in Largo. Please
join us as we begin our journey into Father David Knight's faith-building
classic, "Reaching Jesus—Five Steps to a Fuller Life," with a review of Step One (Being a
Christian) by our very own Father Bill Norvell
SSJ. For the technique talk, CSOL Co-Chair Bill Bell will
discuss Candidate Selection and Preparation. Please come early and join us in
recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet beginning at
·
February
o
Feb. 12-15-- 197th Women's
Weekend - Gwen Sutton Coordinator, Josephite
Center,
o
Feb. 18 -- 7-9 pm Cursillo School of Leaders at St.
Joseph's Catholic Church,
·
March
March 2009 Mar. 12-15-- 198th Men's Weekend - George
Sullivan Coordinator, Josephite Center,
o
Mar. 18 -- 7-9 pm Cursillo
School of Leaders at St. Joseph's Catholic Church,
·
July 2009
o
July 24-26-- Relax and Reflect Retreat** - Our
·
October 2009
o
Oct. 8-11-- 199th Women's Weekend, Josephite Center,
Cassie asked for names to add
to the Ultreya email
list so that they could be invited to future Ultreyas
and raise their interest in attending a future Cursillo weekend.
Nest Meeting: The next Ultreya meeting will be on
Closing:
Our celebration was closed
with the concluding Prayer:
“O
God the whole universe is subject to you, yet we live in a political reality
that can seem far removed from your kingdom.
Bless those who lead our country. Correct their errors and strengthen
every good impulse.”
We also sang “Happy Birthday” to Christine
Abresch and Sue Baczynski. Our celebration closed shortly after
Socialization and Refreshments: We
all enjoyed the food and drinks provided by everyone attending.