At St. Nicholas of Tolentine parish in the Bronx, the clergy and staff have a number of groups and ministries with dedicated members who assist with the mission of active evangelization and spreading the Good News of the Lord.
Among them are faithful members of the parish chapter of the international Cursillo movement; there is also the Vietnamese Cursillo Group and the Vietnamese Sacred Heart Group for Men.
“This is very important for their spiritual growth,” Father Joseph Tran, parochial vicar, told The Good Newsroom in a Jan. 5 phone interview. “And it is very significant for the families, it helps keep families stable…I work with them; we have very stable families here in the community. And they are very faithful (to the parish).”
Father Tran, born in Vietnam, has been a parochial vicar at Tolentine for 27 years. He said the three groups, as with other groups and ministries of the parish, contribute greatly to the Church mission of increasing evangelization, encouraging members to be faithful witnesses of the Word of the Lord.
Every Saturday at 5:00 p.m., the Spanish-language Cursillo group meets in the parish’s Dominican Sisters Center for prayer, music, reflection, testimony, and praise. Everyone is welcome to attend, men and women. “The central tenet of the group is that Jesus Christ is the center of all that we are and do, and as such, group members seek to encounter Jesus Christ within each other and within their own selves,” organizers said in a statement.
The Cursillo in Christianity (short courses in Christianity) was founded in Spain in the 1940s.
It focuses on the friendly testimony of dialogue among friends, and being loyal witnesses of the faith. It remains largely a Spanish-language movement. The mission word is “Onward!”
The Vietnamese Cursillo Group is also for men and women. Its mission, like the Spanish-language group, is to bring the experience of God’s love and grace to others. The Vietnamese Cursillo group usually meets on the third Sunday of each month to pray and share their witness of faith.
The mission of the Vietnamese Sacred Heart Group for Men is: to grow in communion with God and to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Sacred Heart members are called to be Christians who give witness to Christ’s presence in the St. Nicholas of Tolentine parish and community. The Sacred Heart group “explores the ways the Holy Spirit renews and draws us together in a supportive community,” organizers said. The group meets at a private home to pray, to share, and to have supper on the first Sunday of each month.
Veronica Burgos, a widowed mother of three, is a lead member of the parish’s Spanish-language Cursillo. Mrs. Burgos, born in the Dominican Republic, said she is thankful for the support from Father Tran and the pastor, Father Luis Vera.
“The Cursillo has been very important for me and my family; it is an excellent movement. It has helped us spiritually very much,” Mrs. Burgos said.
For more information about these and other St. Nicholas of Tolentine parish groups and ministries, call the parish office: (718) 295-6800.