Adult and Family Formation Ministries

For more information or for an application for the weekend, go the Cursillo web site or call or email: Jeanne Magoon 846-4871 jmmagoon@yahoo.com or Joyce Freeman 462-5902 ernestofre@aol.com or David Grubbs at drgrubbs@pacbell.net.

SHARON McKEE - SCC Core Team Representative
(925) 462-8625
bmckee@ix.netcom.com

Some people have the misunderstanding that small christian communities are another parish program. They are not that at all. While communities may use a specific program periodically, for example during Advent or Lent, they are not a program but a way of being church that is supportive not only of a personal faith journey but, by nature, a reflection of the communal journey of the people of God.

I would like to offer parishioners an opportunity to join existing groups or to meet others in similar life situations and begin an SCC.

We're forming several new groups. If you think you might want to join one, you may call the corresponding facilitator for information.

We plan to focus on Evangelization for the next two years. Why not invite your non-Catholic friends to join your SCC or to join you in beginning a group? These groups are marvelous ways to introduce people to our church.

Click Here for a list of SCC's welcoming new members. The top group are SCC's with a common theme. The second group are older SCC's, originally organized in specific neighborhoods with faith sharing as their primary activity.

For more information, call Sharon at (925) 462-8625 or email: bmckee@ix.netcom.com.

Fr. Pagraig sums up the secret of SCC's:
"There is no more effective way of growing in your faith than to be part of a Small Christian Community where that faith is shared, listened to, and celebrated. SCCs are a wonderful way to articulate the connections between faith and life. "

Cardinal John Henry Newman once said that “Great holiness is lost to the Church because people refuse to tell their stories”. Through SCC, parishioners have an environment to tell their stories and have their stories honored in faith and love.

Coming together in Small Christian Communities provides mutual support, builds healthy relationships, and empowers members to grow in faith as well as have greater belonging to the parish.

Our parish has 2 kinds of Small Christian Communities (SCC's): adult groups and family groups. Fr. Padraig coordinates the adult SCC's. Liz Rogers coordinates the family SCC's, which are known as Intergenerational Faith Communities (IFC's). Participation in IFC's is through the parish Faith Formation program.

Contact: Fr. Padraig Greene at St. Augustine, 846-4478 and/or Liz Rogers at St. Augustine Faith Formation Office, 846-3531.

The Retrouvaille Program consists of a weekend experience with six follow-up sessions. It is designed to provide the tools to help put your marriage in order again. The main emphasis of the program is on communication between husband and wife. It will give you the opportunity to rediscover each other and to examine your lives together in a new and positive way.

It is for couples with troubled marriages including separated or divorced couples who want their marriages to work.

Contact: Jeff and Donna Heusler, (510) 276-5722
or St. Augustine rectory, 846-4489
E-mail address: oakretro@aol.com

Do You Want to Become a Catholic? The Catholic Church has a spiritual process to help form new disciples of Jesus. The Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the way the Church welcomes new members. Even more important than membership in the Catholic Church is discipleship in Jesus Christ.

Participating in the RCIA process is much more than attending classes to study Catholicism; it is undergoing a conversion to a new way of life in Christ. Apprentices, called catechumens or candidates, learn about the Catholic Christian way of life in the midst of the parish community.

For those interested in taking the first steps to becoming a Catholic are invited to attend weekly Inquiry Classes. The classes meet every Sunday at 9:30 - 11 a.m. in the St. Augustine Church Rectory conference room, located at 3999 Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton. Any adult may attend these drop-in classes. There is no need to register or call anyone. Just come!

The Inquiry Classes teach the basic tenets of the Catholic faith, and each class provides opportunities to ask questions about the Church. Some people who have attended classes share that God as been very active in their lives. Some have no knowledge of the Christian faith. Others have been baptized in other Christian denominations and are interested in exploring the Catholic faith. Some may have been actually baptized Catholic as small children, but never were educated nor participated in the faith.

After attending numerous classes, participants will be asked to discern their interest and readiness to take the next step in their faith journey to prepare for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Those ready for this journey participate in a Rite of Acceptance. They symbolically knock on the door of our church asking for admission. This rite leads to the formal study to prepare for the RCIA which leads to their Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion at the grand Easter Vigil.

If you are thirsting for a deeper quality of life, longing to have a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and joining a Christian community, please consider joining our Inquiry Classes. Christ may be calling you to take the next step. We have a team of educated Catholics who are ready to walk with you on this spiritual journey.

For more information about taking steps to learn about the Catholic faith, please contact Father William Rozario at St. Augustine Church (925) 846-4489.

W.I.N.G.S. - Women in God's Spirit

W.I.N.G.S. is a faith enhancement group that encouranges spiritual growth through prayer, scripture study, faith sharing and community.

W.I.N.G.S. welcomes women of all ages from the Christian community who want to grow in their relationship with God and each other. Through speakers and small group sharing in a safe environment, women are given the opportunity to discern the movement of God in their lives, form friendships, pray, and be strengthened and affirmed by the support of their Christian sisters and the Holy Spirit.

The W.I.N.G.S. program follows the school year and is divided into three seasons:

Fall - Faith Formation (catecheasis)
Winter - Bible study and sharing
Spring - Faith into Practice

Gatherings are held at St. Elizabeth Seton Chapel on two two Monday evenings each month from 7-9 pm. The 2008-2009 W.I.N.G.S. calendar is on the THIS WEEK page. The first meeting is on October 6. If you are unable to attend the W.I.N.G.S. group at CCOP, please consider joining a daytime group at St. Charles in Livermore or St. Raymond in Dublin.

For information, please contact:

Margaret Riley-Nystom, 925-551-8064 or mfrnystron@aol.com
Suzanne Slupesky, 925-352-8447 or suzanneslu@yahoo.com
Lanette Wessel at cameronreden@dslextreme.com