Faith & Fellowship Groups

The purpose of the OLPH Women's Club is to act as a social outlet for women of all ages from our parish, including non-Catholic spouses in our parish. All are welcome!  We also come together as a support group, to share fellowship, and to raise monies for special projects in our church and community.  

The OLPH Women's Club typically meets on the first Tuesday evening of the month from August through May.  Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held in the OLPH Social Hall.

“Just Older Youth” is a group for parishioners age 55 or older who share fellowship, take trips, and help those in need.  

JOY gathers for lunch with cards/games in the OLPH Social Hall  on the third Wednesday of the month.

Cursillo (pronounced kur-SEE-yo) is a Spanish phrase meaning "short course"—short for Cursillo de Cristiandad, or "short course in Christianity". It is a three-day spiritual retreat and movement designed to help laypeople deepen their Christian faith and become effective leaders in their daily environments.The Cursillo is an encounter with Christ and promotes a spiritual revitalization of our world. The transference of Christ's values to others in our church, family, school, workplace, etc. is the Christianization that Cursillo promotes in our daily environment. Cursillo develops in adult Christians a consciousness of their power and mission to become leaders in the work of Christian renewal, while sustaining them through Christian community.

Cursillo, started in Majorca, Spain in the 1940's, and is a movement of the laity within the Catholic Church. The founders were dedicated in helping Catholics to know Christ better. Their intention, then and now, was to give the laity a renewed spirituality and a clearer understanding of how Christ can work through them.  The Movement came to the United States in 1957 with a Cursillo weekend held in Waco, Texas, and was conducted entirely in Spanish. The Cursillo Movement and its Method have been endorsed by the Catholic Church.  The Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist are an integral part of the Catholic Cursillo.

Catholic lay orders, often called "Third Orders" or secular orders, are associations of lay men and women who live and work in the world while striving for Christian perfection. Members, known as tertiaries or seculars, associate with a religious order (like Franciscans or Dominicans) to adopt its specific spiritual charism, rule of life, and practices.  

Lay orders date back to the Middle Ages when married individuals and those with secular careers wanted to follow a religious rule of life without entering a monastery. While they generally do not take public religious vows, members make a formal promise or private vows to engage in daily prayer, community meetings, and charitable works.

Many members of OLPH belong to lay orders.  While these organizations are not run by OLPH, the following groups meet in our building on the schedule indicated below.

• Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS): Focused heavily on interior silence, mental prayer, and the Carmelite tradition of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Prophet Elijah.  At OLPH, the Carmelites typically meet on the second Saturday morning of the month.
• Lay Dominicans: Known as the Order of Preachers, they focus on the four pillars of prayer, study, community, and the apostolate. At OLPH, the Dominicans meet on the third Saturday morning of the month.
• Secular Franciscans (OFS): Emphasize simplicity, care for creation, penance, and service to the poor.  At OLPH, Franciscans meet on the fourth Sunday afternoon of the month.