Ministry of the Third Cross
December 5, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
We had another truly beautiful retreat weekend this past weekend, as we welcome our new brothers to our MOTC family. Our Men's retreat was held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat Center and our Director Edward Gandara along with his co directors Juan Hernandez and Albert Limas are truly humble servants of the Lord. Their low key and humble compassion for our brothers was truly a cornerstone for the entire formation and to our new brothers on this retreat weekend. Great job to all !!! The team was well prepared and the mercy, love, and forgiveness only Jesus can provide was communicated so beautifully to all participants. What a beautiful retreat. All praise, honor, and glory to our Lord! Please keep our Director Angel Romero Corpus Christi Men's Retreat December 8-11, 2016 in our prayers as the team prepares for their upcoming retreat. May the love of our Lord continue to embrace us as we continue to minister to our brothers and sisters. Amen.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
November 7, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
We had another truly beautiful retreat weekend this past weekend, as we welcome our sisters to our MOTC family. Our first ever retreat at Rev Ministries located on 1918 Steves Ave. Director Michelle Ellis and her co director Belle Balderas did an awesome job of bringing our women on team together to serve the Lord on this retreat weekend as evidence by the excitement in all our new sisters who came on retreat. It was truly a beautiful weekend experience, and our new center offers us other choices in location to have our retreats. All praise, honor, and glory to our Lord! Please keep our Director Edward Gandara for Men's Retreat December 1-4, 2016, in our prayers as the team prepares for their upcoming retreat. May the Lord continue to guide us as we continue to minister to our brothers and sisters. Amen.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
September 19, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
We had another truly beautiful retreat weekend this past weekend, and we welcome 39 new brothers to our MOTC family. The retreat was held at International Bible Church Retreat Center and our Director Anthony "Tony" Pena took his musical God given talent and used it to bring the message of love throughout the weekend. Tony did an awesome job of bringing the team together for this beautiful weekend through a Spirit filled formation. Again, on this retreat could be seen so many previous directors working diligently to provide a successful retreat which truly embodies the true humility of those who serve in the MOTC retreats. We give all glory, honor, and praise to our Lord for all that He has done for MOTC and we continue to move forward with our upcoming Corpus Christi Men's Retreat and San Antonio Women's retreats. Let us keep our Corpus Christi Director Angel Romero and San Antonio Director Michelle Ellis in our prayers as they prepare for their retreats. May the Lord continue to guide us as we continue to minister to our brothers and sisters. Amen.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
September 1, 2016
Dear MOTC Brothers and Sisters,
The Ministry of The Third Cross would like to welcome our new seminarian who will be working closely with our ministry over the next year. Reggie Odima is assigned to the Archdiocese of San Angelo. Please join me in welcoming him to our ministry.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
June 27, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
We had another truly beautiful retreat weekend this past weekend, as we welcome our new brothers to our MOTC family. Our first ever Spanish Women's Retreat was postponed to a latter date. Our Men's retreat was held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat Center and our Director Felipe Serna who is a San Antonio Police Officer brought the message of Jesus to all who attended this Retreat Weekend. It is so awesome to see the humility of several police officers who were on this team humble themselves to serve their brothers who are in the criminal justice system. It was truly inspiring to see how the Holy Spirit knows no borders and can make truly substantive impacts on everyone. The team was well prepared and the leadership communicated God's love so beautifully to all participants. There were so many new MOTC brothers who served on this Team as our Director embraced those who had never experienced a MOTC retreat. What a beautiful retreat. All praise, honor, and glory to our Lord! Please keep our Director Anthony Pena for Men's Retreat Sept. 22-25, 2016 in our prayers as the team prepares for their upcoming retreat. May the Lord continue to guide us as we continue to minister to our brothers and sisters. Amen.
June 13, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
What a beautiful expression of love it was to see so many spirit filled women on retreat this past weekend. The Holy Spirit was truly moving on Saturday evening at the Saturday Family Gathering Event where everyone could not only see the fire of the Holy Spirit but could feel that same fire. All glory, honor, and praise to God!. Our Director Rebecca Durand did an awesome job of bring so many new sisters into the team formation. Thank you Rebecca! There were so many new faces and faces of those who had not served in a while, and it was a true blessing to see their joy in the Lord expressed so freely. The retreatants truly came to understand who Jesus is and can be in their lives through this Spirit filled weekend. Women's Spanish Retreat June 23-26, Director Martha Chavez, and our Men's Retreat June 23-26, Director Felipe Serna. Please keep all these Directors and their teams in our prayers. May the Lord continue to guide us as we continue to minister to our brothers and sisters. Amen.
June 1, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
We had another truly beautiful retreat weekend this past weekend in Corpus Christi Texas. It was our second Women's Retreat in Corpus Christi and once again we give all the glory, honor, and praise to our Lord for all He has done for this ministry. We continue to expand our efforts and the Lord continues to Bless us. We want to thank our Director Maylynne Healy who did an amazing job of bringing the team together half from San Antonio and half from Corpus Christi uniting them both for this beautiful weekend through a Spirit filled formation. Great job Maylynne and all the team members on their hard work and dedication to MOTC. Special thanks to the members of the criminal justice system in Corpus Christi who helped make this retreat a true successful endeavor. We continue to move forward with our upcoming women's retreat in San Antonio June 9-12, Director Rebecca Durand, Women's Spanish Retreat June 23-26, Director Martha Chavez, and our Men's Retreat June 23-26, Director Felipe Serna. Please keep all these Directors and their teams in our prayers. May the Lord continue to guide us as we continue to minister to our brothers and sisters. Amen.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
May 17, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
I truly experienced Pentecost at our build a burger fundraiser for our June Men's Retreat this past Sunday. It was one of the most live human documents experiences of what the Holy Spirit can do in our day and time. We had a gathering off many MOTC brothers, sisters,
their families, and those who we didn't even know be present on this Sunday. People literally came from all parts of the city, maybe the county while the heavens opened it's gates to rain. It was a truly humbling experience to see so many come out and support our ministry in spite of the heavy heavy rain. We must always be willing to do whatever it takes to move our ministry forward including conducting fundraising activities in whatever situations are presented to us. To do so is a testament to our commitment and dedication to serve our Lord, each other, and especially our new brothers and sisters. So proud of our MOTC Family in all our efforts for the Lord. Thank you!
In Him
Jorge Cuellar
April 12, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
I would like to inform you of some changes to our Board of Directors. John Dunham and Mary Moncivais are now both Vice Presidents on our Board. Carol Glass is our Treasurer and Kristina Gomez our Secretary. We recently added Dr. Jose Beccera and Dr. Mary Jo Rodriguez to our Board. Both bring years of service, knowledge, and commitment to MOTC. We also added Jesse Ibarra as a Youth Liaison who will report their activities to the Board. We look forward to the future as we continue to grow our ministry and provide the opportunity for more men, women, and youth to come to know the Lord. As a board, our efforts come through the powerful inspiration we receive from each and everyone of our MOTC family. Without all of us working together, this ministry would not be successful. After nineteen years, the Lord continues to bless this ministry and all the efforts of our MOTC family. Thank you!!!
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
March 23, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
As we enter this time of Easter, let us remember the true love of God the Father as He gave His only begotten Son Jesus to be tried and convicted as a criminal even when He was without sin to die by death on a cross for each and everyone of our sins. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:26-27) No greater love does He have for all of us. Reflect on the activities of this Holy Week through the passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and His crucifixion, but also in His glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday. “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; on him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) May each and everyone of you have a blessed and beautiful Easter!!!
In HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
March 14, 2016
Brothers and Sisters,
We had another truly beautiful retreat weekend this past weekend, and we welcome 34 new brothers to our MOTC family. The retreat was held at International Bible Church Retreat Center and our Director Pedro Martinez did an awesome job of bringing the team together for this beautiful weekend through a Spirit filled formation. Many members of this team were past directors which truly embodies the true humility of those who serve in the MOTC retreats. We give all glory, honor, and praise to our Lord for all that He has done for MOTC and we continue to move forward with our upcoming women's retreats in Corpus Christi (Director Maylynne Healy) and San Antonio (Director Rebecca Durand). May the Lord continue to guide us as we continue to minister to our brothers and sisters. Amen.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
January 15, 2016
With a new year upon us, we continue our efforts to stay united with each other and more importantly in Him. Come visit our Tuesday Fellowships on the first Tuesday of every month. Check out the homepage for more information and directions. Our next Men's Retreat Team is in formation for the March 10-13, 2016 Retreat to be held at the International Bible Church Retreat Center in San Antonio. Please keep our men in prayer and forward any referrals to the Director Peter Martinez - information on homepage.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
December 15, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We give all glory, honor, and praise to our Lord for another beautiful and blessed weekend retreat. International Bible Church Retreat Center hosted our latest retreat directed by Gabe Mendoza, and all went very well on this blessed weekend. Our new seminarian were also on hand to help out with the retreat weekend. To the directors, team, and families who supported them when they answered the call to serve, we do it all in His name for His glory. Thank you to all.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
November 14, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today we completed our annual directors' training for all projected directors of the 2016 retreats. Planned are four men's retreats, two Women's Retreats in San Antonio and one in Corpus Christi, along with four Ayers house retreats and a couple of juvenile retreats in Corpus Christi. Thank you for your Yes to our Lord and to the MOTC family to keep it going bringing more and more brothers and sisters out of the darkness and into the light, only by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus!!!
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
September 28, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We give all thanks and glory to God for another Blessed Weekend Retreat. 47 new brothers to the MOTC family who attended our men's retreat this weekend at Immaculate Heart of Mary. We'd like to give all praise and honor to our Lord for giving us the opportunity to serve our new brothers in Christ Jesus. To the directors, team, and families who supported them when they answered the call to serve, we do it all in His name for His glory. Thank you to all.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
September 2, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
My dear MOTC family, it is with great sadness that I write to you about the passing of our brother Gilbert Flores. He came to us on retreat in December 2015. He was so happy to encounter the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ through the retreat, but most importantly through the family of MOTC. He met and made so many brothers/sisters in Christ, and this gave him much joy. Those that met him, saw the Love of the Lord in his very being. He then returned as a team member, and served with great joy. He knew the joy that he found in the Lord and wanted to share this with all those he met. He talked to me many times of the great joy that his family felt over the many changes that he made in his life. He continued to serve, got a great job, was a happy man, established a prayer life, kept connected to the ministry family and joined a church community. He soon found a woman who he fell in love with. They dated for a while and later decided to get married in the church and live a happy Christian marriage. On many occassions he called me and several other MOTC brothers for prayer and support. He, as many of us, continued to struggle with certain issues in his life, but he always wanted to remain faithful to the Lord. Last week he was struggling again, and only God knows what truly transpired. We know that Gilbert was a good man who loved the Lord, loved his family, but nonetheless a man who struggled with issues that kept haunting him. I confess that I love the Lord, but I also continue to struggle with issues in my own life. This ministry specializes in these kind of issues. We teach the Love of the Lord and a need for constant prayer and staying close to His Word. We know that the Lord has called us specifically to minister to our brothers/sisters with these ongoing issues. We believe that the Lord is Merciful and all forgiving. We know that the Lord loves Gilbert and forgave him unconditionally. We also love his family and are praying for them to find God's peace in all of this. We mostly pray for his wife and child who are struggling with so much at this time. We pray that the Lord bring them His peace and comfort. We pray for the officers involved and for the entire San Antonio community. Gilbert is a child of God, as are the rest of us. His life was precious in God's eyes. We are all His children The MOTC family will hold a prayer vigil to honor the life of our Brother Gilbert Flores on Tuesday 9/8/15, at 7:00 PM at The Oblate Renewal Center, St. Joseph's Retreat Chapel. We ask our Lord for Mercy for all involved. Please mark your calendar so that we can show the community that God is greater than all the difficult situations that are happening across the country. Please look at the MOTC Facebook page and this website for updates and details. If you have any questions, please contact Jorge R. Cuellar - 410-4901.
Thank you.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
September 1, 2015
Dear MOTC Brothers and Sisters,
The Ministry of The Third Cross would like to welcome our two new seminarians who will be working closely with our ministry over the next year. Able Ruiz and Blane Ridley are both assigned to the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Please join me in welcoming them to the ministry.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
August 10, 2015
Dear MOTC Brothers and Sisters,
The ministry of the Third Cross has been privileged to have an opportunity to promote the ministry (MOTC) on Catholic Television Network on Hispanos en Misión. The program will air Thursday August 13, 2015 at 6:30 pm and on Sunday August 16, 2015 at 2:30 pm on CTSA Time Warner, Channel 15. Please watch and invite all your friends as well. Let us pass the word of this great ministry that the Lord is using to change lives. Praise God!
In HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
December 15, 2014
Dear MOTC Brothers and Sisters,
This weekend we had another successful retreat experience in Corpus Christi Texas. It was the first MOTC retreat in Corpus Christi and many thanks go out to our Directors Jesse Yanez, John Damon, and Steve Salinas for leading our team to Corpus Christi. Their efforts were assisted by Billy Quintanilla from Corpus Christi who did an outstanding job in coordinating the efforts of the Corpus Christi part of the team. We were blessed to add 34 more brothers from that area to our MOTC family. We had positive comments by all participants and the probation office has encouraged MOTC to put on the first Women's Retreat next year. We will be looking at possible dates with more information to come. Again, as the Lord continues to bless MOTC we give thanks and praise to Him for everything He provides in all of our lives.
In HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
December 9, 2014
Dear MOTC brothers and sisters,
It's been too long, but we continue to give all the glory and praise to our Lord for His continual Blessings upon each and everyone of us and our ministry. In June, director Lisa Apolinar had a beautiful and successful retreat at Villa Maria Retreat Center. In June, we had a successful men's retreat under the direction of Henry Alameda as the ministry used the International Bible Church (IBC) Retreat Center for the first time. Everything went well and the MOTC was well received by their congregation. In August, we had a successful women's retreat under the direction of Denise Elizondo at Villa Maria retreat center. In September, we had another successful Men's Retreat at the IBC under the direction of Troy Smith. In October, director Diana Alameda had the first women's retreat at IBC, and it was very successful Last week director Armando Balderas brought 29 new brothers to the MOTC at Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat Center. This week we travel to Nueces County for the first time in Corpus Christi to have our first Men's Retreat at Our Lady of Corpus Christi Retreat Center under the direction of Jesse Yanez. His efforts are joined by the brothers in Corpus Christi led by Billy Quintanilla Sr. We give all praise, glory, and honor to our Lord for all the success our ministry has been blessed with this year. We ask for prayers as we move into the new year with another four men's and three women's retreats planned, not to mention our efforts with our youth facilities both here and in Corpus Christi. Also our Haven for Hope retreats under our new leaders who will help guide those retreats, Trevor and Laura Halvorson.
In HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
June 4, 2014
Dear MOTTC brothers and sisters,
We give all the praise and glory to our Heavenly Father for the success of our return to our Corpus Christi mission. Once again we want to lift up in prayers of thanksgiving for Peter and his team that did a fantastic job of brining the Good News that Jesus Christ loves all of His children. Our Lord wants all of HIS children to know HIS love. So this is what Peter and his team do in brining the MOTTC to the TJJD Boot Camp in Corpus. Many of us have heard of the Spirit working and the hearts of the young men and the staff being touched. What great joy in heaven and on earth to hear this. Praise God. Now I ask you to pray with the same fervor for David Ziegler and his team who will be going to Corpus Christi this upcoming weekend. Let us lift up these men, may they have a safe trip there and a very Spirit filled weekend. We especially pray for the young men and the staff as well. May they participate with open hearts and minds to the workings of the Holy Spirit. I have the privilege of attending part of the day retreat for David's team this past Saturday. There were several men from Corpus who will be participating with the MOTTC. These men were also on fire to do the work of the Lord. What an amazing partnership/family we are building with the community in Corpus Christi. We serve an awesome God. We as a MOTTC family have much to be thankful to the Lord. Many upcoming news for the MOTTC will be forthcoming. God bless.
IN HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
May 22, 2014
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
I want to specially thank our two leaders, Peter Arguello and David Ziegler for accepting the mission of bringing the "Good News" to our young brothers in Corpus Christi. The Lord has asked time and time again that we go out to all the nations and proclaim HIS love and salvation for all of us. Well the MOTTC has been invited and accepted this challenge. I cannot say enough about these two Godly men that have prayed and brought together a couple of great teams to share the love of the Lord with the boys in Corpus Christi, Texas. I know that the entire community of Corpus will benefit from this service to the Lord. In fact, I am sure, because these boys come from all over the state that the entire state if not the nation will see the greatness of the LORD through this mission work of the MOTTC. The invitation came, the MOTTC leadership prayed and discerned that if we are called, we will go. Peter and David have been in prayer and in sacrifice while on weekly formation for this missionary work. I know that the work that the Lord has begun in these two teams will come to fruition in the Spirit. I know that I personally have been transformed by the commitment of these two men and their team, by their love and desire to serve the Lord in all that they do. We ought to all be committed that we will go no matter where the Lord calls us to serve. I ask that all of us lift them all up in prayer in the next upcoming weekends that they will serve in Corpus. We will pray that the Spirit fill the hearts of the young men that they will preach the "good news" to and that the team have a safe trip there and back. That the Lord keep them all out of harms way. We will pray for the staff of TJJD, for their openness to this ministry and for the families of these young men, that they may receive these young men back into their homes with love and forgiveness. That same love and forgiveness that the Lord has for each one of us, HIS children. ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU PETER, DAVID AND YOUR TEAMS. God Bless. You take our prayers and our hearts with you. We thank your families and loved ones for the support and prayers that they have offered you throughout this time away from them.
IN HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
April 20, 2014
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ is Risen, He is risen indeed. I have attended Holy Week services with the great culmination of Resurrection Sunday. I am inspired for the upcoming events that the MOTTC has in store for our MOTTC family. Let us all get inspired by this past week's events and recommit ourselves to introducing more of our brothers and sisters to the Risen Lord. Let our hearts burn with the zeal that Christ's disciples felt once they realized that Jesus truly lived out what He said He would do. We have a great line up of directors who are Godly men and women leading formation for the upcoming retreats. They have selected their core teams and a great band of members that are Spirit filled and are on fire for the Lord. They are very excited to bring new brothers and sisters to Christ. We are all very excited about the Lord bringing us to Corpus Texas. Let us keep those directors and team members in our prayers for the success of the retreat and for their safe trip there and their return. Please volunteer and seek volunteers this week for the reentry Sunday 4/27/14 at Brackenridge Park at the Joske's pavilion between the hours of 2:00 - 6:00 pm. This will be an opportunity for us to show case what this ministry is all about and to welcome all those that will attend. Let us show the love of the Lord and let all see that Jesus is Lord. Let us all see how we can help to make our rummage sale on 5/3/14 a complete success. As you can see these events are upon us and many more. Let us pray that the Lord continue to send more laborers for His fields, which are ripe. Have a blessed day. See you all soon. God bless.
In HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
March 18, 2014
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We extend a generous welcome to our new brothers and sisters who have joined the Ministry of the Third Cross by attending our last two retreats. In addition to new retreatants, there were many first time Team Members on both the women's and men's retreat. Our Women's Retreat Director, Delores Alarcon reported a successful retreat with 27 new sisters in Christ. Our Men's Retreat Director, Rudy Encina also reported a successful retreat with the addition of 47 new brothers in Christ. Many of these brothers attended the fellowship of the Casting Nets for Christ at St. Dominic Church last night. As we continue to prepare for the upcoming Corpus Christi Retreats and next Women's and Men's Retreats, please continue to pray for our ministry that God continues to Bless us individually and collectively. More importantly, that we may continue to share His love with each other, our families, and everyone we meet through His Holy Spirit. Amen.
In HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
February 1, 2014
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We would like to welcome our newest seminarian, Michael English who will be joining the Ministry of the Third Cross as part of his Field Theology Education. Michael is part of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and will soon be serving as a priest in our area upon completion of his studies and ordination. Please welcome him as he prepares for the priesthood by working directly with our ministry over the next several months. Please contact Jorge Cuellar 210-410-4901 for further information.
January 26, 2014
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I would like to invite everyone to the first annual re-entry Sunday April 27, 2014 at Brackenridge Park Joske's Pavilion from 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM. There will be booths representing organizations that will provide information for all kinds of free social services for the individuals in the criminal justice system, their families and for those who are recently released from jail or prison. The event is family friendly and alcohol free. There will be a free hot dog lunch, soft drinks, live music, Moon Walk, Face Painting, and a lot of other activities for the family. Please come and enjoy a day of fun in the sun and feel welcomed to the community of San Antonio, Texas. for further information please contact Dr. Jorge Cuellar 210-410-4901 or John Dunhum 210-857-3699.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
December 30, 2013
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am very humbled to be appointed, by the MOTTC Board of Directors, to lead the MOTTC Juvenile Ministries in San Antonio. With the blessings from the BOD, I have formed a core group of dedicated Brothers that are focusing on providing Spiritual Retreats to youths that are in the Ayres ‘Halfway’ House TJJD Facility. Currently, the group consist of John Cuellar, Bob Contreras, and Nilan Ratnayeke. Our goal is to make sure that regular retreats are held in Ayres House by selecting Retreat Directors and overseeing those retreats to ensure not only all rules of the TJJD Facility and the MOTTC BOD are followed, but also that the retreats are conducted in a Spiritual and God-centered manner. We look forward to the coming year, through God’s Blessing and being led by the Holy Spirit, to collaborate with all the members of the MOTTC Juvenile Ministry to offer the already scheduled retreats for 2014. The first will be held from January 2-5, 2014. The Retreat Director is Manny Caballero of Holy Name Catholic Church. The next retreat will be held in March 13-16, 2014 and the Retreat Director will be Richard Campos of St Anthony de Padua Catholic Church. The third retreat will be in summer (date is yet to be confirmed) and the Retreat Director will be Jose Perez-Becerra of St Frances of Assisi Catholic Church. We also plan to have some Day-Retreats at the same location. We invite all brothers that have been on a MOTC and ACTS Retreat to be part of this ministry. You can contact me at my email (nilkamalratnayeke@gmail.com) or Cell phone (210-865-0907) and I will have your names available to the Retreat Directors.
Your Brother in Christ,
Nilkamal Ratnayeke.
December 27, 2013
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
This past year has brought the ministry many blessings from the Lord. We successfully ministered to nearly a thousand men, women and children through our faith based MOTTC weekends and the monthly prayer group gatherings at Drug court. Of course there is no way that we can count the persons touched by the Lord through our outreach programs, fundraisers, and our annual golf tournament. this is the first year that we were invited by Drug Court to collaborate with their alumni association programs, also we had a 16th year picnic which was attended by more that 300 MOTTC family, friends and supporters. Mike Lozito, operations manager for Bexar County Pre-Trail Services invited the ministry to begin recruiting from this program for the MOTTC weekends and all other follow up programs. So we now collaborate with Bexar County criminal justice system from when the person is first arrested to the time the person returns to the community after jail or prison. Nilkamal Ratnayeke who has worked with the MOTTC juvenile program, has been named director for all MOTTC juvenile ministries here in town. Nilkamal is very dedicated to the Lord, his family, his parish and the youth of MOTTC. We are very blessed to have him join the MOTTC leadership team. We are scheduled to bring four retreats a year for the young men at Ayers House. We thank the Lord for the commitment and love that Rudy and Susie Encina from St Jude's parish bring to the MOTTC. They continue to provide leadership for the four one day retreats a year to the Haven for Hope community. These day retreats bring hope to the residents, their families and the staff there. Gloria, Mary, John and I (board members) were able to travel to San Angelo to support our charter MOTTC community there under the leadership of Fr. Tom. The MOTTC members there provide three weekend MOTTC retreats for the youth at the Evans Unit lock down facility for TJJD. The MOTTC family there have a strong love for the Lord and for the youth that they minister to. It was a true blessing to participate in a day retreat put on by Fr. Tom, and to share Liturgy as part of our departure. The MOTTC has been invited by the Corpus Christi, Texas Criminal Justice Division to bring this ministry there in 2014. We will need more laborers for the Lord . “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Mathew 9:37-38) What is most important of this ministry are the lives that are changed by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All of us look forward to this next year's endeavors and the many lives that will be transformed by the workings of the Holy Spirit. God Bless.
IN HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
MOTTC GOING TO CORPUS CHRISTI
From the Director......
November 4, 2013
Brothers and sisters,
The MOTTC continues to grow and the Lord blesses us with more labor in His fields. We are starting our 17th year in this ministry. Presently MOTTC ministries serves all of Bexar County and the grater metropolitan area of San Antonio, Texas' criminal justice system. We also serve in San Angelo, and in the Rio Grande Valley. We have been called to bring the MOTTC to Corpus Christi, Texas for adult probation, TJJD probation and TJJD parole with juveniles. We have been invited by Nueces County adult and juvenile criminal justice system. We plan to bring three retreats to Corpus sometime late spring, (April, or May 2014). Therefore we will be recruiting past MOTC members to serve as directors, co-directors, spiritual companions and team members for these retreats. We will have a general information gathering on Monday 11/18/13 for all interested to attend this meeting at Oblate Whitley Theological center, 285 Oblate drive, SATX, at 7:00 PM. Please be in prayer even now to listen to the Lord's call to serve in anyone of these positions. In this meeting we will be praying for guidance, listening to suggestions for setting up the three different teams, listening to suggestions for possible fundraisers, and discussing the logistics of traveling there and have worship and praise. "The harvest is plenty, the laborers are few, pray the harvest Master send more laborers." If you have any questions, please contact Jorge Cuellar, 210-410-4901, Mary Moncivaiz 210-254-4426, Kristina Gomez 210-273-0753, John Dunham 210-857-3699, or any other MOTTC board member. This is very exciting for all of us, get in on ground zero and be part of this great mission ministry to those in the criminal justice system and their families. Please call to RSVP. Look forward to seeing all of you at the meeting. God Bless.
IN HIM,
Jorge Cuellar
Febuarary 11, 2011
Brothers and Sisters,
This is an opportunity to recognize that the Lord is the only true leader for the Ministry of the Third Cross. First of all I want to thank Mark Lopez and his team from Poteet, Charlotte, Jourdanton, and Pleasanton Texas for their wonderful dedication to the boys of TYC. This team has been meeting out in Pleasanton, Texas for the last 13 weeks. Mark the director has traveled with his family to lead the team in it's spiritual formation. So on the day of the retreat all the team came from different parts of Texas to serve at Antonian retreat center. Well, as you well know last Friday in San Antonio, it snow and shut everything down. Mark and his team had the retreat at Antonian H.S. The boys had arrived on Thursday and participated with a lot of gratitude. Due to the snow on Friday the boys from Ayers house could not make it in to the retreat center. The team at the retreat center was waiting for the boys wanting to serve. The boys were very disappointed that they could not attend. The director, Mark Lopez who is a wonderful warrior for the Lord called the team and told us that he had called Ayers house and suggested that the team pack up and bring the retreat to the boys who were anxiously waiting to hear the word of the Lord. So the team carefully loaded the vehicles with all the props, materials etc. and the team went off to serve at Ayers house. When we arrived the boys were so happy and thankful for the love shown to them that they had not experienced before. So the retreat continued through the evening and all of this under the leadership of the Holy Spirit leading Mark Lopes. On Saturday the boys returned for the retreat and all of them were very appreciative for the MOTC retreat and the love shown them like no other. On Sunday other obstacles were present, but once again Mark and the team came through as true warriors for the Lord. Praise God for all the servants who serve with a glad heart.
How can you top that, you can't other than to say that they the MOTC received for a second year in a row the President Barak Obama Faith based service of the year award. Then, I just received a letter from the great state of Texas that the MOTC received the Texas Governor's Criminal Justice service award for the year 2010. PRAISE GOD, PRAISE GOD, PRAISE GOD. Let us celebrate this honor to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks for serving with a glad heart.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
January 3, 2011
Brothers and Sisters,
I look forward to working with all of you and drawing others to Christ. I am very excited about the work Our Lord has in store for the MOTC this upcoming year. Thank you for undertaking this ministry to those who feel abandoned and rejected. I also want to personally thank all the members of the board, all the directors and team members who served this past year.
I would request that you keep our Brother Burr Mcgee in your prayers, as he lost his mother over the new years. He is sad, but through his experience with Christ, is happy that his mother is in heaven with the Lord. Please pray to see how the Lord is calling you to serve in this ministry. "The harvest is plenty, and the laborers are few. Pray the harvest master send more laborers." Mt. The MOTC now serves leading bible classes, leading prayer groups, presenting training for ministers within the the criminal justice system, listen to see if the LORD is calling you to serve those in need. Thanks. God bless. For information, please call me at 210-410-4901.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
July 7, 2010
Brothers and Sisters,
The Lord continues to provide venues for the MOTC to take the good news that Jesus is Lord, and that we have a loving Father that loves us all unconditionally. We are going into our final week in formation for the upcoming day retreat that the MOTC has been invited to offer to the residents of Haven for Hope in San Antonio. This is very exciting and humbling to serve those that have been homeless and are in the process of being restored through the Haven for Hope. I don't know if you have been following the news in San Antonio about this new facility that is a one stop shop for the homeless in SA. This has been a work in progress for the last 10 years in the making. Now it is a reality in that this Haven will provide all types of greatly needed services for those that have been homeless some for as long as 15 years or more. And now the MOTC has been invited to provide a one day retreat on 7/10/10 on the state of the art campus for the residents. No telling where the Lord will continue to call us to serve, but we will continue to say yes. This will be ongoing and therefore we will need volunteers for the upcoming retreats at the Haven.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar
June 14, 2010
Brothers and Sisters,
Praise God. Our golf tournament was a total success. The day was magnificent and all who participated in the fundraiser were very generous. We want to also thank all of our volunteers and donors who gave graciously. We cannot forget to thank our golf committee Gill and Mike Specia for all of their work to put this together in the service of the Lord. They were fantastic. What made this event special as well was that two young men for Ayers House who will be on retreat next weekend were able to participate in the tournament. They were very happy and felt the love of the Christian community for the entire day. Once again all the praise goes to our Lord Jesus Christ who makes all things possible.
In Him,
Jorge Cuellar