Calendar of Events
January 7, 2006               Secretariat Meeting - 9:30am, Blessed John XXIII Diocesan Center
January 13-14, 2006       School of Leaders (quarterly reunion) - 7:30pm Fri-3pm Sat, St. Joseph Church, York, NE.
February 3-4, 2006         Practice Weekend, Sacred Heart, Hebron
February 9-12, 2006       Men’s Weekend, Sacred Heart, Hebron
February 12, 2006           Men’s Closing, 5:00pm (4pm Mass) Sacred Heart Church, Hebron, NE
February 23-26, 2006     Women’s Weekend, Sacred Heart, Hebron
February 26, 2006           Women’s Closing, 5:00pm (4pm Mass) Sacred Heart Church, Hebron, NE
March 11, 2006               Secretariat Meeting - 9:30am, Location TBA
 

PRAYER/ADORATION HOURS for Hebron Weekends (listed by Ultreya Centers)

Thursday     7:00pm - Midnight          Hastings
Friday         Midnight - 5:00am          David City/Shelby
Friday         5:00am - 10:00am          Lincoln
Friday       10:00am - 3:00pm            McCook
Friday         3:00pm - 8:00pm            Plattsmouth/Offutt
Friday         8:00pm - Sat., 1:00am    Wahoo
Saturday     1:00am - 6:00am             Hastings
Saturday      6:00am - 11:00am          McCook
Saturday    11:00am - 4:00pm            Lincoln
Saturday      4:00pm - 9:00pm            David City/Shelby
Saturday      9:00pm - Sun, 2:00am    Plattsmouth/Offutt
Sunday        2:00am - 7:00am            Wahoo
Sunday        7:00am - 5:00pm            Beatrice/Crete

     Rollo Team for Men's Weekend -- John Springer (Coordinator), Jon Junkin, Chuck Micek, and Mark Pribyl,
     Fr. Nick Baker, Fr. Tom Lux.
     Rollo Team for Women's Weekend -- Kathy Springer (Coordinator), Joan Junkin, Margaret L'Ecuyer, Marcella
     O'Bryan and Roddy Spangler, Fr. Mark Seiker, Fr. Chris Goodwin.
     Candidates -- Please be praying for these candidates who have sent in their completed applications (as of 2/7/06) for the
     Cursillo Weekends in Hebron (please encourage candidates to get their applications in ASAP):
     Men:
          - Adams, Barry -- Beatrice
          - Bader, Gary -- Gresham
          - Buster, Eldon -- Deshler
          - Fertig, John -- Bertrand
          - Fraser, Jim -- Hebron
          - Kroll, Bill -- Hebron
          - Mitchell, Mike -- Roca
          - Stanberry, Nathan -- Lincoln
          - Tejral, Leroy -- Beatrice
          - Wendland, Myron -- Bertrand
     Women:
          - Adams, Correne -- Beatrice
          - Behne, Mary Laura -- Beatrice
          - Buster, Monica -- Deshler
          - Hernandez, Chris -- Lincoln
          - Hill, June -- Aurora
          - Kroll, Cindy -- Hebron

    Women: most recent addtions:
          - Cohen, Connie -- Grant
          - Dinges, Barb -- Holdrege
          - Fraser, Ann -- Hebron
          - Johnson, Brenda -- Osceola
          - Kumor, Vicki -- Grant
          - McKenzie, Cathie -- Hebron
          - Mitchell, Chris -- Roca
          - Schroeder, Patricia -- Grant
          - Tejral, Judy -- Beatrice
 

Did you know that … [the idea for a “Did you know …” section came from the Region VI Encounter held in Hebron, Sept. 2005 … the individual items listed below are from our November SOL … and the top 10 are …]

+ The very first Cursillo Weekend, lived in 1944, had 14 candidates ranging in age from 14 to 23 years old, with a team of three lay people and one priest …
+ Someone might at this very minute need your prayer/Palanca …
+ You are a son/daughter of the Father, a brother/sister of Jesus, and a friend of the Holy Spirit.
+ Jesus is knocking at the door, thinking to Himself: “Don’t make Me come in there!”
+ The Episcopal Advisor of the Cursillo Movement in the United States is Bishop James Tamayo, Bishop of Laredo, TX …
+ Hungary had its very first Cursillo Weekend in Fall 2005 …
+ Your environments change when you change …
+ Everyone has a longing/hunger … and the solution is Jesus …
+ Despite what the world says, faith must affect our culture …
+ We are praying for YOU!!

Comments from New Fourth Dayers

    First off, I’ll tell you that I did not want to spend three and one quarter days on a retreat! However, I was frustrated with life and I knew the need for inspiration was hounding me. Something inside of me was telling me to make the Weekend.  It was the Lord giving me direction!

    I knew I had been very blessed thus far in my life.  And maybe because of that, I felt God calling me to use my talents in the manner in which He wanted me to, rather than in the way that I had been using them in the past.

    On the Weekend, I learned that we all have problems of some type or other.  The thing that makes us unique is how we handle these problems.  Up to this time, I did not know if I was addressing my problems the way God wanted me to.  The Lord always gives us a choice, so we can accept our burdens and walk the narrow path, or we can reject all that God offers and live in misery.

    I learned that the Lord would help us if we seek His help.  And I learned that we can make peace with ourselves, as long as we are grounded with a devout faith in Jesus Christ.  It is not all about us … God must and always be first!

    I also learned that we need to evangelize our families, work environments, and social environments.  It is not only the responsibility of the parish priest to teach Christ’s message, but more importantly for me personally, I learned that it is the responsibility of each lay person to carry Christ’s message to the world ... I learned that it was my responsibility.

    Since my Cursillo Weekend, I now feel that I can talk about my faith and that I can evangelize.  Cursillo taught me to love, and that there are people outside of the walls I live in that want to love me in return … and I found some of those people on my Cursillo Weekend.                                                [Jerome Clyne, St. John the Baptist, Minden]

    My name is Kathy Lahowetz and I lived my Cursillo Weekend October 20-23, 2005, in Minden, NE.  My Cursillo family is St. Jude, and my parish is St. John the Baptist in Minden, Nebraska.

    It is ironic that my Cursillo family was named after St. Jude, the patron saint of impossible situations.  My journey to Cursillo took a lot of work on the part of the Holy Spirit.  I lived in Denver, Colorado, for 25 years until June 15th of this year, when my husband, son and I moved to Minden.  In Denver, I was struggling to learn more about my faith, because I wanted to be able to defend the Catholic Church in an attempt to draw back my daughter and my friend who had left the Church for evangelical churches.

    I saw the Cursillo Weekend listed in St. John’s bulletin.  Our new pastor explained briefly what Cursillo was on Tuesday, and that Thursday, I found myself part of the Cursillo Weekend.  I thought I had signed up for an adult education class, which was fortunate, because if I had known that I would be called to evangelize others, it would have scared me off.  And that’s how the Holy Spirit got me to the Cursillo Weekend. The Weekend was magical, because I never knew what to expect next.  Most of the prayers and traditions were new to me, and I felt like I was re-discovering what it meant to be a real Catholic after 51 years of having been a Catholic.

    Since that Weekend, I use the Cursillo Pilgrim’s Guide for my morning and nighttime prayers, along with daily Scripture readings.  Through my weekly meetings (Group Reunion) with my pastor, Fr. Cooper, and Jerome Clyne, I have learned many new ways to integrate prayer into my daily life, and I am now able to explain the truths and strengths of the Catholic faith to others.  I love saying the Rosary now.  The finger Rosary I received during the Weekend is always in my pocket.  I have started to share daily prayer books with my Catholic friends in Denver, and I have begun taking baby steps to reach out to my daughter and friend who have left the Church.  All these steps I am taking solely because of the power of the Holy Spirit in me.  I have the same zeal as that of a new convert to spread the Good News that I now better understand.  There is a new calm in me now that I am allowing Jesus to guide my life.  That’s a lot of change since June 15th, but nothing is impossible for God.                      [Kathy Lahowetz, Minden]
 

Precursillo …

    Speaking of Precursillo, please pray for the candidates being called and the teams being formed for the February Weekends.   We need to be inviting candidates right now.  On a daily basis, we should make friends, be friends, and bring our friends to Christ.  Activity in the Precursillo should be planned … it should unfold gradually and naturally, and not be “forced” at the last minute.  You should ask our Lord who He is calling you to prepare and invite … then follow through …  It’s not easy to invite, but it’s necessary ... somebody invited you …

    And please remember to encourage candidates and sponsors to get applications turned in as soon as possible rather than waiting until just before the Weekends … it helps the Coordinators to properly welcome the candidates with a “welcome letter” rather than rushing the candidates to the Weekend.  The earlier candidates are prepared and invited, the earlier the applications can be completed, and the easier it is to keep the 4th Day community informed about the candidates for the Three Day Weekends (for offering Palanca and writing letters … watch the web page for updates).

Comments from Chuck Micek, Precursillo Chair:

    Advent is a season of hope.  As I write this, we are about to begin the third week of Advent.  This past Thursday (December 8th), we celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  What a wonderful time of the Church year …  and Mary is so much a part of the Advent season, especially in her openness to our Lord’s leading.  She is a reminder of what one “yes” can do … a reminder of hope …

    Sometimes, it’s hard to be hopeful when we read and hear about schools and businesses that do not allow Christ’s name or Christmas to be used.  It is our task as cursillistas, given by God, to take the Gospel out into the world and tell everyone about Christ … The world needs hope, and Cursillo is a vehicle to take hope into the world.

    I am reminded of a story that speaks of hope … “Once upon a time, there were four candles slowly burning. The ambiance was so soft, one could almost hear them talking. The first candle said, ‘I am Peace!  The world is full of anger and fighting.  Nobody can keep me lit.’  Then the flame of Peace went out completely.  The second candle said, ‘I am Faith!  I am no longer indispensable.  It doesn’t make sense for me to stay lit another moment.’  Then a gentle breeze softly blew out Faith’s flame.  Sadly, the third candle began to speak.  ‘I am Love!  People don’t understand my importance so they put me aside. They even forget to love those who are nearest and dearest to them.  I haven’t the strength to stay lit.’  And waiting no longer, Love’s flame went out.

    “Suddenly, a child entered the room and said to the three unlit candles, ‘Why aren’t you burning?  You’re supposed to stay lit to the end.’  Saying this, the child began to cry. Then the fourth candle answered: ‘Don’t be afraid. I am Hope!  While I am still burning we can re-light the other candles.’  With shining eyes, the child took the candle of Hope and lit the other candles.  The flame of Hope should never go out of your life. And with Hope, each of us can live with Peace, Faith and Love!”

    I don’t know who wrote the story, but we used it on the back of a company bulletin this past week.  It fits the season … It fits life …  It fits us as cursillistas.

    Pray to God about a friend, then INVITE.  Ask for the Blessed Mother’s direction and assistance in identifying who God wants us to ask to live a Cursillo Weekend in February 2006 … let’s ask her to help us to follow our Lord’s lead and to bring hope to the world.

    May Christ be with all of you this Christmas season!             De Colores!   Chuck Micek
 

Three Day Weekend ...

The Winter 2006 Weekends are now set, and are scheduled to be at Sacred Heart Parish in Hebron, NE:

+ Men’s - February 9-12, 2006
+ Women’s - February 23-26, 2006

+ Men’s – January 11 - 14, 2007
+ Women’s – January 18-21, 2007

+ Palanca Letters … Personal Palanca letters continue to be a very important part of Cursillo.  Letters from the sponsor and/or a spouse should be marked so they may be given to candidates during the Weekend. All other personal Palanca letters will be sent home to be read/enjoyed during the Fourth Day when the candidates will be in special need of encouragement as they return to the world they left behind on Thursday evening.
    Personal and general Palanca letters (including posters) may be mailed to Kathy Springer, 1410 E 15th St, Crete, NE 68333, or any Secretariat member, in time to arrive by the Wednesday prior to each Weekend (Feb. 8th for the Men’s; Feb. 22nd for the Women’s).
    Thank you to all who continue to encourage the candidates during the Three Days by offering Palanca, writing letters of encouragement, and coming to Closings ... Thank you also to those who encourage and help the new Fourth Dayers find a Group Reunion and Ultreya as they begin to live their Fourth Day.

Comments from Mark Pribyl, Three Day Chair (entitled, “God in His Goodness”):

    De Colores, Fourth Dayers!

    As the end of another year fast approaches, I have been trying to spend a little time reflecting on my life.  I look at where I have been and where I am right now, and I wonder if I am progressing on any of the goals I set for myself.

    It was in living my Cursillo Weekend that I learned the importance of goals, particularly faith goals!  During my Weekend, I was presented with tools to achieve the goals I set, and I learned how holiness and formation are needed each and every day for me to evangelize … first, my family, and then my friends and relatives, all of whom make up my environment.  And because I spent 32 years of my life before I was baptized wandering around aimlessly without God, I particularly appreciate the Cursillo Method of Group Reunion and Ultreya for its concrete means of helping me achieve my goals.  Group Reunion and Ultreya give me practical ways to personally grow in faith, and then to pass that faith on to those that God placed in my life, that they, too, might come to know Jesus as I have.

    The weekly Group Reunion, monthly Ultreya, and quarterly School of Leaders give me support, encouragement, and guidance in my walk with Christ.  They allow me to grow in my faith, that I might better serve my neighbor with joy and love, and in so doing, that I might be more pleasing to our Lord.

    I believe Cursillo was God’s gift to me.  Knowing that, in obedience to our Lord, we are ALL called to holiness through faith and good works, Cursillo has been a great blessing in my life in keeping me growing in my faith and in helping me to share that faith with others.  Through Cursillo, I am encouraged to do things I never thought possible.

    Whatever our apostolate, God calls us to grow and change each and every day … He calls each of us to metanoia.   To that end, I hope to see you soon at an Ultreya or School of Leaders because I know that I have a long way to go to get to Heaven … it’s one of my goals … and I know that YOU know something that I might do, or something that you are doing or have done, that might get me there!  I always love talking to someone who loves Jesus as much as I do, especially other Fourth Dayers who are doing God’s work by making a friend, being a friend and bringing that friend to Christ!!

    My prayer for all of you is that God might richly bless you for your goodness and that your daily metanoia may be a blessing to you and yours!!  I pray that you are making progress on the spiritual goals you set (and that He set for you).  Don't forget, God loves you and I do too!
 

Postcursillo …
+ New Secretariat Members … Jon Junkin was elected SOL Chair and Annette Wemhoff was elected Postcursillo Chair for three-year terms beginning in January 2006.  Please pray for them and for all members of the Secretariat.  We thank Joan Junkin and John Springer, outgoing Secretariat members for their dedication to serving our Lord through the Cursillo Movement.

+ New Directory … An updated directory is included in this Newsletter for all Diocesan cursillistas.  Look up an old friend to invite to Ultreya!

+ Ultreya Centers … Is your Ultreya Center being faithful to a consistently scheduled monthly Ultreya?
 

School of Leaders (SOL) ...  for those interested in furthering the work of Cursillo …
 

+ The next quarterly SOL will be January 13-14, 2006, at St. Joseph Church in York, NE.  See the enclosed registration form for more details about time/content/etc.
Come and see ... SOL has no beginning or end ... it simply continues to nourish and form ...
 

From the Lay Director ...

    This past weekend (Dec. 16-18), I got to celebrate Christmas a little early … I received the gift of a silent retreat at Good Counsel Retreat House in Waverly, and I want to thank God for the many ways that He blessed me during my time away from the world (kind of reminiscent of the Three Day Weekend … an opportunity to grow in the areas of holiness and formation … and the further opportunity to take what I received and share with others … evangelization).  Our Lord continually offers blessings, if we will just give Him the time.  Bishop Bruskewitz was the retreat master, and the light motif (as he referred to it) for the retreat was taken from Luke 11:1: “‘Lord, teach us to pray …’”.

    Before I left for retreat, there were many things running through my heart/mind (some not so spiritual, such as the 1,071 pages of final exams that would be waiting for me to grade when I returned from the solitude of the retreat).  The most pervasive of these, however, was the nagging thought that each of us is where we are today spiritually because of someone’s having invited us … an invitation … an encouragement … and what are we doing to reciprocate?  At my last book group meeting (we’re reading ... and have been for a very long time … “The Confessions of St. Augustine”), St. Augustine spoke of the necessity of having “the desire” to continue to grow in faith, and we each shared what it was that caused us to want to get to know Jesus better.  Not coincidentally, each of us was encouraged by an invitation from someone else … and then their remaining with us.  Cursillo calls that “making a friend, being a friend, and bringing that friend to Christ”.  It’s the personal contact that is the touchstone of Cursillo … one person inviting another to grow …

    I’d like to continue with that idea of invitation that followed me to the retreat …  While on retreat, I was looking through the meditations in “The Word Among Us,” and the meditation for Thursday, Dec. 15th, read in part: “… Just as Jesus did, we too can evangelize through relationships.  It’s a bit more involved than just repeating doctrines, but there’s nothing more moving than when we demonstrate to a friend the love of God and let our love be an invitation for that person to come to know God as well.  It’s as we spend time together that God will reveal Himself to them through us.  It may take time.  The people we reach out to may not find God right away.  But it is crucial to remain steadfast, trusting that God is moving.  Think of all the time that Jesus spent with His disciples.  Surely He didn’t just give them sermon after sermon!  It was His friendship with them that won them over and proved that His words were true.  It’s true that we may not see fruit right away, but we should never doubt that God is working.  Just as He works in us at Mass and in our prayer, He is working in the people we are praying for and reaching out to.  Then, at just the right time and in just the right way, they will find themselves asking more about the Lord and even opening their hearts to Him.  And when that happens, we will be just as filled with joy as they are!”  It’s then … when they open their hearts … that they are most open to the invitation … and that’s when we need to invite … to Cursillo and to the Lord.  The time to invite is NOT the week or days immediately preceding a Three Day Weekend when some perceive a too-late urgency to get candidates for the Weekend … it’s as we live our everyday lives that we should be looking for those our Lord wants us to invite.  We must be open to the Lord’s leading … both in terms of looking AND in inviting … and throughout the entire process of studying our environments and making and being friends, we should be praying … Lord, teach us to pray …

    Bishop Bruskewitz emphasized that our communication with God is not just words (ours or His) – we are talking to Him AND He is talking to us … it’s a dialogue.  And as we ask, and as we listen, we need to respond …  And if we’re truly living the Precursillo and studying our environments to find those our Lord is calling to encounter Him (whether on a Three Day Weekend or otherwise), we need to be ready to respond when we are sent … we need to be an inviting people, fully aware of Who it is we are inviting others to encounter, and ready to speak the words of invitation on His behalf …  But we also need to be okay with the response of the persons we invite, no matter what that response is.  We can’t control the response of another, but we can control our response to the Lord’s prompting … and we can surely pray for an openness on the part of those we are inviting or preparing to invite (“talk to God about your friend before you talk to your friend about God”).

    During meals at the retreat, we listened to a tape set by Fr. Groeschel, entitled “Mountains and Valleys on the Spiritual Journey,” which examined Fr. Thomas Dubay’s book, “Fire Within”.  In the talk entitled, “Supplies Given by God,” Fr. Groeschel talked about our being on a spiritual pilgrimage, and he quickly pointed out that a pilgrimage is not a vacation.  He said that God doesn’t need people in contests to see how long they can meditate … that an ability for and enjoyment of work goes hand in hand with growing in the spiritual life.  He commented that spiritual people don’t sit around like bumps on a log!  So, let’s be spiritual people … let’s get to work … let’s study our environments … then, let’s invite …

    During the homily at the closing Mass, Bishop Bruskewitz told us Christmas is really about God’s unspeakable generosity to us.  But that generosity requires an acceptance on our part … AND a response …  Bishop Bruskewitz quoted “from a homily In Praise of the Virgin Mother by St. Bernard, abbot” (the second reading for December 20th from The Liturgy of the Hours’ Office of Readings).  Bishop Bruskewitz set the stage for the reading by telling us that St. Bernard speaks of the interlude between the angel’s invitation to the Blessed Mother to be the Mother of God and her response … “… We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.  The price of our salvation is offered to you.  We shall be set free at once if you consent.  In the eternal Word of God we all came to be, and behold, we die.  In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life.”  The reading goes on to tell of all mankind begging her to respond in the affirmative … “This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet.  It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.”  [No pressure here, Blessed Mother … just that our whole future hangs in the balance as we await your response …]

    As Bishop Bruskewitz was praying/reading St. Bernard’s words, the thought came to me, “Who is waiting for my ‘yes’?”  Further, who is waiting for your ‘yes’?  According to St. Bernard, it must have seemed like an eternity waiting for Mary’s response … “Why do you delay, why are you afraid?  Believe, give praise, and receive.  Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident.  This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence.  In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous.  Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary.  Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator.  See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter.  If He should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek Him afresh, the One whom your soul loves.  Arise, hasten, open.  Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving.”  And then she broke the silence: “'… Behold, the handmaid of the Lord’, she says, ‘be it done to me according to your word.’”  Thank you, Blessed Mother, for your “yes”!  In concluding, Bishop Bruskewitz invited each of us to echo Mary’s words, “Let it be done to me according to Thy Word” …

    As I reflected on the words of the meditation, “… dutiful speech is now more necessary”, I kept thinking about our being called to move beyond prayer and to invite … dutiful speech … it’s necessary (not just suggested).  Let’s not let Him pass us by without responding … respond when you are invited … and invite others …  And that brings me to Bishop Bruskewitz’s second motif, which is really just an extension of the first: “Come, follow Me” … His invitation to us to respond …  May we respond in that way in which He is inviting us, and may we rely on His grace to bring that response to fruition, ‘Let it be done to ME according to Your word” …
Christ is counting on you!!!  Invite a friend to encounter Him in Hebron during Three Days in February … you can count on Him to help with the response of those you invite …  He just needs you to extend the invitation …

                                                                                                              De Colores!!            Kathy Springer

P.S.  Another fruit of the retreat … I have a new joke from Bishop Bruskewitz that I can share on the February Cursillo Weekend!!
 

From the Spiritual Advisor ...

    As I write these words, we are journeying through the last days of Advent preparation toward the birthday of Jesus … toward the celebration of His Incarnation … His taking on our human nature, our flesh … in order to redeem us and to show us how to live.  As you read these words, we are journeying through the Christmas Season … the celebration of the great event of the Incarnation of the Word of God.  It is such an important event that we extend our celebration … for eight days (the Octave of Christmas) … even twelve days (the Twelve Days of Christmas from the Solemnity of Christmas until the Solemnity of the Epiphany on January 6th).  The connecting point of these two seasons (Advent and Christmas) is the mystery of the Incarnation.

    More than just being the connecting point of the Advent and Christmas seasons, the birth of Christ is at the center of time as we measure it – we refer to the time before His birth as “B.C. (before Christ)” and the time after His birth as “A.D (anno domino or the year of our Lord … the year of His birth)”.  So, too, we mark the passage of time in relation to the birth of Christ.  Similarly, the Old Testament Scriptures looked forward to and prepared for the birth of Christ, the Messiah.  And the New Testament Scriptures tell us the Good News of the birth of Christ … of what has happened to human beings since His Incarnation.

    The pivotal event in history, then, is the Incarnation.  Paragraph 22 of Vatican II’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes (“Joy and Hope”; Dec. 7, 1965) puts it this way: “The truth is that only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light.  For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come, namely Christ the Lord.  Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.  It is not surprising, then, that in Him all the aforementioned truths find their root and attain their crown.”

    It is good to reflect on these words … and not just during the Christmas Season.  “Only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light” and “Christ … fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.”  Christ calls us to follow Him and He shows us what it means to be fully human, because He took on our human nature.  And He took on that nature in order to redeem us … in order to suffer and die for us, in obedience to His Father.

    If we really want to follow Him, we must first die to ourselves, to selfishness, and to sin, and then we must live in Him.  Actually, we must let Him live in us.  As part of the Mystical Body of Christ (He being the Head of the Church, and we the members), we are His hands, His feet, His voice in the world … we make Him present in the world … He lives in us.  We are all members of His Mystical Body, and as such, we should reflect on who we are, and the dignity of our body and our nature and our calling to make Him present in the world.

    At the Apostolic Commitment Service at the end of the Three Day Weekend, each candidate signs the little red service sheet, which includes the following commitment: “Lord, Jesus Christ!  I, (your name), from this day on, a conscious and growing member of Your Mystical Body, in union with all apostolic Christians of Your Church, with the help of Your grace, will contribute my idealism, my self-surrender, my spirit of charity, to make Your Kingdom more effective in me, and in all those I come in contact with.”

    And when we reflect on the commitment we made as our Fourth Day began in the light of the mystery of the Incarnation, we should be fully conscious of who we are as members of the Mystical Body of Christ.  We are called to be growing members, fully aware at all times that growth is only possible with His grace.  And growing in response to His grace is only possible to the extent that we are united to Him … and being united to Him means that we are united to all other Christians … and that together, we all make up the Mystical Body of Christ.

    And just as Jesus, the Word of God, humbled Himself in the Incarnation … just as He surrendered Himself and His Will to the Will of His Heavenly Father in becoming a man, suffering and dying … even death on a cross … even as He loved us unto death … so too are we called to follow Him … to contribute our idealism, our self-surrender, and our spirit of charity to Him and to His Mystical Body in order to make His Kingdom and Him more effective in us and in all those with whom  we come in contact in our daily lives.

    As we celebrate the Incarnation, we reflect on His call to us as cursillistas to count on Him … on His grace given to us to do His work … on His grace animating our flesh to bring His message to the world.  Christ is counting on us, and we must count on Him!!

                                                                                                              De Colores!!              Fr. Mark Seiker
 

(Insert #1)
 
 

Name: ________________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: _________________________________________________________

Phone:                                         Email: ______________________________________

Where and when did you make your Cursillo? ______________________________________________________

Are you able to receive the Sacraments of Confession & Holy Communion?    Yes     No

To which Organizations do you commit your time? __________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

Are you living the follow-up program of Group Reunion?    Yes     No

Are you living the follow-up program of Ultreya?    Yes     No

Do you have any physical/medical/dietary conditions to be considered? __________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
 

Please Return this Form WITH PAYMENT To:
Jon Junkin, 7820 Sandalwood Dr, Lincoln, NE 68510                   BY JAN 11, 2006
 

SOL is the working arm of Cursillo … May God us your time/talent/treasure in SOL to do the work of Cursillo ... build community with other cursillistas ... spend time in prayer and meditation with the Blessed Sacrament.  SOL is for ALL cursillistas ... men and women, couples, singles, priests and religious.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13th (Retreat Phase ... preparation for Saturday's SOL)
        7:30pm ---      Registration (NO Meal Friday evening)
        7:45pm ---      Mass
        8:30pm ---      Meditation, confessions, quiet time

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14th (School of Leaders Agenda)
        7:00am ---      Morning prayer and Mass, followed by breakfast
        8:30am - 3:30pm Group Reunion, Intro, 2-3 Sessions and Lunch
        3:30pm ---     Clean up and Depart (Supper not provided)

Please bring the following with you to the SOL:

• Pilgrim’s Guide
• If you have the following:
• Leader’s Manual (please begin praying the Leader’s Prayer on page 57)
• Technique Talks will come from the Fundamentals of Christianity (the book, by Fr. Frank Salmani, is available for $10.00 at SOL)
• Doctrinal Talks will come from the Vatican II Document Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes ("Joy and Hope"); Dec. 7, 1965)
• "Classic” Cursillo accommodations will be available ... no showers
• Advance registrations are requested; it is fine to attend Saturday only (SOL) or Friday only (Retreat Phase)
• Suggested donation (if you are able) for the weekend is $15.00 per person.  Please make check payable to “Cursillo of Lincoln” and mail with the Registration Form.
• Please keep this half of the flyer for future reference.

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