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May
2003
Calendar
of Events
May 31, 2003
Secretariat Meeting 10:00am, Cristo Rey (Lincoln) 4221 J St ... enter south
door
June 29, 2003
Grand Ultreya, Camp Kateri Tekakwitha (near McCool Junction)
July 17-20, 2003
Cursillo National Encounter, Xavier Univ., Cincinnati, OH
July 25-26, 2003 (Tentative) School
of Leaders (quarterly reunion) – 7:30pm Fri - 4pm Sat, Location TBA
Sept 4-7, 2003
Men’s Weekend, Location to be announced
Sept 18-21, 2003
Women’s Weekend, Location to be announced
Feb 12-15, 2004
Men’s Weekend, Location to be announced
Feb 19-22, 2004
Women’s Weekend, Location to be announced
From the Lay Director ...
For some time now, I have been mulling over what
it is I might say. I’ve had lots and lots of thoughts ... the
opportunities afforded us in the Lenten journey/pilgrimage ... the wonder
of the Paschal Mystery that we celebrated so beautifully in the Easter
Triduum ... His great mercy poured out to us every minute of every day,
but especially emphasized on Mercy Sunday (and yes, Jesus, I do trust in
You) ... and a reminder, too, that we need to be merciful to one another
... and so much more.
However, I just returned a few hours ago from the
Region VI Cursillo meeting in Wichita, and it is another topic that comes
to mind ... the “feast of friendship.” I stayed up into the wee hours
of this morning, first praying in the Chapel with two very dear friends
(I should say three very dear friends ... my youngest daughter often reminds
me that Jesus is my very best Friend), and later talking/sharing/laughing
(there was a lot of laughing) about the beauty/mystery with which God works
in our lives ... and that is the very heart and soul of Cursillo.
There is a book entitled, “The Feast of Friendship”
that speaks of the blessings of spiritual companionship ... our friends
being one of “the pathways that link the kingdom of heaven to this earth.”
Isn’t that a beautiful thought? Our friends ... those that our Lord
puts in our lives to help us along the way in both good times and bad ...
being a link between heaven and earth. I would say that is true of
the two persons I spoke of earlier ... thank You, God, for the blessing
of those friendships!
Friendships ... Two of Cursillo’s most valuable
tools are the friendship groups and Ultreya (a whole community of friendship
groups ... friends ... well over 100 at the Regional meeting ...
both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking). And even though there
were many at the Ultreya that I had never met before and/or did not know,
all of us had shared a common, lived experience (the Three Day Weekend)
and we were all there because of love for our Lord and our desire to be
sent out as disciples to build His kingdom. We all knew the Cursillo
Method to be a tried and true means of bringing others to know Him ...
love Him ... and serve Him ... and we all had a deep desire to spend eternity
with Him ... it truly felt like the “feast of friendship” ... These
were fellow pilgrims on the path of life eternal ... true companions stumbling
along the road of life. Those who were down were lifted up ... the
faint of heart were encouraged ... those with noble aspirations were cheered
on ... those who had become complacent were challenged ... those in sorrow
were comforted ... those needing reproof/correction were lovingly redirected
... Ah yes, the “feast of friendship” ...
Because we allow true friends access to the intimate
spaces of our hearts, we place them in a position to deeply affect us.
We should pray that our friends daily work to change themselves in holiness,
formation and evangelization ... But FIRST, we should look inside ourselves
... what kind of friend am I? How am I daily striving
to change myself? (What helped me
in my spiritual GROWTH this week ... change ...?
What helped CHANGE my mentality to be more Christian
... change ...? What did I accomplish to bring about
CHANGE in my environments ... change?). Then
consider ... Am I a link between heaven and earth for my friends?
Am I taking part in the “feast of friendship”? I’m pretty sure
it’s a potluck ... and we all have gifts to offer in friendship ... discover
and offer yours ... He saved you a place ...
De Colores!
Kathy Springer, Lay Director
From the Spiritual Advisor ...
“He is Risen, Alleluia!” We are in the Easter
Season and the Scripture readings at Mass describe our Lord’s resurrection
and especially His appearances. Recently I heard a Priest explain
that Jesus appeared to those who did not believe:
-
He appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other women, who went to the tomb
looking for a corpse to anoint.
-
Peter and John went to the tomb to look for the missing body.
-
Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They had
given up hoping that Jesus was the Messiah and were going home.
-
Thomas doubted the Resurrection and wanted to put his finger into the nailmarks
and his hand into His side.
The early Christians were slow to believe, but after
they were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they went out to announce
the Gospel (the “Good News”) to the world. Compare that with the
chief priests of the Jews and the guards who publicized the story that
“His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.”
Here are two groups of persons, the early Christians (who at first struggled
to believe) and the leaders of the Jews who made up a story that some still
circulate to this day. The Christians preferred to die rather than
to change the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Just as the Apostles needed to spend time together
talking about what had happened and even being together as they waited
for the Holy Spirit to come, so too, we need to spend time together and
to be strengthened in our relationships with each other and the Lord.
The Lord needs us to be a community as He needed them to be a community.
Just as they needed to be formed, so too, we need to be formed. Their
formation extended beyond the three years that they spent with Jesus ...
beyond the forty days that they spent with the Risen Lord ... beyond the
coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost ... ongoing formation. They
were continually formed as a community at prayer, at work, in their environments
... even until their death.
So too, we must be formed as cursillistas in our
4th Day ... the day that we are “sent forth” into the world. But
we are not sent forth alone. We must remember the importance of community
and formation ... in the School of Leaders ... and especially at Ultreya.
The Apostles were open to continual formation (individually and as a community)
– we would do well to imitate their openness to ongoing formation.
De Colores!
Father Mark Seiker
Regional Meeting ...
The Spring Region VI Cursillo Meeting was held in
Wichita, KS, on April 25-27, with 101 cursillistas in attendance representing
13 dioceses from 8 states; 7 cursillistas from the Lincoln Diocese participated.
The main topic for the weekend was Commitment. The presentations
were very good and the discussions that followed were very helpful.
One of the highlights was having Victor Lugo, the National English
Coordinator, present for the weekend. This past year Victor spent
a week with Eduardo Bonnin, the founder of the Cursillo Movement.
It was interesting to listen to Victor explain how the Holy Spirit inspired
Eduardo in piecing together the theology/spirituality of Cursillo … St.
Teresa of Avila … St. John of the Cross … and many others. Victor
said that Eduardo stressed that we need to remain authentic to what was
given and that to help us do so, Eduardo is in the process of writing a
book about how Cursillo was given to us so that everyone might better understand
its roots. Hopefully it’ll be published soon.
Postcursillo Ponderings ...
Post Three Day Cursillo Reunion
A reunion – consisting of candidates, spouses, sponsors
and team – is held a few weeks following the Three Day Cursillo Weekend(s).
The Coordinators for the Men's and Women's Weekends each select a new cursillista
to witness how the Lord has called him / her to growth through Cursillo.
The purpose of this reunion is twofold: first, for
the “table families” to be reunited (after the weekend, family members
sometimes lose touch with one another); and second, as a reminder of the
importance of Group Reunion and Ultreya. Because the Reunion begins
with small group sharing followed by a witness (just as in a regular monthly
Ultreya or the Ultreyas experienced on Friday and Saturday during the Weekend),
this Reunion provides another experience of Ultreya. The Post Three
Day Cursillo Reunion may be the first opportunity the new cursillistas
have to take an active part in the Postcursillo.
The sponsors and team are one means of helping the
candidates succeed in evangelization of their environments. That
is what the Fourth Day is all about! Just think, when you sponsor
a candidate or are on the team, a few weeks after the weekend you will
have the opportunity to meet again to see how our Lord is working in and
through you ... to reminisce ... to laugh, cry, hug, remembering how much
our Lord loves you ... to reflect His love to others.
De Colores!
Mary Lou Salazar, Coordinator for the Post Three Day Cursillo Reunion
News From Secretariat ...
The Secretariat invites you to:
-
Attend the Grand Ultreya June 29th!! See insert
-
Be working in the Precursillo ... praying ... studying your environments
... making a friend, being a friend, preparing that friend to meet Christ.
Upcoming weekends are listed on the opposite page. Please prepare
candidates early. The earlier candidates are prepared and invited,
the earlier the applications can be completed … the earlier the applications
are received, the better we can get the names of the candidates out to
the 4th Day community so Palanca letters can be written to be sent home
with the candidates in their packets. It is still important for the
candidates to have personal Palanca letters to take home with them when
they leave the Weekend and begin living their 4th Day.
-
Become familiar with the Lincoln Diocese's Cursillo Pastoral Plan, which
is a working document (a "blueprint") for where we are have been and where
are going. We continue to work on updating the current pastoral plan,
having begun with suggestions from participants at the March quarterly
School of Leaders, where we reviewed four parts of the pastoral plan.
-
Consider making a contribution to Cursillo to help defray the cost of printing
and mailing the bi-monthly newsletter. Just as parishes request that
parishioners make a contribution to the Southern Nebraska Register, so
we ask that you consider making a contribution to the Cursillo newsletter
if you are able. Really, the only income for our Diocesan Cursillo
Movement is that which comes from the Three Day Weekend fee, and that barely
covers the cost of the weekends. Contributions toward the work of
the Lord through Cursillo are always welcome. Enclosed is an envelope
addressed to Bob Rice, our Cursillo Treasurer. You may mail your
contribution to Bob at any time, or give it to your Ultreya Center Representative
when you next attend Ultreya.
-
("You" here means "Ultreya Centers") -- Keep each other informed of happenings
in your area:
-
The Lincoln Ultreya Center would like to invite everyone to its May Ultreya,
which is to be a picnic, and will be held Thursday evening, May 15th, at
7:00pm at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ. Please come if you are
able.
-
The Beatrice / Crete Ultreya Center would like to invite you to their upcoming
Ultreyas (schedules were adjusted due to Mercy Sunday and the Regional
Meeting) --Sunday, May 4, 5:00pm in Beatrice (St. Joseph Parish Center)
and Sunday, June 1, 5:00pm in Crete (St. James Hall across the alley from
the Church).
-
Pray about where God is calling you to be involved in Cursillo. Some
possibilities are:
-
Serving on the Secretariat
-
Being involved in School of Leaders (where community is formed and the
work of Cursillo is done ... learn how to better live your 4th Day)
-
Offering holy hours on behalf of the Cursillo Movement and during Cursillo
Weekends
-
Working on the Palanca Team on a Weekend
-
Helping with music at Cursillo gatherings
-
Helping with the clean up after Cursillo gatherings
-
Helping with expenses (newsletters, supplies, food, etc)
-
Providing food for Cursillo gatherings (snacks, grocery items, etc)
-
Helping in Precursillo and Postcursillo ... there is much work to be done
... how can you help?
-
(from the Secretariat archives ...) Consider posting and praying
for the daily intentions listed on the enclosed Regional / Diocesan Palanca
Calendar. Please remember that Cursillo is bigger than our Friendship
Groups or Ultreya Centers or Diocese ... it’s Christians around the world
offering Palanca for each other. Note the suggestion on the Calendar
that cursillistas in our Diocese pray a Rosary each Thursday for Three
Day Weekends that will begin that day throughout the world ...that’s one
suggestion for general Palanca from our Diocese. Cursillistas are always
invited to offer whatever Palanca God leads them to ... for Weekends and
other intentions.
(Insert)
Ain't Life Grand?!?!?!?!
Plan on coming to the June Grand Ultreya for the Lincoln Diocese!
It is a great chance for all cursillistas across our great Diocese to get
together along with our families and celebrate this grand old life.
-
June 29, 2003
-
Camp Kateri - just a few miles south of the Interstate at the York exit
(see map on back)
-
Bring your own picnic food (we'll supply the dishes, silverware and napkins)
-
No alcoholic beverages, please
-
Bring softball equipment if you have it; there will also be a volleyball
net; and you may bring other games if you desire
-
Picnic essentials - bring lawn chairs, sunscreen, hats, bug juice (we'll
supply the bugs)
-
Bring your own charcoal and lighter fluid
-
If you play a guitar or another instrument, please bring it
Schedule for the Day
Arrive between 10:00 - 11:00am to be ready for Mass at 11:00am
(Shorts are fine, but not too short please. Please dress respectfully
for Mass.)
11:00am
- Mass for everyone
12:00pm (Noon) - Picnic - cold food or hot (a
few grills available - reminder, bring your own charcoal; or bring a hibachi)
1:00pm
- Games for the youth; Group Reunion for cursillistas (bring your
reunion sheet if you have one)
2:00 - 4:00pm - Games
or singing for everyone (if you don't like sports or singing, bring checkers!)
Pray for good weather (as the Lord wills it),
There are some buildings at the Camp, however,
so the Grand Ultreya will happen rain or shine!
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