Calendar of Events
June 29, 2003                 Grand Ultreya, Camp Kateri Tekakwitha (near McCool Junction)
July 7, 2003 (Mon)         Secretariat Meeting 6:30pm, St. Joseph Church (York)
July 17-20, 2003            Cursillo National Encounter, Xavier Univ., Cincinnati, OH (see Natl webpage)
July 25-26, 2003            School of Leaders (quarterly reunion) – 7:30pm Fri - 4pm Sat, St. Mary, Ashland
Aug 9, 2003                   Secretariat Meeting 10:00am, Cristo Rey (Lincoln) 4221 J St ... enter south door
Aug 22-23, 2003            Practice Weekend, St. Mary School, David City, NE
Sept 4-7, 2003               Men’s Weekend, St. Mary School, David City, NE
Sept 18-21, 2003           Women’s Weekend, St. Mary School, David City, NE
Sept 26-28, 2003           Fall Regional Encounter, River Falls, WI (see enclosed application)
Feb 12-15, 2004            Men’s Weekend,  Location to be announced
Feb 19-22, 2004            Women’s Weekend,  Location to be announced

News From Secretariat ...

• Grand Ultreya ... June 29th!! See insert.

• Lincoln Diocese to Host Victor Lugo ... At the Spring Regional Encounter in Wichita, KS, Victor Lugo (National English-speaking Coordinator) offered to come to our Grand Ultreya on June 29th.  When his offer was posed to the Secretariat, there were no objections to inviting Victor, and some individual cursillistas offered to cover his travel expenses.  Victor will give a 30-45 minute talk / witness on progressive conversion and the fact that conversion is a 24/7 endeavor; he will also share his experience of listening to Eduardo Bonnin (the founder of the Cursillo Movement) explain the charism of the Cursillo Movement.

• School of Leaders (SOL) ... The next quarterly SOL is scheduled for July 25-26, 2003 at St. Mary Parish, Ashland, NE.  Is our Lord calling you to be more involved in Cursillo?  Even if you have never attended a SOL before, please consider attending in July.  The School is for all cursillistas ... men and women, couples, singles, priests and religious.  Come participate in the work of Cursillo ... build community with other cursillistas ... spend time in prayer and meditation with the Blessed Sacrament.  The day long School will be preceded by an evening of reflection / recollection open to all cursillistas.  You may attend either (the Friday evening reflection / recollection or the Saturday all-day School of Leaders) or both.  Please refer to registration form, which includes a letter of invitation / explanation on the back.
• September Cursillo Weekends ... The next Three Day Weekends are: Sept. 4-7, 2003 (Men’s) and Sept. 18-21, 2003 (Women’s), at St. Mary School, David City.  The coordinators are John Springer and Kathy Springer.
• Revised Applications ... The Secretariat is planning a detailed review of the Lincoln Diocese Cursillo Application Form (white page) to see how it compares with the revised National application that was recently released; we will make adjustments as needed.  Until then, we will continue using our current applications (with one minor revision) – the application now includes Bishop Bruskewitz’s "new" comments about Cursillo, taken from his Easter Pastoral Bulletin (sent to all priests in the Diocese in April 2003).  Bishop Bruskewitz’s comments were moved to the front of the goldenrod page (from the back of the white page).

• Precursillo ... The Secretariat encourages you to continue working in the Precursillo ... praying ... studying your environments ... making a friend, being a friend, preparing that friend to meet Christ.  Tom Schik has an excellent article on Precursillo included in this newsletter.
•    Upcoming weekends are listed in this newsletter.  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.  The Secretariat stresses that it continues to be 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.

    ALL cursillistas are encouraged to review the Precursillo Guidelines on the back of the blue Sponsor Sheet included with the application (which is inserted in this newsletter). Of particular importance:
 
• A sponsor should ALWAYS confer with a prospective candidate’s pastor PRIOR TO inviting the person to make a weekend.  This is important because the pastor might know of some reason that a person should not make a weekend, and once an invitation has been extended, it is very awkward to un-invite the person.
• Pay careful attention to the questions on the sponsor form that relate to you, the sponsor (#4, #5, #7, and #8) ... formation.
• Before you sign the Sponsor Sheet, make sure you know what you are committing yourself to as a sponsor.

• Spanish Cursillo in the Lincoln Diocese ...

    Bianney Ruiz (working with Trini Salazar) held a meeting on June 1 at Cristo Rey Church in Lincoln to begin laying the groundwork for rejuvenating Spanish Cursillo in the Lincoln Diocese.  The intent is to start with Group Reunions and later begin holding regular Ultreyas.  After a Spanish SOL is formed and functioning, the Lincoln Diocese would like to begin having Spanish Cursillo weekends, as Bishop Bruskewitz requested.  Once things are organized in Lincoln, we will begin similar work in other Ultreya centers that have a substantial Hispanic population.
    If you are interested in being involved in a Group Reunion (small friendship group), please contact Bianney Ruiz (bianneyr@hotmail.com;  327-8077) or meet at 207 West “E” St on Monday evenings at 6:30pm.

• FLAME Article on Cursillo ... The last issue of the FLAME (Following the Lord’s Apostolic Mandate to Evangelize) Newsletter included the second in a series of articles about Cursillo.  It focused on the 4th Day and talked about Group Reunion and Ultreya.  The newsletter also included the dates for the next two sets of Cursillo Weekends.

• Annual Policy Review ... In accordance with Regional and National policy, the Secretariat also reviewed the “National Policy for Cursillo Movements in the United States" (Diocesan Secretariats are supposed to review the Policy on an annual basis).  It was observed that we have made considerable progress in complying with the provisions in the Policy, but growth is still needed.

• Secretariat Opening ... Chris Meysenburg (Secretariat Secretary) indicated at the May Secretariat meeting that she wished to resign her position on the Secretariat because of other commitments.  She wishes to remain active in Cursillo, but is not able at this time to make the commitment required to serve on Secretariat (SOL, etc.).  Because voting members of the Secretariat are elected and not specific to a particular Ultreya Center, the Secretariat needed to be notified of the intent to resign and begin thinking about replacements … at large.  In the past, the Lincoln Diocese Secretariat has expressed a desire to have Secretariat representation from each Ultreya Center.  Therefore, several cursillistas from the David City area were suggested as possible persons to consider for the position of Secretary, and the Secretariat agreed to follow up with these suggestions, while also considering other suggestions / nominations.  It is anticipated that the election of the new Secretary would occur as part of the August Secretariat meeting.

• Contributions to Cursillo ... Thank you to those who made contributions to help defray the cost of printing and mailing the bi-monthly newsletter.  Contributions toward the work of the Lord through Cursillo are always welcome, since income for our Diocesan Cursillo Movement comes mainly from fees for weekends, and that barely covers the cost of the weekends.  If you are able to make a contribution, we are again enclosing 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.

From the Lay Director ... Today is the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, who (as stated in the June edition of Magnificat) “is the prophet of hope.  He was born, lived, and died to prepare the way for the good news whose fulfillment he himself would not see.”  St. John’s entire life (from before birth, when he leapt for joy in Elizabeth’s womb, until his martyrdom for the sake of the Truth) was spent pointing toward Christ.  He clearly understood his role:  “He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).
    Our entire lives, too, should be spent pointing others to Christ … Cursillo’s emphasis on (and our faithfulness to) growth through Holiness, Formation and Evangelization will help us achieve that ideal.  Others should look at the way we live our lives and see that our entire focus is on Christ, no matter what vocation He has called us to … the focus should be on being an image of Christ in the world … in our environments.  Our lives pointing to Christ should be so noticeable that others will follow our eyes to see Who it is that we keep focused on … and that should lead them directly to Him.  Yes, I, too must decrease so that Christ in me … and then in the world … might increase.
    St. John the Baptist never saw the fruits of his work … his sacrifice … just as we may never see the fruits of the Palanca that we offer.  But that’s the beauty of the gift … we give to Christ that which He asks, not that which we ourselves would choose to give … He must increase; I must decrease … and Palanca is a beautiful means of working toward that goal (I’m pretty sure it is a lifetime goal … that I will never decrease as much as I should … but, with His grace, I continue to try …).  Frequent reception of the sacraments, too, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, help me be clearer in pointing the way to Christ …  and when my arm tires from pointing and I begin to lower it (thus being less clear in my pointing to Him), the sacraments give me the graces to persevere … first to renew my resolve to follow Him, and then to get that arm back up and encourage others to seek Him as well …
    As so beautifully prayed in the alternate opening prayer for Mass on this feast, “the voice of John the Baptist challenges us to repentance and points the way to Christ the Lord.  Open our ears to His message, and free our hearts to turn from our sins and receive the life of the Gospel.”  And the Canticle of Zechariah says: “You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way, to give His people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.  In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”  These messages are for me personally … I, too, must go before the Lord and prepare His way … give His people knowledge of salvation … I need to help guide others into the way of peace …  And my ongoing conversion … my growing in a life of Holiness, Formation and Evangelization … will hopefully help me to answer that call.
    Please pray for the teams and candidates for the upcoming September Weekends … may we support one another as we try to live the Gospel message … decreasing … preparing the way of the Lord … pointing to Christ … loving one another as He loved us …   I am thankful for the example of St. John the Baptist and all the other saints who help point me to Christ …  I pray that I might do likewise …
De Colores! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathy Springer, Lay Director
 

From the Spiritual Advisor ... As I write these words, we have just celebrated the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.  During the Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass, the priest calls down the Holy Spirit two different times.  Just before the words of consecration, as he holds his hands over the host and the chalice, the priest prays:  "... Father, we bring You these gifts.  We ask You to make them holy by the power of Your Spirit, that they may become the Body and Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at Whose command we celebrate this Eucharist."  After the consecration, the priest prays:  "Grant that we who are nourished by His Body and Blood, may be filled with His Holy Spirit, and become one body, one spirit in Christ."  The priest who taught us the course on the Eucharist in the seminary posed the following question to us:  "Which do you suppose is more difficult for the Holy Spirit -- to change bread and wine into Jesus' Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, or to change us into the Mystical Body of Christ?"  He paused giving us a chance to think, and then he continued:  "The bread and wine don't fight back ... sometimes we do!"
    In the Eucharist, Jesus gives us His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity as food for our journey and His presence among us.  As we are united to Jesus in Holy Communion, so we are also united to each other in the Mystical Body of Christ.  When we think of the Eucharist, sometimes we only think of the "Body of Christ".  We need to remember that we form the "Mystical Body of Christ" when we are united with each other and with Christ.  Yet we often struggle with comparing ourselves to each other and we don't let the Holy Spirit work in and through us and change us into the part of the Mystical Body of Christ that He wants us to be.  We need to be more like the bread and wine ... more receptive to the working of the Holy Spirit and not fight back!
    As cursillistas, we need to come close to our Lord in the Holy Eucharist ... often.  We need to be united to Him in the prayer of the Mass, in receiving Him in Holy Communion, and in our prayer in His Eucharistic Presence.  The more that we are united with Him, the closer we will be united to each other.  It seems to me that the three legs of the tripod of the Cursillo Movement (Holiness, Formation, and Evangelization) are very closely connected to the Eucharist.  We must grow in holiness by being near the One Who is holy.  We must be formed more and more into His image and likeness through prayer and the Sacraments.  Then we must preach the Gospel with our lives as well as with our words.
    Each week at our Group Reunion, we review how we have lived our lives in the areas of Holiness, Formation, and Evangelization.  Each week we make plans so that we might grow in holiness, be continually formed into Christ, and proclaim Christ to the world.  In our Group Reunions, we are sharing our faith lives with those in our Friendship Group and with the Lord Who is in our midst.  As we must be united to Christ the Vine through the Church and the Sacraments, so we must also be united to other cursillistas and the Cursillo Movement if we are to produce good fruit.  Remember Christ is counting on you!
De Colores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Father Mark Seiker

Precursillo ... As I make myself comfortable in front of my computer to compose an article on Precursillo, I am challenged by the task of how to communicate our responsibilities as cursillistas in this very important work of our faith.  How do I communicate in a few short paragraphs the work of leavening of our environments with the Gospel through Cursillo?  It seems like a daunting task that has no easy beginning point ... but then, I often make tasks more difficult than they need to be.
    I think the difficulty with trying to describe Precursillo is that there really is no beginning point. Our responsibility as Fourth Dayers in the Cursillo Movement is to share our love for Christ with everyone ... every day ... in every environment that we are involved in (work, home, Church, school, social circles, etc.) ... the Postcursillo.  Specifically in the Precursillo, we must be preparing people and leading people to become active in living their faith, not as a separate activity, but as a way of living our daily Fourth Day.  Authentically living the Postcursillo ... the Fourth Day ... is a prerequisite to effectively doing the work of Precursillo ... it is hard to tell where one leaves off and the other begins ... a circle.
    Why then do we wait until the last minute before a Three Day Cursillo Weekend to invite our friends?  If we are living the Cursillo Method, we should daily be making a friend, being a friend and bringing our friend to Christ.  This is the Precursillo: DAILY preparing people, our friends, to live a life IN Christ, THROUGH Christ, and FOR Christ using the Cursillo Method.
    Please pray daily for the success of the Cursillo Movement in our Diocese.  Pray daily for your friends that they may be open to the call of the Holy Spirit to grow in faith through Cursillo.  Please pray for the success of the September and February weekends and begin TODAY to prepare and invite your friends to receive the gift of Cursillo in their lives.  A revised application (with Bishop Bruskewitz’s current endorsement of Cursillo) is included with this newsletter ... use it ...

De Colores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Schik

(Insert)

Please take a moment now to mark your busy calendar for the Grand Ultreya, coming up June 29th!  Don’t miss this chance to have some family fun, reunite with cursillistas old and new, AND meet the National English Speaking Cursillo Coordinator, Victor Lugo!  Victor is joining us from the larger Cursillo community, following a recent visit to the island of Mallorca, where Cursillo began.  He will share his experience of listening to Eduardo Bonnin (the founder of the Cursillo Movement) explain the charism of the Cursillo Movement.

Camp Kateri - just a few miles south of the interstate at the York (Hwy 81) exit (see map on back)

Here are the planned portions of the day, but there will be lots of time for impromptu fun!

10:00AM         Begin Eucharistic fast

10:30AM         Arrive and stake out your picnic table or bring a blanket and lawn chairs (for Mass too)

11:00AM         Mass with Father Mark Seiker, Region VI and Lincoln Diocese Spiritual Advisor

12:00PM         Picnic - bring food for your family - there are a few grills, but you will need to bring your own
                        charcoal and lighter fluid (the Ultreya Representatives are bringing drinks)

12:30PM         Comments / witness by National English Speaking Cursillo Coordinator - Victor Lugo
                       Cursillistas: Ultreya Small Group Sharing and Witness
                       Activities for the kids:  crafts, games, movies

  2:00PM         Games for everyone!  Water balloon toss, badminton, volleyball, softball, chess, cards,
                        or whatever you bring to play with!

  4:00PM         Time to call it a day - and what a day it will be!   DON’T MISS IT!

Checklist to bring:
Food for your family (**Ultreya Center Representatives: 5 gallons of drink from each Ultreya Center)
No alcoholic beverages
Lawn chairs
Softball gloves, bats, frisbees, whatever you like to play outdoors
Charcoal and lighter fluid
Insect repellent
Sunscreen / hats

Ain’t it Grand ... Grand Ultreya ... Ultreya is about building community ... Be a part of it!