Calendar of Events
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 application in July newsletter)
October 4, 2003           Secretariat Meeting 10:00am, St.  Mary School, David City
                                     Post Three Day Cursillo Weekend Reunion 1:00pm, St.  Mary, David City
October 10-11, 2003    School of Leaders (quarterly reunion) – 7:30pm Fri- 4pm Sat, St.  Joseph, Harvard
November 15, 2003     Secretariat Meeting 10:00am, Location to be announced
December 13, 2003     Secretariat Meeting 10:00am, 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
April 23-25, 2004        Spring Regional Encounter (Garden City, KS)
July 29 - Aug 1, 2004   Cursillo National Encounter, Seattle, WA

PRAYER/ADORATION HOURS for the David City Weekends (listed by Ultreya Centers)
Thursday, 7:00pm - Midnight . . . . . . . .Beatrice / Crete
Friday, Midnight - 5:00am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hastings
Friday, 5:00am - 10:00am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lincoln
Friday, 10:00am - 3:00pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McCook
Friday, 3:00pm - 8:00pm. . . . . . . . . .Plattsmouth/Offutt
Friday, 8:00pm - Saturday, 1:00am. . . . . . . . . . Wahoo
Saturday, 1:00am - 6:00am. . . . . . . . . .Beatrice / Crete
Saturday, 6:00am - 11:00am. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hastings
Saturday, 11:00am - 4:00pm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lincoln
Saturday, 4:00pm - 9:00pm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .McCook
Sat., 9:00pm - Sun., 2:00am. . . . . . . Plattsmouth/Offutt
Sunday, 2:00am - 7:00am. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wahoo
Sunday, 7:00am - 5:00pm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . David City

Reminders:

• Palanca Letters ... Personal Palanca letters from the sponsor and/or a relative should be clearly marked on the back side of the envelope in the lower right hand corner.  All personal and general Palanca letters (including posters) should be mailed to Kathy Springer, 1410 E 15th St, Crete, NE 68333 in time to arrive by the Wednesday prior to each Weekend (Sept. 3 for the Men’s; Sept. 17 for the Women’s); or you may mail them to St. Mary Church, 580 “I” St., David City, NE 68632, so they will arrive prior to the beginning of the Weekend.
• Time of Closing ... 5:00pm  Fourth Dayers are encouraged to begin gathering in the Church for a 4:15pm Fourth Day Mass.  After Mass, Fourth Dayers are encouraged to pray, plan for the serenade (which will be in the Church as the candidates enter for the closing), etc, prior to the arrival of the candidates at 5:00pm.
• Pizza following the Closing ... After the closing, the team will make a final chapel visit, while the candidates and Fourth Day community gather for pizza and fellowship.  A $5.00 donation will be requested as in the past.
• Sponsoring a Candidate (Precursillo) ... 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.  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.
• Before you sign the Sponsor Sheet, know what you are committing yourself to as a sponsor.

• Talk Team for Men's Weekend -- John Springer (Coordinator), Jon Junkin, Chuck Micek, Mark Pribyl, Bob Rice, Jeff Scaturro, Tom Schik, Bill Swanson, Fr. Jeremy Hazuka, Fr. Mark Seiker (Palanca Coordinator: Steve Mowers).
• Talk Team for Women's Weekend -- Kathy Springer (Coordinator), Carolyn Holmes, Marg Noecker, Bianey Ruiz, Pat Schied, Elaine Swanson, Kim Wilson, Fr. Mark Seiker, Fr. Maurice Current (Palanca Coordinator: Roddy Spangler).
• Candidates -- Please be praying for the candidates who will be living their Cursillo Weekends in David City (candidates as of the printing of newsletter):

Men: Benjamin Avila (Lincoln), John Bongers (David City), Matt Davis (Lincoln), Raymond Havlovic (David City), Ralph Hein (David City), Pat Gabel (Osceola), Delmar Forst (Crete), Fr. Charles Townsend (Mead), Jim Daro (Garrison ... David City Ultreya Center)
Women: Barbara Belsky (David City), Mary Davis (Lincoln), Raelyn Hagenow (Offutt), Orletha Havlovic (David City), Cheryl Hein (David City), Margaret L’Ecuyer (Beatrice), Karen Spurgeon (Offutt), Celia Sherman (Valparaiso)

Fall Regional Encounter ... The Fall Region VI Cursillo Encounter will be held in River Falls, WI (see application in July Newsletter) on Sept. 26-28, 2003.  River Falls is across the river from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis / St. Paul).

News From Secretariat ...

• School of Leaders (SOL) ... John Springer gave a report on the SOL held on July 25-26 at St. Mary Parish in Ashland.  The focus of this session was Commitment and Palanca.  There were 17 people participating and the sharing and discussion was lively and spirited.  Following the report, the Secretariat discussed whether or not the SOL should remain quarterly in its current format (i.e., Friday night retreat phase with Saturday sessions of the SOL), or possibly change to begin with one session of the SOL on Friday evening with the other two on Saturday (thus concluding earlier in the day on Saturday).  Those commenting thought the current format was preferable, as it allows those attending SOL to spend Friday evening “pulling away” from the distractions of the world in order to be in a better frame of mind to make the Saturday discussions more fruitful.

     When the Secretariat discussed proposed/tentative dates for Cursillo activities for the upcoming year, it was decided that the next School of Leaders (SOL) will be October 10-11, 2003, at St. Joseph Hall, Harvard, NE.  It was reiterated that the purpose of moving the SOL to various parts of the Diocese is to allow all cursillistas an opportunity to participate, sometimes requiring less travel (when the location is near) and sometimes more (when the location is farther away).  The Secretariat also discussed having a permanent location for the SOL (e.g., Shelby).
• By-Laws ... The By-Laws were discussed briefly and will be discussed in more detail at the October Secretariat meeting.
• Planning Ahead -- A Year at a Glance ... A tentative/proposed schedule of Cursillo activities for the Lincoln Diocese was presented for discussion.  The schedule included activities scheduled from the present through August 2004, and included upcoming Cursillo Weekends, Regional and National Encounters, SOL, etc.  The tentative/proposed schedule is an attempt to provide cursillistas with enough notice to allow them to adjust their schedules to participate in Cursillo to the fullest extent possible.

2003
•  August 9
•  October 4 (meeting followed by Reunion for September Weekends)
•  November 15
•  December 13
2004
•  January 16-17 (or switch with SOL … see below)
•  March 13 (Reunion for Feb. Weekends follows)
•  April 17
•  June 12
•  August 14

2003
•  October 10-11
2004
•  Jan. 9-10 (or switch w/ 1/17 Secretariat Meeting)
•  April 2-3
•  July 9-10

2003
•  Sept. 4-7 -- Men’s Three-Day Weekend
•  Sept. 18-21 -- Women’s Three-Day Weekend
2004
•  February 6-7 -- Practice for February Weekends
•  February 12-15 -- Men’s Three-Day Weekend
•  February 19-22 -- Women’s Three-Day Weekend

2003
•  September 26-28 -- Fall Regional Encounter
2004
•  April 23-25 -- Spring Regional Encounter
•  July 29 - August 1 -- National Encounter

• Postcursillo:
• Grand Ultreya ... Joan Junkin provided the following report to the Secretariat regarding the Grand Ultreya held at Camp Kateri Tekakwitha in June 2003:

    What a GRAND experience it was!  What a wonderful day God provided for us in the midst of some very hot weather - it was gorgeous. Just being there in fellowship with cursillistas from across the state, having Mass in a "barn" with the crickets singing His praise, and the witnesses! Marcia (one of the cursillistas new to our Diocese) gave a beautiful witness about her faith journey/growth and the treasures she received along the way.
    Victor Lugo (the National English-speaking Coordinator for Cursillo) gave a moving witness about how we can get caught up in making things more complicated than we have to. He indicated that we can start counting how many Rosaries or prayers or Masses we have to our "credit", but that numbers mean nothing - it is what is in our heart that counts. He spoke about how we have to constantly empty ourselves (using a glass of water to demonstrate) in order to be filled with Christ, so that it is Christ’s love (along with ours) that flows from us to others.  Victor’s sincerity and total passion for Christ were evident in his words and in his eyes.  His experience of spending time with the founder of the Cursillo Movement (Eduardo Bonnin) was life changing – it helped him to focus on the beauty and simplicity of the Movement as it was originally given to Eduardo, and to forget about the intricate details we sometimes get lost in.
    To sum up what I learned that beautiful day – I was reminded that I need to “Let go … let God”. Sometimes, we try way too hard to "MAKE" things work and worry about some detail that we think is THE most important, forgetting that the Lord can work through us, no matter what the details are … if we let Him. “Be still and know that HE is God!”  I'm going to try - but you all know how I want to make things better for everyone … make people happy.  Well, I know that having everyone happy is, first of all, impossible (because what pleases one person displeases another); and, second of all, GOD will do His saving work if we only let Him.  I have clung way too closely to material details … and after listening to Victor at the Grand Ultreya and then hearing Father Benedict Groeschel convey the same message on a recent retreat, it is clear to me that prayer and being open are all that is really required … the rest (thank GOD) is up to GOD! He is God and I am not!
Love you all!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Joan Junkin
 
• The National Encounter ... at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, was held July 17-20, 2003, with Fr. Seiker and John and Kathy Springer attending.  This year’s Encounter focused on the 10 topics presented at the 1st Conversations of Cala Figuera.  Cala Figuera is a town in the southeast part of the island of Mallorca off the coast of Spain, where in 1944, after years of study, formation, and preparation, the first-ever Cursillo de Cristiandad Weekends were held.  Fifty years later (1994), leaders of the Cursillo Movement from various parts of the globe, gathered in Mallorca to take part in the Anniversary celebration of that First Weekend.

    During the Anniversary celebration, a series of 10 topics were presented by and to the participants.  These 10 topics reflected the focus of study as the Cursillo Movement was being formed by the Holy Spirit.  Eduardo Bonnin had been intensely studying various attributes of humanity.  It was by means of this intense study, along with a thorough understanding of human nature and a deep knowledge of our Roman Catholic faith, that the Holy Spirit was able to guide him in bringing about such a wonderful instrument ... an instrument that would provide all people with the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of their faith, and the responsibilities associated with that faith .... the Cursillo Movement.
    The 10 topics that were presented in Mallorca (and also at the 13th National Encounter in Cincinnati) were:  (1) Person; (2) Freedom; (3) Love; (4) Friendship; (5) Conviction; (6) Sincerity; (7) Criterion; (8) Life; (9) Normality; and (10) Joy.  Those in attendance were reminded that National Encounters are open to all who are cursillistas … it doesn’t matter how involved a person is or isn’t, in the Cursillo Movement … it doesn’t matter if you attended a Cursillo Weekend within the last six months or you attended 20 years ago.  Because of the many wonderful people from varying cultures who gather to experience community, it is truly an encounter with the body of Christ.  The Encounter is a tremendous opportunity for all cursillistas to grow deeper in their spirituality as well as their understanding of themselves and the people with whom they come into contact with on a daily basis.
 
• Ongoing Palanca ... The Secretariat discussed the importance of Palanca, especially for its work and the work of the SOL.  The Secretariat and also the SOL should offer ongoing, regular Palanca for the work of Cursillo in our Diocese and they ask that all cursillistas do likewise.  Suggestions included offering a weekly Rosary or other prayers.  The Palanca could be offered any time during the week with the intention that there be a true openness to the work of the Holy Spirit through the Lincoln Diocese Secretariat and SOL, and that the work be carried out in accord with His leading and guidance.  This discussion will continue and input will be sought from both the Secretariat and SOL.
• Post Three Day Cursillo Weekend Reunion ... Mary Lou Salazar (as the Post Three Day Cursillo Weekend Reunion Coordinator) suggested having the location and date for the Reunion decided prior to the practice weekend to simplify the notification of all involved.  She further suggested that the Reunion be held in the same location as the Three Day Weekends, as the teams and candidates will feel even more like it is a Reunion.  The Reunion Checklist submitted by Joan Junkin and Mary Lou was reviewed and slightly modified.  It was also suggested that the Palanca Coordinators prepare the announcements for the packets during the practice weekend.

From the Lay Director ... With the September Weekends fast approaching and having just come from the practice weekend, I am reminded in a big way of the power of Palanca and the value of emptying self to make room for Him … “O Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Thine.”  Palanca is truly that emptying of self in offering Him our prayer and sacrifice to help build His Kingdom … in whatever way He asks.
    The Leaders’ Manual reminds us that “self-denial is part and parcel of the Christian life.  Any de-emphasis of it in the Movement would indicate a shift away from Christ-centeredness.  In the life of the Church, we are offered seasons such as Lent and Advent to bring us back to the proper spirit.  A better way would be to live in a spirit of Palanca each day.”  He offers us the ‘season of evangelization’ … the season of inviting others to know, love and serve Him … on a daily basis … the season that has no end … a beautiful season, with some days that are challenging (inclement) and others that are pure joy (sunny, bright days) … the season that offers us anew each day the opportunity to offer Palanca … to be “levers” … because “a lever allows a person to move things which are beyond normal strength, just as prayer and sacrifice allow an apostle to accomplish more than [he/she] otherwise would be capable of.”  And He has a much better understanding of that capability than we do … He knows how full the glass is … when He needs to stop pouring …  We often think we know where the fill line is … and even more often we tell Him when it’s time to stop …  But I’ve personally experienced my own misjudgment of what I believed I could handle/endure so many times that I’m more quick to surrender than I used to be …  I try very hard to live in a spirit of “perpetual Palanca” … offering … and some days I’m better at it than others …  But I believe He honors my desires and honest efforts to let Him work in/through me …  And on the days He overfills (from my perspective), it’s another opportunity He gives me to open my heart and will a little wider … and sometimes (most times) it hurts …
    At the July School of Leaders (SOL) in Ashland, one of the talks was on the topic of Palanca (that’s what largely sparked my thoughts … and I’ve thought about it a lot since the SOL).  The person giving that talk used the Leaders’ Manual to help guide the discussion … and I would like to comment on a couple of things that really struck me as I listened to her talk (actually, that’s one of the beauties of Cursillo … sometimes we hear/read things that we’ve heard/read before, but we hear/read them with new ears/eyes because we are in a new place in our pilgrimage … our walk with our Lord and with one another …).
    One thing that spoke to me was the richness that is contained in the Leaders’ Manual, and the source of growth that it can be for all of us as we live the Fourth Day.  As I learn more and more about the Cursillo Movement (through prayer and study … and through the larger Cursillo community itself … at Regional and National Encounters, but also within the various Ultreya Centers in our Diocese), I am awed at its depth.  As we understand more and more the roots of Cursillo and the unique charism it possesses to build His Kingdom, I thank God for His calling me to it … it continues to enrich my life on a daily basis, and hopefully, thus allows me to enrich those environments to which He calls me.
    A second thing that struck me was the end of the chapter on Palanca (Chapter 12).  It talked about the importance of integrating new cursillistas within the various local Cursillo environments of Group Reunion, Ultreya, and possibly SOL into the Cursillo community … a good reminder to the sponsors of the candidates living the September Weekends … but truly, a reminder to all of us.  The Leaders’ Manual stresses that all of this (the work of Cursillo in all its aspects of Precursillo, Three Days, and Postcursillo) will entail additional efforts by the leaders in these Cursillo environments from which the new Fourth Dayers come … and we are reminded that “all is done for the purpose of building up God’s Kingdom here on Earth.”  The leaders need the ongoing prayers, sacrifices, love, and support of the Cursillo community … the Secretariat needs them … the SOL needs them … I need them.  We … all of us … need Palanca for the efforts we are making on behalf of Christ for the Cursillo Movement …  There is much work to be done … and we need your Palanca … please …
    May our Lord bless all of your apostolic efforts … may they bear much fruit, whether or not you are ever allowed to know …  and as the Litany of Humility (of Cardinal Raphael Merry del Val) so beautifully implores at the end: “That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should … Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it …”
    De Colores! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Kathy Springer

From the Spiritual Advisor ... For the past three summers, I have attended the National Encounter.  Each year the Encounter has been a great opportunity for growth in piety (holiness), study (formation) and action (evangelization).  Time spent in prayer with other cursillistas from across the country and around the world has been some of my close moments with Christ.  The Encounters have provided new information and new experiences that have helped me better understand and live the Cursillo Method.  Study (formation) is an ongoing process and I am continually amazed at the different ways that Christ seeks to form me.  I have also been challenged by other cursillistas during the Encounters to make better plans for apostolic action (evangelization) for me personally as well as for our Diocese.  After all, it has been said that if you “fail to make a plan”, then you “plan to fail.”
    The Encounter this year was held in July in Cincinnati, and the presentations focused on the ten words that were the foundations of the first Cursillo held in 1944, in Mallorca, Spain.  One of the speakers talked about the words that the priest prays during the dismissal at the end of Mass ... in the old Latin Mass, “Ite, missa est.”  He said the translation is not “The Mass is ended”, but rather “Go, it is your mission!”  It is our mission ... but we are not sent forth alone.
    We must remember the importance of holiness, formation, and evangelization.  We come to the Mass to be close to the One Who is Holy, and so to grow in holiness.  We come as a community to be formed into the image and likeness of Christ -- through the Scriptures we hear proclaimed and through our reception of Holy Communion.  Then we are sent out: “Go, it is your mission!”  In all my years growing up as a Catholic, and even as a priest, I did not know until this summer that the words of the dismissal at Mass meant: “Go, it is your mission!”  Hmmm ... maybe we don’t fulfill our mission as Catholics / cursillistas very well because we don’t know that we have a mission.
    We heard on our Three Day Weekend that “Christ is counting on you!”  Do we know that He wants to work through us?  He is counting on us to continue His mission in the world.  What is our mission ... it is the mission of the Church ... to preach the Gospel, the “Good News” of Jesus Christ.  We preach the Gospel by living it in the actions of our daily lives, as well as by what we say in words.  If we keep the faith to ourselves, it is not the “good news”, but rather a “good secret”.  We must be involved in apostolic action ... it is our mission ... and Christ is counting on us!
    The Apostles were open to continual formation (individually and as a community) – we would do well to imitate their openness to ongoing formation.  They spent time with Jesus, and then they were sent out by Him to preach the Gospel, to baptize, and to cure the sick.  They brought others with them back to the Church, to worship at the Mass, to grow in holiness, to be formed in the image of Christ, to be formed with the message of the Gospel, and then to go out themselves and live the Gospel in apostolic action ... the mission of the Church.  As cursillistas, we must seek to continue to grow in holiness, formation, and evangelization ... through our regular weekly Group Reunion, at our monthly Ultreya, and also in the School of Leaders.  I pray that you will hear our Lord’s commission to you in the words of the dismissal at Mass ... “Go, it is your mission!”  I pray that each of us will fulfill our mission given to us by Christ at our Baptism ... that mission of which we were reminded at the closing of our Three Day Weekend ... Christ is counting on you!
De Colores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Father Mark Seiker
 

(Insert)
 
 

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:
John Springer, 1410 E 15th St, Crete, NE 68333   NO LATER THAN OCT. 8, 2003.
 

You are invited to the Quarterly Reunion of the School of Leaders.  Come participate in the work of Cursillo ... build community with other cursillistas ... spend time in prayer and meditation with the Blessed Sacrament.  The School is for all cursillistas ... men and women, couples, singles, priests and religious.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10TH (Retreat Phase)
        7:30pm ---      Registration (NO Meal Friday evening)
        7:45pm ---      Mass
        8:30pm ---      Meditation, confessions, quiet time

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11TH (School of Leaders Agenda)
        7:00am ---      Morning prayer and Mass, followed by breakfast
        8:30am - 4pm Group Reunion, Intro, 1st Session, Lunch, 2nd Session, 3rd Session
         4:00pm ---     Clean up and Depart (Supper not provided)
 

Please bring the following with you to the weekend:
    • Pilgrim’s Guide
    • If you have the following:
        • Leader’s Manual (please begin praying the Leader’s Prayer on page 57)
        • Lincoln Diocese Pastoral Plan for Cursillo (extra copies will be available)
        • The Fundamental Ideas of the Cursillo Movement
        • His Way
 
 

• “Classic” Cursillo accommodations will be available.
• Advance registrations are requested; it is fine to attend Saturday only or Friday only
• 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.
• Please bring a snack to share, if you like.