Calendar of Events
Nov. 6, 2002                  School of Leaders – 7:00pm , Good Counsel Retreat House, Waverly
Nov. 12, 2002                School of Leaders – 7:00pm, Catholic Social Services  515 W 3rd St., Hastings
Nov. 23, 2002                Secretariat Meeting 10:00am, Cristo Rey Parish, 4221 J St, Lincoln.
Dec. 4, 2002                  School of Leaders – 7:00pm, Good Counsel Retreat House, Waverly
Dec. 10, 2002                School of Leaders – 7:00pm, Catholic Social Services  515 W 3rd St., Hastings
Jan.  4, 2003                 Secretariat Meeting 1:00pm, St. Joseph School, Beatrice, NE
Jan. 9-12, 2003             Men’s Weekend, St. Joseph School, Beatrice, NE
Jan. 12, 2003                Closing for Men’s Weekend 5:00pm, at St. Joseph Church, Beatrice, NE
Jan. 16-19, 2003           Women’s Weekend, St. Joseph School, Beatrice, NE
Jan. 19, 2003                Closing for Women’s Weekend 5:00pm,St. Joseph Church, Beatrice NE
April 25-27, 2003         Cursillo Regional Meeting, Wichita, KS
July 17-20, 2003          Cursillo National Encounter, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH

QUEST (9th/10th Gr Retreat) ... Please pray for the team and candidates of QUEST #2 (Nov. 2-3, 2002).

Region VI Meeting ... The Fall Region VI meeting held Oct. 4-6, 2002, at St. Mary School, David City, NE, was a success.  A big thank you to all who helped with set up, hospitality, meal preparation and serving, and clean up.  It was good to experience the larger Cursillo Community ... it is productive to share ideas with others from our Region; it is another opportunity to grow.  On a practical note, our guests liked the two portable showers, which allowed us to have separate shower locations for the men and women (rather than needing to schedule alternating times).

School of Leaders ...  Have you ever tried to explain Cursillo to someone else?  How do you explain Cursillo?  If you are looking for ways to better understand Cursillo in order to better explain Cursillo to others, the School of Leaders can help.
    St. Paul tells us to “put on the mind of Christ”.  In Cursillo (a short course or study of Christ and His teachings), we learn to put on the mind of Christ.  What is the mind / mentality of Cursillo?  The Cursillo mentality explains why we are what we are ... why we do what we do ... how we do it.  “The history of the why and wherefore of the Cursillo Movement is something that is never complete or finished.  It is a history that goes on being made with every new day of life, and so the movement will always continue to have new purpose.” (The Fundamental Ideas of the Cursillo Movement #1, #5)
    To that end, the technique talks for the next two Schools will be: “The Mentality of the Cursillo Movement” and “The Essence and Purpose of the Cursillo Movement”.  Please join us ... come hear the rest of the story on Nov. 6 (Good Counsel Retreat House, Waverly) or Nov. 12 (Hastings, Catholic Social Services  515 W 3rd St); and Dec. 4 (Good Counsel Retreat House, Waverly) or Dec. 10 (Hastings, Catholic Social Services  515 W 3rd St).  Each session runs from 7:00pm to approximately 9:00pm.
    Future dates and technique talk topics will be:
        Feb. 5 / 11: The Method and Strategy of Cursillo
        March 5 / 11: The Precursillo
        April 2 / 8:  The Three Day Weekend
        April 30 / May 6: The Postcursillo
    The doctrinal talks will be as follows:
        November: The Meaning of Conversion
        December: The Person of Jesus in our Religion
        NO January Meeting
        February: Dynamic Relationship with Christ
        March: Discipleship is a Human Stance
        April: Getting Concrete About Prayer
        May: The Fruit of Discipleship
    The School will start at 7:00 p.m. and will last approximately two hours.  In addition to the technique talk and the doctrinal talk, there will also be a Leaders’ Group Reunion, discussion/work on the three parts of Cursillo – Precursillo, Three Day, and Postcursillo, and a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.  Please keep in mind that the purpose of the School of Leaders is to deepen our understanding of what is fundamental for being a Christian as individuals, in the Movement, and in our environments.  Please come!

New Regional Spiritual Advisor ... At the Regional meeting in David City, Fr. Mark Seiker was installed as the Spiritual Advisor for Region VI.  Please pray for him and for Fr. Jim Tigges, who served as the Regional Spiritual Advisor for more than a decade.  Also, please pray for the work of the Region, as well as the work of our Diocesan Secretariat and School of Leaders.

From the Spiritual Advisor
    Some years ago, our parish took a pilgrimage to Conception Abbey in Conception, MO.  The monk giving the tour did a very nice job of combining the history of the buildings, the beauty and design of the chapel, our faith, and an explanation of community life.  As he showed us the chapel, he explained the prayer of the monks as they sit in the “choir stalls” (4-6 pews on each side facing the center).  The monks pray the Liturgy of the Hours (psalms, Old and New Testament Scriptures) alternating stanzas by sides.
    In his early days at the monastery, one of the older monks took him aside and explained to him: “We pray the Liturgy of the Hours as a group because it is the official prayer of the Church.  As we pray and sing, your voice is to blend in with the voices of the other monks on your side of the chapel.  All of the voices should be as one voice, joined in one prayer.  If your voice is too loud, or you speak too fast or slow, then you draw attention to yourself and distract others from directing their attention and their prayer to God!”
    I never forgot his words.  I mention this now because we are all on a pilgrimage through this life to eternity.  On our pilgrimage, we pray together as the monks do ... we use our “Pilgrim’s Guides” in a way similar to the Liturgy of the Hours.  In addition, we work together as the Body of Christ.  Just as in prayer, our work needs to be united.  We must have the same mind.  We are to be united with Christ ... with His Church ... with the Cursillo Movement.
    Each one of us has different gifts and talents [thank You, God, for those gifts!].  However, our different gifts and talents, like our different voices, need to be used in unison to do the one work of the Church ... the one work of Cursillo.  Cursillistas are called by God to grow in holiness, formation, and evangelization ... to work in their environments.  The work is not intended to draw attention to oneself, or to distract others, but rather to proclaim Christ.  May we unite our voices, gifts, and talents to do the work of Cursillo (Precursillo, Three Day, Postcursillo).  Remember that Christ called you ... He is counting on you!
De Colores!         Father Mark Seiker

Next Cursillo Weekends ... The next Three Day Weekends are: Jan. 9-12, 2003 (Men’s) and Jan. 16-19, 2003 (Women’s), at St. Joseph School, Beatrice.  The coordinators are Tom Schik and Chris Meysenburg.

From the Lay Director
    I’d like to welcome the new cursillistas to the Fourth Day: Mary Beavers, Jeff Ehlers, Rich and Deb Gaudio, Dick and Gert Kober, Cliff Kreifels, Chuck Micek, Allen and Deb Schneider, Bill and Marianne Sullivan, Charles Wakefield, Mary Kay Wakefield, Chris Weber, and Lucy Wynegar.  May you be reflections of His Love to those He sends you … to those in your environments … may you be (become) saints …
    Speaking of which … All Saints’ Day is fast approaching … a day to remind us of our goal of being with Him in Heaven for all eternity.   We are reminded of the Church triumphant … those who have gone before us and are interceding for us … our “friends” who are pulling for us to make the right decision in always choosing Love … and it IS a choice …
    So how do we do that … always choose Love?  I think it begins by reflecting on His love for us and on what Love demands in response, keeping in mind, of course, that our response is always freely given.  As I reflect on this, I am reminded of the words of a song (“Loved By You”) by Fr. Stan Fortuna: “I am loved by You.  May it be seen in all I do.  You make me who I am O Lord. … We are loved by You.  May it be seen in all we do.  You make us who we are O Lord …”  We invite Him into our lives by the very way in which we live each day … each Fourth Day.  We must choose each day to remember that we are loved by Him and to respond in kind by loving one another in thought, word, and deed.
    Fr. Stan writes: “Pope John Paul II said, ‘What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return.’  To know ourselves, by experience, as being loved by Jesus is the key for us to live ‘on earth as it is in Heaven.’”  We are the Church militant … working out our salvation with each and every breath we take … with each and every choice we make … with each other ...  May we always choose Love … may it be seen in all we do …  Fr. Stan concludes:  “St. Francis proclaimed, ‘Greatly should the Love be loved of Him Who Loved us so greatly.’  With Him and all the saints, may we say, ‘Thank You Lord because I am ‘Loved By You’ …”
    Let us pray for one another … that His loving us might be seen in all we do … that we become saints!
De Colores!!       Kathy Springer, Lay Director