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Return to Top of Cursillo Newsletter Page March-April 2007
Calendar of Events
March 10, 2007                 Secretariat Meeting, 9:30am, Blessed John XXIII Diocesan Center
April 14, 2007                    Secretariat Meeting, 9:30am, Blessed John XXIII Diocesan Center
April 20-21, 2007              School of Leaders (quarterly reunion) - 7:30pm Fri-3pm Sat, (tentatively at Doniphan)
April 27-29, 2007              Region VI Spring Encounter – David City, NE
June 29 – July 2, 2007    National Encounter – University of Texas at Arlington, TX; (50th Anniversary)
July 13-14, 2007            School of Leaders (quarterly reunion) - 7:30pm Fri-3pm Sat, (Location TBA)
September 5-6, 2007     Practice Weekend, St. Ann Parish, Doniphan, NE
September 6, 2007            Secretariat Meeting, St. Ann Parish, Doniphan (following Practice Weekend)
September 20-23, 2007    Men’s Weekend, St. Ann Parish, Doniphan, NE
September 14, 2007      Men’s Closing, 5:00pm (4pm Mass) St. Ann Parish, Doniphan, NE
October 4-7 2007             Women’s Weekend, St. Ann Parish, Doniphan, NE
October 7, 2007            Women’s Closing, 5:00pm (4pm Mass) St. Ann Parish, Doniphan, NE

Welcome New Fourth Dayers (January 2007, St. Mary School, David City)

    January 14, 2007: Brendon Barger, Dave Breuer, Mike Dalton, Dan Hilger, Dale Juranek, Ray Kobza, and Charlie Oborny.   [Due to the snow storm on January 14th, the Men’s Closing was moved up about an hour. Though the weather might have kept some away from the Closing, nevertheless, the men had a grace-filled Weekend.]

    January 21, 2007: Bonnie Barger, Maureen Coufal, Jeanette Else, Marlene Hein, Mary Jane Hilger, Rose Hottovy, Roni Jakub, Cherie Kobza, Mary Maurin, Marianne Matulka, Dorothy Oborny, and Diana Prochazka

Welcome to the 4th Day! *** As you returned to your environments (which were just as you left them), have you found a Group Reunion? … Are you participating in Ultreya? Just as during the Three Days, it is in being a community and sharing about your attempts to grow (in baby steps, at first) in holiness, formation, and evangelization …Remember that Christ is counting on you, and you said that you would count on Him … He gave you the gift of Cursillo to help you … and He expects you to use it!!

From the Secretariat …

New Cursillo Website … The Lincoln Diocese has a new Cursillo web address. It is

http://www.gpcom.net/stpatrickschurch/cursillolincoln.html

For a limited time, the old Lincoln Diocese web-page will direct you to this new one … however, you should bookmark the above as the current Cursillo web address for our Diocese.

Region VI Spring 2007 Encounter ... The Lincoln Diocese is the host Diocese for the Region VI Spring Encounter the weekend of April 27-29, 2007, in David City, NE. We are still looking for volunteers in a variety of capacities. Anyone who is interested in helping in any capacity (planning, set-up, tear-down, music, food, etc.) should contact Annette Wemhoff to volunteer … what a great way to share the gifts that God has given you! The goldenrod-colored registration form (with the agenda on the reverse side) is included in this Newsletter. You might ask God in what capacity He wants you to be of service to Him … …He’s counting on you!!

School of Leaders (SOL) ... You are invited to come together with cursillistas from across the Diocese to deepen your understanding of our Lord and of the Cursillo Movement. ALL ARE INVITED! SOL is about doing our Lord’s work through the vehicle (Method) of Cursillo. In working and studying and praying together, we discover ways of doing that to which our Lord calls us. The next SOL will be Feb. 23-24, 2007, at St. Ann Parish in Doniphan, NE (registration form included in Newsletter). SOL begins on Friday evening with a retreat phase (Mass, meditation, Confessions, and food/fellowship); and continues into Saturday (we are usually finished by about 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon). You will come away with a deeper love for God and better know His love for you … ALL are invited to participate.

********

Precursillo

                                    Precursillo Thoughts (from Kathy Rowell, Precursillo Chairperson)

     I know that I am a new name to many of you who will read this Newsletter. My name is Kathy Rowell and I lived my Cursillo Weekend in August 2006 at my home parish of All Saints’ in Holdrege. I have been married to Charlie for 38 years. I am the Principal’s Secretary at Loomis Public School and Charlie delivers fuel for Agri Coop out of Elm Creek. We have two children -- our son, Jeff, lives in Omaha with his wife RyAnne, and our daughter, Jenny and her husband, Kert, live in the Wilcox area. They have two daughters, Alexandra and Sydnie.

     I would like to share an excerpt from a book I have read. It changed the way I look at God’s call. This is from the series of “Volumes”. It is paraphrased from Volume Two, Direction for Our times as given to “Anne”, a Lay Apostle. On August 25, 2003, Jesus speaks to Anne: “… Our work continues. I remain a prisoner in this tabernacle … I would like you to help me … My child, come to me and do my work. You will find no greater joy on this earth …”   When I read those words, I realized that Jesus does depend on us to do His work here on earth. He cannot be here like He was with the first Apostles. He is in the tabernacle and we can go to Him there, and He sends us out to carry on His mission. Could it be this is what they meant on the Weekend when they said we needed to be His hands?

     When I was invited to fill the Precusillo Chair, I wondered what that would entail. I took the word Precursillo and did some reading, looked it up on the internet, asked questions and prayed and still could not find the answer.   I could not even figure out what Precursillo involves. I remembered the statement I heard once – that God does not call the qualified, he qualifies those He calls. Then, one morning while taking a shower it hit me. Isn’t it funny how God takes advantage of those moments when our minds are not occupied with work or chores but are just at rest! Most of my life has been Precursillo. Every one of us has spent time in Precursillo. It is the time leading up to the Cursillo Weekend and eventually to the Fourth Day.    Someone reached out to invite us to experience the next phase – the Three Day Weekend. Is someone waiting for you to reach out and be the Hands of Christ?

     The Gospel for today was about the sower and the seed that falls on different soil. The seed falls on rocky ground, on the path, among the bushes, and on fertile ground. Even the seed that fell on fertile ground needed something more – water, sunlight, tending. The same is true with the invitations to live a Weekend.    We can’t just plant the seed and walk away satisfied that we have done our part. We must be patient and follow through if we want that seed to grow and change into a beautiful flowering cursillista.

                    Plant a seed                                            Make a friend
                                Nourishment and Water                        Be a friend
                                            Add some “sonlight”                                  Bring your friend to Christ

Three Day Weekends ...

Upcoming Cursillo Weekends are scheduled for:

+ Men’s – September 20 - 23, 2007 (St. Ann Parish, Doniphan, NE)

+    Women’s – October 4 - 7, 2007 (St. Ann Parish, Doniphan, NE)

+    Men’s – February 14 - 17, 2008 (Location not yet determined)
+    Women’s – February 21 - 24 2008 (Location not yet determined)
It’s NEVER too early to be inviting and preparing candidates!!

Postcursillo ...

+ Be part of the Spring Region VI Encounter being hosted by the Lincoln Diocese at St. Mary School in David City … April 27-29, 2007.

From the Spiritual Advisor ...

    Every year, the Church gives us the Holy Season of Lent, as a sacred time to continue our metanoia, our conversion, our turning to God and our growth in holiness. During this holy time, we are invited to deepen our spiritual lives through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
    Prayer: Spending more time with our Lord in prayer … talking to Him and listening to Him … just being with our best Friend, gazing on His face … these are all great ways to aid our spiritual growth. One of the best ways to listen to Him and to grow in holiness is spending more time with our Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament. Assist at a daily Mass … receive Him in Holy Communion … make visits to the Blessed Sacrament … encounter His forgiveness in Confession …
    Fasting: As we practice the discipline of fasting, we change our focus from ourselves … from our bodies and our appetites … to the Lord … gaze on Him rather than on things of the world. With God’s grace, we seek to discipline and train our wills and to control our bodies. That training of our wills sounds a little bit like “changing our mentality to be more Christian”. Christ took on our human flesh to show us how to live ... and so we imitate Him as He fasted (40 days in the desert) as we fast during the 40 days of Lent. Following His example, we, too, try to die to self … to what we “want” … to our senses … and we seek to shape our wills according to the will of Christ … that is being formed into the image of Christ … we are indeed working to change our mentality to be more Christian.
    Almsgiving: As we pray and fast, it should not be only about ourselves. Rather, our prayer should be prayer for others, and our fasting should help others. And the money that we save when we fast should be used to assist the poor and to assist in doing the work of the Church. So, our prayer and our fasting, should lead to almsgiving, and that would be Action … doing the work of the Church and the work of the Cursillo Movement.
    We were told on our Three Day Weekend, that the three legs of the tripod: Piety, Study, and Action, should be balanced and so support our Christian Life. Similarly, the three disciplines of Lent (prayer, fasting, and almsgiving) should be balanced, and so support our Christian Life. Growing in each of these areas in a balanced way will better enable us to listen to Him … to “put on the mind of Christ” (priceless!!) … and to be His hands and His feet in doing His work in the Church and in the Cursillo Movement.
    So, as you journey through the season of Lent, and as you journey through your Fourth Day, remember that Christ is counting on you to let His grace shape you to be more and more like Him each day … to take up your cross after Him each day … and to be His hands, His feet, and His voice in the world today. May you embrace the discipline of Lent, in order to better follow the Lord, and may He help you to live your Fourth Day imitating Him.

                   De Colores!! …………………Fr. Mark Seiker

From the Lay Director ...

De Colores, Brother and Sister Cursillistas,

    First of all, I would like to welcome the new Fourth Day Cursillistas to the Cursillo community of our Diocese and of the world. As always, it gives me great joy to see others enter into the Fourth Day community. At the Closing, even though many are tired and ready to go home, they are shining brightly from the light of Christ’s love given freely to them on the Weekend by the Spirit. It is always an opportunity for me to witness the power of the Holy Spirit working for the goodness of others.

    All you new cursillistas will, without a doubt, reap great blessings in your lives by living out your Fourth Day. Applying the Cursillo Method to your lives will, as it has for many, help you to recognize all your talents. Then the Spirit of God will step in and encourage you to use those talents to help others to draw closer to Christ. It will take many prayers and sacrifices to achieve success. But nothing is impossible if done for God.

    Please don't waste what you have learned. Start with prayer. If you can, read a good book. And, of course, then Make a friend, Be a friend, and finally, Bring that friend to Christ. Cursillo is building ourselves up, and then going out to draw others toward Christ. The Cursillo Method can be used to make us better Christians and to build up God’s Kingdom.

    For all of us that remember our Cursillo Weekends, it was a time to make new friends, grow in faith, and turn our lives over to God. We came away from the Weekend wanting to be living, breathing verbal witnesses for Christ. Our friendship groups support us and encourage us. The Ultreyas inspire us and enlighten us. These tools are given to us so that we might persevere and continue on. We begin to see more clearly what our purpose in life is and where we are going. It is a Method, by design, to bring out our leadership qualities and to use them to inspire others to do the same. God the Father calls us to use our talents and draw others closer to His Son, Jesus. And when our efforts are rejected, we do as the apostles and shake the dust off our feet and move on. We are given a chance to make a difference for Christ and no longer do we have to do it on our own.

    Remember as Christian leaders we must guide, orient, and direct. We guide others toward Christ, not away from Christ. We orient … we put others in a certain direction that will point them to Christ. And finally we direct others in a Christ-like manner.

    Christ taught then, and continues to teach us today, how to live … to give without counting the cost … to love as we love ourselves … and to forgive as Christ forgives us. All too often we ask for forgiveness for our shortcomings, but we ourselves can't forgive others when they offend us. The way we live, act, and respond to successes, trials, and the everyday tasks that are given to us are reflections of Christ, if they are in accord with Christ's love.

    As we journey through life together, it would do us great good to live a life of love … to set aside our differences and work through the crosses that Christ has blessed us with. YES, I say blessed us … because crosses are given to us in order that we might grow in wisdom … to build endurance … to encourage us to look to our Lord for assistance … the assistance that only Christ can give.

    As the Priest says as he washes his hands just before the Consecration: "Lord, cleanse me from my sins, wash away my iniquities". To ask God for help takes humility … and living for Christ is not always easy. It takes great strength to resist the temptation to be judgmental, self-centered, and selfish. It is only when we live for Christ, in Christ and with Christ that we will help build up ourselves and others, which, in turn, then builds the Kingdom of God.

    As we journey toward a more Christ-like life-style, there always seems to be something that tries to steer us off course. Those were the things we called obstacles on the Cursillo Weekend. Obstacles are those things that help temper our faith … those things or people that God places in our lives to drive us crazy … they are the very challenges in our lives that make us wrestle with where we are going and how we need to get there.

    I don't know why God calls us as He does, but I guess that, at this point in my life, that’s not yet for me to know. But what I do know is this … Christ says that if you want to follow Him, you must take up your cross and leave all things behind … He tells us that He will provide all that we need … He tells us that His yoke is easy and burden light.

    So all I need is Christ … And CURSILLO is one great way to draw closer to CHRIST!!

    Please invite someone to live a Cursillo Weekend … someone invited you … Are you sorry they did? I am not!

    Christ loves you and I do too!! A humble servant of Christ …         Mark Pribyl

ULTREYA CENTER NEWS

Beginning in March, the Lincoln Ultreya Center is changing the time/day and place for the Lincoln Ultreya. We will be holding the Ultreya on the 2^nd Sunday of each month from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. It will be held at St. John’s Parish at 76^th & Vine Streets in Lincoln. Call Jon or Joan Junkin (402-489-2115) with any questions or comments.

The Holdrege/Hastings/Minden Ultreya Center is also changing its meeting day … beginning in March, the Ultreya will be held on the 3^rd (rather than 2^nd) Sunday of each month. This change allows persons in the Southwestern Nebraska Ultreya to also be active in the Holdrege/Hastings/Minden Ultreya, and vice versa. The Holdrege/Hastings/Minden Ultreya will continue to meet at All Saints’ Parish Hall in Holdrege, and continue to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Other Ultreya Centers:

The Beatrice/Crete/Hebron Ultreya continues to meet on the 4th Sunday of each month beginning at 5 p.m. Locations alternates among the 3 locations ... contact John or Kathy Springer for rotation (402-826-2699).

The David City/Shelby/Wahoo Ultreya will continue to meet on the 4th Thursday of each month in the Didier Room at St. Mary School in David City beginning at 7 p.m.

The Southwestern Nebraska Ultreya continues to meet on the 2nd Sunday of each month in the basement of St. Patrick Church in McCook beginning at 3:30 p.m.

The Nebraska City/Plattsmouth Ultreya is in the process of being reorganized … we will get the word out about time, day, and location as soon as arrangements are finalized. Contact Nathan Stanberry (402-297-8972) if you would like to help.

Ultreya!!! Onward!!!

(Insert #1)

Registration Form

School of Leaders
Quarterly Reunion
April 20-21, 2007
202 N. 5th Street (5th and Cedar Streets)
St. Ann Parish - Doniphan, NE (location tentative; check with Jon Junkin)

New participants are ALWAYS welcome ...

If you cannot be with us, we request Palanca for the success of the School.

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 April 18, 2007

[Suggested donation (if you are able) is $15.00 per person to cover meals and a donation for facility usage.
Please make check payable to “Cursillo of Lincoln” and mail with the Registration Form.]

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, APRIL 20th (Retreat Phase ... preparation for Saturday's SOL)
        7:30pm ---              Registration (NO Meal Friday evening)
        7:45pm ---              Mass
        8:30pm ---              Meditation, confessions, quiet time

SATURDAY, APRIL 21st (School of Leaders Agenda)
        7:00am ---              Morning prayer and Mass, followed by breakfast
        8:30am - 3:00pm Group Reunion, Intro, 2-3 Sessions and Lunch
        3:00pm ---              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 Chapters 13-14 (the book, by Fr. Frank Salmani, is available for $10.00 at SOL)
Doctrinal Talks will come from the Vatican II Document Sacrosanctum Concilium [The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 12/4/1963] down load at:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html

"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.

Please bring a snack to share, if you like.

(Insert #2)

Registration Form

Region VI Spring Encounter
April 27-29, 2007
St. Mary School, David City, NE

(Insert #3)

Registration Form

Cursillo National Encounter
June 29 - July 2, 2007
University of Texas at Arlington - Arlington, TX

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