• A Grand Ultreya is planned for Sunday, June 24^th, from approximately 11am - 4pm at Brickyard Park in Hastings (see directions on page 3)
• This is a diocesan-wide, family-oriented event.
• This will be a potluck picnic.  Each family will bring a dish to share.
• The Secretariat will bring paper plates, napkins, glasses and plastic-ware.
• Iced tea/water/orange drink will be provided
• Kickball, volleyball, etc.
  

• Brickyard Park is located at Woodland Ave and West D St, in Hastings.
• There is an enclosed shelter for Mass and the picnic (so the event will go on … rain or shine).
• There are open areas for kickball and volleyball … there is also playground equipment … something for kids of all ages. 
  

• The day begins at 11:00am, with Mass at 11:30am.
• Following Mass, we will have our picnic potluck meal.
• Then, we’ll spend time getting to know one another … either for the first time, or renewing old friendships … Ultryea (during this time, the young people will have the chance to participate in some games/crafts.
• Following Ultreya, the adults will join the youth in games and activities (or watching and visiting).
• The day will conclude around 4:00pm.

• Our diocese is widespread geographically and it is rare that cursillistas from the east and west all get together.
• A time for cursillistas AND THEIR FAMILIES to take part in a Cursillo event.
• Past years have been great fun –- please come!

• There will be a jar for donations to cover the cost of using the park shelter, if you’d like to help.
• No park sticker is needed for your vehicle.

• If coming into Hastings from the North (Highway 281), turn right (west) on South Street until Baltimore Avenue.  At Baltimore Avenue, turn left (south) to D Street.  Turn right (west) on D Street until Woodland Avenue … the park will be on your left.
• If coming into Hastings from Highways 34/6, turn north on to Baltimore Avenue.  At D Street, turn left (west) on D Street until Woodland Avenue … the park will be on your left.

Beginning in May 2007,

the Nebraska City/Plattsmouth Ultreya Center

will begin meeting

on the 3rd Sunday of each month

from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

The Ultreya will be held

in the basement of St. Benedict School

at 411 5^th Rue

in Nebraska City.

Call Nathan Stanberry (402-297-8972)

with any questions.

        This year’s National Encounter is being held at the University of Texas at Arlington, TX, on June 29 - July 2, 2007.  The Encounter is open to ALL cursillistas, from those who only recently lived their Weekends to those who lived their Weekends decades ago.  You can download a registration form from the National Cursillo Center website (www.natl-cursillo.org), or you can register on-line.
        The theme for the 2007 Encounter is: “God Is Love” (1 John 4:16), taken from Pope Benedict’s First Encyclical Letter on Christian Love.  St. John of the Cross tells us that the Father has only ever spoken one Word and that Word has taken flesh as Jesus Christ.  This one word is a word of Love that is directed to us and that word is a word that is effective, that is, it is a word that changes (metanoia) those who are willing to listen.  The Love of God made flesh invites us to enter into the peace and freedom of God’s Divine Love (agape) so that we may find complete joy in Him and in the love through which we serve our brothers and sisters.  You are invited to come to a better understanding of the Transformative Grace which is offered to us through Christ Our Lord, by attending the 17th National Encounter.
        The Encounter will commence on Friday, June 29, 2007 with the Keynote Address, to be immediately followed by Eucharistic Adoration, Reconciliation, and Benediction. In May 1957, 17 Spanish-speaking men candidates and a team composed of 2 lay persons and one priest held the first Cursillo in the United States, at St. Francis Church in Waco, Texas. To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the National Cursillo Movement, the Encounter will include a pilgrimage from UTA to St. Francis Church on Sunday, July 1, 2007. Sunday’s celebration and fellowship activities will take place at the Waco Convention Center.

• Precursillo (from Kathy Rowell, Precursillo Chairperson)  

• Three Day Weekends ... 

• Upcoming Cursillo Weekends are scheduled for

• Fall 2007

• Winter 2008

• Palanca and Rollo Teams …Because there are so many new cursillistas in the Diocese, the Secretariat thought it would be a good idea to remind everyone about the requirements for being part of the team(s) for the Three Day Weekends.
  
• In order to be part of the Rollo Team, one must be an active member of a Group Reunion and be participating in Ultreya on a regular basis.  This is important because the whole message of the Three Days is to teach the Cursillo Method of perseverance in the Fourth Day – Group Reunion and Ultreya.  We speak of “living” a Cursillo Weekend, and if the team members are not living witnesses of the Method in their Fourth Day, then they are teaching that which they themselves do not live.  In addition, a Rollo team member must be active in SOL (“active” is defined as taking part in at least 2 formation events in a 12-month period … formation events include the quarterly SOLs, Regional Encounters, and the National Encounter) … we cannot teach what we do not know, and SOL is the mechanism to continue what was begun on the Three Day Weekend in terms of understanding the depth of what Cursillo calls us to.  It is also desirable that Rollo team members first serve on a Palanca team.
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•       In order to be part of the Palanca Team, one should have a desire to deepen his/her understanding of God working through Cursillo.  In order to help the Palanca team come to a deeper understanding of Cursillo, it is important for the Coordinator of the Palanca team to meet the same criteria as a Rollo team member.
•       If you feel God calling you to a deeper commitment to Cursillo, come see what SOL is all about … He’s counting on you!!!!

• Postcursillo ... 
  

• Grand Ultreya ... Mark your calendars now …  The Grand Ultreya is scheduled to be held on June 24, 2007, at Brickyard Park in Hastings, NE, beginning with Mass at 11:30 a.m. (arrival around 11 a.m.).  Join cursillistas from across the Diocese for fun, friendship, faith and fellowship ... see page 2 for more details.  If you’d like to help (e.g., music, games/activities, etc.), please contact Annette Wemhoff, Postcursillo Chair (402-477-1821).

• Offering Palanca for Other Three Day Weekends Throughout the World

• School of Leaders (SOL) ... The SOL will continue to deepen your understanding of the need for community and continued formation as you witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ at work in the Cursillo Movement.  ALL ARE INVITED, and in particular we encourage and invite the new 4th Dayers to become active in Cursillo through the SOL.  Hear the words of Jesus to the disciples: “Come and see” ... share, pray, and grow as a community.  The next SOL will be July 13-14, 2007 at St. Joseph Parish, York, NE (in the newsletter this originally said Sacred Heart, Hebron) ... see registration form (included).

• Reminder ~~ New Cursillo Website … 

We are celebrating the Easter Season.  We proclaim that Christ is risen.  Jesus became a  man, He suffered, died and rose to take away our sins and to reconcile us to the Father.  His death and resurrection changed all of history and the entire human race, and our lives are to be different because of His death and resurrection.  So … how are we different? … what do we do? … how do we respond to Jesus?

In the April issue of Magnificat, one of the meditations from Pope John Paul II says: 

“‘I am with you always, to the close of the age’ (Mt 28:20).  This assurance, dear brothers and sisters, has accompanied the Church for two thousand years.  From it we must gain new impetus in Christian living, making it the force which inspires our journey of faith.  Conscious of the Risen Lord’s presence among us, we ask ourselves today the same question put to Peter in Jerusalem immediately after his Pentecost speech: ‘What must we do?’ (Acts 2:37).

We put the question with trusting optimism, but without underestimating the problems we face.  We are certainly not seduced by the naive expectation that, faced with the great challenges of our time, we shall find some magic formula.  No, we shall not be saved by a formula but by a Person, and the assurance which He gives us: ‘I am with you’!

It is not therefore a matter of inventing a ‘new program’.  The program already exists: it is the plan found in the Gospel and in the living Tradition, it is the same as ever.  Ultimately, it has its center in Christ Himself, Who is to be known, loved and imitated, so that in Him we may live the life of the Trinity, and with Him transform history until its fulfillment in the heavenly Jerusalem.  This is a program which does not change with shifts of times and  cultures, even though it takes account of time and culture for the sake of true dialogue and effective communication.”

As I read this quote from Pope John Paul II, I thought of Cursillo.  I thought about the Three Day Weekend being an ‘Encounter with the Person of Christ’ … getting to know Him better.  I thought about Jesus’ plan to form a Christian community with His Apostles and to send them out into the world, as He reminded them ‘I am with you always.’  I thought about the message of Cursillo to “Make a friend, be a friend, and bring your friend to Christ.’  Yes, as Pope John Paul II said: “Christ … is to be known, loved and imitated”.  Christ helps us to encounter ourselves, to encounter Him, and then to help our friends encounter Him, through the Cursillo Method of Group Reunion and Ultreya, and then, with His grace to Christianize our environments.

Cursillo is not a new “program”… it is not a program at all … Cursillo is a way of life, and it has been around for more than 60 years (50 years in the United States, and 42 years in our Diocese).  It is a way to better encounter the Person of Jesus Christ.  Some people want to continually change things, and some want to change the Cursillo Movement.  While it is important to take “account of time and culture for the sake of true dialogue and effective communication,’ Christ is the Eternal, unchanging Word of the Father that never changes and is always the same.  And yet, Christ enters into our time and He calls us to change … to respond to Him.  So, each of us must reflect on our encounter with Christ, and continue to remember that Christ Who promised to be with us always is each day counting on us to be His hands, His feet, His voice, to our brothers and sisters in the world. 

So, as you live your faith this Easter Season, continue to deepen your encounter with Christ through your piety, as well as through your study of Scripture, of our faith, of the saints (our holy friends), and of the Cursillo Movement.  Then, after becoming more aware of Christ’s presence in your life, allow Him to “change your mentality to be more Christian” … then make a plan to let Christ help you to answer the question, ‘What must we do?’.  Respond to His grace and bring about a positive “change in your family, neighborhood, and work or other environments.”  Remember, Christ is counting on you and you must count on Him.  
          De Colores!! ……Fr. Mark Seiker

Most, if not all, have heard of Father Time.  When we get hungry, in our minds, it's time to eat. We use a time piece, or a clock, to keep track of time. But whose time is it that we are using, God's or man’s?

While it is a fact that our lives are limited by time and that the amount of time we have is known to God alone, it is also true that if we do not use this gift of time wisely, where we go at our death may not be where we truly desire.  Because we have free will, what we do with our time while we are alive and breathing will determine what happens at death.

While it is true that, with His death on the cross, Jesus redeemed us from our sins, that’s not the end of the story … it does not stop at the cross … that was just a beginning …a beginning for all eternity.

As our minds and bodies age naturally, we tend to set limits for ourselves.  As we give service to another, we many times take it upon ourselves to decide how much more, from that point on, we are willing to give to anyone or anything else.  And how many times are these kinds of decisions made on our own without asking the Master, “What should I do?”  We profess with our lips that we love God and want to do His will, but do we really?  It is in giving that we receive.

 If time is a cross, then we are blessed, since all crosses are in some way a blessing.  But it seems to me that in every case, when we give from the heart, our hearts then are filled with joy …  a joy that gives us peace and tranquility. To live life to the fullest is to give until God says "STOP".

As the trials of life grow greater and our days on earth grow shorter, we easily become plagued with fatigue. Drought creeps in … "What if I can't fulfill my responsibilities?  What if it is too hard?   What if ...?"   We spend our younger years building ourselves up, and then it seems that we wake up one day, and all that we built up is slowly going away.  Is there no justice?

Though I have been blessed with more time on earth than some, and yet, not near as much as others, it seems to me that by reading about the saints of the Church, wisdom is not gathered by time alone … it is acquired by knowing and loving God.  Knowledge of God is achieved in many ways, but two simple ways are: (1) talking to God (prayer), and (2) recognizing God in our lives and in the lives of others (study). 

These are tools God has given us, but for what?  To know and to serve God ... Yes, and for what reason?  To give of ourselves in service to others who have less than we do!  Jesus says, "What you do to the least of these, you do to Me".

Cursillo teaches us to recognize our talents and to look beyond ourselves, so we can fulfill our Confirmation promises to go out and spread the Gospel message to all who will listen.  It is not enough that we know the Gospel message ourselves, but we must pass it on to others who don't know.  I have yet to read that the amount of time we give to God is based on our age, nationality, gender, or physical limitations.  God’s time is not our time.  And God’s time has no limits.  While it is true that we must exercise prudence in our service, we should not make up excuses. 

Pope Paul VI states in his Apostolic Exhortation “On Evangelization In The Modern World”: "if the preaching of the Gospel is to be effective, she (the Church) must address her message to the heart of the multitudes, to communities of the faithful whose action can and must reach others."  We might remember from our Weekend that we are the Church.  And we are given a mission to spread the Good News.  By virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation, we are empowered with the Grace to fulfill this mission.  And the reality is, we don't know how much time we have to accomplish this mission.

Pope Paul VI also states: "Those who sincerely accept the Good News, through the power of this acceptance and of shared faith therefore gather together in Jesus' name in order to seek together the kingdom, build it up and live it."   Acceptance is faith, empowered by the Sacraments … we, the faithful, united together and aiming for Heaven, must share what we know with others to build up God’s Kingdom by living and proclaiming what we believe to be true.

The message is clear but obstacles and excuses weaken our resolve.  Easter is a time of Grace.  May the Holy Spirit fill your cup to the brim, that you may go out and tell all that God loves you and I do too!

May your lives be filled with blessings and your hearts be filled with joy today and for the rest of time.

 DeColores one and All                                                  Mark Pribyl

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 July 11, 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, JULY 13th (Retreat Phase ... preparation for Saturday's SOL)
        7:30pm ---              Registration (NO Meal Friday evening)
        7:45pm ---              Mass
        8:30pm ---              Meditation, confessions, quiet time

SATURDAY, JULY 14th (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.