Newsletter - Scranton Cursillo



Cursillo de Cursillo (CDC)

The Scranton Diocese will be blessed to be hosting its first Cursillo de Cursillo on September 18th thru 21st 2014 at St. Gabriel’s Retreat House. What is the Cursillo de Cursillo? Many of us asked that same question of Cursillo when we first heard of it. We were told that it is difficult to explain what Cursillo is and that it is much easier for someone to understand what it is by living the experience of a Cursillo weekend. We would like to offer the same explanation for the Cursillo De Cursillo to you. You have to experience it fully to understand it. But if we leave it at that, then there is no further need for this article and it can end here. But let us try to explain as best as we can.

Cursillo first came to the Scranton Diocese back in the 1960’s. A group of men who had run weekends in other dioceses put on the first Cursillo weekend here. Therefore, the first men’s weekend was made up of a team of experienced Cursillistas. These men presented the Rollos, shared at tables, celebrated in song, shared in Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, and all the other gifts that a Cursillo weekend blesses us with.

Cursillo is about the methodology of the Charism that is Cursillo. The encountering of oneself, encountering of Christ, and encountering of others. Make a friend be a friend and lead a friend to Christ.

We become closer to Christ through our piety, study, and action or what was once known as prayer, formation and evangelization.

Then we are taught to take all the gifts that we receive on a weekend and bring them to our environments (our one square meter) which can not only be difficult and challenging, but also near impossible to do alone. Luke 4:24 “And he said: Amen I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country”. This is why we need our Group Reunion and the Ultreya, so we can better understand, and be understood in these environments, and not lose hope during the ups and downs we all face as we continue on our journey.

We have a pretty good idea of what Cursillo is and how it works. By now we're sure you’re asking yourselves, I thought this article is about Cursillo de Cursillo? Well it is. You see, the CDC is very much like a Cursillo weekend. The team will be made up from the Region 2 Service Team and we get to be the candidates per se. The basics are the same. In the course of the weekend there will be a series of new Rollos and meditations given, group discussion, and all the other special elements of a weekend. The aim of the weekend is to strengthen and deepen the spirituality of the Cursillistas, to provide unity of spirit and principle within the Cursillo Movement, along with deepening the level of understanding of the Cursillo approach within the three phases of the Movement (Pre Cursillo, Cursillo, and Post Cursillo) and to effectively implement the Method as a whole.

The hope of the Cursillo de Cursillo is to move us as Cursillistas from where we are, to where God wants us to be as persons in the Movement, and to discover the immense possibilities that Cursillo can place at the service of the Church and the world.

The Cursillo de Cursillo is intended for those Cursillistas who are considered leaders in the Diocesan Cursillo Movement and for those Cursillistas who are involved in the process of discerning whether to make Cursillo their primary apostolate. The goals of the Cursillo de Cursillos are to give a deeper understanding of the Movement's foundation of the Cursillo Charism. The weekend will also help the Cursillo group in the Scranton Diocese to see if there are any differences from the origins of Cursillo with what actually is lived in our Diocesan Movement.

The weekend will be held at St. Gabriel’s, on that peaceful mountaintop, away from all the outside noise and distractions that sometimes muddle our minds and dull our spirits. (That peace alone should make you want to join us!)

The fee for the weekend will be $180. Payment can be made out to Scranton Cursillo and mailed to Cindy Hogan, 125 Cornelia St., Pittston, PA 18640 before the weekend or you can pay at registration on Thursday, September 18.

All participants are asked to bring their Pilgrims Guide to the weekend. If you need a Pilgrim's Guide, please add an additional $5 to your check and we will order one for you.

DeColores!

Joe and Marjorie Adcroft

Cursillo Movement Lay Directors

Diocese of Scranton

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Take His hand, even though it means letting go of what you are holding on to.

Please His heart, even though it may not please others.

Wait for His time, even though your desire is to get it done now.

Obey His Word, even though you hear something different that is popular.

Follow His path, even though you see a valley ahead.

Trust His wisdom, even though you want to do it differently.

Give Him praise, even though you are going through something unpleasant.

Be at rest, even though you have every reason to worry or fear.

Blue Army Shrine Visit

On what may have been one of the most beautiful spring days I remember, a group of 13 Cursillistas gathered on the gorgeous grounds of the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Washington, NJ: . The shrine is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and is owned and operated by the World Apostolate of Fatima USA. It is located on 130 acres over the lovely Muscontecong Valley and hosts more than 50,000 pilgrims annually.

Tim Everdeen and I were the first to arrive. We enjoyed a walk around the grounds and greeted other pilgrims. One woman was collecting 4-leaf clovers and she gave one to each of us. She had already gathered at least a dozen that she had already found there on the grounds!

As other members arrived, we decided to first visit the gift shop next to the chapel. The Gift Shop offers a selection of rosaries, medals, books, statues, and other religious items, many hand made in Fatima. While others were still browsing, I made my way to the outer hallway around the chapel and lit a candle in memory of my Father.

We gathered in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel on the lower level of the Shrine and recited the rosary with the other pilgrims before mass. Some people took advantage of the opportunity to go to confession.

After the rosary, Mass commenced. I found myself transfixed on the tabernacle, which is a majestic statue of “The Angel of Peace” cradling the cup and host surrounded by a great halo. I must admit, I was actually surprised when the priest turned the host (which was apparently the handle to open the tabernacle) because I had been wondering if it was real.

We were honored at the end of Mass when the priest welcomed the group from Scranton Cursillo. After Mass, we gathered at a picnic table on the grounds under a shade tree.

Cindy Hogan had brought a beautiful prayer, Protection and Healing Prayer, to share with the group, and just happened to have enough copies so everyone could see and read the prayer. Having never heard the prayer before, I found it to be very powerful.

As we enjoyed our lunches and conversation, the birds and gentle wind provided the background music. Sean Farrell, who had brought his two beautiful young daughters, played with his girls in the nearby field. Some children from another pilgrim family joined them.

After lunch, someone, perhaps jokingly, suggested that we sing De Colores. Coincidently, Cindy also had copies of that in that Mary Poppins bag of hers. Sure enough, we began singing as joyfully as any group of Babe Chicks on closing day. As our time together was coming to a close, Tony O’Reilly suggested that we go around and each take turns sharing what we were thankful for. Before we were halfway around the circle, several members were wiping tears from their eyes. From appreciating the beauty of the day and the simple gathering of friends, to watching a loving father play with his children and experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit in the gentle breeze, the entire experience was nothing less than a gift from God. I have been to the Shrine before, but I have never experienced it in the blessed way I did that day. Thank you to my Cursillista friends for asking me to write this article and giving me the opportunity to relive the experience in my memory. De Colores!

Linda Chesko

“Do I Trust?”

Those words, under the image of Divine Mercy, highlighted the program of the Cursillo® Region 2 Spring Encounter held April 25-27, 2014. Beneath that image and that question, the proclamation “Unity: Living the Cursillo® Charism” helped set the tone for our thought, discussion, prayer and companionship throughout the weekend.

What was the Cursillo® Region 2 Spring Encounter? It was a gathering of some one hundred Cursillistas. The venue was the Pope John Paul II Retreat Center in Vineland NJ. Representing the Diocese of Scranton were our Lay Directors, Joe and Marjorie Adcroft, School of Leaders Chair Kay Price, Secretary Jim Shemanski, and World Palanca Chair Phil Rodney and his wife Pat. We report with just a little pride that our delegation constituted the majority of the volunteer choir for the weekend. After some practice we did justice to the style of the Gospel music selected, contributing both to the diversity and the unity of the assembly.

Other participants represented the archdioceses and dioceses of Harrisburg, Allentown, Philadelphia, Arlington (VA), Washington D.C., Newark, Trenton and Metuchen (NJ) and even Austin (TX). We sang and prayed in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Our spiritual director for the weekend was Father David Kozar of the Diocese of Allentown. A native of Coaldale PA, Father taught himself Spanish. He is active in the Hispanic ministry in his diocese. Presiding at our Liturgies, he renewed our confidence in Divine Mercy and our joy at the canonizations of Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II.

Our principal speaker was Ceferino (“Cef”) Aguillón, National English Coordinator of the Cursillo® Movement. Cef was beyond informative and his presentations were extremely impressive and helpful. If I had to summarize Cef’s message in one word, it would be “simplify”. How? By studying the components of the Cursillo experience as described in the Leaders’ Manual and retaining only those components. He urged us to remember that our

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purpose is to save souls and to build Christianity Everything we plan and do in the Cursillo® cycle should be evaluated according to that purpose.

The other watchword of his message would be “authenticity”. Cef stressed the importance of this quality from the Pre-Cursillo through the weekend and on to the Fourth Day. He stressed that potential sponsors should receive training as necessary, but not by means of sponsor checklists. Sponsors, and the Cursillistas who train them, might be teachers, but they must be witnesses (i.e., be apostles, not just do apostolic things). The witnesses selected from the School of Leaders to be on team must be well-prepared so they can properly deliver the joyful proclamation of being Christian. The team will know how successful they have been in this delivery. How? When the weekend comes to a close and concludes with the witnessing at the closing, the candidates will not attribute their conversion to the team members or any of the supplementary features of the weekend (e.g. food, physical mementos, letters, or music) but to God’s grace.

These are some highlights of Cef’s presentations. He had previously offered them at the Region XI Cursillo Encounter on April 12, 2014 in Fresno, California.  To access the video and PowerPoint presentations from that Encounter, go to resources.

On Saturday night, the formal business of the weekend concluded with some powerful witness presentations and an Ultreya for all of us to show how we have been living our Fourth Day.

(Continued next page)

“Do I Trust?”(Cont’d)

As Cef had reminded us earlier, the Ultreya is for the Cursillista to answer: “How have I lived my Fourth Day?”, “How do I wish I had lived it?”, and/or “How have I not lived it?”

Then, of course, FIESTA, to celebrate our joy in our friendship, in the Risen Christ, in anticipation of Divine Mercy Sunday and in the canonizations of our two new saints. We continued our rejoicing in at Morning Prayer and Mass on Sunday.

There was much to reflect upon, and we did on the ride home.

Save the date: Region 2 Fall Encounter, Pope John Paul II Retreat Center, Vineland NJ, October 24-26, 2014.

De Colores!

Jim Shemanski

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A Small Part of God’s Work

As we continue our journey through the fourth day, some of the Cursillistas of the St Luke’s parish in Stroudsburg, have volunteered their time on Saturdays to help out some Cursillista Brothers and Sisters by performing spring yard work. As we follow in Christ’s footsteps, we try to do good works for those in need. It was most fitting that both work sessions began with a prayer. We prayed for God’s guidance and help, and that no one would be injured during the work performed.

Recently, a sister lost her spouse after a long illness. Her yard and exterior of her home was in need of much work. Approximately 7 Cursillistas assisted with cutting up a fallen tree, patching bare

spots on the lawn, repairing pavers on a sidewalk, power washing her deck, and cleaning out flower beds of dead leaves and debris. With the help of these seven men, these tasks only took about four hours of time. However the gratitude shown by our sister and the satisfaction of helping another proved to be most rewarding.

On another occasion, a brother who has been battling with cancer ,needed our assistance. Again three Cursillistas showed up to rake the entire yard and flower beds of fallen dead leaves. Moving the leaves was probably the most difficult part, but working with our brothers, made it so much easier. We were even treated to a fabulous lunch afterwards where stories of our past were shared.

Following these two days, one would think that we would do this for anyone and not just our Cursillo brother and sisters. However, having developed the special bond through Cursillo, made these two days extra special.

DeColores

Bill Horvath

About Our Movement

No one can fully explain how God touches each person in his special and unique way throughout the various elements of the Cursillo Movement.

Cursillo (pronounced cur-see-yo) is Spanish for little course, specifically in the teachings of Jesus. The goal of the Cursillo Movement is to make Christ the prime influence in society. Cursillo is often described as a retreat. While there is quiet time and reflection, there is more discussion among peers than in most retreats. Perhaps, it is best described as an experience of living in Christian community.

The Cursillo Movement is worldwide. It began in Spain in the mid-1940s and came to the United States in the 1960s. All local dioceses in the US are affiliated with the worldwide Cursillo through the

National Cursillo Secretariat in Dallas,TX

The Cursillo weekend in the Diocese of Scranton begins Thursday evening and ends Sunday evening, and is conducted by a team of priests and lay people. Weekends are held at St. Gabriel's Retreat Center, in Clarks Summit.

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Scranton Cursillo Newsletter

Coordinator: Patricia O’Reilly

If you have any comments, questions or would like to have an article published, please call or email.

Phone

(570) 422-1322

E-mail

Snuffpat@

We’re on the Web! See us at:

ScrantonCursillo.

Upcoming Events

|Weekends Scheduled – |

|Women’s Cursillo #65 – October 2 -5 2014 – Donna Fazio, Rectora |

|Men’s Cursillo #57 – March 19 – 22, 2015 – James Shemanski - Rector |

|Women’s Cursillo #66 – April 16 – 19, 2015 – Rita Scheier - Rectora |

|Women’s Cursillo #67 – October 1 – 4, 2015 - TBD |

|School of Leaders (9:30 – 11:30 AM) |

|2014 |

|Saturday, September 13 – Queen of Apostles, Avoca |

|Saturday, October 11 – St. Patrick’s – Milford |

|Saturday, November 15 – Queen of Apostles, Avoca * |

|Saturday, December 13 – St. Gabriel’s – Clarks Summit |

|2015 |

|Saturday, January 3 – St. Gabriel’s – Clarks Summit ** |

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|Ultreyas |

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|Sunday September 14 – St. Peter and Paul - Towanda - 2 – 4 PM |

|Sunday September 28 – St. Patrick, Milford - 2 – 4 PM |

|Sunday October 26 – St. Luke’s, Stroudsburg - 2 – 4 PM |

|Sunday November 2 – St. John the Evangelist, Pittston – 2 – 4 PM |

|Wednesday November 5 – Queens of Apostles, Avoca – after 7 PM Mass |

|Wednesday December 3 – Queens of Apostles, Avoca – after 7 PM Mass |

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|Special Events |

|Cursillo de Cursillo – Thursday , September 18 to Sunday, September 21 (reservations required as per article on page 1) |

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|* Remembrance Mass / Lunch – Noon - following the November 15th School of Leaders |

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|** Christmas Party for the Sisters of St. Gabriels – Noon - following the January 3rd School of Leaders |

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Summer 2014

Edition

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|Onward! | |

A Newsletter for the 4th Day of the Scranton, Pennsylvania Cursillo Community

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