Baltimore Cursillo March 2018 Newsletter

Transcription

1 Baltimore Cursillo March 2018 Newsletter Baltimore Cursillo Calendar of Events April 13 7:30 8:30 PM ULTREYA at Church of the Crucifixion... 9 April Region 2 Spring Encounter in Vineland, NJ.. 6 April 23 7:00 9:00 PM - School of Leaders at Our Lady of the Fields.. 8 April 28 8:30 11: 00 AM Palanca Mass, Team Commissioning Ceremony. 2 May 11 7:30 8:30 PM ULTREYA at Church of the Crucifixion... 9 May Men s Cursillo Weekend at the Msgr. O Dwyer s Retreat House in Sparks 3 May 20 Men s Closura at 4:30 PM. 3 May 28 7:00 9:00 PM - School of Leaders at Our Lady of the Fields (CANCELLED).. 8 June 8 7:30 8:30 PM ULTREYA at Church of the Crucifixion... 9 June 25 7:00 9:00 PM - School of Leaders at Our Lady of the Fields.. 8 July 13 7:30 8:30 PM ULTREYA at Church of the Crucifixion... 9 July 23 7:00 9:00 PM - School of Leaders at Our Lady of the Fields.. 8 Aug 2-5 Women s Cursillo Weekend at the Msgr. O Dwyer s Retreat House in Sparks. 3 Aug 5 Women s Closura at 4:30 PM. 3 Aug th National Encounter in Seattle Aug TBD Grand Ultreya and Fiesta at 2 PM 9 Aug 27 7:00 9:00 PM - School of Leaders at Our Lady of the Fields.. 8 1

2 Calling all Cursillistas! April 28, 2018 Please join your Secretariat for a Palanca Mass, Team Commissioning Ceremony, Pot Luck Brunch and Discussion! Want to reconnect with Cursillistas throughout the area? Got a question about Cursillo? How do I sponsor a candidate successfully? What can Region 2 or National have to offer our Baltimore Movement? With our Weekends scheduled in the May & August this a perfect time to have a question and answer period. Let s talk about how the Cursillo works on spreading the Good News to everyone! SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 8:30 AM Mass at Holy Trinity Church in Glen Burnie 9:10 AM Team Commissioning Ceremony 9:15 AM Pot Luck Brunch/Social in the Hall following Mass 9:45 AM Introductions & Announcements 10:00 AM Cursillo Discussion 10:45 AM Questions & Answers Where: When: Why: Bring: Holy Trinity Church 7436 B&A Blvd, Glen Burnie, MD Saturday April 28, :30 am Brunch & Discussion immediately after in the hall next to the Church. Because you all want to know what we ve been doing. Prayers, brunchy stuff (if you want) and an open mind. For more information contact Darlene at darleneandbud157@gmail.com. 2

3 ANNOUNCING WEEKENDS AT THE MSGR. O DWYER RETREAT HOUSE! MEN S CURSILLO WEEKEND May 17-20, 2018 WOMEN S CURSILLO WEEKEND August 2-5, 2018 A prayer and call for candidates! Got a candidate in mind for a weekend? Please Paul at pgonzalez59@myfam.com and let him know so we can start praying for your candidate. Cursillo "Letters of Interest" (ie. the application) can be found on-line at and should be turned into Paul Gonzalez. His address at the bottom of the form. Send your applications in now! The Closing and Apostolic Commitment Services dates: May 20 th at 4:30 PM Men s Closura August 5 th at 4:30 PM Women s Closura Monsignor O Dwyer Retreat House located at York Road, Sparks, MD Please bring a dish to share for the community gathering following the Commitment Service! 3

4 LAY DIRECTOR MESSAGE by Vicky Mundt Hello Everyone, It is my honor to be selected to serve as your lay director. I have big shoes to fill following Dave Luddy. Lucky for me, Dave left everything in great order. We have a supportive, talented and joyful secretariat to assist in leading the Baltimore Cursillo Community. I want to share with you some of the accomplishments from Cursillo Weekends We were blessed to have enough candidates to host Men s and Women s Cursillo weekends in 2017 at Msgr. O Dwyer Retreat House. A total of 14 men and women encountered Christ on these weekends Friendship Groups We now have a total of 23 Friendship groups meeting at various locations with a total of 93 participants. These are listed on our web site at Ultreyas - The monthly Ultreya at the Church of the Crucifixion was well attended and we had many inspirational witness talks. We also hosted Ultreyas every three months in Annapolis as part of an effort to make Ultreyas accessible to all Cursillistas. We plan to host Ultreyas in other parts of the diocese in In January the Cursillistas at Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier hosted an Ultreya. School of Leaders. In addition to its focus on helping us grow in knowledge of church doctrine and the Cursillo method, the School helped to train and equip the team members who led our Cursillo weekends. Our doctrinal discussions this year focused on the apostolic exhortations of Pope Francis. Financial. We are officially 501(c)(3) certified. We were also blessed to receive donations and fundraising through bingo. We also have an AmazonSmile account where we have received a small amount along with the donations from Lighthouse Catholic Media. You can go to the website at and use Baltimore Cursillo promo code or use your smart phone to get or give a subscription. We have great plans for Later this month we will gather for the Palanca mass to offer prayer and sacrifice for the upcoming Weekends. The Men s Weekend is just around the corner, please ask any candidates you have been thinking about and contact our Pre-Cursillo coordinator, Paul Gonzalez. The Women s weekend is in August and now is the time to be inviting candidates. We are looking for a leader to run our School Leaders. If you feel called, please talk to me or Dave Luddy. Lastly, I want to encourage you to think about attending the National Encounter. The 28 th National Encounter will be held on August 16-19, 2018 at Seattle University. It is a beautiful Jesuit Catholic University located in Seattle, WA on 50 acres in Seattle s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The 28 th National Encounter registration is now open! There are only 700 seats available. It s expected to be a fully-packed National Encounter at Seattle University. DeColores, Vicky Mundt Lay Director, Cursillo Movement of Baltimore 4

5 Why do we have Cursillos? This question was explored by one of the presenters and discussed at the 2017 National Cursillo Encounter in San Antonio, TX. After reading the text version of her talk, Margaret Weber reminded me that even though many of us fully embrace the charism of the Cursillo and, that even though many of us religiously practice our tripod and group, being a Cursillista also requires of us to be active in all facets of the movement, including: the Precursillo, Cursillo Weekend and Postcursillo. Ms. Weber states, I think we can truthfully say that in most areas the Postcursillo needs a lot of work. It is great to sponsor and bring people to the weekend but if we don t continue the friendship after the weekend, we leave them high and dry and their environment may not change as they should. The method continues as the Postcursillo becomes the Precursillo for those coming to the bridge and who may attend the next weekend. We need to realize that Cursillo is not just about having a nice weekend experience. We all need to practice perseverance in the Postcursillo with forming Group Reunions. The Group Reunion is friendship elevated to the highest level, friendship that is converted into a permanent actual grace Have we used the Gift of Cursillo to its fullest potential? Do I put effort into all of its parts? Have I sponsored people for a weekend lately? Do I continue to walk with them after the weekend? Have I helped those I sponsored to belong to a Group Reunion? Do I take those I have sponsored to the Ultreya? Do I do my part in being a leader in the movement? Do I study the Charism and attend School of Leaders, or has my lack of commitment to the Cursillo method dampened the fire within me that was set ablaze on my weekend? Has your fire literally gone out? As we near the time when a decision will be made to either go forward or cancel scheduled Cursillos, perhaps we should also consider how effectively we are in studying our environments, developing friendships, and inviting them to a Weekend so they too can join us in the re-orientation of our world to living a fundamental Christian life. De Colores! Paul Gonzalez, Pre-Cursillo PRE-CURSILLO by Paul Gonzalez Deepen your faith, reach out to others and support Cursillo! Lighthouse Catholic Media is a non-profit company that is devoted to Empowering the New Evangelists. High quality Catholic media makes it easy for anyone to effectively share the Catholic Faith with others, even with those who think differently than us. High quality, low cost media and good communication tools are enabling the Church to bring about an encounter with the Lord through the truth, through His Word, and through others in community, all in simple ways that are proven. If you want to deepen your own faith or just find tools to reach out to others, then please go to the Cursillo website navigate to study resources and click on the Lighthouse Catholic Media link. There you will find Lighthouse Catholic Media resources to support your faith and your evangelization efforts. A portion of all sales purchased through this link will be donated directly to Cursillo. 5

6 REGION 2 SPRING ENCOUNTER by Sue Wenzlick April 20-22, 2018 Won t you come and join us? The Region 2 Spring Encounter is not just for the Secretariat members of each Diocese but for all Cursillistas in our region! Come and meet other Cursillistas throughout the 14 represented dioceses as we meditate on our theme The Good Shepherd and the Humble Servant. Essence and Purpose in Humbleness Knowing Yourself as a Humble Servant Spiritual Presentation - The Prodical Son The Humble Evangelist By Juan Ruiz By LaVerne Atiba By Deacon Joaquim Pereiro By Ronnie Martella This weekend covers all three legs of the tripod: PIETY - Adoration, Benediction, Morning/Night Prayers, Mass and the Rosary! STUDY Information on Cursillo Topics (see presentations above) ACTION Interaction with other Cursillistas see how other dioceses are doing the good, the bad and the ugly! We always come back rejuvenated on inspiring our Baltimore Cursillo Movement with great ideas from other dioceses! Need more information please contact Sue at or Wenzlick@verizon.net. Or click on this link below to see the Region 2 Website! EPIPHANY ULTREYA The clothes we collected for Our Lady of the Chesapeake s winter relief program who was hosting the homeless at that time. Christmas music filled the air as we celebrated the Epiphany! Our Epiphany Ultreya was wonderfully hosted by Kathy Murphy and our Cursillistas from the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier. They did a fantastic job welcoming everyone to their 1 st Ultreya! We had 22 cursillistas doing a lot of laughing, sharing, praying and socializing with God in the center. 6

7 SPIRITUAL DIRECTION by Father Larry As we celebrate this Easter Season, we need to be ready to share the GOOD NEWS of Jesus with every one we meet. Sometimes, people will question us about our faith. First Peter 3:15 reads "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you." So, If Jesus was buried on Friday, how did he rise on Sunday? He was in the tomb for three days? Firstly, if your question is by what power did Jesus rise after He was dead; the answer is by the power of God. Because Jesus offered Himself as the totally perfect and innocent sacrifice offered to God for the remission of sins, the Father accepted that sacrifice as making atonement (i.e. literally--- AT-ONE-ment) for the human race. The resurrection was the proof that God had accepted the sacrifice of Jesus and, thus, renewed fallen creation that had been disfigured since the original sin of Adam and Eve. Secondly, if your question has to do with counting the number of days, you need to realize that Jewish law reckons the day to begin at sunset. We read in the Gospel of Luke 23:54 It was the day of preparation, and the Sabbath was about to begin. Therefore, Jesus was laid in the tomb before sunset on Friday; that was the first day. Jesus was in the tomb all day Saturday, which was the Sabbath (Luke 23:55), the second day. The Gospel of Luke continues (24:1) But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. Jesus rose from the dead early Sunday morning, the third day. So while Jesus was not in the tomb for a complete 72 hours (three complete 24 hour periods), He was in the tomb before the end of Friday (one day), all of Saturday (second day), at day break on Sunday (third day). Therefore, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. SPIRITUAL DIRECTION by Deacon Monti Christ can count on me! Holy Week in my opinion is the greatest liturgical week in our calendar year because so many events this week can produce hours of sacred meditation. There was Palm Sunday and in my opinion Jesus cried as He entered Jerusalem because after three years of His public life the people didn t get it nor did His apostles after all the time they spent together. Can t we say that about most Christians today? The point is as Cursillistas we have an enormous job to do and we need a Cursillio Modern Day Witness Crusade. I say a Crusade because we are in a war for the souls of God s creation young and old, men and women of all nationalities. Our basic training was the preparation and reception of the Sacraments. Our induction into Christ s army was the Cursillo and like any army we have our leaders the Secretariat comprised of clergy and laity who with all Cursillistas are the front line soldiers against a very sinister enemy Satan Himself. Just look around the world today in the public and private lives of people and say who you think is winning the battle for souls? If you think Christ is, go back to your spiritual sleep and dream good dreams because the world is going to Hell. At Christmas time we gave many gifts (mostly material ones) joyfully to the people we love in our lives, but during Holy Week Jesus gave us Himself and the gates of heaven were opened. His gift is so special that it doesn t wear out and lasts forever. As members of the Lord s Army we are called to free the people who have been captured by Satan and his minions which by no means is an easy task and cannot be done in a haphazard manner. The Cursillo teaches us how to effectively use those sacred weapons we have been given and the comradely support of our Cursillo clergy and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Armies do not win wars by complacency, but by action. Satan would love to build a fire wall around us which may make us feel free, warm and fuzzy while he continues to do his evil acts in the world. So when you think about your weekend and what you are doing today ask yourself this question Is Christ satisfied and approve of my pledge that He could count on me? If not what are you going to do about it? Consider an Ultreya and a Group reunion, because Christ IS counting on you! 7

8 When: When does the School of Leaders meet? We meet on the 4 th Monday of the Month at 7 PM. Where: Where does the School of Leaders meet? We meet at Our Lady of Fields in room 205. SCHOOL OF LEADERS by Dave Luddy Why: Why come to the School of Leaders? To deepen your knowledge of the Cursillo technique and its methodology, and apply it, especially the work of personal contact. Revitalize and invigorate the Precursillo, Cursillo, the Ultreya and the Secretariat. Who: Who is the School Leaders for? You! Are you being called to deepen your faith and learn more about Cursillo? Then the School of Leaders is what you are looking for. All are welcome! What: What do we study at the School of Leaders? We have a Doctrinal talk presented by a Deacon and a talk on Cursillo Technique presented by a lay member. The schedule for the next 3 months is listed below. Date Doctrinal Study Cursillo Technique Study Monday, April 23, 2018 Apostolic Exhortation: God is love, paragraphs Led by Deacon Mark Loepker Leaders Manual, Chapter 10: Pages focused on 3-day weekends. Monday, May 28, 2018 No Meeting due to Memorial Day Monday, June 25, 2018 Monday, July 23, 2018 Apostolic Exhortation: God is love, paragraphs Led by Deacon Mark Loepker Apostolic Exhortation: God is love, paragraphs Led by Deacon Mark Loepker Team formation topics in preparation for women s weekend Team formation topics in preparation for women s weekend Hope to see you all at the School of Leaders! All are welcome! We meet at Our Lady of the Fields in room 205 from 7:00-9:00 pm. For more information, contact Dave Luddy at or at deluddy@gmail.com. 8

9 Please consider doing Palanca daily for our upcoming weekends, plus always for the Weekends around the world that are posted each and every week through our Cursillo Prayer Line through Rose Marcin. We also present our Prayer Cross (for each hour on the weekend) which we do through sign-up genius. The Cursillo Movement has an ongoing prayer request for our present and future Cursillistas!!! Let's not forget them. Palanca means LEVERAGE. Let's do our share of leverage our lifting up for God s chosen ones! We continue to host an Ultreya the 2 nd Friday of the month at Church of the Crucifixion in Glen Burnie! The Ultreya starts promptly at 7:30 PM and lasts one hour. We meet in the basement of the church. Church of the Crucifixion is located at 100 Scott Avenue, Glen Burnie, MD For more information contact Darlene Conley at darleneandbud157@gmail.com! Many thanks to all of those who helped with our annual fundraiser the Purse & Bag Bingo. A big round of applause goes to Marie Bastien and Sue Wenzlick who helped purchase and fluff all of the bags. We had many hands on deck for set-up & selling of raffles/specials including the Wenzlick family, the Ziegenhein family, Lisa & Chris Kane, Kay Bowman, Peg Clinch, and Dave Luddy. We had 392 bingo players! WOW! It was a huge success! Grand Ultreya & Fiesta August TBD 2:00 PM Dave & Sue Luddy s home 9

10 NATIONAL ENCOUNTER by Sue Wenzlick 28 th National Cursillo Encounter Seattle University August 16-19, 2018 Last year s Encounter in Texas was filled with the Holy Spirit and we expect no less about this year s National Encounter. Sign up today for this special weekend! Registration may be done on line. Forms can be downloaded in PDF format or WORD. Why attend the Encounter? To meet Cursillistas throughout the country. To learn more about our movement! To celebrate the Love of Christ through the Mass, adoration, and fellowship. To experience a diversity of languages that has one thing in common: Love for our Lord! Registration Fee is $ per person. Full payment and this form must be received by June 15, Registration fee increases to $ per person beginning June 16, Unable to guarantee registration after July 15, National Cursillo Center P.O. Box 799 Jarrell, Texas CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE Cursillo Community of Baltimore 10

11 CURSILLO DAY OF REFLECTION by Tina Delaney On Saturday, February 3 rd 18 Cursillistas and friends enjoyed a day of reflection at the Shrine of St. Anthony in Howard County. We met in the dining room for breakfast treats, and settled in for the morning. The walls of the dining room are lined with portraits of popes who were Franciscans, and over the fireplace hangs The First Breakfast (vs. the Last Supper ) - a painting of the Blessed Mother nursing her son. We moved to the Conference room, where Fr. Dennis Mason, OFM,Conv. directed our day, with presentations on the Eucharist and the importance of Christian community. We each introduced ourselves, and sang De Colores! Fr. Dennis began with prayer and read from 1 Corinthians 12, emphasizing that we are all one body, though many parts. He then talked about the 5 senses that we use to experience life: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. We long to feel the presence of others, and our senses are portals through which the world enters our lives. We have sensible contact with others and with God. Through the Incarnation, God took on our senses, and through those senses, God was made present to us. All Sacraments make use of our senses. In the Eucharist, God takes on sensibility, making Himself present here and now. The Eucharist is an experience, rather than a doctrine to try to understand. It is a kiss of God, an embrace of Christ, a sacred secret. It is experienced in a tender, personal privacy, and is unlike any relationship between 2 people. Have we become too routine about the Eucharist? Fr. Dennis suggested that the next time at Mass, we pay closer attention to the Offertory, when the gifts are brought up to the altar. We are those gifts, we offer ourselves to God. The bread and wine are not the only things to be transformed: we, too, are called to be transformed to Christ s body, the Church. As community, we are united in the Eucharist. No human power could unite such diverse persons as those that gather to celebrate! The Eucharist alone has that power. It requires of us our time to participate, and to be FOR one another. It is the Source and Summit, where we came from and where we are headed. Community takes some work. We need to follow the example of Christ, and allow ourselves to be broken. In the words of consecration, we hear take break eat. We are called to be vulnerable, to be broken for the sake of God and for the community. The Eucharist is celebration for today and a promise for tomorrow. If you receive the Eucharist well, you will become what you eat. You will be open to hear Jesus tell you that You are worth being My Body in the world. In receiving the Eucharist, listen to Jesus: I am with you. I love you. I trust you. We had the opportunity to go to Reconciliation, Mass, enjoy a hot lunch, and concluded with a wrap up talk and questions answered by Fr. Dennis. Hopefully, everyone there had a chance to be refreshed, as we came together in community. De Colores! 11

12 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? Romans 10: Prayer for the New Evangelization Heavenly Father, Pour forth your Holy Spirit to inspire me with these words from Holy Scripture. Stir in my soul the desire to renew my faith and deepen my relationship with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ so that I might truly believe in and live the Good News. Open my heart to hear the Gospel and grant me the confidence to proclaim the Good News to others. Pour out your Spirit, so that I might be strengthened to go forth and witness to the Gospel in my everyday life through my words and actions. In moments of hesitation, remind me: If not me, then who will proclaim the Gospel? If not now, then when will the Gospel be proclaimed? If not the truth of the Gospel, then what shall I proclaim? God, our Father, I pray that through the Holy Spirit I might hear the call of the New Evangelization to deepen my faith, grow in confidence to proclaim the Gospel and boldly witness to the saving grace of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. I open with prayer as we make friends, be friends and bring those friends to Christ! Are you doing it! If you have you must by now have a friend that you believe will benefit from making a Cursillo weekend. The weekends are coming up fast so get those applications in to Paul now! Here are several signs for knowing when someone may be ready to make a weekend: Has grouped with you for months and likes it! Goes with you to every church function you invite them to and enjoys them! Tells you they are looking for something deeper in their faith. Wants to know how they can spread God s word to the rest of the world. Has a desire to stay on the mountaintop after the retreat is over. They cry when they have to miss Mass due to inclement weather. They sing loud in Church even if they can t sing (ok this may be borderline) They attended the recent Men s Catholic Conference. They thirst for knowledge of Christ. So when you see this kind of stuff in your friend, invite them to the weekend! They will be glad you invited them! DeColores! YOUR 4 th DAY by Andy Roe 12

13 The Cursillo Movement of Baltimore Secretariat Members December 2017 Position Name Address Phone Numbers Spiritual Advisor Asst. Spiritual Advisor Ass't Spiritual Advisor Lay Director Precursillo 3-Day 3-Day Committee 4-Day Secretary Palanca Palanca (International) School of Leaders SOL Committee Treasurer Publicity Newsletter Father Larry Adamczyk Deacon Mark Loepker Deacon Monti Vicky Mundt Paul Gonzalez Tina Delaney Catherine Gonzalez Andy Roe Jean Plourde Darlene Conley Paul Gonzalez VACANT Maureen Tomcala Mike Mundt Sue Wenzlick Lori Garland 224 W. Washington St. Hagerstown, MD Crawfords Ridge Rd. Odenton, MD Dominion Drive, New Freedom PA Sunwood Terrace Annapolis, MD Honeysuckle Lane, Annapolis, MD th Avenue Edgewater, MD Honeysuckle Lane, Annapolis, MD Birch Ct. Severna Park, MD nd Street Pasadena, MD Waldo Road Pasadena, MD Honeysuckle Lane Annapolis, MD Eason Drive Severn, MD Sunwood Terrace Annapolis, MD Eagles Wing Ct. Linthicum, MD Kidwell Ct. Hanover, MD National Website - Baltimore Website - Region 2 Website - National Palanca Prayer@yolitcursillo.org Started X116 Ladamczyk@archbalt.org January mark.loepker@gmail.com May deaconmonti@gmail.com mundtvl@gmail.com Dec pgonzalez59@myfam.com Nov tinamcdelaney@gmail.com August cmgonzalez59@myfam.com Feb Andrew.Roe@redhawkus.com October jeanplo44@yahoo.com Feb darleneandbud157@gmail.com January pgonzalez59@myfam.com January mtomcala1@verizon.net July mrmundt83@gmail.com May wenzlick@verizon.net July cursillo.news@gmail.com January lori@1nadd.com 2010 Cursillo Movement of Baltimore s Prayer request Rose Marcin rmarcin@gmail.com Cursillo Movement of Baltimore s Webmaster Bob Barrick robert.barrick@verizon.net National Newsletters- ULTREYAS Church of the Crucifixion in Glen Burnie (2 nd Friday of the Month) - CONTACT - Darlene Conley darleneandbud157@gmail.com St. Mary s in Annapolis (5 th Friday of the Month) - CONTACT Vicky Mundt mundtvl@gmail.com 13

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