Secretariat Officers Installed. rectoras. Those in. deposit of faith, so help them God. At the close of the homily, Father Phil called

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1 Onward! WINTER 2010 EDITION A Newsletter for the 4 th Day of the Scranton, Pennsylvania, Cursillo Community Special Interest Articles ~ Christmas with the Sisters ~ New Officers Installed ~ Day of Reflection ~ Divine Mercy Secretariat Officers Installed It was a beautiful day up the new lay director and a new beginning for and her assistant, as well as some, as cursillistas from all the current rectors and over the Diocese of rectoras. Those in Scranton gathered for Mass attendance looked on, as and the installation of new Lay Director and Assistant secretariat officers on Lay Director, Donna Valenti Saturday, January 23rd. and Tina Filone promised, before God and all those Father Phil Sladicka was present, that they would the celebrant as the preserve communion with morning began with the the Catholic Church, that Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. they would carry out their Father offered insights duties with great care and during his homily, of how fidelity, and that they we are all called to action, would hold fast to the through Cursillo. deposit of faith, so help them God. At the close of the homily, Father Phil called Lunch was held after A Night to Remember Mass, in conjunction with the Day of Reflection for rectors and rectoras, and appreciation and recognition for the work of the outgoing lay director, Maria Kocsis, was celebrated with a cake and much gratitude for a job well done. Other officers in attendance were Joe Alinoski, Pre-Cursillo Chair and Maureen Cure, Post Cursillo Chair. Let us all continue to pray for all of our leaders and the Cursillo Movement. Individual Highlights News from National 2 World Palanca 2 Meet the Lay Director 3 A Note from Maria 4 Ultreya 4 Upcoming Events 5 New Website 6 The joy really is in the giving... The evening starting with mass with the nuns, listening to their angelic voices singing praises to the Lord. What a gift to all! Afterward, the party moved to the dining room where the grand amount of delicious appetizers and main courses was amazing- --what a feast! The desserts covered an entire table. Everyone really out did themselves! After we all shared fellowship and a great meal, we could hear in the distance, the sound of jingle bells and a loud and many HO HO HO's. There soon appeared the Claus family, complete with Rudolph and his glowing red nose. Santa, Rudolph and Mrs. Claus appeared, pushing three carts full of baskets and bags filled with all kinds of goodies and sacks, all with personal care items and gifts such as postage stamps, note cards, special pens, bath and body items, flashlights, umbrellas, handmade scarves, gloves and much, MUCH MORE. Mr. & Mrs. Santa, along with the very handsome Rudolph and the help of many elves, presented the nuns with their bags. Then each nun was called up one at a time and presented with $75.00 in gift cards from the spring men s and women s teams. The topper of the evening was when the nuns sang a beautiful song of blessing for all of us. It was truly a magical moment! We also had a lot of laughs, especially when Sr. Collette sprang into action and grabbed one of the 4 bottles of wine from one of the food baskets. When the party was over, everyone pitched in, (all with smiles), and cleaned CONTINUED on Page 2

2 TYPE TITLE HERE A Night to Remember continued... the entire dining room, and even ran the sweeper (thanks Ray!). It was a night of great joy, overwhelming love and unselfish giving.

2 2 TYPE TITLE HERE A Night to Remember continued... the entire dining room, and even ran the sweeper (thanks Ray!). It was a night of great joy, overwhelming love and unselfish giving. We are truly blessed and we thank God for the dear sisters at St. Gabriel s, and also to all those who donated, but were unable to attend. It was surely a night to remember. It was a night of great joy, overwhelming love ~ By Mr. and Mrs. Claus & Rudolph (AKA Sharon Beggs, Theresa Filone & Joe Adcroft FROM NATIONAL CURSILLO: A Cursillo Leader From the December 2009 National Cursillo Newsletter and unselfish giving. In the Leaders talk it states that: in Christianity, leaders are those who, having heard Christ s call, throw themselves decisively into apostolic action with the capacity to influence others guiding them to encounter the Lord. A Cursillo Leader, therefore is a dedicated apostle; a person who puts all of his/her abilities in the service of Christ. As Pope Pius X exclaimed: They must be mature Catholics, convinced of their faith, solidly instructed in the ways of religion, sincerely devoted to the Church, and in particular to this Supreme Apostolic See, and the Vicar of Christ on earth; persons of genuine piety, of manly virtues, of clean habits, of a life so blameless that they may serve as an effective example to all. (St. Pius X, The Firm Proposal). Fr. Frank S. Salmani in the Epilogue of his book, Whom Shall I Send? stated, If we decide our particular calling is to the Cursillo Movement as a Cursillo leader, we must understand that this calling, like any calling from God is a vocation it is not something we choose. The Lord chooses us. Accepting that call means, making a commitment to God and His work. It involves directing our will to all that God wants. It means that we must be responsible stewards, sharing our time, talent and treasure with the world. If we accept the task of being a Cursillo leader, it also implies that this should be our primary apostolate. Not everyone is called to do everything. We are not called to do everything, but whatever challenge we do accept should be given our undivided attention. World Palanca By Cynthia Hogan (for more info, call ) Everyone knows how great it feels to see the palanca letters come in from around the world during our Cursillo weekends. To know that so many people are praying for us, people we have never met, is exhilarating! But as we have learned, it is not the letters themselves that are the palanca, but the actions and the prayers that inspired the letters are the palanca for us. Don't we want all those people around the world to know that we truly are brothers and sisters in Christ, and that we too are offering our chaplets, masses, novenas and sacrifices for them? The prayers and offerings we make -- let us bring our new brothers and sisters as close to Christ as we want to be. After all, Palanca is one of the most important aspects of a Cursillo. Let us join our prayers together and send them around the world so that other people can know the love of Christ.

3 3 Day of Reflection by Christina Fleury Rectors and Rectoras, past and present, came together for a Day of Reflection at St Mary s Church, in Avoca, on January 23rd. They gathered for Mass, lunch, discussion and fellowship. The Spiritual Director of our Cursillo Movement, Father Phil Sladicka, led our leaders in a promise, before God and the community gathered, that they would follow and foster the common discipline of the Cursillo Movement and maintain the observance of all principles and fundamentals, so help them God. beautiful reminder of our collective call to be servants of our Lord and place our complete trust in Him, knowing that His plans for the weekend will overcome our human frailties. The meeting ended with prayer and thanksgiving. May God bless our Brothers and Sisters and guide them as they lead their teams in service to God and His new cursillistas! Our current rectors and rectoras, Joe Adcroft, Sharon Beggs, Natalie Kocsis and Bob Mayshock, were encouraged to ask questions about the weekend and share their concerns, if any. Assistant Rectoras, Linda Hayes and Carol Proulx were present, and dialogue with past leaders regarding scheduling and authenticity were helpful to ensure the success of the upcoming weekends. Surrender to God and remembering that our weekends belong to HIM were a Meet the Lay Director My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, My name is Donna Valenti. On January 23rd, I was installed as the Lay Director of the Cursillo Movement in the Diocese of Scranton. It is my honor to serve you and the Movement. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself. I am a nurse. I worked in Critical Care for over 20 years, and for the past 5 years, I have had the privilege of serving geriatric patients in a program that trains volunteers to intervene at their bedsides. Addressing spiritual needs is one of those interventions. It is very powerful and rewarding to witness the impact of the interactions on the patients as well as the volunteers. This summer, my husband, Joe, and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. We have been blessed with 2 sons, Joey (20 yrs old) and Danny (17 yrs old). We belong to the Parish Community of Immaculate Conception, West Pittston and Holy Redeemer, Harding. I began living my Cursillo in Oct at St. Gabriel s Monastery. I have been active in School of Leaders, Ultreyas, and Group Reunion ever since. Cursillo has become very much a part of what makes me me. I thank God for His gift of the Cursillo Movement and how it has assisted me on my journey, accompanied by men and women who inspire, encourage and love generously. I would be remiss not to acknowledge my predecessor, Maria Kocsis. Her dedication, selfsacrifice and humility have resulted in much growth in the Cursillo movement in our Diocese. I hope to continue that trend, with the Holy Spirit always at our side, and the support and unity of Cursillistas throughout the diocese. I ask for your prayers as we continue this journey together. Remember, Christ is counting on us, and we are most definitely counting on Christ! De Colores!

4 4 TYPE TITLE HERE A Note from Maria... My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what a blessed 5 years I have had serving as Lay Director of the Scranton Diocese Cursillo. I have made wonderful friends, have been challenged in so many ways, strengthened my prayer life, and most importantly have become so much closer to my best friend, my Lord and Savior Who would have thought it. Six years ago part of me was truly broken. One simple yes changed everything for me. Now as I turn the next corner on my journey I would like to thank all who have touched my life. All of you are part of my tripod, my piety, study and action. Cursillo is not an organization; it is a movement, a way of life. Cursillo has focused me and together through the gifts of our friendship groups, ultreyas and school of leaders we nourish and inspire each other. We are each others checks and balance. I pray for all of you and hope that you will pray for me as I move on willingly to the next gift that God places in my path. Keep my ears open to His voice and my heart open to follow His way. I look forward to working with Donna and Tina in my new Cursillo role. Yours in Christ, Maria Kocsis DE COLORES!!!!!!!! Where there is no love, Put love, And you will FIND love. Heaven meets earth in the sacraments. This is not mere wishful thinking or a metaphor taken too literally. It is something profoundly true and real For the ~ St. John of the Cross sacraments represent Ultreya! by Maureen Cure, Post-cursillo Chair divine mysteries, spiritual realities, and human senses cannot see them A Spanish word meaning onward.... While climbing the hills of Mallorca, the founders of Cursillo would shout Ultreya! to encourage each other to continue onward. These words kept the spirit and friendship of Cursillo going. Today, Ultreya is the gathering of friendship groups the Reunion of the Group Reunions. Ultreya is simply a place where people come to feel welcomed and accepted. It is a place where the person is what matters the most, not the role they play in life. The center and heart of Ultreya is our sharing of piety, study and action, which aids in the process of ongoing conversion, to become more fully human and more fully Christian, and by cultivating and nurturing true interpersonal relationships, the warmest being friendship within life s circumstances or environments. We create a leavening that is needed to move the Pre-cursillo of today to the Post-cursillo of tomorrow. My plan and hope for this year is to develop interest and ways of making more ultreyas available to our Cursillo community. I would like to hear from you about the following ideas: 1. Holding Ultreyas at St. Gabriel s, and 2. Holding Ultreyas during weeknights. Your input is important in helping and shaping the growth of Ultreya. Let us go onward..... together! Maureen may be reached at in their deepest reality. ~ Scott Hahn & Mike Aquilina Living the Mysteries: A Guide for Unfinished Christians Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division

5 5 Divine Mercy In 1933, God gave Sister Faustina a striking vision of His Mercy. Sister tells us: voice taught her to say this prayer on ordinary rosary beads: Jesus said later to Sister Faustina: "Say unceasingly this Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, "I saw a great light, with God the Father in the midst of it. Between this light and the earth I saw Jesus nailed to the Cross and in such a way that God, wanting to look upon the earth, had to look through Our Lord's wounds and I understood that God blessed the earth for the sake of Jesus." Of another vision on Sept. 13, 1935, she writes: "First say one 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary', and 'I believe'. Then on the large beads say the following words: 'Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.' On the smaller beads you chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy..." Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world. For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, Have mercy on us, "I saw an Angel, the executor of God's wrath... about to strike the earth...i began to beg God earnestly for the world with words which I heard interiorly. As I prayed in this way, I saw the Angel's helplessness, and he could not carry out the just punishment..." The following day an inner are to say the following words: 'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.' In conclusion you are to say these words three times: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world'. "...When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior". From relating clips from Saint Faustina s Diary and on the whole world. REMINDER: Divine Mercy Sunday will be celebrated this year on April 11, Mark your calendar! Upcoming Events! Be on the lookout for Palanca requests! 56 th Women s Cursillo: March 18-21, 2010 Sharon Beggs, Rectora 50 th Men s Cursillo: April 15-18, 2010 Joe Adcroft, Rector 57 th Women s Cursillo: September 30 Oct 3, 2010 Natalie Kocsis, Rectora 51 st Men s Cursillo: November 11 14, 2010 Bob Mayshock, Rector School of Leaders March 13 th : St Gabriel s, Clarks Summit April 10, 2010: Holy Rosary Church, Scranton May 8, 2010: St Gabriel s Clarks Summit Ultreyas: St. Mary s, Dunmore February 28, 2010 Corpus Christi, Montdale May 2, 2010 Grouping Group Reunions are happening all over the Diocese. If you are having trouble finding a group, please attend an Ultreya or School of Leaders for info.

6 6 TYPE TITLE HERE Scranton Cursillo ATTN: Donna Valenti 106 Exeter Avenue West Pittston, PA Phone (570) ALSO: Tina Filone (570) A New Website! directions to event sites, a Be sure to check out our sponsor page and links that new Scranton Cursillo can assist you with Piety, website, currently managed Study, and Action. There is by our Pre-Cursillo Chair, Joe even a link to the National Alinoski. It is filled with all Cursillo website, which is a kinds of information to assist great source for cursillo you in your Fourth Day. You literature. will find event dates, prayer requests, contact info, About Our Movement Why wait? Come and see for yourself! Our website is: tead.com And stay tuned for new and exciting updates! De Colores!! Go therefore, and Be Messengers of JOY! ~ Pope John Paul II Cursillo (pronounced cur-seeyo) 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, Texas. 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. SCRANTON CURSILLO ATTN: DONNA VALENTI 106 EXETER AVENUE WEST PITTSTON, PA CURSILLISTA NAME STREET ADDRESS ADDRESS LINE 2 CITY, STATE ZIP CODE We re on the Web! See us at: ScrantonCursillo.homestead. com

Onward! Living the Tripod by Donna Valenti. De Colores! STUDY at Steubenville: A Pilgrim s Journey by George Siracuse.

Onward! Living the Tripod by Donna Valenti. De Colores! STUDY at Steubenville: A Pilgrim s Journey by George Siracuse. Onward! 2010 Edition A Newsletter for the 4 th Day of the Scranton, Pennsylvania, Cursillo Community Special Interest Articles Living Christ A Pilgrim s Journey To Jesus Through Mary Will You Not Spend