VOLUME 2014, ISSUE 2 A Publication of the Cursillo Movement of the Albany Diocese June 2014 Message from the School of Leaders The School of Leaders has been meeting monthly since March. Each month we have seen an increase in participation which has been very encouraging. Participants seem pleased with the format. I encourage all cursillistas to attend. You do not have had to participate in previous meetings. We have both presentations and discussions. The School of Leaders is charged with developing leaders within the Cursillo movement. Whether you consider yourself a leader or not I urge you to attend and learn more deeply about the Cursillo movement. Our next meeting will be in the Fall at St. Edwards in Clifton Park. Meetings are the first Thursday of each month and begin promptly at 7pm with prayer and end no later than 9pm Each month in addition to the other items on our agenda at the School, we hear about a particular Cursillo topic. We will be reprinting these items in the Little Light. In the last Little Light we highlighted Palanca. In this Little Light on page two you will find information about a proper Witness. Please review this information. Cursillo de Cursillos On September 11-14 2014 we will be having the first Cursillo de Cursillos in the Albany diocese Cursillo movement. This will take place at the beautiful Pyramid Lake Life Center run by our Spiritual Director, Sister Monica. Eduardo Bonnín the founder of the Cursillo movement developed a Cursillo de Cursillos (CDC) in order to provide Cursillistas with a deeper understanding of the Foundational Charism of the Cursillo Movement. This inspiring three-day workshop has a more relaxed atmosphere than the 3-Day Cursillo Weekend with plenty of time for reflection, sharing & question & answer sessions. The CDC begins on Thursday evening and concludes on Sunday evening. Similar to the Cursillo Weekend, the CDC must be a liv- ing experience for Cursillo leaders. The CDC helps Cursillo leaders delve into all the spiritual and technical elements of our Movement in light of its charism. A total of 15 Rollos and 5 Meditations are presented. This is a cloistered workshop like the Weekend. The Cursillo de Cursillos is a wonderful opportunity for Cursillistas to learn more about our Cursillo Movement. Attendees will learn the best ways to persevere in their progressive conversion, which is indispensable to successfully carrying out our apostolic and administrative duties as leaders. We will learn how to help new Cursillistas form and maintain Friendship Groups, how to conduct an efficient School of Leaders, how to organize a joyful and fruitful Ultreya, how to make personal contacts in a Three-Day Cursillo, how to implement an authentic Pre- Cursillo, Cursillo, and Post-Cursillo, and many, many useful information.. See page 2 for further details De Colores, Tom Molloy Message from the Lay Director Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Thank you for the wonderful support you all have shown in cooperating with the plans, ideas and fund raisers that have come from Secretariat. Thank you to all the Secretariat members and Ultreya leaders who have sincerely and conscientiously made suggestions, followed through on plans, and have taken our mission of spreading God s love to heart. Let s continue to support one another and move forward with our goal of building God s family and kingdom on Earth. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events. Love and De Colores, Nancy
Your stay at Pyramid Life Center will be enhanced by remembering to bring the following: Drinking cup for cabin use Flashlight and extra batteries Sleeping bag or bedding and pillow Personal toilet articles Rain gear/sweater &/or jacket Good shoes or boots for hiking/walking in sandals is tough Musical instruments (if you wish to play) Cameras Swimsuits/Towel Fishing gear/fishing license When: September 11-14, 2014 Where: Cost: Pyramid Life Center Paradox, NY $150.00 per person Please send your deposit of $50.00 pp as soon as possible to: Cursillo in Christianity PO Box 8714 Albany, NY 12208-9998 July 26, 2014 Time Mass & Commissioning at St. Pius X, 23 Crumitie Road, Loudonville Picnic at The Crossings of Colonie, 580 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville Hamburgers/Hot Dogs provided bring a salad or dessert to share! Come and join with other cursillistas for the commissioning of Women s Team #57 and a fun-filled afternoon Please save the date for Saturday, June 14 th to join us for 9:00am - 2:30pm A POST-CURSILLO WORKSHOP at Mater Christi Parish 40 Hopewell St. Albany, NY 12208 We will be exploring an overview of the Fourth Day, as well as the essentials of the Small Group Reunion and Ultreya. Lunch will be catered and your RSVP will ensure that we order enough for everyone! A morning break includes light snacks. The presentations will begin at 9:00am and include time for discussion. A mid-day Mass will be followed by lunch. We will adjourn at 2:30pm. Please RSVP to Kimberly Gray at kgray4@nycap.rr.com. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
The W I T N E S S Talk at Ultreya The purpose of the witness talk at Ultreya is to encourage your brothers and sisters in their efforts to become better apostles, in their efforts to be the Lord s instruments in the many environments they find themselves in family, neighborhood, work and socially. The witness should therefore be centered on our evangelizing efforts of how the Lord is working through me to build up His Kingdom. General sharing can always be inspirational and valuable, but the specific role you are filling is to witness to current evangelizing efforts. What the Witness Talk should not be: a) It should not be sensational b) It should not be a sermon, nor should it be instruction in Catholicism. c) It should not be longer than five to ten minutes. d) It should not be too emotional. Emotions will be affected by a simple, sincere talk. What the Witness Talk should be: a) It should be your life lived out as a Christian - how the Lord is working through you. b) It should be concrete and practical, carried out in the normal flow of your life. c) It should be centered on and be about Christ, how you were His instrument. d) It should be centered in the present, not something that happened six months or more ago. e) It should be descriptive - explaining who, how and what of the details necessary to make your witness clear. f) It should concentrate on one or two points, rather than a series of examples. g) It should be as informal as if you are sharing it with a friend - you are! May 4, 2014 Almost 60 Cursillistas gathered for the Women s and Men s Weekend Reunions and the Diocesan Ultreya held on May 4th at Our Lady of the Assumption in Latham. Harrilyn Beehner, Rectora Women s Weekend #56 and Carl Rosenthal Rector Men s Weekend #51 led the Reunion. Kim Gray, Post Cursillo Chair led the Ultreya with a meditation by Shirley Pilch and a witness by Mary Grace Dansereau. Our Spiritual Director, Sister Monica Murphy led us in prayer and summarized the Ultreya. As always at a Cursillo pot luck there was plenty of food to share. Picture of Carl and Harrilyn Carl & Harrilyn
June 5 7PM School of Leaders, St. Edwards, Clifton Park June 14 9AM-2:30PM Post Cursillo Workshop, Mater Christi, Albany June 19 7PM Secretariat, Mater Christi, Albany July 26 11AM Mass/Commissioning of Women s Team/Picnic (See details p. 2) Sept. 4 7PM School of Leaders, St. Edwards, Clifton Park Sept. 11-14 Cursillo de Cursillos, Pyramid Life Center, Paradox, NY Sept. 18 7PM Secretariat, Mater Christi, Albany Oct. 2 7PM School of Leaders, St. Edwards, Clifton Park Oct. 16 7PM Secretariat, Mater Christi, Albany, NY Oct. 24 TBD Women s Holy Hour, TBD Oct. 30-Nov. 2 Women s Weekend #57, Dominican Retreat & Conference Center, Niskayuna, NY Nov. 23 TBD Women s Reunion/Diocesan Ultreya, TBD A heartfelt thank you to all those who contributed to the Cursillo Annual Appeal. At last count over $2,600 in profit was realized after the cost of stamps was deducted. The funds will be used to defray weekend costs, annual dues to regional and national, costs associated with Cursillo events, publication of the Little Light and supplies and mailing costs. We have received three additional donations since the last Little Light was published. Fred and Nancy Harder Pat and Allen Johnson Michael Pastore Do you know someone who is not receiving the Little Light? If so, drop us a note at Albany_Cursillo@msn.com with their name and contact information including email
Below you will find the Cursillo Financial Summary for the past three years. Annually we will be publishing in the Little Light our Financial Summary in the Spring edition. CURSILLO FINANCIAL SUMMARY As of December 31, 2013 2011 2012 2013 YTD Beginning Balance $5,557.23 $5,801.42 $9,290.09 Annual Income $8,505.00 $18,035.81 $10,669.00 Annual Expenses $8,260.81 $14,547.14 $12,374.15 Ending Balance $5,801.42 $9,290.09 $7,584.94 Income Details Free Will Donations $538.00 $600.00 $519.00 Annual Appeal Receipts $2,210.00 Raffle $3,727.00 $6,784.81 Men's Weekend $4,795.00 $210.00 Women's Weekend Fees $3,685.00 $5,840.00 $6,700.00 Book Donation $16.00 $100.00 Workshop Fees $555.00 Christmas Basket Raffle c $930.00 Total Annual Income $8,505.00 $18,035.81 $10,669.00 Expense Details Supplies & Memorial Items $497.00 $1,001.45 Regional & Nat'l Dues a/b $1,000.00 $250.00 $1,050.00 Women's Wkd $3,836.05 $6,758.60 $7,323.75 2014 Men's Wkd (deposit) $1,032.50 $5,145.00 $1,023.75 Little Light Publication $775.41 Fourth Qtr mailing $478.40 Other Programs (Picnic etc) $67.35 $227.52 $916.63 Raffle $974.50 $1,285.34 Miscellaneous $575.00 $383.68 580.17 Total Annual Expenses $8,260.81 $14,547.14 $12,374.15 a- Dues help support operating and educational program opportunity costs b- Annual payments reflect timing delays, average is $750-$800 c- Baskets items were donated Check the website for complete and current Cursillo News http://www.cursillo.org/albany/