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Onward!Onward!Onward!Onward!
2011
EDITION
A Newsletter for the 4th Day of the Scranton, Pennsylvania, Cursillo Community
Women’s 59th Cursillo
Our Blessed Mother By Loretta Siracuse
De Colores!
Our week-end was grace-filled. Our nine
month journey came to an
end. Wow, what a journey, albeit with some bumps in
the road.
Deacon Mark Jennings was going to be with us the
whole week-end, but with
his sudden and
unexpected death I found two replacements.
Deacon Carmine
Mendicino and Deacon
Leo Lynn filled in for the two talks.
The music was
inspirational plus we had our own marching band! Fr
Ed. Buchheit and Carolyn
Nebraski lead the way singing "De Colores" before
every meal.
Just a few words would
describe the week-end:
calm and relaxed -- What a
gift. The candidates really "got
it." Our theme was "Jesus, I
trust in You."
The sisters were
welcoming as always,
providing us with plenty of
food. The table of plenty never ran dry.
It was a privilege and a
blessing to have served as the Rectora of the
Women's 59th cursillo in the
Diocese of Scranton.
Peace,
Carol Proulx
One of the most
beautiful gifts, Jesus gave
us was his mother. Even at his death on the cross, He
was still thinking about us.
He gave us his mother. He
made it very clear. He said to his mother, “Woman,
behold your son.” and to
his beloved disciple,
“Behold, your mother.” He was speaking to mankind.
What good son does not
love and appreciate his
mother? So imagine how much Jesus loves and
appreciates his. And what
good mother does not love and care for her children?
So since Jesus gave her to
us as mother, that is exactly
what she is, our Blessed Mother.
Mary is the most
powerful intercessor for us
to her son, Jesus. Just imagine His Heart
overflowing with love when
she makes a request on our
behalf. We just need to develop a relationship with
her so she can work within
our lives.
I have a wonderful
mother here on earth, and
this is probably because my
mother has always loved our Blessed Mother. She
gave me a great gift as a
child and that was introducing me to Her. She
taught me and all my
siblings the Rosary. At the
time I did not realize its treasures, but over time I
have come to depend on
our Blessed Mother after
having many prayers answered through the
rosary.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is
soon approaching,
December 8th. I often think
about this, that Mary was conceived without sin, and
also how Eve was created
without sin. Neither knew
this. Eve chose sin through her own free will and
affected all of humanity.
But Mary chose to serve God through her own free
will which also affected all
of humanity. She accepted
God’s grace and allowed Him to work within her,
(continued on page 3)
Special Interest Articles
The Beatitudes
Blessed Mother’s Feast
National Night of Prayer
Ultreya, Denville, NJ
Individual Highlights
News from the World 2
Beatitudes 3
Group Reunion 4
Advent Ponderings 4
Night of Prayer 4
Fall Encounter 5
Upcoming Events 6
“Let Souls who are striving for perfection,
particularly adore My mercy, because the
abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy.”
~ St. Faustina’s Diary, 1578
2 TYPE TITLE HERE
World Cursillo News: A Note from Yvonne Carrigan, President OMCC Excerpt from November Newsletter, Organismo Mundial de Cursillos de Cristiandad
Dear Friends in Christ,
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the many brothers and sisters of Cursillo who
respond to our OMCC newsletter. It is our privilege to be able to communicate with the “world’ of Cursillo each month. Australia no longer seems so far away from you all.
The year is fast drawing to a close and in this season of Advent we wait eagerly to celebrate the
birth of the Christ Child. Our prayers more than ever need to include those who will be far from home at this season; those unable to celebrate, and especially those in war-torn countries.
Palanca:
As you are aware the GLCC is holding their National Encounter in Santo Domingo from 18-20 November. I ask you all for your prayerful support for this important meeting. Unity, charity, joy,
and above all concern for each other, must be evident in our gatherings – despite our
differences. I also ask your special prayers for members of the Fundamental Ideas Commission
who are working on chapters of the Fundamental Ideas book.
Sincerity:
St Catherine of Sienna once said, "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world
ablaze."
This leads us to ask the question: What were we created to be? A simple answer would be: the
object of God's love.
In cursillo we have come to realize that to be sincere Christians all we need do is humbly
acknowledge and fully accept the reality that God loves us. I say fully, because it involves every
fiber of our being, our head as well as our heart, in fact our whole being. When we are earnestly integrating this truth into every aspect of our lives, then we can say that we are sincere
Christians.
This friendship with God is a mystery to us, since we are all too aware of our failings and shortcomings. It is no use wearing a mask. God, in fact knows us completely, as the beautiful
psalm 139 states: "Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me." But what is called for is a
metanoia, or change in attitude. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we shift our focus to God and
His unconditional love for us.
St Paul tells us that the love of God is so great it is beyond our understanding. Our formation as
Christians involves an ever deepening realization of this love, despite and perhaps especially,
during those times when we turn away from Him. Our involvement in cursillo helps us to come to grips with this unconditional love and all its consequences for our lives. We begin to see
ourselves and our neighbors as we truly are – beloved sons and daughters.
Life in Christ becomes one of continual conversion and transformation, as long as we remain open – open hearts, open minds, open eyes, open ears, open hands. This posture that is a
hallmark of cursillistas, is one of total surrender to God's love. It leads to the joy of being fully
alive. If we are sincere then, our lives become a joyful reflection and expression of God's love.
A sincere Christian aligns themselves with the outcasts, befriends the lonely, suffers with those
who are suffering, is a light to those in darkness and is a liberating presence to all who feel
imprisoned. But these things are not an end in themselves, nor done in the hope of some future reward. They are fruits of the Christian's friendship with Christ and it is our sincere desire that all
our brothers and sisters will come to experience this friendship as well. Ghandi recognized that
the world would be transformed if only Christians lived the gospel with all sincerity.
Charism:
As Philip said in John 1:46 “Come and see for yourself” I will continue to urge you to study the
Charism of our Movement. Keep in mind that Christ, in order to reach mankind, did not become
a structure – he became a man, a person, and lived life as we do, in our homes, streets, environments.
Peace and blessings
Until next month, your friend in Christ,
Yvonne ~ www.orgmcc.or
“If you are what
you should be, you
will set the whole
world ablaze.”
~ St Catherine of Siena
3
Our Blessed Mother continued from page one
The
Beatitutudes By Donna Fazio
while Eve rejected God and what He had revealed to
her.
This Feast day is especially dear to my heart because it is also the day that my husband and I lost
our baby Gabriel. I had a miscarriage at approximately
20 weeks. I had never had one before and was always
afraid of what they would do with my baby. Would the baby be thrown out with medical waste and would
they really baptize my baby if I requested it. Too many
questions and possibilities overwhelmed my heart. The only thing I was able to do was to pray. And I prayed
many rosaries and begged Mary to help me. Once
again she did not let me down.
We were going every week for a sonogram and
each week the doctor was surprised that the baby was
still alive. It wasn’t until December 8th that our Blessed
Mother brought our baby to heaven. But there is more. There was an ice storm that evening and we were not
able to get to the hospital. I miscarried at home. The
baby came out completely formed. I never needed to
go to the hospital. Our parish priest baptized our baby and we were able to give Gabriel a proper funeral
mass and burial to celebrate his short life with our family.
I received more than I could ever have imagined.
She is the perfect intercessor, full of grace, to be shared with us. Embrace your Mother, ask her for her
assistance. She loves you!
De Colores!
relationship to our
neighbor. More information on the Ten Command-
ments can be found in the
Catechism of the Catholic
Church (2052-2195).
As we take some time to
engage in a refreshing review of these fun-
damental teachings of our
Catholic faith, let us be
more in tune to the presence of God in our
midst and aware of the
needs of our neighbor. We
can live a Christian moral life in communion with the
Blessed Trinity, despite the
secularism that exists in our
world. We can be beacons of light and hope in the
days and months to come
to our fellow brothers and
sisters who may not be receptive to change or
willing to embrace the joy
of the Advent Season.
Through our continual prayer and efforts to study,
we can all come closer to
Christ and each other in this call to Holiness and
Mission present in our faith
communities.
De Colores!
As we are preparing for
the up-coming changes to the Roman Missal and the
fast-approaching Advent
Season, it is a great
opportunity for us to reflect on God’s great love for all
of us. We can do this
through a prayerful review
of the Eight Beatitudes found in Matthew’s Gospel
Chapter 5: 3-12 and the
Ten Commandments found
in the Old Testament Book of Exodus Chapter 20: 1-17.
The Beatitudes are
statements about life in the Kingdom of God. That life
cannot be fully realized
until the fulfillment of God’s
Kingdom comes about. All baptized persons are
called to work for the
coming of the Kingdom by living the Beatitudes. The
Beatitudes lie at the heart
of what Jesus taught about
true and lasting happiness.
By embracing the
Beatitudes through the gift
and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are cooperating
with God and preparing
the way for the coming of
the Kingdom. In this Kingdom, all are called to
live together in mutual love,
justice and, peace. More information on the
Beatitudes can be found in
the Catechism of the
Catholic Church (1716-1728).
Jesus summarized the
Ten Commandments into the Great Commandment which states: “Love God
with all your heart, with all
your mind, and with all your
strength, and love your
neighbor as yourself,”
taken from Mark’s Gospel
Chapter 12:30-31. The challenge is not only
knowing what the Ten
Commandments teach but it is also the willingness to
love in an unconditional
and unselfish way as God
does. The first three commandments refer to
our relationship with God
and the last seven
commandments teach us how we are to live in
"Through charity, peace is sown among men, not the peace that the world gives but the true peace that only faith in Christ can give us, making us brothers and sisters."
~ Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati,
a Man of the Beatitudes
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National Night of Prayer for Life
Group Reunion By Pat Tanski Donna has asked me to write something about Group
Reunion's and Ultreya's. I have to admit these subjects are very
close to my heart. My Group Reunions are my touch stone. We
meet every two weeks on Thursday evenings.
I am blessed to have these beautiful women to group with. We
have grown so close and have such trust in each other. We have a safe place to discuss our feelings, our successes and our failures.
I suggest that anyone who has made their Cursillo to find a
group to join. Ideally they recommend a group of four to five people in order to be effective. If you have more than that, you
can break up into smaller groups.
I am very blessed to work with my best friend, who is a Cursillista, and we also have another good friend who works with
us. We have the opportunity to group informally everyday, if we
want to or need to. Without my Group Reunions, I wouldn't be
able to live out my Fourth Day and continue to live my Cursillo and bring my faith out into my environment.
Even amateur photographers find great joy in sharing their
treasured moments on film with others. When we look at God's message with someone else, we are able to experience it again,
just as if we are reliving a special event. This benefits us the most,
but also has the power to greatly influence other lives.
As Jesus said, "Freely you have received, freely give." Matthew
10:8
De Colores!
Advent Ponderings By Phil Rodney
Advent comes from the
Latin word adventus meaning coming.
The church gives us time
to prepare for the coming of Christ. It’s a time each
year that we set aside for
prayer, reflection, sacrifice
and waiting for the celebration of the Nativity
of Jesus. It’s a time to
reflect on the love God has
for us, that he sent his son to walk with us and later to
die for our sins so we could
be saved. What kind of
love do we have for God?
As Mary and Joseph
traveled to Bethlehem
Mary came full term. They found no room at the Inn so
they made room in a stable
so Mary could give birth to
Jesus. If Mary and Joseph knocked on your door
would you have room in
your house for them? If
Jesus came knocking on your door would you have
room in your heart for him?
Every year Jesus does come knocking and
Advent gives us the time
we need to prepare for
him. As the North Star led the wise men to Jesus, our
Christmas light reminds us
that Jesus is the light of the
world --- the light that leads us home to God. So when
Jesus comes knocking, let
us be ready to open our hearts and say,
“Welcome!”
Our Lady of
Guadalupe
Feast Day December 12th
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose, make
intercession for the Holy Church, protect the
Sovereign Pontiff, help all
those who invoke thee in
their necessities, and since thou art the ever Virgin
Mary, and Mother of the
True God, obtain for us
from thy most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith,
of sweet hope in the midst
of the bitterness of life, of
burning charity, and the precious gift of final
perseverance. Amen.
One Our Father, Hail Mary,
Glory be to the Father...in
gratitude for the Miraculous
Portrait as a continuing
miracle and testimony.
It is time for the 22nd
Annual National Night of Prayer for Life, uniting the
Feast of the Immaculate
Conception with the Feast
of St. Juan Diego.
The evening will begin at
9 PM, Dec. 8th (Thursday)
and last through 1 AM Dec. 9th (Friday) at St. Ann’s
Basilica. Fr. Ed Buchheit,
C.P. will host the event.
It was on the Feast of the
Immaculate Conception
(then celebrated on
December 9th) that Our Lady of Guadalupe,
patroness of the Americas
and the unborn, first
appeared to St. Juan Diego. The National Night
of Prayer for Life bridges
these two feasts to honor
Our Blessed Mother, to pray
through Her intercession for
the establishment of a Culture of Life and to ask
Our Lord to REVIVE OUR
LAND.
During the HOUR OF
UNITY, Midnight – 1AM EST.,
we will be united in churches across the
country in prayer to end
abortion and in reparation
for sins against the Gospel of Life.
The National Night of
Prayer for Life is a pro-life prayer service consisting of
exposition and adoration,
the Holy Rosary, prayer to
St. Michael, silent prayer and hymns.
5
Region II Fall Encounter
Photo of Secretariat
members attending the
Region II Fall Encounter at
the Pope John Paul II
Retreat Center, Vineland,
New Jersey
Save the date:
Next Encounter will be
April 27-29, 2012
All are welcome!
(pictured from left to right: Fr. Ed
Bucheit, Natalie Kocsis, Maria Kocsis, Donna Valenti, Joe
Adcroft)
Ultreya! Denville, New Jersey
Photos from November Ultreya
held in Denville, NJ.
It was a joyful reunion with women from the Paterson
Diocese who began living
their cursillo here in the Scranton Diocese last Spring,
as well as with our other
brother and sister cursillistas
from the Paterson Diocese. It was a beautiful experience!
“The
new evangelization
will be done
primarily
by the laity
or
it will not be done
at all !”
~ Cardinal S. Rylko
Carneval Mardi Gras! Remember to save the
date for fun and to help
raise some much needed
funds for our Scranton Cursillo movement.
On Saturday, February
18, 2012, Cursillo will be hosting its second annual
Carnival "Mardi Gras"
fund raiser. And thanks to
Father Phil's generosity, the fund raiser will be held
again this year at St.
Mary's auditorium in
Avoca at 7:00 PM. There will be a live band,
dancing, basket raffles,
50/50 chances and plenty of food. BYOB - Bring your
own bottle!
Admission will be $30 per person. Reservations
will be accepted up to
February 1, 2012.
This is the time of the laity . . . . here and now. Although, as Cardinal S. Rylko tells us, “It is not easy being a layperson in today’s world" and "to be a layperson in our times requires courage,” nevertheless, it is the time of the laity, because “the laity are irreplaceable in the task of evangelization." The new evangelization will be done primarily by lay people or it will not be done at all!
~ From the October 2011 National Cursillo newsletter mailing
6 TYPE TITLE HERE
Upcoming Events !
About Our 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, 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.
60th Women’s Cursillo:
March 22 – 25, 2012
Cindy Hogan, Rectora
54th Men’s Cursillo:
April 19 – April 22, 2012
Tony O’Reilly, Rector
School of Leaders
December 10, 2011
St. Gabriel’s, Clarks Summit
January 7, 2012
St Gabriel’s, Clarks Summit
February 11, 2012
St Gabriel’s, Clarks Summit
March 3, 2012
St. Gabriel’s, Clarks Summit
Ultreyas:
December 4, 2011
St Vincent’s, Dingman’s Ferry
January 22, 2012
St. John Evangelist, Pittston
February 22, 2012
Queen of Apostles, Avoca
(after 7:00 p.m. Mass)
Grouping
Group Reunions are
happening weekly, all over
the Diocese. Please come to
Ultreya for more information.
Scranton Cursillo
ATTN: Donna Valenti
106 Exeter Avenue West Pittston, PA 18643
Phone
(570) 885-5432
Go therefore, and
Be Messengers
of JOY!
~ Pope John Paul II
Jo in Togeth er Wi th
Your Bro thers &
S is te rs From Al l Over
The Country !
� Region 2 Spring
Encounter, April 27-29,
Vineland, NJ
� National Encounter,
Pittsburgh, PA July 2012
� Region 2 Fall Encounter,
October 19-21, 2012
Vineland, NJ
Contact Donna V for Info
CURSILLISTA NAME
STREET ADDRESS
ADDRESS 2 CITY, ST ZIP CODE
SCRANTON CURSILLO
ATTN: DONNA VALENTI
106 EXETER AVENUE WEST PITTSTON, PA 18643-2440
We’re on the Web!
See us at:
ScrantonCursillo.homestead. com
