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“Welcome NeW cursillistas!”
men’s cursillo 96/Fall, 2011
Bruce Beckman Sacred HeartKevin Cox St. MatthewJay Crouch St. MatthewEric DeLaBruere St. CatherineJohn Denham St. PatrickJim Donato St. HenryJordan Edwards Our Lady of LakeBob Fink Holy FamilyGary Guinn St. EdwardSteve Hayes Holy FamilyTom Hayes Holy FamilyChristopher Hoover St. StephenTodd Humes St. StephenJeff Johnston St. HenryJohn Kaney St. StephenMichael Meehan CathedralEnoch Ortega Our Lady of LakeDennis Putthoff St. StephenSimon Riley St. MatthewMyron Schrage St. HenryMatt Shaw St Matthew Rob Sturgeon St. Henry Steve Wallick St. HenryFr. Steve Wolf St. Henry
Women’s cursillo 80/Fall, 2011
Maria Amado St. WilliamAnn Bonin St. AnthonyShellie Braeuner St. HenrySusan Charest Holy FamilySusan Cox St. MatthewCarrie DeLaBruere St. CatherineDoreen Denham St. PatrickKim Ely CathedralMaria Fink Holy FamilyGena Gilliam St. MatthewDoris Gray St. StephenBobbie Kilbane St. StephenJudy Kooshian St. StephenMaureen Kops Our Lady of LakePatti Lapointe St. StephenRhonda Mech St. HenryMona Overstreet St. MatthewCindy Paugh St. Rose of LimaJudy Reynolds St. MatthewLinda Schrage St. HenryLeyla Slayton Our Lady of the LakeSandy Smith Sacred HeartBarbara Sturgeon St. HenryJoanne Tindall St. StephenLauren Wells St. HenryJanet Woerner Holy Rosary
Nashville Cursillo Newsletter www.nashvillecursillo.org [email protected] Spring 2012
2011 West End AvenueNashville, TN 37203
POSTCARD FROM THE EDGE:What we took away from The Nashville CursilloBy: Dennis and Robin Round/Cursillos 94 & 76
If there is one thing I’ve learned through the Sacrament of Marriage, parenthood and my ever growing faith is that forgiveness begins with “I’m Sorry” and ends with “I love you”.
The Gospels are rife with stories of forgiving sins and washing away the past through baptism and the profession of faith in Jesus. I’ve known this all my life. I’ve professed my own sins at the beginning of countless liturgies. …and yet, it was a Friday night just over four years ago that I experienced the true wave of grace that is absolution.
Contrary to my every expectation, by the Friday evening of my Weekend I was beginning to succumb to the power of my Cursillo, but when the call came for Reconciliation, so, too, did the nerves and the cold sweats. As I walked across the yard at Hillmont, I was filled with anxiety. Did I deserve forgiveness, could I even begin to recount the sins of my diverted years away from the Church, would the priest pale at my confession and then laugh me out of the room?
Christ was surely carrying me in that moment. My words came despite my fears and I wept with the unburdening of my Christian failings that night and realized as I left the priest, my confessor, that I had not merely survived the experience, but that perhaps God had been guiding me to that particular moment all along. The experience served to throw
the door to my heart wide open that Friday night and from that moment I was all in.
As I reflect on my Weekend four years ago, I am reminded of the line from Juan Trobat’s prison letter to his family: “He has given me this opportunity for sincere confession, which has opened, little by little, the gates of Heaven.”
For me, such a simple truth became clear through Juan’s words because I, too, was in need of the ‘opportunity’ not only to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but also to begin accepting God into my daily life so that I could begin pursuing a life of grace. …and in that pursuit I have found new treasures and insights.
A journey shared with my beloved has brought Grace into our home when previously I had refused to share in it. So, too, does the weekly reunion I share with my small group remind me that faith does not exist in a vacuum; rather, it requires our willingness, our effort, and the constancy of Christ’s presence. In retrospect, I can recall just how blessed I’ve been throughout my life. I’ve had people around me willing to look past my failings, failings that I had been unwilling to even acknowledge.
The Cursillo experience and the ongoing journey of my 4th Day gives
me pause to reassess my willingness to forgive and to leave the past behind in order to find ways to share God’s Grace with others. Today, I find myself surrounded by opportunities and people who are examples for me and this has helped me to grow as a Christian man.
The gates of Heaven are indeed opened to each of us through Jesus’ willingness to die for our sins. I pray that I remain open to His Grace and be strong enough to always share it through forgiveness and love to those around me. De Colores.
“Why don’t you lend me your Crucifix?” What The Prison Story taught us about forgiveness and redemptionBy: Lou Hanemann/Cursillo 86
The Person of ChristHow I find His humanity in the EucharistBy: Jeremy Bisceglia/Cursillo 93 W
hen you have chil-dren there always seem to be teachable moments waiting for you. My oldest
son is 7 years old and is preparing for his First Communion. As we shadow his piety and study, he has many questions for me. I love hearing his questions because I see the Holy Spirit working through him and it has been a wonderful opportunity to share my own faith with him.
I know my job as his father is to get him and his brothers to Heaven, which is no simple under-taking and an enormous challenge for me. I am hopeful and prayerful that this experience of preparing to receive Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament of the Eucharist will really sink in with him and that he recognizes the gift that he is being given.
I want my son to understand what Jesus did for us by dying on the Cross. He humbled himself, became human and died for our sins. When I look at it this way, the responsibil-ity of guiding my children to the gates of Heaven doesn’t really seem like such a big challenge.
When we consider that we are all given the opportunity to celebrate Jesus in the Eucharist, it causes me to stop and wonder why some, perhaps, take this gift for granted and are not at Mass every Sunday. How could we not want to celebrate this blessing and invite everyone we know to share what makes us as Catholic? The true presence of Jesus Christ is alive and with us every mo-ment of our lives and we are given the miracle of experiencing this every time we go to Mass.
It is this understanding of keep-ing Jesus present and alive inside of us- through the Eucharist- I want my son to learn.
By God’s grace, I am able to recognize this tremendous gift. …and by God’s grace I am able to pass this onto my children. It is through God’s grace that I will lead my children with patience, wisdom, and love. God, the Father, had patience, wisdom and love for all of us when He allowed his son to die on the cross.
I want my sons to see that I am striving to live these same virtues and in doing so I pray I am lighting their paths to Heaven. De Colores.
We recently made a move to Montana in response to prayer and in obedience to what we truly felt we were being called to do. Cursillo taught us the importance of three things - Piety, Study, and Action. For us, this became a daily check-up in
faith accountability because we believe if we are standing on all three of these, we are truly balanced.
Leaving what had become comfortable and entering a familiar, yet new environment became our balance check, our accountability. Since we didn’t have to move and were re-locating 3 high school students, we were met with some interesting reactions when we explained our reasoning. “It truly was a God thing.”
Before we made our Cursillos, I’m not certain we knew real conviction or even understood a true discernment process. We always prayed and went to church and we are both readers, but the absolute surrendering to His presence in us is what we got from Cursillo.
We have learned that the more we surrender, the greater our PEACE. Today, we are in a beautiful setting and among family and we have met challenges head-on- embracing our environment with the armor of faith and the trust that our journey is God lead.
My ‘Christ moment’ continues to be my children who reflect His light. All are involved in high school sports and have been successful on the field and publicly recognized at their school’s athletic banquet for their character and leadership.
Amazing this God of ours! For us to take our children to an unfamiliar (and very different) culture and give them the conviction to remain true to themselves is such a blessing to us. …and they all made the honor roll, too!
The tough days of missing Nashville and all of you- our friends- are definitely still around but, we know that with our tri-pod of strength we will continue to ‘bloom where we are planted.’
“Trust the Journey, everyone!” De Colores.
Cursillo works to build Hispanic Weekends:Formation Team, Spiritual Advisor in PlaceBy: Jack Murphree/Cursillo 89
D iscussions about how to offer Cursillo in Spanish to the thousands of His-panic Catholics in our Diocese have rotated on and off Cursillo Secre-tariat agendas for years, but based the
momentum of the current effort, the first Hispanic Men’s and Women’s Weekends may become a reality in early 2013.
One of the most important components to constructing any Cursillo Weekend retreat is lead-ership- assembling teams of clergy and Cursillistas to act as servant-leaders giving talks and providing on-site logistical support.
The biggest formation hurdle, according to Deacon Marty Deschenes, Spiritual Advisor to the Diocesan Anglo Movement since 1994, is the advisory post.
Last fall, a formation team of Cursillistas began a search of the sparse landscape of Diocesan bilingual clergy. That search ended when Deacon Jose Pineda/Cursillo 92 agreed to serve as the Hispanic Cursillo Spiritual Advisor.
…and in January, 2012, Bishop Choby, on behalf of Cursillo, appointed Deacon Pineda to the lead the Hispanic Movement.
“This is an exciting and historic time for our Diocese, the Hispanic families we serve and for my deaconate ministry,” says Deacon Pineda, whose mother and brothers are Cursil-listas in Guatemala.
“This is God’s time and I am thankful He is allowing me to be a part of such a blessed and pivotal time for our Church,” says Deacon Pineda.
“There are increasing numbers of bilingual candidates making Weekends as well as bilingual Cursillistas who are showing interest and enthu-siasm about being involved with Cursillo after their Weekends,” said Joe McLaughlin, Cursillo Lay Director.
“We are responding to what we are seeing as growing trends,” says McLaughlin.
If the Hispanic Movement is to flourish beyond the first Weekend Retreats, it must sustain itself through the leadership of its own Spanish-speaking School of Leaders and the goal is to draw as much support as possible from Diocesan bilingual Cursillistas rather than relying on other Hispanic movements for their initial or on-going assistance.
“Any Cursillo Weekend requires the synergies and sacrifices of many and our Hispanic Cursillo is no different,” says Hispanic Formation Team Leader, Jesus Barrios/Cursillo 91.
According to Barrios, one of the first initia-tives has been getting out in front of Spanish-speaking Catholics where they worship asking for
those who made Cursillo in other U.S. dioceses or countries to identify themselves and join the formation effort.
“We’ve already found six Hispanic Cursil-listas in our diocese who did not know about the Nashville Movement,” said Barrios.
“We are actively looking for willing lay people and bilingual clergy to help us- especially clergy to give their talks as well as to celebrate Mass and offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the Weekends,” says Barrios.
Among the Movements with active Hispanic Cursillos in our region are the Memphis and the Knoxville Dioceses.
“Our Hispanic Movement has made such an impact in the Latino Community,”said Brenda Kindelan, Memphis Cursillo Lay Director.
Kindelan along with her bilingual husband, Jose, were instrumental in the formation of the Memphis Hispanic Movement 13 years ago. She says the Cursillo message of reconciling personal ideal, working to improve familial relationships and community interaction almost immediately resonates with new Hispanic Cursillistas.
“We see them step-up as leaders of their house-holds with Christ-centeredpositions that steer their children to prayer and success in school and away from gang involvement,” said Kindelan. “They become more active in parish roles as Eu-charist ministers and lay mentors,” said Kindelan.
To be a Hispanic Catholic in the U.S. means that your understanding of what is church and what it means to be Catholic is often skewed, ac-cording to Diorka Ortega/Cursillo 74, a Nashville bilingual Cuban-born Cursillista who immigrated to America in 1980.
“Cursillo clarifies confusion about faith and doctrine and helps us understand why we are do-ing what we are doing while we are strengthening our personal relationship with God,” says Ortega. “This is so important to immigrants who are working to build spiritual foundation,” she says.
The current momentum fueling the Hispanic Cursillo formation, including the newly formed Hispanic School of Leaders, which meets the first Mondayof each month at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, is our personal prayer.
“Reaching out to Hispanic members of your parishes, workplaces and other environments and talking about Cursillo is very important now,” says McLaughlin. “In short, make a friend, be a friend, bring your friend to Christ.”
If you are interested in serving our Hispanic Cursillo Movement in any capacity- your time or your treasure- contact Jesus Barrios: [email protected].
Lay Director: Joe [email protected]
Anglo Spiritual Advisor: Marty [email protected]
Hispanic Spiritual Advisor: Jose [email protected]
Treasurer: Lee Ann [email protected]
Secretaries: Paul & Therese [email protected]@comcast.net
Pre-Cursillo: Carol Weick [email protected]
Cursillo Weekend: Margot [email protected]
Post-Cursillo: Joe Pouliot [email protected] Ed [email protected]
School Of Leaders: Hal [email protected]
Communications: Jack [email protected] Parish Coordinator:Mary Burke [email protected]
Hispanic Community Liaison:Jesus [email protected]
Agents of Change:Striving to orient and direct in our environments By: Jason Moore/Cursillo 92
We are all called to be leaders in various ways throughout our lives: in our families, our places of work, our church communities, and so on. ...and by the very definition of
the word, the people inside each of our enviro-ments look to us for the strength, guidance and direction that is inherant to leadership.
Two components of effective leadership are motivating your team to produce at a high level and conjuring up support from external parties. At the root of leadership is support, which is given much like a cheerleader provides to fans in the stands as well as the players on the field.
Cheerleaders strive to motivate and model
behavior in environments. This is not dissimilar to the kinds of expectations business leaders are called to every day. ...but are we transferring this into our leadership roles at home? In our church communities?
As Cursillistas, we have an opportunity to support each other by joining and being active within the Group Reunion process. One of the interesting aspects of Group Reunion is that leadership reins are shared between you and your fellow group members. Sometimes we must wave the banners, other times we must wear the helmets.
Are we a conduit for others to discover and improve their relationship with Christ?
We have learned that our action is one of three keys- instrumental to our tripods. We have friends, family members and co-work-ers- right now- who are struggling. Are you taking the leadership reins and motivating them to attend Mass, a Cursillo weekend, or get back to a Group Reunion on a regular basis?
The vast majority of leaders are not appointed by anyone. More often, leaders are called by Christ to be agents of change in their environments. Too many times would-be leaders choose to ignore the call. What kind of leader are you? De Colores!
“Welcome NeW cursillistas!”
men’s cursillo 97/spring, 2012
Allen Arender St. HenryLee Baker Holy RosarySteve Berk St. HenryRandy Bland St. MatthewBen Campbell St. HenryJoe Craven St. StephenTom Davis St. MatthewYogi Davis St. EdwardPaul DePhillips Holy FamilyTod Fetherling Holy FamilyJohn Husband St. HenryChris Lillie St. MatthewPaul Lopez St. HenryDavid McMillen St. HenryEric Meier St. HenryRoman Perri St. HenryClancy Roberts St. HenryMario Robleto St. MatthewCharlie Schaeffer St. Elizabeth Ann SetonStephen Scott St. MatthewChristopher Svestka Church of the NativityGary Tuberty St. PhilipJason Watson St. HenryCliff Whitehead St. MatthewTim Williams St. EdwardVince Wyatt St. Matthew
Women’s cursillo 79/spring, 2012
Terri Allemore St. Rose of LimaKay Baker Holy RosaryMarie Ann Bell Holy RosaryYolande Berk St. HenryPatty Bolger Our Lady of the LakeJulie Boone St. EdwardMary Craven St. StephenRobyn Davis St. EdwardLorraine Deibert St. JosephJill Ellis St. EdwardAndra Feger St. ChristopherCourtney Feltner St. Rose of LimaMary Fetherling Holy FamilyLeah Fish St. PhillipJennifer Gilbert CathedralEllen Herman St. MatthewNancy Hillier St. StephenChristina Hoover St. StephenSharon Kloba St. StephenVanda Lill Immaculate ConceptionSuzanne Lynch Christ the KingTerri Mann St. StephenBrenda McDowell St. StephenDiane Meier St. HenrySusan Meier St. Rose of LimaSandra Miller Holy RosaryJane Molteni St. EdwardJill Molteni St. EdwardEllen Morin St. Henry Margaret Quigley St. Henry Sarah Triplett St. Elizabeth Ann SetonDiane Ralph St. MatthewCamille Riley St. MatthewDanielle Robinson CathedralTania Robleto St. MatthewGina Scott St. MatthewMary Skinner St. HenryClaudia Stengel St. IgnatiusVal Stockdale St. EdwardLinda Williams St. EdwardPat Van Wyk St. Rose of LimaMargaret Li Yin Cathedral
Discovering Your Cursillo Table Saint
At my Cursillo weekend, I sat at a table marked “St. Catherine of Siena.” What I thought a clever organizational tool- at the time- bore no real significance for me, except as a reminder of a woman who
accomplished great things. It wasn’t until several years later while reading Robert Ellsberg’s “The Saints’ Guide to Happiness” that I contemplated my table saint in a much different light.
If God has a plan, which I firmly believe He does, He never leaves a teachable moment to chance. Therefore, my table saint had something to teach me.
Learning more about St. Catherine has been a Cursillo renewal. Inspired by her incredible fortitude and diligence, I have learned to step out of my comfort zone and fearlessly submit more openly to God’s Will. Her words fuel my courage; “If you are who you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!” Recently, I witnessed an amazing testimony of her words that have inspired me and my daughter to seek the joys found in being who we are called to be.
Several months ago, my daughter and her eighth grade St. Rose of Lima classmates went on a campus
trip to St. Cecilia Academy. At the end of the visit, the students were taken to the Dominican Mother House where the young girls learned that the novices had challenged them to a soccer match. The challenge was well-received by the 8th graders as their perception of the Sisters’ abilities was very one dimensional leading them to feel a bit over confident about their ability to win the match.
We waited in the warmth of the autumn day as the novices arrived on the field- dawning rolled-up sleeves, aprons and well-worn tennis shoes. They looked every bit the competitor, which confused the students. The friendly game began with a cheer from the novices; “We love Jesus. Yes, we do. We love Jesus, how about you?” The students echoed a response and after lots of giggles and friendly sports banter, the game began. To the dismay of the culture-shocked students, the novices won. The Dominicans’ skills were most impressive, including some amazing footwork. We later learned that several of them were contenders to play in the World Cup Soccer Championship before they received their calling to serve God.
In the van on the way back to school I was blessed
to hear the post-game discussions- which novice was the better player as well as the girl’s collective surprise that Sisters were even allowed to play a sport. It was my daughter who said, “Mom, I thought when they weren’t teaching school, they had to be in prayer.”
As the girls rifled through their gift bags from the Sisters, I asked if they received anything interesting. One girl responded, “Yes. Ma’am- this bookmark that says: ‘If you are who you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!”
Scripture tells us that we are all called to be saints. In fact, it was Pope John Paul II who told Catholic youth; “Do not be afraid to be saints. Follow Jesus Christ who is the source of freedom and light. Be open to the Lord so that He may lighten all your ways.” St. Catherine’s inspiration to ‘set the whole world ablaze’ didn’t necessarily mean the universe, but, rather, her own world and the people with which she came in contact. Although small and contained, we, too, can have just as great an impact.
I encourage all of you to learn more about your table saint. Hear the message he or she wants you to hear. They will refuel your Cursillo experience, Cursillistas. De Colores.
By: Pamela Yoko/Cursillo 65
Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar…” That’s one of those phrases from the gospel that is familiar to all of us. We know what it means: pay
your taxes, but there is a second part to that quote: “Repay to God what belongs to God.”
What is it that belongs to God that we must repay? By virtue of our baptism, we are given the grace to give back to God all that we
have: our actions, our feelings, our emotions, our successes, our failures, our possessions, our talents, our every breath and every moment of our life.
How can we participate in God’s love and share it in our daily lives? How can we give back to God what belongs to God?
Here is a ten-step prescription that I have found helpful in my life.
REPAYING GOD…By: Deacon Marty Deschenes/Cursillo Spiritual Advisor
1Pray and stay close to God. Keep God in your life every day- at
home, at work, even when you get tired and frustrated. Talk to him directly, as a friend, as a father. Be real; be honest with him.
2Get rid of violence in your life. Do not abuse your spouse, your children, your
grandchildren, your friends, your co-workers- physically, emotionally or psychologically. Don’t watch violent television shows. Our children learn from us.
7Do what you know is right. …and if you don’t know what is right, pray
and listen to your conscience. Don’t try to manipulate your conscience.
8Be honest with yourself, with God, and with others. Take
off your mask and look at your real self, with all your qualities and your faults.
3Be affectionate with the people around you- especially men. A real man is
not afraid to hold his son’s hand and give hugs and kisses to his children.
4Be pure of body and mind. Be faithful to your spouse. Keep
pornography out of your home and your life.
5Practice what you preach. …or better, preach by practicing. People are watching
what you do much more than they are listening to your words.
6Do not abuse alcohol or drugs. …and if
you have a problem, get help.
9Be nice to everyone you meet. Sometimes a smile, a hug, a kind
word or just listening can turn a person’s day around, maybe even their life.
10Learn from your children. We can learn from our children what
it means to give back to God what belongs to God. They do it so naturally. De Colores.
Your Cursillo Secretariat
Contact us anytime…
Prayer is a lifeline for us. Consider for a moment, what would happen if we tried to hold our breath for five minutes? We could not do it
and continue to live. Prayer connects us with our life source – God who sustains us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Because of Christ we believe that God is all loving and that this love is deeply personal. St. Augustine is famous for saying: “God loves each one of us as if we were an only child.” We also believe that the love of God we experience through Christ is empowering. Prayer enables us to access this spiritual empowerment by getting in touch with our spirits and consciously opening them to God who we as Christians experience most fully in Christ.
It is important to note that prayer is not a project. I would suggest that prayer is the deepest form of communication that exists. It offers us the opportunity to get in touch with our deepest selves: our hopes and dreams, our fears, our joys, our wounds and share these with the Lord. It is in effect, the opportunity to share the deepest desires and experiences of our hearts with the Lord and for Him to do the same with us. Thus, the hallmark of prayer is not achievement but trust.
What obstacles do we face in prayer and how do we overcome them? We face the same obstacles in prayer that we encounter in our human relationships. I would suggest that the primary obstacles include: anger, fear, hurt, guilt and shame. Just as these cause us to close down in our human relationships, they can also lead us to close down in our relationship with the Lord. This is why trust is so important. It can even suffice as a core definition of faith.
No matter what we have done or are experiencing, we can share this with the Lord in trust. He will not reject us or shame us. In fact, we overcome these obstacles not by willpower but by naming them as we experience them and consciously opening them to the Lord and asking for His help. In doing this we open
ourselves to his personal empowering love for us. It is true that nothing is off limits in our relationship with God whom we experience most fully in Christ. It is also helpful to share the obstacles we face with the Lord in the person of another human being whom we trust. The best opportunities for doing this are the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Spiritual Direction.
How can an active prayer life assist my spiritual growth and help us in daily life? In consciously opening our spirits to the Lord in prayer we allow the Lord to feed our spirits with His love, strength, wisdom, guidance, mercy, peace and other gifts. We realize we are not alone in facing our challenges. We realize the Lord is with us not to shame us but to love us and help us – yes in crises, but also on a daily basis, on an hourly basis, and even on a moment to moment basis.
How can we improve our conscious contact with the Lord? We can do this by spending quality time with Him. This entails sharing with the Lord what is going on inside of us and in our daily lives. It also involves our being open in trust – listening with our hearts - to His voice. It is an invitation to experience His loving presence as we need it most at this specific time i.e., His loving truthfulness, His strength, Nis consolation, His peace, His encouragement. May I suggest, fellow Cursillistas, that we begin by focusing on the Gospel of the day- just commit 10 to 15 minutes of quiet time with Him. It is the invitation to be with Him and all the gifts He has in store just by being open and present. De Colores.
Our Prayer Life:Conscious and Constant Contact with ChristBy: Fr. Joe McMahon/Cursillo 62
