Cursillo Newsletter Winter 2010 - Homestead
Onward!W IN T E R 2010ED IT IO NA Newsletter for the 4th Day of the Scranton, Pennsylvania, Cursillo CommunitySpecial Interest Articles Christmas with the Sisters New Officers Installed Day of ReflectionSecretariat Officers Installed Divine MercyIt was a beautiful dayand a new beginning forsome, as cursillistas from allover the Diocese ofScranton gathered for Massand the installation of newsecretariat officers onSaturday, January 23rd.Father Phil Sladicka wasthe celebrant as themorning began with theHoly Sacrifice of the Mass.Father offered insightsduring his homily, of howwe are all called to action,through Cursillo.At the close of thehomily, Father Phil calledup the new lay directorand her assistant, as well asthe current rectors andrectoras. Those inattendance looked on, asLay Director and AssistantLay Director, Donna Valentiand Tina Filone promised,before God and all thosepresent, that they wouldpreserve communion withthe Catholic Church, thatthey would carry out theirduties with great care andfidelity, and that theywould hold fast to thedeposit of faith, so helpthem God.Mass, in conjunction withthe Day of Reflection forrectors and rectoras, andappreciation andrecognition for the work ofthe outgoing lay director,Maria Kocsis, wascelebrated with a cakeand much gratitude for ajob well done.Other officers inattendance were JoeAlinoski, Pre-Cursillo Chairand Maureen Cure, PostCursillo Chair. Let us allcontinue to pray for all ofour leaders and the CursilloMovement.Lunch was held afterA Night to RememberIndividual HighlightsNews from National2World Palanca2Meet the Lay Director3A Note from Maria4Ultreya4Upcoming Events5New Website6The joy really is inthe giving . . .The evening starting withmass with the nuns, listeningto their angelic voicessinging praises to the Lord.What a gift to all!Afterward, the partymoved to the dining roomwhere the grand amountof delicious appetizers andmain courses was amazing--what a feast!The desserts covered anentire table. Everyonereally out did themselves!After we all sharedfellowship and a greatmeal, we could hear in thedistance, the sound ofjingle bells and a loud andmany HO HO HO's. Theresoon appeared the Clausfamily, complete withRudolph and his glowingred nose.Santa, Rudolph and Mrs.Claus appeared, pushingthree carts full of basketsand bags filled with all kindsof goodies and sacks, allwith personal care itemsand gifts such as postagestamps, note cards, specialpens, bath and body items,flashlights, umbrellas,handmade scarves, glovesand much, MUCH MORE.Mr. & Mrs. Santa, along withthe very handsomeRudolph and the help ofmany elves, presented thenuns with their bags. Theneach nun was called upone at a time andpresented with 75.00 in giftcards from the spring men’sand women’s teams. Thetopper of the evening waswhen the nuns sang abeautiful song of blessingfor all of us. It was truly amagical moment! We alsohad a lot of laughs,especially when Sr. Collettesprang into action andgrabbed one of the 4bottles of wine from one ofthe food baskets.When the party was over,everyone pitched in, (allwith smiles), and cleanedCONTINUED on Page 2
2TYPE TITLE HEREA Night to Remember continued . . .the entire dining room, andeven ran the sweeper(thanks Ray!).It was a night of great joy,overwhelming love andunselfish giving. We aretruly blessed and we thankGod for the dear sisters atSt. Gabriel’s, and also to allthose who donated, butwere unable to attend. Itwas surely a night toremember.“It was a night of By Mr. and Mrs. Claus &Rudolph(AKA Sharon Beggs,Theresa Filone & JoeAdcroftgreat joy,overwhelming loveFROM NATIONAL CURSILLO: A Cursillo LeaderFrom the December 2009 National Cursillo Newsletterand unselfish giving.”In the Leaders talk it statesthat: in Christianity, leadersare those who, havingheard Christ’s call, throwthemselves decisively intoapostolic action with thecapacity to influenceothers guiding them toencounter the Lord.A Cursillo Leader, thereforeis a dedicated apostle; aperson who puts all ofhis/her abilities in theservice of Christ. As PopePius X exclaimed: “Theymust be mature Catholics,convinced of their faith,solidly instructed in theways of religion, sincerelydevoted to the Church,and in particular to thisSupreme Apostolic See,and the Vicar of Christ onearth; persons of genuinepiety, of manly virtues, ofclean habits, of a life soblameless that they mayserve as an effectiveexample to all.” (St. Pius X,The Firm Proposal).Fr. Frank S. Salmani in theEpilogue of his book,“Whom Shall I Send?”stated, “If we decide ourparticular calling is to theCursillo Movement as aCursillo leader, we mustunderstand that this calling,like any calling from God isa vocation – it is notWorld PalancaEveryone knows howgreat it feels to see thepalanca letters come infrom around the worldduring our Cursilloweekends. To know that somany people are prayingfor us, people we havenever met, is exhilarating!But as we have learned, it isnot the letters themselvessomething we choose. TheLord chooses us. Acceptingthat call means, making acommitment to God andHis work. It involvesdirecting our will to all thatGod wants. It means thatwe must be responsiblestewards, sharing our time,talent and treasure with theworld. If we accept thetask of being a Cursilloleader, it also implies thatthis should be our primaryapostolate. Not everyone iscalled to do everything.We are not called to doeverything, but whateverchallenge we do acceptshould be given ourundivided attention.”By Cynthia Hogan (for more info, call 655-2675)that are the palanca, butthe actions and the prayersthat inspired the letters arethe palanca for us. Don'twe want all those peoplearound the world to knowthat we truly are brothersand sisters in Christ, andthat we too are offering ourchaplets, masses, novenasand sacrifices for them?The prayers and offeringswe make -- let us bring ournew brothers and sisters asclose to Christ as we wantto be. After all, Palanca isone of the most importantaspects of a Cursillo. Let usjoin our prayers togetherand send them around theworld so that other peoplecan know the love of Christ.
3Day of Reflectionby Christina FleuryRectors and Rectoras, past and present, cametogether for a Day of Reflection at St Mary’s Church, inAvoca, on January 23rd. They gathered for Mass,lunch, discussion and fellowship. The Spiritual Directorof our Cursillo Movement, Father Phil Sladicka, led ourleaders in a promise, before God and the communitygathered, that they would follow and foster thecommon discipline of the Cursillo Movement andmaintain the observance of all principles andfundamentals, so help them God.beautiful reminder of our collective call to be servantsof our Lord and place our complete trust in Him,knowing that His plans for the weekend will overcomeour human frailties.The meeting ended with prayer and thanksgiving.May God bless our Brothers and Sisters and guidethem as they lead their teams in service to God and Hisnew cursillistas!Our current rectors and rectoras, Joe Adcroft,Sharon Beggs, Natalie Kocsis and Bob Mayshock, wereencouraged to ask questions about the weekend andshare their concerns, if any. Assistant Rectoras, LindaHayes and Carol Proulx were present, and dialoguewith past leaders regarding scheduling andauthenticity were helpful to ensure the success of theupcoming weekends. Surrender to God andremembering that our weekends belong to HIM were aMeet theLayDirectorMy Dear Brothers and Sistersin Christ,My name is DonnaValenti. On January 23rd, Iwas installed as the LayDirector of the CursilloMovement in the Dioceseof Scranton. It is my honorto serve you and theMovement.I would like to take thisopportunity to tell you alittle bit about myself. I ama nurse. I worked in CriticalCare for over 20 years, andfor the past 5 years, I havehad the privilege of servinggeriatric patients in aprogram that trainsvolunteers to intervene attheir bedsides. Addressingspiritual needs is one ofthose interventions. It is verypowerful and rewarding towitness the impact of theinteractions on the patientsas well as the volunteers.This summer, myhusband, Joe, and I will becelebrating our 25thwedding anniversary. Wehave been blessed with 2sons, Joey (20 yrs old) andDanny (17 yrs old). Webelong to the ParishCommunity of ImmaculateConception, West Pittstonand Holy Redeemer,Harding.I began living my Cursilloin Oct. 2004 at St. Gabriel’sMonastery. I have beenactive in School of Leaders,Ultreyas, and GroupReunion ever since. Cursillohas become very much apart of what makesme me. I thank God forHis gift of the CursilloMovement and how it hasassisted me on my journey,accompanied by men andwomen who inspire,encourage and lovegenerously.I would be remiss not toacknowledge mypredecessor, Maria Kocsis.Her dedication, selfsacrifice and humility haveresulted in much growth inthe Cursillo movement inour Diocese. I hope tocontinue that trend, withthe Holy Spirit always at ourside, and the support andunity of Cursillistasthroughout the diocese. Iask for your prayers as wecontinue this journeytogether. Remember, Christis counting on us, and weare most definitelycounting on Christ!De Colores!
4TYPE TITLE HEREA Note from Maria . . .My Dear Brothers andSisters in Christ, what ablessed 5 years I have hadserving as Lay Director ofthe Scranton DioceseCursillo. I have madewonderful friends, havebeen challenged in somany ways, strengthenedmy prayer life, and mostimportantly have becomeso much closer to my bestfriend, my Lord andSavior Who would havethought it. Six years agopart of me was trulybroken. One simple yeschanged everything forme. Now as I turn the nextcorner on my journey Iwould like to thank all whohave touched my life. Allof you are part of mytripod, my piety, study andaction.I look forward to workingwith Donna and Tina in mynew Cursillo role.Cursillo is not anorganization; it is amovement, a way of life.Cursillo has focused meand together through thegifts of our friendshipgroups, ultreyas and schoolof leaders we nourish andinspire each other. We areeach others checks andbalance .Yours in Christ,Maria KocsisI pray for all of you andhope that you will pray forme as I move on willingly tothe next gift that Godplaces in my path. Keepmy ears open to His voiceand my heart open tofollow His way.DE COLORES!!!!!!!!“Heaven meets earth inthe sacraments. This isWhere there is nolove,not mere wishful thinkingPut love,literally.And you will FINDlove.It is something profoundly St. John of the Crosssacraments representWhere there is noUltreya!by Maureen Cure, Post-cursillo Chairor a metaphor taken tootrue and real For thedivine mysteries, spiritualrealities, and humansenses cannot see themA Spanish word meaningonward. . . .While climbing the hills ofMallorca, the founders ofCursillo would shout Ultreya!to encourage each otherto continue onward. Thesewords kept the spirit andfriendship of Cursillo going.Today, Ultreya is thegathering of friendshipgroups – the Reunion of theGroup Reunions. Ultreya issimply a place wherepeople come to feelwelcomed and accepted.It is a place where theperson is what matters themost, not the role they playin life. The center andheart of Ultreya is oursharing of piety, study andaction, which aids in theprocess of ongoingconversion, to becomemore fully human and morefully Christian, and bycultivating and nurturingtrue interpersonalrelationships, the warmestbeing friendship within life’scircumstances orenvironments. We create aleavening that is needed tomove the Pre-cursillo oftoday to the Post-cursillo oftomorrow.My plan and hope forthis year is to developinterest and ways ofmaking more ultreyasavailable to our Cursillocommunity. I would like tohear from you about thefollowing ideas:in their deepest reality.”1. Holding Ultreyas at St.Gabriel’s, and2. Holding Ultreyas duringweeknights.Your input is important inhelping and shaping thegrowth of Ultreya.Let us go onward . . . . .together!Maureen may be reachedat 254-6606. Scott Hahn & Mike AquilinaLiving the Mysteries:A Guide for UnfinishedChristiansOur Sunday VisitorPublishing Division
5Divine Mercy“Eternal Father,I offer you theBody and Blood,Soul and Divinity,of Your DearlyBeloved Son,Our Lord,Jesus Christ,in atonement forour sins, and thoseof the whole world.For the sake of HisSorrowful Passion,Have mercy on us,and on the wholeworld.”In 1933, God gave SisterFaustina a striking vision ofHis Mercy. Sister tells us:voice taught her to say thisprayer on ordinary rosarybeads:"I saw a great light, withGod the Father in the midstof it. Between this lightand the earth I saw Jesusnailed to the Cross and insuch a way that God,wanting to look upon theearth, had to look throughOur Lord's wounds and Iunderstood that Godblessed the earth for thesake of Jesus.""First say one 'Our Father','Hail Mary', and 'I believe'.Then onOf another vision on Sept.13, 1935, she writes:"I saw an Angel, theexecutor of God's wrath.about to strike the earth.Ibegan to beg Godearnestly for the world withwords which I heardinteriorly. As I prayed in thisway, I saw the Angel'shelplessness, and he couldnot carry out the justpunishment."The following day an innerPalanca requests!Divine Mercy Sundaywill be celebratedthis year on April 11,2010. Mark yourcalendar!'Eternal Father, I offer Youthe Body and Blood, Souland Divinity of Your dearlybeloved Son, Our LordJesus Christ, in atonementfor our sins and those of thewhole world.'On the smaller beads youare to say the followingwords:'For the sake of His sorrowfulPassion have mercy on usand on the whole world.'In conclusion you are to saythese words three times:'Holy God, Holy MightyOne, Holy Immortal One,have mercy on us and onthe whole world'."Say unceasingly thischaplet that I have taughtyou. Anyone who says it willreceive great Mercy at thehour of death. Priests willrecommend it to sinners asthe last hope. Even themost hardened sinner, if herecites this Chaplet evenonce, will receive gracefrom My Infinite Mercy. Iwant the whole world toknow My Infinite Mercy. Iwant to give unimaginablegraces to those who trust inMy Mercy."".When they say thisChaplet in the presence ofthe dying, I will standbetween My Father andthe dying person not as thejust judge but as theMerciful Savior".From www.EWTN.com,relating clips from SaintFaustina’s DiaryUpcoming Events !Be on the lookout forREMINDER:the large beads say thefollowing words:Jesus said later to SisterFaustina: 56th Women’s Cursillo:March 18-21, 2010Sharon Beggs, Rectora50th Men’s Cursillo:April 15-18, 2010Joe Adcroft, Rector57th Women’s Cursillo:September 30 – Oct 3, 2010Natalie Kocsis, Rectora51st Men’s Cursillo:November 11 – 14, 2010Bob Mayshock, RectorSchool of Leaders13th:MarchSt Gabriel’s,Clarks SummitApril 10, 2010: Holy RosaryChurch, ScrantonMay 8, 2010: St Gabriel’sClarks SummitUltreyas:St. Mary’s, DunmoreFebruary 28, 2010Corpus Christi, MontdaleMay 2, 2010GroupingGroup Reunions arehappening all over theDiocese. If you are havingtrouble finding a group,please attend an Ultreya orSchool of Leaders for info.
6TYPE TITLE HEREScranton CursilloATTN: Donna Valenti106 Exeter AvenueWest Pittston, PA 18643Phone(570) 885-5432E-mailD romo251@hotmail.comALSO:Tina Filone(570) 575-4080Gooch1@frontiernet.netA New Website!Be sure to check out ournew Scranton Cursillowebsite, currently managedby our Pre-Cursillo Chair, JoeAlinoski. It is filled with allkinds of information to assistyou in your Fourth Day. Youwill find event dates, prayerrequests, contact info,directions to event sites, asponsor page and links thatcan assist you with Piety,Study, and Action. There iseven a link to the NationalCursillo website, which is agreat source for cursilloliterature.Why wait? Come and seefor yourself!Our website is:www.scrantoncursillo.homestead.comAnd stay tuned for new andexciting updates!De Colores!!About Our MovementGo therefore, andBe Messengersof JOY!Cursillo (pronounced cur-seeyo) is Spanish for little course,specifically in the teachings ofJesus. The goal of the CursilloMovement is to make Christthe prime influence in society.Cursillo is often described asa retreat. While there is quiettime and reflection, there ismore discussion among peersthan in most retreats.Perhaps, it is best describedas an experience of living inChristian community.The Cursillo Movement isworldwide. It began in Spainin the mid-1940s and came tothe United States in the1960s. All local dioceses inthe US are affiliated with theworldwide Cursillo through the Pope John Paul IISCRANTON CURSILLOATTN: DONNA VALENTI106 EXETER AVENUEWEST PITTSTON, PA 18643-2440CURSILLISTA NAMESTREET ADDRESSADDRESS LINE 2CITY, STATE ZIP CODEWe’re on the Web!See us at:ScrantonCursillo.homestead.comNational Cursillo Secretariat inDallas, Texas.The Cursillo weekend in theDiocese of Scranton beginsThursday evening and endsSunday evening, and isconducted by a team ofpriests and lay people.Weekends are held at St.Gabriel's Retreat Center,in Clarks Summit.
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
1. Cursillo is a movement of the church in the world; it is a means not an end. If the weekend is our goal we have missed the mark, for Cursillo is an apostolate of the laity. It does not end. 2. Cursillo strategy is to go out into our existing environment to
wine that Cursillo can provide. Maybe bringing a friend to Christ by sponsoring them on Cursillo and offering your Palanca is just the spark that you need to rekindle the fire in your heart. The January Cursillo weekends are right around the corner, orientation is January 8th, and now is a great time to sponsor a friend or relative.
enliven Cursillo. This began during January, hearing your voices at Chicagoland Ultreyas. The mission of Cursillo is carried in our hearts and we trust that the Holy Spirit is the wind beneath our wings. You expressed awe-inspiring values of Cursillo including methods of growing d
Cursillo. Deacon Mason Wiggins and I are on Cursillo this weekend. I have been a Spiritual Director for Cursillo for over 20 years. Cursillo, in Spanish: "Cursillos de Cristiandad," which means a "short course of Christianity," is a three-day experience which focuses on showing Christian lay people how to become effective Christian
READING and CORROBORATION, while looking at different accounts of one of the most violent strikes of the time: The Homestead Strike. 2. Hand out Homestead Timeline. Have students follow as you lecture on background on Homestead: Andrew Carnegie (robber baron, captain of the steel industry) owned a steel mill in Homestead, PA, near Pittsburgh.
Resume Possession After the Rental Term . 51 . Reservation of Homestead Rights Homestead can be reserved . Homestead Practice Pointers Waivers of homestead rights are void, illegal and unenfo
Men’s Cursillo #92 is in the books and we have 6 new brothers fired up with the Holy Spirit! God is good, all the time! I am your brother, Rick Enriquez, and I lived my Cursillo weekend #291 in 2003 at the Holy Redeemer Center in Oakland with the Oakland English Speaking Cursillo
American Revolution has fallen into the condition that overtakes so many of the great . 4 events of the past; it is, as Professor Trevor-Roper has written in another connection, taken for granted: "By our explanations, interpretations, assumptions we gradually make it seem automatic, natural, inevitable; we remove from it the sense of wonder, the unpredictability, and therefore the freshness .
