Welcome to the second 2008 edition of the Communique for the Hamilton, Ontario Diocese Cursillo community. For more information about the Hamilton Diocese Cursillo Movement visit www.4thday.ca.
Women's Weekend
October 30th - November 2nd, 2008
Mount Mary, Ancaster
Men's Weekend
November 13th - November 16th, 2008
Demerton
It is not too early to speak to God about a candidate, speak to the candidate about God and invite the candidate to a weekend. Click here for an application form and here for a want to be on team form.
The Ultreya List has been updated. The major change is that the Stoney Creek ultreya is no longer in operation.
This year, the annual CCCC Conference is being held in the beautiful Okanagan Valley of British Columbia from June 26th - 29th. The theme of the conference is "Pre-Cursillo - Witness to the Good News. Click here for more information and click here for a registration form. Registration for the conference is done either on-line at www.cursillo-canada.org or by mail to the CCC Resource Centre. The mailing address is:
Sheelagh Winston
CCCC Resource Centre
c/o Joyful Noise Books and Gifts
957 Brunette Ave
Coquitlam BC V3K 1E1
Ph: 514-713-0349
Dear Fellow Cursillistas,
Last year I was invited to take on the position of Palanca Chairperson for the Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario and would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and to explain what I believe I am called to do.
My name is Kim Jones and I made my Cursillo weekend in February, 1990 at St. Francis School in Cambridge, Ontario and sat with St. Marguerite Bourgeois group. Since that weekend, I have been active in the Guelph Ultreya, small group, the secretariat, have served on many weekends, and am now attending the School of Leader’s. I have come to realize that Cursillo could not survive, nor as a team member or a rollista, I could not have done what was asked of me without prayer and sacrifices of those who love me. So, when asked if I would like to take care of the requests for palanca in the diocese, I could not refuse. I know how important this is to the movement. What I have learned since taking on this work, however, is how important it is to Cursillo – worldwide. There are many weekends and activities all over the world who ask us in “little” Hamilton Diocese to pray for them! Awesome, eh?
On our website, there is a palanca request email address of which automatically all requests for palanca are forwarded to me. When I receive requests, I distribute them to Ultreyas in the diocese or reply with our prayers and sacrifices for that weekend. If these requests are in Canada, I forward the requests to an Ultreya in our diocese asking them to send palanca from their Ultreya or personal palanca. If they are outside Canada, I reply with general prayers and palanca offered from the Cursillistas in the diocese. This means you!
Weekends in 2008 include:
February 21-24 Women’s Wkd. Morelos Coahuila Mexico
February 28 – March 2 Men’s Wkd. Morelos Coahuila Mexico
April 3-6 Men’s #190 Archidiocese of New York (English) Central Center
April 10-13 Women’s #188 Archdiocese of New York (English) Central Center
April 10-13 Women’s #94 Hidalgo, Mexico
May 8-11 Men’s #64 Diocese of Mar del Plata, Argentina
May 15-18 Women’s #9 Diocese of de Melo, Uruguay
May 15-18 Women’s #109 Diocese of Lomas de Zamora
May 22-25 Men’s #89 Hidalgo, Mexico
MAY 24 FATHER REG MACNEIL celebrates his 60th anniversary of his
Ordination to the Priesthood, Ottawa, ON.
June 19-22 Women’s #62 Diocese of Mar del Plata, Argentina
June 19-22 Men’s #91 Hidalgo, Mexico
July 10-13 Men’s #10 Diocese of de Melo, Uruguay
August 7-10 Men’s #65 Diocese of Mar del Plata, Argentina
September 11-14 Women’s #63 Diocese of Mar del Plata, Argentina
September 17-20 Women’s #40 Ascoli Piceno, Italy
September 25-28 Women’s #10 Diocese of de Melo, Uruguay
October 15-18 Men’s #63 Ascoli Piceno, Italy
October 23-26 Men’s #11 Diocese of de Melo, Uruguay
You can help the movement by praying or offering sacrifices each weekend as an individual. It seems that weekends all over the world are taking place each weekend in the Fall from October 1 to November 30 and in the Spring from February 1 to June 30. So please remember these people in your prayers each weekend. I haven’t counted the weekends but I am sure I sent out about 50 general palanca letters by email and have forwarded about 20 palanca requests to the different Ultreyas in the diocese in 2007.
Please watch the newsletter for more information about palanca.
De Colores,
Kim Jone
The OMCC is the "Organizmo Mundial de Cursillos de Cristiandad" which roughly translates into the World Organization of Christian Cursillos. Our Hamilton Diocese Cursillo Movement is part of the CCCC (Canadian Conference of Catholic Cursillos) which is part of the OMCC. We have recently received some OMCC Newsletters which you can view by clicking on December, February, March or May.
As you will read in the attached letter, CCCC is launching a campaign to raise funds for the important work of revising and publishing a new edition of Fundamental Ideas.
$1, per Cursillista
This campaign is being undertaken by all four International Groups of the Cursillo Movement. Each Cursillista, active or not, is asked to donate just $1 . Personal contact is the method, one person at a time.
Marguerite Watkins of the Vancouver Cursillo Community kicks off the campaign among her family and friends at a recent gathering in Vancouver. In less than 10 minutes Marguerite collected $17 from those gathered.
Apr. 29, 2008
Dear Cursillistas,
Welcome to Spring 2008. We have many exciting events happening over the next while.
De Colores
Sandi Farwell
Lay Director
Each year we file an annual report with the CCCC. Click here to see the report.
One of the very great insights of the Cursillo movement is dialogue. This same phenomenon,
of course, has occurred in the Liturgy of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our task and call is to
make it visible and viable in both disciplines. For, in both, as in so many areas of our society we
fail to realize the power of this tool.
When I was a Grade School lad many years ago I was selected, chosen, to be a Mass server.
It required, however, many hours after class to memorize all the Latin prayers. Only when I could recited them without a hitch did I receive the next call to serve at Mass. That was the way, the method or style of the time. You may remember the great moment when the Priest celebrant
turned to face the congregation and said: “Dominus vobiscum”. He immediately turned back
to face the Lord and the altar while the server said in his best , formal, crisp recitation of the Latin: “Et cum spiritu tuo”.
Today the celebrant facing the congregation of fellow celebrants addresses his greeting to the whole people of God: “May the Lord be with you”. The congregation as with one voice picks up the marvel of the dialogue and says: “And with you too.” Many years ago in Bermuda I had the
delightful opportunity to be guest preacher in an AME [all Black person] Church service. At several points during my presentation one or sometimes several of the participants would shout
“Amen! Brother! Right on!” At first I found it rather unnerving; suddenly, I realized their sincere and enthusiastic approval of what I had said. The great moment, however, was at the end when they stood and shouted in unison: “Alleluja, Brother.” Our Sunday Liturgy demands a similar sincere and lively dialogue.
More to the moment, however, in Cursillo we are called into serious dialogue. When we present “our talks” we ought not to be just talking to the candidates; we are in dialogue. [The more colloquial or present-day word is “sharing”], but “dialogue” is a strong word which emphasizes enthusiasm, exchange, and sincerity. That is why the talks are immediately followed by a period of reflection and response. This enthusiastic response of the hearers bears great importance. For in it they often are prompted to share, to reveal, some deep spiritual moment of their lives. That is when dialogue is at its greatest. Their sincerity and enthusiasm are the important elements of this dialogue: not some soft-soap “that-was-lovely” remark.
Every talk or presentation we give must be the opening paragraph of a fraternal dialogue by which we call forth from others a sharing of their life’s journey in faith and invite them to speak back, to share, to dialogue their experience of the person of the Risen Lord in life. Reflect now what it means when we enthusiastically exchange: “The Lord BE with you – and also with you”.
Fr. Frank, C.R.
Last month's witness talk described a special encounter that happened during a train ride. Here is a link to a Powerpoint slide show that goes along with last month's witness: Life on a train.pps
Please send me (drmilne@sympatico.ca) any talks you think should be published so we can publish a witness talk every month. Please realize that I will have to use my judgment on whether or not a talk is published so it's possible that not every talk will get published.
Now that we have finished celebrating Lent, the Triduum, the Octave of Easter and the Season of Easter we are back into Ordinary Time. If your life is anything like mine Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary. Every day seems to bring its own set of challenges and celebrations. Friends and family reach special milestones like First Communion or Confirmation or a significant anniversary or birthday. Friends and family also struggle with their health and/or die and pass on to a better place. Kids are born or leave home or come back again. I am sure you can think of many more ways that Ordinary Time isn't ordinary. What's important to remember is that Christ is present to us just as much during Ordinary Time as he is during the special church seasons. God loves you just as much now as he did during Lent and Easter. Take a moment to thank God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for being present to you today and every day.
De Colores!