February 2007 Hamilton Diocese Cursillo Communique/Newsletter

Welcome to the second edition of the monthly communique/newsletter for the Hamilton Diocese Cursillo community.  Please let me know (drmilne@sympatico.ca) what you think about this new publication.

Women's 69th weekend

We still have openings for the upcoming women's weekend - April 26th to 29th 2007 in Ancaster at Mount Mary with Anne McKellar as Rectora, Fr. Bob Bulbrook and Deacon Pat Morin as Spiritual Advisers and Barb Fox and Vera Vath as Anne's assistants.

You will find a candidate and sponsor application here.  Please forward to Joyce Hause @ 43 Crosby Dr. Kitchener, Ont. N2B 2K9 or contact her at jjhause@sympatico.ca or 519-743-1067.

Team formation and weekends depend on Palanca.  Please remember to pray for this weekend.

2007 Fall weekends

Women's 70th weekend is October 11th - 14th at Deemerton. 
Men's 71st weekend is October 25th - 28th at Deemerton. 

Click here for the Want to be on team form.

Ultreya happenings

The Ultreya list has been updated.  Click here for the latest information.  Please pray for the Stoney Creek area Cursillistas who are discerning/planning for an Ultreya in that area.  Also, please let me (drmilne@sympatico.ca) know of any Ultreya happenings in your area.

Palanca

Kim Jones has accepted the Secretariat's invitation to be the Palanca chairperson.  She can be reached at palanca@4thday.ca.  Kaye Black has agreed to look after the Prayer Wheel.  Thanks Kim and Kaye.

The Canadian National Cursillo Conference organizers have asked us the following:
We are in need of your prayers at this time for the upcoming Canadian
National Cursillo Conference being held in Barrie, ON on June 21 - June 24,
2007. Could you please distribute this following prayer to the
cursillista's in your ultreya's in hopes to be said daily.

     Prayer for the Canadian National Cursillo Conference:

God, Our Father, send Your blessings upon the Cursillo Movement.  Help
us prepare for the 2007 Canadian National Cursillo Conference.

Let us welcome Christ, Your Son present in the Holy Eucharist. Deepen
our understanding and appreciation of this awesome gift.  When we come
together for this National Conference, let us offer ourselves as Christ
offers Himself to us.

Send forth your Holy Spirit upon this National Conference that we may
better appreciate the gift of the Cursillo Movement.  Strengthen and
prepare us as Cursillistas to fulfill our mission to serve You in a world
searching for meaning.

Following the example of Mary, first disciple of Christ, may we always
give thanks to You and make a continual offering of ourselves to respond to
Your Love and fulfill Your Will.

We ask this through Christ, Your Son, Our Lord.  Amen.

Secretariat sharing

Each month a member of the Secretariat will share his or her thoughts on their Secretariat role.  For the complete list of Secretariat members and their roles click here.

This month's sharing is from Joyce Hause:

What is the greatest idea of all time?  Which commandment is the greatest of all?  Most would agree that it is to love God and to love one’s neighbour as oneself.

Before I can love others, I have to have faith that I am loved.  I must believe that at the deepest level possible God loves me unconditionally, that God is helplessly, hopelessly crazy about me no matter what.  Once I can get my head around that and my heart around that and my faith around that – can I begin to love God back?  This leads to love of self and broadens out to love of neighbour.  This can sow the seeds for the only solution to all the problems that this world endures each day.

The sources of faith that God gives us are prayer, word and sacrament.  Not only does God have a plan for us to love and to serve, but Jesus will help us do it.  We as children of God will come to learn that Jesus is our friend, our confidant, someone with whom we can feel comfortable, someone whom we can talk to about anything, someone who will listen and take us seriously.  If we are rooted in Christ, is He not our friend too?  Can’t we talk to Him about anything?

 Referring back to the beginning – yes sometimes it is hard to love your neighbour – we all know this.  We may have their best interest at heart but it is hard expressing it to them.  God has a plan for all of us to love and to serve.  The start of the Lenten season has given us the opportunity to think about how we can love and serve. 

 I have a new job on the Secretariat as of January 1st, 2007 - Weekend Co-ordinator

Anne McKellar is the Rectora of the upcoming Women’s Weekend.  It is at Mount Mary in Ancaster from April 26th to 29th, 2007.  A candidate application was attached to the last communiqué for your use.  Please remember that friend you have been talking to and ask if they are ready to attend the Cursillo weekend.  We still have room for more candidates.

A further announcement from the Secretariat is that the next Rector for the Men’s Weekend is Charlie Seifried and the next Rectora for the Women’s Weekend is Barbara Fox.  We thank them for accepting the call to represent God’s presence at the upcoming Fall Weekends.

Please remember the entire Secretariat in your prayers as we proceed into 2007 with many changes and challenges.  I know it is our intention to do our best.

Witness talk

Whenever possible we will publish a Hamilton Diocese Cursillista's Witness Talk.  No one has submitted a talk for publication this month.  If you have done a talk on team perhaps you could cut and paste together the witness sections of your weekend talk.  Or send me a copy of a talk done at Ultreya.  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.

The Fifth Day

Please remember Denis Culver and his family in your prayers.  Denis made his weekend in 1989 at Francis Xavier in Carlsruh.  He passed on, peacefully, at St. Mary's Hospital, Kitchener, on Friday, February 9th, 2007. Denis was a loving father to his children, Anneliese and her husband Jeffrey Merkus, Michelle Culver and Paul Culver and will be remembered by his six grandchildren. Fondly remembered by his siblings, Chris and Hella and their families. Denis was a dedicated physician and practiced medicine for 40 years in various communities throughout Ontario. During his career, he traveled to Central America with the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital.

The last word

The Christophers (www.christophers.org) have published a wonderful Christopher News Note (#492) entitled "Lent: Discovering Joy in a solemn season".  In it they say "The Lenten Liturgy has references to joy, not only because it's a preparation for Easter, the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also because purification through prayer and fasting brings special delight to the soul."

HAPPY LENT!!