CH-CH-CH-CHANGES! by Father Ed Blanchett

How often are we reminded by the old adage that "the only constant in life is change?" We will soon see this in the universal Church and in our diocesan Cursillo Movement: at the end of February: our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI will step down to be succeeded by – as I write – only the Holy Spirit knows and Mary Ann Dowd will soon be succeeded by Ronnie Martella as our Lay Director (interesting how they will both happen on the same day, isn't it?)

As much as we would wish things to stay the same, our experience and our intellect tell us that this is impossible. Even the Church, as it moves through time, seems to be subject to the forces that refuse to allow things in this life to remain static. We are most poignantly reminded of this when we experience life-changing events ourselves, such as a change in job, financial status or health; when our children start out on their own; the welcoming into or the loss of a loved one from our family. How can we possibly find an anchor to cling to when even what we find so dear to us – who and what we so often rely upon – seem to be in our lives only for a short while?

Well, we do know of two things that will never change: the truth and God's love for each of us. Even as the Church prays for and awaits a new Vicar of Christ on earth, even as we prepare to welcome Ronnie into her new responsibilites, we know that what each of these leaders represent remains constant. Maybe the reason behind even these changes is to remind us that the Church and – through its special calling and participation – our Cursillo Movement share the same unchanging mission: to continually live and present the immutable truth and knowledge of God's love to others and to respond to the challenges made by the world, in a way that remains vital and relevant at a time when values and priorites seem to change daily. Yes, the truth and God's love remain the same, but how the world will react and apply them (if indeed it chooses to apply them at all) changes. The faithful are called to interpret and present them in ways that both respects the inherent, transcendent meaning of those gifts and can truly, concretely touch the hearts of those who receive them.

With humble thanks to Pope Benedict and Mary Ann for their servant-leadership, we also pray for our Church leaders and our new Lay Director as they assume their duties. May God continue to give them the courage and the grace needed to truly reach people "where they live" and to bring us all closer to Christ!

TECHNIQUE TALK by Mary Ann Dowd, Lay Director

" The community of the cursillistas is like no other.  Their help, advice,  and prayers made it so easy to perform the service of lay director with each one giving their time, their talents, and in truth many of them their whole lives to the cause of Christian Charity."

Editor's note: This eloquent talk was originally shared as the Technique Talk at the School of Leaders on Friday, February 15, 2013.


In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Lord we ask for courage - the courage to live out in our daily lives the faith we profess with our lips. Amen.

This Rollo is entitled the "technique talk" and when Ronnie asked me to give it tonight I hearkened back to my "babechick" days almost 20 years ago and it was confusing to me exactly what "technique" meant in the Cursillo sense, so I hope to shed some light on that tonight.  

(Mary Ann holds up a book. ) Here is a book given to me many years ago which contains all the words actually spoken by Jesus during his ministry....NOT the volumes written about HIM and Christianity.  but, quite simply, what Jesus actually said:  It logically begins with the finding in the Temple when he addresses His parents with the words.. 

"Why were you seeking me in sorrow did you not know that i must be in my father's house" and ends with the last words spoken by Jesus on earth..

"Go out and make disciples of all men... knowing that "I Am with you always even until the end of time"

If all we knew of Christ was this book we would know all we need to be true cursillistas and more specifically to know the technique talk inside and out--for our movement was founded by carefully observing all that Jesus did and yes our founders were-- "Jesus wanna-bes."

Think about one  of the most important things Jesus taught us by example..it was the (Study of Environments) its true-- this is what we call it in Cursillo...

Simply put, Jesus knew the environment He was in and the ideals of the people to whom He spoke.  He knew where their thought were Where they spent their time and where they spent their fortunes. He didn't have to "study" it because, He was...well God!-- but if we want to follow Him on "His Way" we would do well to study our environments and know where we are and who exactly it is that we are addressing.........remember Jesus speaking to the woman at the well and saying to her if you knew WHO it is that is speaking to you you would ask ME for water which never makes you thirsty again"

When HE called His disciples-- spoke with Nicodemus, Zacchaeus, or the woman caught in adultery.  He knew the audience to whom he was speaking and He always..always spoke the truth in love even under the most difficult circumstances,  such as when He rebuked the devil in the dessert.

When Jesus called his disciples He did so from his immediate environment--in the same way HE has taught us to select candidates: They were leaders in their environments.  Men of influence not for how much money they had but for the way they influenced those around them.
Their strength of character.  Did he call the best people according to our standards?  Maybe not, but didn't Jesus say "many are called but few are chosen."

Isn't it our task to invite and instruct with the way we live our lives honestly and authentically...and to leave the rest to God?

Cursillo was founded in many ways to be a ministry to the "far off" today we see many weekends made up of the fervent and holy ...the Holy Spirit is a Mighty Wind that blows where It will and calls who It may.  It is our calling to invite and to be there for our candidates and trust that God's Will be done!

From the very beginning the "Technique" of the movement was to:

Make a Friend
Be a Friend
and bring that friend to Christ.
First through Pray, then reaching out by engaging in genuine Christian friendship. And following all the precepts of Christ and HIS church through a genuine hunger and restlessness to follow HIM as we walk along - "Ultreya" -with our brothers and sisters toward our Hearts Desire.
Jesus taught us to take our brothers and sisters along with us Just as HE led his followers along His Life's camino.

Not by being coerced or obligated but by being truly free and with a real desire to fulfill our full potential in Christ and to help our brothers and sisters in Christ to fulfill their's.

In our leader's manual this restlessness is defined as a desire "to know all about all."

This is a fearful thing for our society today. Even with all the latest in communications and so called "social media" people are becoming more isolated and disconnected from God than ever -- How can this be we ask? But here is a statistic I recently learned that there are 18 million more Catholics in the United States than it takes to elect a president.  I'll say that again - there are 18 million more Catholics in the USA than it takes to elect a president.  

Where is the disconnect?  With e-mail, facebook, twitter, my space ---on and on we are more disconnected than ever. 

The numbers don't lie but the world does-- and it is spewing its lies of humanism, minimalism  hedonism and every other false "ism." All over the world and gaining converts in record numbers.

Should that make us fearful? Fear is not from God. 
Should we throw up our hand in despair? Despair is a tool of the evil one.

My brothers and sisters we have the answer.

The cursillista knows that indeed we wish to know all about all and the all that we wish to know all about is their walk with God -guided by the glances of Christ, we find God in His people. 

Isn't this where we draw our strength-- from the knowledge that so many others share our faith and our purpose?  That God sits on the Throne of Heaven and loves and cares for each and
everyone of us?  

The Cursillo movement was, is and always will be effective and viable in this world because the Cursillo movement is Christ reaching out to a broken humanity. Healing, loving and ministering to HIS Church through each of us. 

The Hallmark of our movement - the grouping on The tripod of Piety/Study/Action is a brilliant idea inspired by the Holy Spirit to keep us on track.

Personally--it has greatly influenced my walk as a lay director for-- if not for the discipline of examining those three questions often -- the pull of the world would have definitely:

interfered --
caused a distraction --
created static and 
deterred me from the task at hand--which was to keep out of the way of this wonderful movement given to us by God.

I believe my greatest accomplishment as lay director is that I have managed to stay out of the way of our pilgrim's progress.  I can say that, not out of a sense of false humility, but because from the time Father pronounced the words of installation over me, I trusted that i received
what Sister Simon so aptly calls the "grace of office".  It has given me strength and sustained me through obstacles, joys, challenges, celebrations and all the other roads we have all traveled together. 

Out of necessity I have been forced to study our movement and have grown to love the little course even more. I learned that all the wonderful ideals of our movement came from an encyclical the Pope wrote and that Eduardo studied in his youth.

This is why we Catholics know for certain that we are blessed with Pope Benedict's decision, for our religion does not depend on a single person (as much as we love our Holy Father) God will raise up a new shepherd to guide HIS One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Out of the sense of restlessness and insistence--which are the hallmarks of Cursillo's founder, Eduardo Bonin, I have been lifted out of my lethargy and been forced to step out in faith on behalf of our community and our advancement as a movement within the Church.

You wonderful people of God, have taught me how faithfulness to ultreya and friendship groups have held a mirror up to our resolve to live better lives in Christ and ask ourselves time and again what Mother Theresa of Calcutta asked me many years ago:  

"What are you doing to follow Christ?  How do you minister to HIS people?"

As our Holy Father had said when he stepped down from the Chair of Peter, I did these things with complete freedom (for it is only in the person of Jesus Christ that we become completely free.)

I can honestly say after experiencing these two years as lay director that HIS yolk is easy and HIS burden exceedingly light.

For rather than a burden being placed upon my shoulders two years ago a great weight was lifted off of them.  The community of the cursillistas is like no other.  Their help, advice,  and prayers made it so easy to perform the service of lay director with each one giving their time, their talents, and in truth many of them their whole lives to the cause of Christian Charity.

(You are true examples of Our leader's prayer in action)

I learned through living the cursillo technique that rather than a challenge or an obligation --serving as lay director is more than anything else "a gift" a gift from a very generous God and His loving people.

And so you see the "technique" of the Cursillo in Christianity is to study the techniques Jesus used: the technique of love, the technique of healing, the technique of charity and forgiveness the technique of living, to the best of our abilities, the beatitudes-Sister Simon so beautifully
presented to us tonight.  In short personal contact, one friend at a time..up close and personal is one way to describe Our Lord and in so doing describe HIS beloved cursillistas.

Decolores!

STANDING WITH ME by Deacon Tony Martucci

I awoke Christmas Day and went to St. Pius X to assist  the Masses at 10 AM and Noon. After cleaning up and locking the Church, I went home to see my family and prepare for Christmas dinner.  All seemed perfectly normal, until we sat down to eat. Suddenly I didn’t feel well, was nauseous and excused myself. I sat in the living room and felt a sharp burning pain in my lower abdomen. Thinking it was a kidney stone, I put up with the pain for the rest of the day. I didn’t watch the kids open their presents, and was not a very good host.

Family went home; I took Aleve and went to bed. Dec. 26 the pain was muted, but came and went throughout the day. “Call the Doctor,” said Pat. I toughed it out for another day. Dec. 27, pain was intermittent, but I saw blood in my stool and called the urologist, still thinking it was a kidney stone. He saw me at 1:30 PM, determined it wasn’t a stone and sent me to the ER.

I met Pat in the ER (it was her last day of work, having resigned from the VA). By 4:30 PM, they had begun my triage in the ER. After a series of tests and CAT scans, the doctor told me  at 8:30  PM that I needed surgery. I asked about being transferred to Jersey Shore MC. The doctor asked if I knew a surgeon there, I answered NO. He explained that it would take time to forward the paperwork, find a surgeon and have the operation.

I asked, “How soon do I need the surgery?” The doctor simply looked at his watch, and I knew I was in trouble.  The surgeon was called and was at Community within a half hour. I was prepped and in surgery at 10:15 PM until 1:30 AM. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis, and a three inch hole in my colon that leaked into my intestines. They removed 8 inches of colon and gave me a temporary colostomy.

Meanwhile Pat had made a few calls for prayers, and I was immediately on the hotline for Cursillo, Diaconate, Church and family. My son, Pete, my brother Frank and Fr. Jay joined Pat in the waiting room. When the surgeon came out after the operation he told the family I had a 50/50 chance of recovery. He also told them to go home since I was still under the anesthesia. They all left except my son Pete who wanted to see me before he went home. Miraculously I came out of the anesthesia before they brought me to recovery. As they wheeled me out, I saw Pete and gave him the ‘thumbs up’. He smiled and a tear rolled down his cheek.

The next day, I saw the surgeon and thanked him for saving my life. “Not yet,” he responded. Over the next several weeks I received cards, phone calls and visitors all saying they were praying for me. Those who were helping me in the hospital could hardly believe the rapid recovery I was making. I felt the power of those prayers but I was so humbled by the love and comments of so many people. Sadly, most people don’t realize the impact they have on others. At their wake, the family is told about the little things that they had done or said that made a difference. I have been blessed to have received that love at my 25^th Jubilee and now in my illness.

Every day in my prayers, I lift up all of you who have shared in my recovery- the doctors, nurses, techs, prayer warriors and family. I ask God to send his blessings and graces upon all of you.

On the lighter side: As you may know Pat & I were scheduled to lead a tour to Israel from Jan. 9- 16. On the day after surgery, a Eucharistic Minister from St. Barnabas entered my room. Her name is Peggy Cheselka, sister of Mary Weis. They were pilgrims going with us to the Holy Land. The nurse was in my room when Peggy entered and asked, “Are you the Anthony Martucci who is going to the Holy Land?” The poor nurse almost passed out, thinking that Peggy was saying I was going to ‘heaven- the Holy Land’. 

Another source of humor and embarrassment was the fact that the nurses couldn’t believe that I am 70.  They talked about it at report, and I often had nurses and doctors come into my room to see me. One doctor returned to the nurses’ station and said that I even looked younger than one of his co-workers, which didn’t go over so well with the co-worker.

As I look back over this ordeal, I give thanks to God for all of the wonderful events He set in motion for this trial. I was able to get to the hospital and the surgeon in time. One day later may have been too late. The attack occurred here in the US, not in Israel two weeks later- what a nightmare that could have been.  I was in fairly good health, considering the seriousness of the illness and was able to fight the infection. I cannot say enough about the nurses, doctors and staff at Community Hospital. They were there each time I needed them, going beyond their duty. I am sure God was inundated with prayers from my communities and friends like the unjust judge in the parable who gave in to the widow and her persistence.  God must have sent Raphael to heal and protect me.

Thank you to all of you for standing with me and for your prayers. God bless you and keep you safe in His love.

SCHOOL OF LEADERS RECAP by Ronnie Martella, Assistant Lay Director

We are gifted with so much from our loving God; life, family, friends, the chance to share our walk with the Lord with each other.  January School of Leaders was an excellent example of all of that.  We gathered for the first time in 2013, wishing each other- Happy New Year *and despite many things about which we are concerned, worried, perhaps even fearful...there is much to support our wish of happiness.  Primary among them--God in our midst--the God of whom Sister Clara spoke at December School of Leaders in her talk on the Incarnation in which she encouraged us to go deeper into that belief and understanding and urged us to a greater awareness of what God has done for us.

With that in mind, and encouraged to open ourselves to the possibility that there is something we have yet to hear, learn, know, understand and/or embrace, we started 2013 with a reflection on The Beatitudes.  Sister Simon's talk, focused this School on the first four Beatitudes, took each one and showed us how they not only built, one on the other, but how being poor in spirit is the foundation.  It is the awareness that we cannot save ourselves and that letting go of self opens the door for so much more.

Hilare Reinold's talk on being peacemakers started by quoting Pope Benedict's New Year's message, the theme of which was "Blessed are the Peacemakers"  In that message Pope Benedict said "Man is made for the peace which is God’s gift. All of this led me to draw inspiration for this Message from the words of Jesus Christ: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (Mt 5:9)” (Message, 1). This beatitude “tells us that peace is both a messianic gift and the fruit of human effort...'" The fruit of human effort, what a challenge!  And Hilare took that challenge and wove it together with the tools we rely on in Cursillo...Piety, Study and Action.  Here is just one from each, of the many thoughts and ideas Hilare shared.

Piety- we need to take, make, allow for the time to be with God to allow ourselves to be molded as peacemakers.

Study- we can "pray the newspaper" by reading it and as we do think about that environment-pray for those involved, consider taking action.

Action-prayer of course and consider becoming involved in something that will bring about a change in the world, a change for peace.

So much in such a short time.  School of Leaders is such an incredible place.  In two hours there is fellowship, laughter, sharing-faith and more, prayer, singing, learning, uplifting others and being uplifted, refreshment for the body, soul and spirit.

Please join us in February when Sister Simon will complete the Beatitudes. It will be a gift to community and to yourself!

A MESSAGE FROM OUR LAY DIRECTOR, MARY ANN DOWD

Beloved Cursillistas,

David and I wish you all a Blessed, Happy and Healthy New Year!  As this message was written on January 1, 2013,  these are the thoughts which came to mind.  At morning Mass:  To paraphrase Albert Switzer:  All that happens in World history is based on something "spiritual"...if the spiritual is strong, it creates world history, if the spiritual is weak it suffers from world history.  In another of his quotes ....we meet HIM there beside the Sea of Galilee and HE sets us to the task for our time. 

 

The Cursillo in Christianity created world history when over 70,000 pilgrims arrived, in a State of Grace, at St. James in Spain to a greeting from the Pope and then this rag tag band of brothers resolved to "pass it on" to future generations...to the whole world!   How blessed we cursillistas are to have received this dynamic, articulate and authentic message. 

 

Who were these men?  Scholars, scientists, saints, wouldn't it doubfound the mighty to realize that a simple youth group decided to take "Catholic Action" and dare to believe that with God all things really are possible?  They had the answer to all the ills and questions of the world.  It was the person of Jesus Christ; and they knew two important secrets.....the spiritual must be strong and NOW is the appointed time, now, the precious present...."our time", to do the Will of God. 

 

As we begin again our 4th day journey in the year 2013, may we remember the dream which began our movement almost 70 years ago.  A dream inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and carried out by a group of young people who truly believed that all things are possible with God.  Beloved Cursillistas then as now....Christ is counting on us.

 

forever DeColores!

mary ann xo