Twin Cities Catholic Cursillo
We were on vacation visiting Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wisconsin when I received the call from Mike Kayser. When I saw the name on my phone I had an idea of what it could be; maybe help with the website, or something with the weekend. Mike did need help with something on the weekend. He invited me to be kitchen coordinator. I gave Mike a qualified “yes”, if I could get Tom Streefland to be my assistant coordinator. And thankfully, Tom said, "yes!"
I pondered how ironic it is that Tom would be my assistant. I should be his assistant!
On the Thursday of the weekend, with the last load in the car, I met Tom at Sam’s Club to make the final purchases. Then, one last stop at Walmart, and the weekend would be underway. After gathering all the goods into a cart, I headed for the checkout line. I picked the shortest line and began my wait. The people ahead of me were watching closely as each item was scanned. I began to regret my line choice. Then there was some confusion as to how they were going to pay.
About this time, a lady behind me asked what I was doing with all of the bread and eggs. I turned around and told her that I was getting the food for a men’s retreat. She asked when it started, and I told her that afternoon, and that it went until Sunday. She was impressed! “How many men?” She asked. I said, "54". “You’re going to feed 54 men for 3 days with this much food???” I chuckled a bit and said, "No, there is a lot more food, in the car and at the church." Then she asked, "Which church?" I said, "Mary Mother of the Church in Burnsville." "Oh, what kind of a church is that?" I said, "It is a Catholic Church". And she said, “My daughter wants to go check out a Catholic Church!” I said, “I think the Catholic Church has a lot to offer! I know there has been a lot of bad press about the Catholic Church, and I had to figure out how to deal with that before I joined the Church in 2013” She said, “Oh, you are new to the church?” And I said, “Yes! Once I started RCIA, it was a done deal.”
By this time, the cashier had finished with the other people, and I was thinking "Here we go!" Nope. It was time to switch cashiers. Ugh! The lady behind me still had questions and asked “Would it be disrespectful for my daughter and I to go a mass at a Catholic Church?” I said “Oh my, No! Not at all! You should go! But don’t just go to Mass and leave. Stop and talk to someone. Tell them why you are there! Ask questions! See if you can get answers to questions you have about the Church."
For some reason, I lost the hurry of getting through the checkout line. It felt "right" to talk to her.
The cashiers completed their handoff, and we were back to business. I wish I had gotten the lady's name. As my checkout completed, she wished me a good weekend in the kitchen. I said, "Thank you," and departed with the last of our weekend kitchen supplies. As I walked into the parking lot, I had a sense of peace about the weekend ahead. I knew I had a great team, and all the supplies. All the worries went away when God simply put a lady in my path to remind me why we work these weekends; to evangelize. Thanks to a simple conversation with a stranger.
Tim Vold
As many of you know my husband, Stu Walker, had a heart attack in November of 2013. Two weeks after his initial surgery Stu went in for his checkup. His chest incision was found to be infected and they did surgery immediately. His sternum was left open so they could clean out the infection every other day. The doctor did not want him to move his body at all while his chest was opened up, so they gave him paralytics and put Stu in a drug induced coma. The doctor thought it would be for one to two weeks, but it stretched into 20 days. When Stu came out of his coma and the paralyzing drugs had worn off, he had lost so much muscle strength he literally couldn't push the nurse call button at his side.
Stu spent four months in ICU, two different hospitals, and finally rehab at Presbyterian Homes before he came home. I was working full time, seeing Stu nearly every day for one to two hours, stopping by the adoration chapel at Our Lady of Grace in Edina for a quick visit and trying to run the household. I lost weight, lost sleep and could have easily fallen into despair if it wasn't for my faith and the love, support, and prayers we received from our families, church family and Cursillo family. Thanks to each one of you that prayed or did palanca in some way for us. We definitely felt surrounded by our faith communities.
As time progressed, more struggles arose, but I kept trusting that God had the plan and I had to keep muddling along. "Jesus, I trust in you." When my watch battery died, (something that would have normally been an annoyance), I was wondering how much more I could take, I realized muddling through this was not cutting it. I recalled the book of Job in the Old Testament.
Job lost his sons, daughters, cattle and crops, all in a short time. His friends told him, he must have sinned because at that time, tragedy was seen as a punishment for sin. Job held his ground. Then his wife got on his case and he defended himself again. Finally Job was worn down by all of the negativity and complained to God. God answered by asking where Job was at creation. Job had the humility to recognize he was the created not the creator. After this, God blessed him with many more children and more wealth than earlier.
I didn't want to complain to God. After reading the daily scripture readings for many years, I was reminded of some of the following:
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
"Give thanks always and for everything..." Ephesians 5:20
"In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." John 16:33
So I became proactive. I created what I now call my Job List.
I listed each difficulty I was facing and then also listed a blessing I could find in each problem. How was God working/present in my life?
Here are a few examples from my list:
My Job List: Blessings in difficult times
One day I thought, Am I in God’s will if I am praying for Stu’s healing and that is not what God intends? I realized that the devil was trying to derail my faith, but I needed to hear someone say that to pray for Stu’s healing was fine as long as I would accept God’s will of either life or death. One of our deacons helped me with that.
Then one day Stu called me before I left for work. He said, “Come to the hospital. We need to talk now!” God had prepared me for that day with my morning prayer time and a devotional called Jesus Calling. I had guessed correctly, he wanted to give up. He was depressed and could not see himself recovering enough muscle strength to get out of bed, ever get out of the hospital or back home. I read that days message to him which basically said that God was with him. If you are doing my will, nothing can stop you. There will be obstacles, but don’t give up. I will be there at your side.
I told Stu that God had more for him to do or God would have taken him already. It would be slow and difficult but God and I and many others would be there for him.
There were many other difficulties on the list, but that is a sampling. It wasn’t an easy time for either of us, but by being able to see God’s hand in each event we could say God was still present and active in our lives. Sometimes we truly do live the scripture, “I will never forsake you or abandon you. “ Hebrews 13:5
Cathy Walker
I was part of the women’s team for weekend 362. Each week at formation I was touched by the welcoming nature of this community. Upon arriving at formation, the men and women would gather together to sing a song of praise, introduce ourselves to one another and share what area of team we would each be serving in.
Many would arrive before the opening song began and would form a circle, side by side and arm in arm swaying and singing. Being a work night, team members would come in one or two at a time every few minutes after being stuck in traffic or running a little late after trying to get a bite of dinner. But the thing is, as each person arrived he or she was wel-comed into the circle. Folks would step back a bit and offer an open arm to his or her shoulder and pull them right into the fold without a moment’s hesitation. It reminds me of the song, “All are Welcome, all are welcome in this place.” And that is just as it should be in this Cursillo community of ours. “We are called. We are chosen. We are Christ to one another.”
De Colores!
Justine Bojan
After hearing Fr. James’ “miracle story”, people will often ask me how I felt about it. At first I felt like Our Blessed Mother Mary when she heard Simeon foretell the news about Jesus in the temple. As Fr. James began to tell us the story I could not stop the flow of tears. After reading Fr. Peterson’s testimony, I looked up Aguinaldos (the nine days of masses Fr. James spoke about) and I found out the word means “Christmas Gifts”. We are all called to be gifts of Christ’s love to others. The witness that Fr. James provided to the gang members, choir members, and those attending Mass that day is a powerful mes-sage to all of us. It shows that we need to stand up for our faith and share the love that we have received from Jesus. In John 15:13 Jesus says, “no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Fr. Peterson took the risk and admitted being a Catholic priest thus sharing Jesus’ love with everyone. Even though it is highly unlikely that we will find ourselves in such a scary situation, we can witness in our own circles and that witness can change lives. Simple things like a smile at the grocery store, letting someone go before us while in line, opening the door for others, listening to someone, visit-ing someone in need, praying for others, and whatever else you feel called to do can make a difference for that person. A simple action can speak more than a hundred words. I found it a beautiful testimony to the depth of his love for Jesus when Fr. James told us he handed over his “simple cross” to that gang member. That simple gesture made a difference in my own life.
In the book I Believe in Love, Fr. Jean C. J. D’Elbée says, “The cross taken up hesitantly is crushing, taken smilingly, by free will, and with love, it will carry you more than you carry it.” Fr. James said he felt such a peace during the incident that he knew the Holy Spirit was with him. We felt assured and trusted that he is not carrying his cross alone and that Jesus is walking every step with him every day! As the parents of Fr. James Peterson, Jim and I both believe deep with-in our hearts that Fr. James is exactly where Gods wants and needs him to be. He experiences the riches of spirit and faith in those who struggle to be safe while trying to find food and medicine. When we see pictures of Fr. James in Venezuela there is a glow and joy that tells us he is happy and at peace which gives us a certain peace as well. “Christ IS counting on you” to say yes when he calls.
Ann Peterson
Were you ever faced with a big decision, and after prayer, didn’t feel like you were getting an answer from God as to how to proceed? That’s how we felt after being asked to consider becoming Assistant Lay Directors for Twin Cities Cursillo. We prayed and then we prayed some more. Still, we didn’t feel like we were receiving an answer from The Holy Spirit and yet we knew we needed to make a decision. When we’re in such a situation, we make a decision based upon gut instinct. We could say “no” based upon selfish reasons (e.g. it’s a big time commitment) or “no” because there are others, more capable than us, to lead this community. The other option would be to say “Yes” and offer our time and our talent to serve Twin Cities Cursillo, trusting that The Holy Spirit will provide us with the gifts we need to serve in this capacity. Our decision was a re-sounding “Yes” because we want to give back to Twin Cities Cursillo in thanksgiving for all the blessings we have received as a result of this wonderful charism of The Holy Spirit.
We start the New Year, humbly asking for your prayers and support, so that we may work to grow this movement and to make Jesus Christ known in our environments. Hmmm. I guess The Holy Spirit answered our prayers by providing us with the gut instinct to say “Yes!”
Decolores!
Diane & Tom Repucci
We again, want to invite you to the 2017 Winter Retreat! We have found that this is a great way to start the New Year! Here is a synopsis of the retreat theme, from the King’s House Director, Fr. Jim Deegan: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” (Is 40:31) The trials and difficulties of life have a way of eroding our hope. Often they convince us that we’re the only solution and we begin relying on our own abilities. When we are hurting, how quickly we begin looking for a “fixer” God. Spirituality is not about remaking God, but about transforming ourselves. Spiritual transformation comes from a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Throughout the Gospels, people follow Jesus in the hope of finding new life and inner freedom. We, too, are called to follow and listen to the Divine Presence in our lives. Pope Francis reminds us that “the Church is sent to reawaken hope everywhere…” How do we reawaken hope in ourselves and in others? Hope gives us energy and direction for the journey. Join us at King’s House where our hope can be reawakened as we are invited to become beacons of hope in our fragile world.” Our retreat schedule is Friday evening to Sunday midday. You can arrive and register any time between 4-7pm on Friday. (Please remember, there is no Friday evening meal provided at King’s House.) Although the weekend is packed full of good things (i.e. teaching, sacraments, fellowship, singing, prayer), there is also time to relax, take in the winter beauty, visit with friends, or even take a nap! The fee this year is $150 per person. Full or partial scholarships are available to cover the cost. We want everyone to attend who wishes to. For scholarship information, contact Jeanne Bendzinski at 612-386-3886. You will be able to register and pay on line through our Cursillo website, or you can register in the traditional method by mailing either a $20 deposit or payment in full, made out to: Twin Cities Catholic Cursillo c/o Pat Croke 15797 Highview Drive Apple Valley, MN 55124 Please get in touch with us if you have any questions or concerns regarding the retreat. Phone 763-670-6776 or email: winter-retreat@tc-cursillo.org God bless, Roger and Gayle Fickbohm
He who Sings prays twice according to St. Augustine. I’ve been doubly blessed to have been a part of Secretariat in the Music section. Have you ever considered volunteering for secretariat and then listened to the negative voice in your head that says, I can’t do that? I don’t play an instrument. I don’t have the time. Hmmm, do you think I might have had of few of those thoughts? Yup, but I took a leap of faith, trusted God and before you know it my two year commitment just flew by.
Each of us has gifts and sharing them on Secretariat can be a blessing not only for Cursillo, but for you as well. I have enjoyed a great sense of community and know I have helped the movement by supporting the important gift of music for the past two years.
Here are just a few talents the music section in Cursillo uses:
* Communication-- friendly phone calls & emails seeking musicians to play at the palanca masses, closura, 4th day encounters & picnics
* Storage --- Where the rollo & palanca guitar music rest when they are not being used on a weekend.
* Planner --- plan the liturgical music that is played at mass.
* Cheerleader --- encourage and thank the musicians for their time. The number of weekends they work/live is double/triple that of the rest of the 4th day community. Please thank them!
Is your river open to let the grace flow in and keep it clean, or is it closed off and stale? Freshen up your spirit and be open to new possibilities. What you gain is deep friendship to a wider community than just your small community. All you need is to be open, smile and God will guide you through it.
The person who gives with a smile is the best giver because God loves a cheerful giver.― Mother Teresa
By Mary Kay Marxen
Happy Autumn! I love this season and haven't we been blessed with par-ticularly great weather this year? Crisp air, blue sky, warm sun, and God's colorful beauty on full display both in the changing and fallen leaves.
Recently I spent a wonderful retreat day with several of my Bible study "sisters" at a state park in Northfield, MN. We looked for and discussed what God was teaching us in nature. As we began our hike, we were natural-ly drawn to the beauty of those show-stopping trees, still filled with brilliant changing leaves. Yet as we continued, we began to notice both the beauty and purpose in the not-so-bright as well. In the more bare trees, we could better appreciate the complexity of it's structure and the scripture of the vine and branches came to mind (John 15:5 ). Walking through the fall-en, dry leaves on the ground made a joyful crunching sound. Squirrels de-lighted in finding dropped acorns, which would feed them throughout the winter ahead. And it was the bare spots on the ground that provided the perfect backdrop for a newly fallen maple leaf.
Too often society tells us that only the young, bright and showy are im-portant, but God knows better.
While we were admiring the beauty surrounding a waterfall in the park, my “sister”, Justine, noticed how a small, old tree was literally holding up a larger one that had fallen across the creek. The small, frail tree was almost lost under the new growth of the larger tree, which was thriving despite it's position. We each could clearly see that the only reason the young tree sur-vived and flourished is because the old one held it up.
I was suddenly and profoundly reminded of how my grandma had done just that for me six years ago. My mom's mother was 94 years old in 2010, when my dad, her beloved son-in-law, passed away from cancer at the age of 76. I was very close to both of them, and my cousin went out of his way to travel with my grandma so they could be with us at my father's funer-al. About an hour before the public wake and prayer service, family mem-bers were allowed to say our final goodbyes to my dad at the funeral home. I nervously peeked into the chapel and saw my dad lying there peacefully. My heart skipped a beat to see his sweet face again and I immediately ran to the casket. The grief that came over me when I reached him though was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I said my goodbyes and kissed his forehead, which was now cold and hard, for the very last time. My husband and kids gave me space and stood behind me to take their turns. I so want-ed to be strong for them, yet when I spotted my grandma sitting in a chair a few feet away watching me, I literally fell across the divide, much like that large tree we saw in the park. I laid my head on her lap and sobbed like I never have before, while she tenderly stroked my hair and kissed my head til my tears ran dry. I thanked her for being there, but she acted as though she had received the gift. She instead thanked me and whispered, "I thought God forgot about me, but he just showed me he hasn't! Perhaps the very reason I'm still here is simply so I could hold you up today." How very wise and true, Grandma....and I am forever thankful!
Thank you Lord for the beauty and purpose in ALL you have created. Help me to see you in everyone and in every season!
Mindy Muenzberg
Over the past seven years I have been blessed to be our granddaughter, Madison’s, caregiver while her single mom both works and attends school full-time. With all of the grandma grandaughter time we spend together, we have brought Madison along with us to many Cursillo events. She has been to Ultreyas, formations, potlucks, closings and often comes to group with me. From her perspective, the women in my group are her friends too. As I was packing to be on team for the July week-end Madison asked me when she could make a Cursillo weekend. She knew that several ladies in “our” group were also working and she wanted to be a part of it. I told her that she would have to wait a few years but that she will have many opportunities to take part in retreats and help in outreach projects when she starts middle school. She was disappointed but she figured out another way that she could be a part of the weekend. She wrote palanca notes and drew beautiful pictures for each of the ladies in my group! She also went to palanca mass with Greg to make sure they were delivered. Receiving that beautiful gift from my granddaughter brought tears to my eyes and hope and joy to my heart.
In our Cursillo rollos we are reminded that we are to evangelize within our own personal environments. I have often felt that my environment was too small and I wasn’t doing enough locally or globally, but God has shown me that I am right where I need to be right now to be the face of Christ to my family and more specifically my sweet Madison.
Kay Wacek
On Sunday August 28, I had the opportunity to attend the closing of the Vietnamese Cursillo weekend at St. Anne - St. Joseph Hien Church in Minneapolis. It was an awesome experience in which I felt the presence of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit, even though the witnessing I heard was in Vietnamese. It was evident to me that these men had been touched.
We moved to the church for prayers, and once again, I could sense the presence of God in the actions of the people, and the definite feeling of community. I thought of how amazing God is because we all have the same brain, and yet such different languages can be used for communicating, and that God is present where people come to honor Him. I have worked several English weekends and felt a high, and so was surprised by the high I felt just for attending this ceremony where I understood so little and yet felt so much. Mixing with people during refreshments also helped me to know them as people with stories, much as God sees us. I must remember everyone has a story. I came away feeling touched and blest.
Mary Guerrero
Welcome 4th Day!
