Just a little over a year ago I walked into my first Cursillo Encounter apprehensive about what the week-end would entail. Wow! I walked out deeply influenced by the whole weekend experience. My faith life has consequently changed because of my Cursillo week-end in addition to the many Cursillo experiences I continue to attend and enjoy including serving on the kitchen team last February. I recently made a list of the many and varied ways Cursillo has influenced my life. I shared the list with my groupies who thought others would enjoy it as well.

What Cursillo has done for me;

 I enjoy going to Sunday Mass more and desire to attend daily Mass whenever possible

 I am open to serving the church

 I have a new appreciation for prayer and have learned how to rely on prayer in my daily life

 I am able to talk much more freely about my faith

 I am able to express my feelings better

 I enjoy religious music

 I understand better what unconditional love and grace are

 I realize what close moments are when I experi-ence them

 I have learned how to ask for forgiveness

 I gained good friendships with great people

Mike Krautkremer

Our family goes a long way back with Cursillo in the Twin Cities. My parents, Molly and the late Pat Van Oss, were the leaders of weekends #1 and #2. They brought the movement here when we moved from Ohio.

My wife Therese and I made our Cursillos in the 1980s. It was a fellow Cursillista, Sam Ashkar, who knew both of us separately and made introductions. Cursillo was part of bringing us together in 1986.

I proposed, and Therese accepted, on our 4th date. We had known each other for 28 days. For me it was not a triumphal moment. It was a moment of abject surrender to a will greater than my own. I recognized that I was being presented a gift. That I could decline, but I would be a fool to do so. And I caved to God's will for me, for us.

We are not perfect for each other, yet we are the Lord's choice for each other, so who can argue with that?

I recognize that I have been given a precious gift. And I try every day to say a prayer of thanks for that gift. As in any long marriage, there have been many days that prayer was said with a smile and a few days through gritted teeth.

My message: You will have tough days. You will have wonderful days. Try every day to remember to be thankful.

Joseph Van Oss

The other night a youngster was waiting in line for confession with his dad. It was his turn to go in and so he does. Within seconds of closing the door, he comes rushing out, runs over to where he and his dad were sitting, and grabs what looks like his list. He goes rushing back into the confessional and after he closes the door, everyone who was watching what was going on giggles. It was just too cute. Afterwards I told his dad that I’m glad that I am not the only person who forgets my list.

Cheri Quast

From the moment I was born, I have been surrounded, or rather, covered in prayer. My Dad baptized me in the hospital the day I was born and “prayed without ceasing” to bring both of his girls home. – prayer answered.

As a young child my Grandmother expressed to me the importance of “praying without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and she was a bold, vibrant and prominent example to me of just exactly how to do that. An emergency vehicle would fly by and a “Hail Mary” was said. We would drive by a school, or meet a school bus – another “Hail Mary” was said. She would thank God for the yummy carrots she was peeling and for the richness of the soil they were grown in and the grandchild who helped her to plant them and the other grandchild who assisted in harvesting them and for all the “folks” who would enjoy eating them. She would make 20-30 sandwiches every day for the “men” in the field and she prayed that it would bring them nourishment and joy as they ate them. Everything my Grandmother did was a prayer and she was not at all ashamed or distracted by that fact. She called it a loving duty. That example, to pray unceasingly, has remained with me some 40+ years and most recently has developed a life, a soul of its own in the past 13 years.

That being said I found that for me, “to pray without ceasing” was a very tall order that I found to be quite tedious and difficult, that is until I met Sr. Lucille at my first teaching job at Our Lady of the Prairie in Belle Plaine. Sr. Lucille taught the first graders. It was a small Catholic parish with an even smaller school, I wore many “hats”. I was the librarian, lunch lady, recess supervisor, PE, science and music teacher as well as bus patrol for my class of 10 second graders. (7 and 8 year olds) It seemed to me I was always counting my class to make sure I had no stragglers or wanderers. I called it “counting heads”.

One afternoon, I was taking my class outside for an extra PE class as they were bouncing off the walls and could not focus and Sr. Lucille’s class of first graders was coming in from lunch break. In passing Sr. Lucille ask me to help her “count her noses” and she handed me a box of tissues. She would start with her “little ladies”, and I was entrusted with her pristine line of “young gentlemen” (did I mention she was a Benedictine nun in full habit – maybe 85 pounds soaking wet). My job, to distribute a “fresh tissue” so they could take care of all the runny and itchy noses while she “counted heads”. She would then collect all of the “used tissues” from her kiddos and say “yup all of my noses are accounted for”. And they all headed back into class. I asked her later why she “counted noses” instead of heads, she gave me a huge Benedictine smile and said I count both (heads when I hand out the tissues and noses when I collect them. “But [she would say} noses are much more fun, and they come in different shapes, sizes and runniness capability and THIS YEAR I HAVE FOUR WITH FRECKLES!” She also told me that as she handed out the tissues she prayed a Hail Mary for each of her children by name and a Glory Be when she collected the soiled ones. I have been counting noses in some fashion every day since.

I have a large wall in my living room (12x8) and on it I have the pictures of my special “noses” (family, friends, co-workers, groupies and their families). When I receive a request for prayer for safe travel, strengthening of a weakened marriage, some terrible illness or cancer, or some other need, their names are lovingly written on a post it note and added to my wall of noses. They remain there as long as necessary. When I receive word that my prayers have been heard and answered… I add another post-it note of thanksgiving for the prayer answered. A special young friend painted a plaque for me to hang on my wall that simply reads: God Bless My Noses, AND that is exactly what He does.

Michelle Chalmers

By Mark & Sonia Lager

We lived our Cursillo weekends in the Spring of 2000 at St Timothy’s in Blaine, and have been so richly blessed by the opportunity to learn and participate in the Cursillo Movement! In addition to the activities here in the Twin Cities, we were able to represent you at 8 Regional Encounters, 3 National Encounters, and 1 World Ultreya from places as near as Victoria, Minnesota to as far as Anaheim, California. As we reflect on our journey, a few nuggets come to mind.

The purpose of Regional, National, and World Encounters is fivefold:

Offering Palanca for the Movement

Sharing of cultures and celebrating as one Body of Christ

Developing Christian Friendship

Sharing of Ideas

Conducting the business of Cursillo

We were moved by the presentations at the encounters. But even more, we encountered Christ during interactions with Cursillistas from Australia to Wichita. As one would expect, each diocese is different and therefore, no two dioceses or Cursillo Movements operate in the same manner. We came to understand that distance is a relative thing. We encountered Cursillistas who travel 400 miles one way just to attend their monthly School of Leaders and/or Ultreya. Talk about living commitment to the call of Christ! We in Twin Cities Cursillo are blessed to have a compact and densely populated 4th day environment…..a long travel day for us might be 60 miles…..a far cry from 400! How are we utilizing that grace?

Diocesan Movements - We discovered that for a Cursillo Movement to succeed within a diocese:

* A good relationship with the Bishop and clergy is critical. Cursillo exists in a diocese only with the approval of the Bishop.

* We should not focus too much on the Cursillo Weekend Encounters at the expense of the Pre Cursillo and the Post Cursillo. Equal effort must be made to support the three sections to make sure the 4th Day is able to invite, receive, and provide ongoing support to each other to sustain the movement.

* We must stay true to the original Charism of Cursillo. Instant traditions that start with the best of intentions often lead to stress and anxiety that takes away from the Holy Spirit’s intended message. Keep it simple and follow the Charism as outlined in the “Study of the Charism” blue book.

Leadership and Service –Lessons Learned:

* Leadership is ordinary people asked to do ordinary things –and through the grace of God, these ordinary things become extraordinary!

* School of Leaders is about Cursillistas- friends- coming together on an ongoing basis to develop a closer relationship to Christ, and build friendships as the body of Christ in service to our Lord.

* The 4th Day - local and worldwide- is praying for you while you serve in a leadership position. You feel the support of their prayers.

We receive more graces than we give when we serve.

* Close long term friendships are formed by working together and sharing our love of Jesus Christ.

* Traveling together to Cursillo events is one of the great joys of life. Your friendship moves to a different level after experiencing these trips together.

* How we invite others to participate has a direct impact on how successful the invitation is received. Most of us do not feel qualified to serve in leadership positions. Praying, discerning, and listening to God are critical in the process. Communicating that you have prayed about the opportunity, listened to what God wants, and ultimately saw that person’s face, helps others understand and trust that God will always provide the skills, time, and willingness to serve.

* God bends time and circumstances for us to complete His tasks when we are doing His will.

Attending these Encounters on behalf of Twin Cities Cursillo has been a real gift to us. We look forward to reconnecting with fellow Cursillistas at the National Encounter at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois on August 4-7. Twin Cities Cursillo is hosting a Regional Encounter at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina on September 23-25.The 4th Day Encounter is scheduled for November 12h. Please prayerfully consider attending each of these. Even if unable to go, please pray for those attending and for the success of these Encounters so the Cursillo Movement remains vibrant in the Twin Cities and throughout the world.

Attending Regional and National Encounters has deepened our faith, given us hope, helped us understand God is always with us, and shown us what is possible. We are so blessed in Twin Cities Cursillo – let’s continue to pray and support the Movement within this Diocese and throughout the world!

For those you who followed my blog and my winter trip I apologize for however repetitious this may feel. For those of you who don’t know what on God’s earth I’m talking about, I was on a camping trip over the winter across the south and southwest and, I was asked if I would like to write a reflection about it.

Prior to the trip I was given two gifts that were so impactful they became central elements. I received the book Jesus Calling from my dear friends Deb and Wayne. And from my friend Jeanne, who is in our monthly Divine Mercy group, I was given a travel Rosary CD with a Rosary steering wheel cover. (Yup, you read that right.) I am still so grateful for these two things coming into my life.

Jesus Calling is a daily devotional book that I described in my blog as a relationship book. A relationship book about Jesus and me. Like the story of any relationship, it made me laugh, cry, think, feel challenged, and feel loved and affirmed. It was more often than not a part of the first hour of every day. It was always daily, and remains so. It is the word daily that makes this or any other spiritual aid a difference maker.

It was not until I got to Corpus Christi that I was able to get the steering wheel cover warm enough to get it stretched on to the steering wheel. But I didn’t wait until then to start using the CD. I’ve always described myself as “not much of a Rosary guy”. That has changed. This CD and my Divine Mercy CD were the only two CDs I took on this trip. I used both every day, often more than once. I have no doubt that my own prayers, and yours, kept my trip safe and trouble free.

They are both still “permanently” loaded in my CD changer, (the only ones), and I still use them almost every day that I drive somewhere. When they weren’t on, I drove thousands of miles in silence giving the still small voice plenty of airtime. That became a new habit and change for me. I still drive mostly in silence or with classical music. With all due respect to fans of Relevant Radio, I no longer let people talk at me from the radio. It is not a statement about a lack of good content. I just have found that for me it makes my life feel more relaxed and peaceful and gives God more time slip through all the “stuff”.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Psalm 8

It seems like this question walked across my head a thousand times as I experienced the grandeur, both big and small, of God’s creation coupled with the sculpting of time. It made me feel both significant and insignificant. Wonder became both a noun and a verb in my life. I at times struggled with worthiness, feeling overwhelmed by the privilege of having my senses, my whole being really, being fed day after day by the wonder of our beautiful country. It became the world’s longest close moment. There were many times that my blog entries seemed so woefully inadequate. I had to come to a peace with the fact that when words couldn’t do justice to what I was feeling inside, that it was ok for it to remain my gift from God.

Which brings me back to my title. For those times when what I felt was larger than words, when I couldn’t seem to get my arms or my head or my heart around something, I now have a place. And I’m striving to fit both the butterflies and gators, the stormy and the calm, the blessings and the struggles, inside it. It’s called gratitude and wonder.

The Peace of Christ to you all.

Eric Volden

Where charity and love prevail
There God is ever found.
Brought here together by Christ’s love,
By Love are we thus bound.

Greetings from North Carolina! Some of you may have met James and me when we lived in MN, but I want to extend a sincere thank you to the whole Twin Cities Cursillo community for your gift of welcome and hospitality. You see, through your commitment to living your Fourth Day by weekly grouping, participation in the Ultreya and School of Leaders, and your generous service during the Three Day Weekends, each of you have contributed to the vibrant life of your local Cursillo. This made a huge difference in our lives when we moved to Eden Prairie in the fall of 2010. Once again, thank you!

James and I lived our weekends during the spring of 2000 in the Diocese of Charlotte, NC. We belonged to an active Cursillo community and looked forward to continuing to live a life of grace supported by our Cursillo friends. In 2010, we found ourselves discerning a decision to move to MN. This would be our first move as empty nesters, and we wondered how we would fit into our new environment. After researching the Twin Cities Cursillo on the web, we felt that Cursillo would be the key.

We realized that we would arrive the week before the Women’s weekend at St. Victoria. We made our way through the snow to the Closura and were thrilled with the joy and participation of your community. We met many lovely Cursillistas that afternoon. We were immediately invited to attend the upcoming Western Ultreya.

At Ultreya, again we were warmly welcomed by the community. Many Cursillistas invited us to visit their weekly grouping. Invitation after invitation followed. Not only were we invited to Cursillo events like the School of Leaders and Evenings of Renewal, but we received invitations to go for coffee, share meals, attend Bible study, take walks, visit the homebound, play cards and attend parties. Although that winter was one of your snowiest and had the potential for being very lonely and isolating, the direct opposite was true! We felt included and welcomed.

The Cursillo experience has a way of expanding one’s perspective and one’s mission. We need each other for support as we journey home. We need to be reminded and encouraged to help everyone along The Way. Some may argue that there are other ways to accomplish our mission as Catholic Christians. Isn’t Cursillo a beautiful method to sustain us and propel us on our mission? Doesn’t Cursillo deserve our participation and support to maintain its effectiveness and joy?

Thank you again for your gift of welcome and hospitality. It has been a gift that continues to yield fruit. I encourage you to persevere.

Ultreya!

Carole Ball

Like many “cradle Catholics,” I grew up learning the stories of Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, and others. But it wasn’t until I took part in a pilgrimage in February to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City that I fully grasped the power and scope of the miracles that took place at the top of Tepeyac Hill, where Our Lady appeared in 1531 to a poor Indian peasant named Juan Diego.

On the pilgrimage, we not only learned about, but experienced, the culture and civilization of Mexico in the mid-1500s. And we came to under-stand how profoundly and completely Our Lady of Guadalupe literally changed the course of history and brought Catholicism to all of Mexico. I was asked to write about our pilgrimage with a focus on one or more of the three legs of the Cursillo tripod of piety, study, and action. I’m glad I didn’t have to choose just one, because the pilgrimage was a total immersion in all three! Since Mater Dei Tours focuses exclusively on Catholic pilgrimages, an added pleasure of the trip was the joy of traveling with a group consisting entirely of other Catholics, so subjects such as the saints, the sacraments, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin were common ground to everyone. And no one questioned the choice of tilapia as the main course of our welcome dinner on our first night in Mexico, since our trip began on the first Friday in Lent!

Our bus ride every day began with morning prayers and a blessing by Father Joachim Mudd, who accompanied us on the pilgrimage. We celebrat-ed Mass every day, with each one taking place in a different church, chapel, basilica or cathedral—including the New Basilica at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is where Pope Francis celebrated Mass just a few days before we were there. We also learned the stories of each of the saints and martyrs for whom the different churches and chapels were named.

We said a rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day, sometimes on the bus and sometimes at other locations. Especially powerful and hum-bling was the rosary we said together as we processed along the avenue leading to the Basilica and the Shrine, and the rosary we recited as we climbed the steps to the top of Tepeyac Hill and the Chapel that stands there now.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the inspiring and rewarding events and activities we enjoyed during our week in Mexico on our pilgrim-age to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. And I have to add that what happened as a result of the pilgrimage is just as exciting as the trip itself. I came home with renewed awe and appreciation for the faith that has guided me throughout my life, and with a burning desire to share the amazing story of Our Lady of Guadalupe with my family, my friends, fellow Catholics, casu-al acquaintances, and anyone else who wants to listen. And happily, many people do!

By Betty Liedtke

Eight of us from the English speaking Cursillo Community had the opportunity to serve our Spanish brothers and sisters at their Cursillo De Cursillo Encounter (CDC) hosted in Shakopee the weekend of Friday, April 1, 2016.

Four different groups representing Minnesota Valley Ultreya served breakfast and lunch to a group of 50 participants. They were so very appreciative, and charming! And we enjoyed watching them enjoying their meals with an added dose of hot sauce!

Mike and I were delighted to meet up with Jeny Correa who was participating in the CDC. She had helped us when we had an informational Sunday for the Spanish mass at Church of the Risen Savior. We got a big hug right away and then she introduced us to a familiar face who we recognized from church. Esteban Morales and his wife lived their weekend last year. Jeny asked him about sharing his experience from the pulpit for this July's Spanish weekend and he confirmed that he would. So it continues in a pray, love, serve, circle (pray, love, serve, pray, love, serve).

One of the others helping to serve said this, "What a fun and spiritually uplifting time I had helping to serve the Spanish CDC. The team was so wonderful to work and pray with, that I kind of felt we had a mini grouping session going on that morning. The CDC participants were so appreciative of our team serving them. For me, their smiles and heartfelt thank you really gave me a spiritual lift for the rest of my day."

Thank you for the opportunity to serve,

Jeanne & Mike Anderson

Cursillo Ambassadors for Church of the Risen Savior.

I recently worked my first Cursillo weekend and had an amazing and Christ filled experience. I am awed by how deeply the Holy Spirit moves through the entire process of each Cursillo weekend. I was blessed to be assigned to the Kitchen team and truly felt the Lord inviting me to that team (which was an amazing group of women). Each of the women on the kitchen team blessed the others by embracing the virtues of charity, service, and work. We worked cheerfully at whatever needed to be done. There were a few times when something didn’t go as expected, and our team rallied together in prayer and action and persevered. I truly felt the grace of God flowing through our team.

I have a special devotion to our mother Mary, but during the weekend, I felt so close to St. Therese of Lisieux, and blessed Teresa of Calcutta, as I served the candidates and team members. I kept thinking of Blessed Teresa, “Do small things with great Love,” and seeing the face of Christ in each candidate and team member.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

The best part about experiencing the other side of a Cursillo weekend was seeing and taking part in the many efforts that go into the retreat. The preparation that begins weeks before: praying for the candidates and team members, hearing the rollos, offering up Palanca for the weekend.

And then all of the many components going on during the weekend: daily mass in the palanca chapel; blessing each of the speakers before their Rollo; seeing the candidates expressions when they first enter the Agape dinner. I was deeply moved to see all of the Cursillistas who came for Mananita, Sunday morning. The tremendous outpouring of love was both inspiring and humbling. I came home from that beautiful weekend tired but refreshed in the Spirit.

Jennifer Feltl