We welcomed 36 new 4th Dayers into our community in February and March. The witnessing at the clausuras energized those in attendance. The joy of those witnessing was contagious.

Many from the fourth day community traveled to St. Joseph the Worker on the Friday and Saturday of the men’s and women’s weekends to support the weekends by attending a palanca Mass. Each of these Masses was joy filled. Father Marty Shallbetter celebrated the Mass on the Saturday of the women’s weekend and challenged us to be joy filled and to “welcome the kingdom of God like a little child” Mark 10:15. He asked us to think about and describe the attributes of a  little child. Trusting, wondering, open, and happy were some of the answers. Father Marty said to imagine being a child holding the hand of Jesus and following his lead.

The excitement of the weekend starts to build when a parish says yes to hosting the weekends. This is done two years in advance of the Cursillo weekends. Rector and rectora are chosen and then announced. Teams are formed and meet for six weeks. Rollistas spend hours writing their rollos. Kitchen teams plan the meals and purchase the food. Musicians plan and practice music. Palanca team collects preference sheets and plans for rollista sendoffs.

Finally the liaison team works with the parish staff to plan for accommodations that need to be made to host the Cursillo weekends at the parish.  Then there are the hours put in by the liaison team and many others setting up cots, showers, moving supplies to the various rooms, etc. It is all a labor of love and friendship. Those involved are offering their time and talent so that the candidates can experience Christ’s love and deepen their relationship with him.

Ask any of the previously mentioned volunteers if it was worth it and you are likely to receive a resounding “Yes!” as a response. We each remember what it  was like when we experienced our weekend and we want others to have the opportunity to experience Christ’s love through friendship. Without the aforementioned volunteers and many others, Cursillo weekends wouldn’t happen.

You are needed on the next joy filled journey as a team member on the July Cursillo weekends. If you have never worked a weekend or if you have worked many weekends, you will meet new friends as you serve as the hands and feet of Christ. Team applications are on the website https://tc-cursillo.org. You will need to log in to be able to access the team application.

Are you unable to serve as a team member? Please consider supporting the team and candidates with your prayers and sacrifices.

Jane Marie Rief, at the March SOL, challenged each of us to invite five people to live a Cursillo weekend. If we each asked five people and of those, one person signed up, we would have an overflowing weekend. Let’s get out there and make a friend, be a friend and bring a friend to Christ.

Yours in Christ,

Tom & Diane Repucci