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Becoming the Good News!
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  • February 27, 2018 8:19 PM | Deleted user

     We welcomed almost 50 new 4th Dayers into our Cursillo community from weekends #365 and #366. Many of these new Cursillistas are looking for a Cursillo group to join as they take the next step in their continuous progressive conversion.

     “The Reunion of the Group (aka Group) is as old as the Church. Its heart is in the central Christian truth, the dogma of the Communion of the Saints. In it, the Cursillo becomes perennial and Christianity becomes constant.” So opens the small orange booklet “The Reunion of the Group”. It continues: grouping is “not made so that there might be people to assist a Cursillo, but Cursillos are made so that there will be people who can make group reunions.”

     Group is where we share how we are living out our piety, study and action. Are your Groupies true friends? Does your group share the inevitable failures in these endeavors as well as the successes? The true challenge is to be honest at group.

     Do you get together with them socially? If so, this is a sign that your friendship among these Christians is deeper than just your weekly group reunion. The confidence gained from this deepening relationship should allow each member to be a more effective Christian witness to the world.

     Should you risk this closeness by inviting others to join your group? It’s not uncommon to want to stay in the comfort of our present group. After all, the trust and closeness that we have with our group members have evolved over time, but continuous, progressive conversion requires that we change. Could it be that we are being called to welcome someone new into our group? If not our group, where would someone looking for a group go? Adding a new member to your group can bring new life, a new friend.

     Does your group have a project that you work on together such as packing meals for the hungry, sorting clothing at a homeless shelter, doing car or house repairs for someone in need? Projects such as these are ways of extending the Kingdom of God beyond your family, your group and into the community. You will be the hands and feet of Christ to those who benefit from your actions. This too, can be a way of adding new life to your group.

     Perhaps you are no longer in a group and have thought about joining a group again. Why not take that step? Seek out a group, try it and if it isn’t a good fit, try another until you find one that is good for you.

     There is a listing of groups that are open to new members on the Cursillo website under the Action menu. If you need a group or if your group is open to a new friend joining your group, please post as much information as you feel comfortable.

    tc-cursillo.org -> Action -> Small-Group-Information

    In Christ,

    Tom & Diane Repucci 

  • January 24, 2018 8:24 PM | Deleted user

    It all begins with prayer. This was one of the opening remarks by Fr. Jim Deegan at Christ the King Retreat House in Buffalo, where we recently attended the winter retreat.

    The theme for the retreat was “Take Courage.”

    We heard three inspiring talks, shared Eucharist on Saturday and Sunday, had the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation and to be anointed in a healing service. All of this was in the beautiful serene setting of the retreat house in Buffalo. Throughout the retreat talks, we heard many examples of courageous people facing difficult circumstances and moving beyond their fear.

    Fr. Jim explained that the bridge from fear to courage is faith. At times, we all need to take a leap of faith, confront our fear, and move forward. When Jesus used the word courage, the word faith is close by. Fr. Jim pointed out a characteristic of all martyrs is that they don’t run. Where and when do you run, hide and cover up? Faith, Piety?

    Fr. Lon Konold asked the question “Where do I look when confronted with fear?” Are we being influenced by the secularism around us or are we turning toward God, having faith and confidence that with his grace and help, we can overcome almost anything and live a life of courage. Courage means to move beyond our fears. Knowledge, Study?

    Sr. Brenda Rose Szegedy talked about when love costs and asked the question we each need to answer “Is our life with Jesus costing us anything?” Do you have the courage to leave your comfort zone when Jesus calls you to something more? Action? Where do you need courage in your life? Is there someone with whom you want to share your faith but lack the courage to take the first step? Begin with prayer. On our Cursillo weekend, we learned “Before you talk to your friend about God, talk to God about your friend.”

    Or maybe you have been reluctant to step forward into a leadership role, lacking the confidence to try something new, afraid of making a mistake. In Ephesians 1:3 we are told “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” What a great source of courage rather than looking for an answer in the secular world around us.

    Sister Brenda Rose told us to pray for the power to change what we were born to repair. Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive? We were reminded that a lack of forgiveness blocks spiritual growth. Mt 5:24 “Go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift”.

    We can be courageous because Jesus said “I will be with you always, until the end of the age.” Mt 28:20

    Yours in Christ,

    Tom & Diane Repucci

  • December 28, 2017 5:04 PM | Deleted user

    De Colores and Happy New Year! As we move into our role as Lay Directors, we would like to reflect on the various servants in our Cursillo community.

    Our year as Assistant Lay Directors was a blessing. Our first several months involved listening and learning. Larry and Jeanne Bendzinski and the group of past Lay Directors welcomed us so warmly. This movement is in really good hands with that group choosing to remain involved in various areas such as the 4th Day Encounter. We appreciate their support.

    At the Secretariat we learned about the duties of the various positions as the Secretariat members gave their section reports. All of the Secretariat members generously give of their time and talent to further the Cursillo movement and are committed to carrying out their responsibilities.

    Our Ultreya reps attend School of Leaders (SOL) where they can express concerns and participate in discussions regarding Fourth Day activities and take back to their Ultreyas announcements and other pertinent information. They learn more about the Cursillo by listening to the talks given at SOL. We became Ultreya Reps about ten months after we made our weekends. Serving as Ultreya reps was a great way for us to get involved and give back to the Cursillo community.

    We are grateful for the priests, nuns, deacons, and deacon wives who have served as spiritual advisors on the Cursillo weekends, for the priests who celebrate Palanca Masses for the fourth day community and for the many other ways in which the aforementioned support our movement. The Sacraments are an important part of our Catholic faith. Please, personally thank these servants of God because our movement cannot exist without their continued involvement.

    There are many other Cursillistas serving our movement, some in visible ways, such as our dedicated musicians and the Kindling editor, and not so visible ways, e.g. custodian of the trailer and the custodian of the Mass kit to name a few. We are thankful for your service.

    As you can see, the life of our Cursillo movement depends upon the participation of each and every Fourth Day member. As St. Paul said in the first letter of Peter: “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1Peter 4:10.

    Perhaps the Holy Spirit is prompting you to become involved in the leadership of Cursillo. We encourage you to talk to those who are currently serving in leadership or someone who served in the past to learn more about how you may assist. Volunteer for a Cursillo leadership position and see first-hand how God can use your talents for the building up of his kingdom.

    The Cursillo is a gift from the Holy Spirit. It is only through the Holy Spirit that it will continue to thrive and grow. Please continue to pray for this movement and its leaders at all levels.

    Yours in Christ,

    Tom & Diane Repucci


  • November 30, 2017 7:42 PM | Deleted user

    Our speaking assignment for November School of Leaders was to tell how serving as Lay Directors impacted our piety, study, and apostolic action. Here are a few of the thoughts we shared.

    Piety

    After being invited, our prayer time involved discerning if we really were called to the role of Lay Directors. Following spiritual director guidance, the process we followed was simple, but knowing the outcome was God’s will for us was scary. We were being totally open to what that might be.

    The answer “yes” came with relief, giddy joy, and no small amount of fear. To serve, we gave up, at least temporarily, other activities and ministries. We began putting all our trust in the Lord. His plan was revealed a little at a time throughout our term.

    Prayer became constant in the back of our minds. Thoughts and words were brief and simple, but their depth increased because our experience of God increased. We felt the prayers of all of you for us and Twin Cities Cursillo. We saw living proof of answered prayer all the time.

    Study

    Over time, our study seemed to split into areas that best used our individual gifts. One of us loved the history and structure of how the Charism of Cursillo came to be, the other studied the environments of Secretariat, School of Leaders, and Cursillo locally and regionally. We shared what we thought and learned making our team of two stronger.

    We used what we learned about make a friend, be a friend, and bring a friend to Christ in the 4th day community--folks who know and love Jesus. Studying different 4th day environments went to a deeper level. Nothing we worked on could have been accomplished without being sincerely interested in the people we were working with and reliance on the Holy Spirit.

    Action

    We represent Twin Cities Cursillo to the 4th day community, to the entire Archdiocese, and everyone else we encounter. Through your prayers, we are strengthened to share about Cursillo. Every time we talk about Cursillo to someone it becomes our favorite experience. Working with Secretariat, the School of Leaders, doing Closura talks, and writing Kindling articles are additional ways we shared the love of Christ.

    Saying yes to this role became a blessing in our lives. We work together better, our knowledge and love of Cursillo continues to grow, we appreciate the gifts and talents of others, we more easily see Christ in everyone, and simply love people more because of His presence.

    Every challenge that we took to Christ first was solved, and we were given an unexpected blessing, sometimes more than one. It has been an honor to serve Twin Cities Cursillo as Lay Directors. Thank you for all your support, especially your prayers.

    Our term will close at the end of the month. Please welcome, and hold in your prayers, Tom and Diane Repucci as the next Lay Directors.

    God bless you friends!

    Larry & Jeanne Bendzinski


  • October 26, 2017 8:07 PM | Deleted user

    Following piety and study on the grouping card is apostolic action. It appears to be the most challenging part of grouping for many. How can you make a plan and follow that plan when you do not know who you should bring to Christ? There are many social, cultural, and personal obstacles to living out apostolic action.

    Our mission as baptized Catholics is to share the Good News of Jesus with others. While the apostolic action plan may feel intimidating, it should come from a place of love based on personal sharing, piety, and study. Jesus loved each of us first to the point of dying for our salvation. We have been given a very special grace and blessing from our Cursillo Encounter—that of a Christian community to love and share life through group and Ultreya. From the love of Jesus and the Christian community, we are empowered to love all others we meet.

    Through piety and study, we each can grow to become more loving and holy in all aspects of our daily life—our words, our thoughts, our priorities, our behaviors. This is your continuous progressive individual conversion. Daily you become more and more the person God created you to be, your true authentic self. From this perspective, the apostolic action plan becomes your guide to share with others the truth of Christ you embody.

    Think of the apostolic action plan as a travel itinerary. Your destination is Heaven for yourself and all others you can bring along with you. Some of us take a very precise, detailed approach to a travel itinerary while others are a bit more relaxed about the plan. At some point, even the more relaxed approach needs to have specifics worked out. The same is true for your apostolic action plan. If you currently have no specific plan, share in group where you have seen opportunities in the last week even if you did not act on them. We can learn to see these opportunities just as we see the close moments in our piety and study.

    Living as your true authentic self, and awareness of your intention to share the Good News at whatever level those in your environment can receive, is the most important part of the plan. It is your way of being. When someone you interact with needs to hear more, then you can begin to develop a more specific plan to share more with that person. The questions on the card guide you through specifics, to be adjusted as you think necessary for the individual in your environment. The important point is not to let the interaction drop, interaction that hopefully becomes a true friendship. Bring your friend to group and Ultreya. Your friend may never attend a Cursillo weekend, but they will learn about the God who loves them. Remember what the back of your cross says,

    “Christ is counting on you”.

    God bless you friends!

    Larry & Jeanne Bendzinski


  • September 28, 2017 7:54 PM | Deleted user

    Last month, at School of Leaders, we heard a talk on “Christianity in Action”, one of the Sunday talks from the 3-Day Encounter. Our last couple of Kindling articles talk about the value of what we do when we practice piety, study, and action and then share those with others. We keep thinking about what we heard in September---how is it that people who start grouping and Ultreya do not even know each other, but become connected through their sharing?

    The Cursillo manual defines Christianity in Action as a group of grace filled Christians who live together in a climate that makes it possible for each one to live and spread the Gospel in the world. This is a tall order for folks who do not know each other and have little in common. What we see happen on each weekend is that strangers become friends solely by experiencing the Weekend Encounter together.

    At the center of all the talks and all the levels of communication and varieties of service is Christ, and the grace He imparts to those gathered together. Yes, we are the hands and feet, the messengers, but the Weekend belongs to the Holy Spirit. The same holds true for people who come together as a small friendship group, or a larger group at Ultreya. Individuals get to know each other, share their full range of life experiences as they journey to our heavenly home, and develop admiration and true friendship for each other. Christ and His grace are also in the center of these experiences.

    In our small groups and Ultreyas the Gospel comes alive as we live out our mission to evangelize—to those we have come to know, and to those we meet outside the circle of Christian friends. Differences among people begin to disappear, Christ is at work in every life, and when He is recognized miracles appear, and a profound joy and gratitude becomes the natural state of the Christian living closely with the Holy Spirit.

    The September School of Leaders speaker described this pattern as it played out in his own small friendship group with many examples of action toward group members and others outside of the Christian community. He said it was more of a feeling that empowered them to action, and the only word that would describe the connectedness and generosity of his group is love. Is your group and Ultreya empowered to action?

    Please join us in giving the Lord thanks for two wonderful men who have agreed to be co-Spiritual Advisors for Twin Cities Cursillo: Fr. Paul Jarvis and Dn. Mick Humbert. We extend a warm welcome to each of them, and ask for many blessings in their assignment.

    God bless you friends!

    Larry & Jeanne Bendzinski


  • August 31, 2017 8:41 PM | Deleted user

    Why do you attend group every week? As we asked last month, is it to feel good about what you are doing, about spending time with your best Cursillo friends, to stay firmly seated in your comfort zone?

    At a palanca mass in July, Fr. Sullivan spoke about God’s relationship with us and our relationship with God. If we are sharing the deep, personal stuff of our lives with our groupies in light of how we do our piety, study and action we, and they, should be seeing where God is at work in all the situations of life.

    Fr. Mike talked about the “garbage” times in life---we all have them and often they are things that catch us totally off guard and make us reorder our life in some way to accommodate the garbage. In the reordering, what are we learning? Where do we see God at work? And are we cooperating with His plan?

    Everyone’s inclination is to side-step difficulties as much or as often as possible. But as Fr. Mike pointed out, God is in a relationship with us. He is invested in us, in our individual lives and our community lives. As we work our way through a difficult time, do we turn to God and place our faith in Him for His will and our part in that? Or do we struggle more by trying to stay in our comfort zone?

    If we are able to see God in the garbage times of life, we can gain insight and wisdom into God, ourselves, and our environments. In this kind of growth we change, and in the change we become better people. We can begin to see God in new ways and at a whole new level we have not experienced before. He is bigger than we can begin to imagine. Seeing God in new ways can go on indefinitely. His comfort zone is endless.

    Sharing these kinds of revelations is very personal. It is the best use of sharing piety, study, and action. Not only have you grown, but there is an opportunity for groupies to grow as well, and just imagine what a new person could contribute to the group.

    By practicing this sharing in group, we become more confident to share with others in the broader Cursillo community, and beyond to people who are not Cursillistas. This sharing of God working in your life is true apostolic action.

    Your testimony of God working and changing your life is the light of Christ proclaimed. Everyone who hears your witness has their level of God-experience elevated. And the opportunity to grow and change and become better persons extends outward like ripples in a pond. In this we continue to find deep, spiritual growth.

    God bless you friends!

    Larry & Jeanne Bendzinski


  • July 26, 2017 7:08 AM | Lois Vold

    Is your weekly grouping, among your friendship group, really comfortable? Do you have a sense of warmth, belonging, and everything is good? Is everyone very accepting of everything you share? Do you share the same things every week---an extra weekday mass, a close moment with your family, a book you are reading, how you served as extraordinary Eucharistic minister, or choir member? Sounds really comfortable, right?

    Maybe that is not quite right.

    As Cursillistas, we should open ourselves up to our friendship group, so they can see us as we really are and rejoice in our strengths and encourage change in our weak areas. Are we stuck exactly where we are at, and not willing to move outside of our comfort zone? Do we challenge each other to grow in faith?

    Being really open with a few people is hard; being open with a larger group is even harder. We are called to share ourselves at group, Ultreya, School of Leaders, Evening of Renewal, at all Cursillo events.

    We often hear of closed groups, where no one new is accepted in the circle of friends. Is this because the members are all comfortable with each other? Are members afraid to be challenged? Are members fearful to help someone new in their faith walk? Or share the time to get to know someone else?

    Be true to your baptismal calling as a Christian; reach out in true apostolic action. Get outside your comfort zone. There are many ways. Introduce yourself to those you sit next to at church. Get to know your neighbors. Reach out at your place of work. Challenge your groupies to grow.

    Engage your group to get outside of their comfort zone. Invite someone to your group who is not currently grouping. Even better invite someone to group with you who is not a Cursillista yet. Work a weekend as a group. Or consider who the group might sponsor for an upcoming weekend and then continue to walk with the person sponsored as a friend on their faith journey. If the group gets to be too big, form two groups or create smaller groups within the large group as needed. True growth in our faith is not always going to be comfortable. We have to be willing to put ourselves out there, to be seen as we really are, to do more than just the minimum, to do things that may not be easy. Encountering and working through the challenges either individually or as a group creates movement out of the comfort zone. And that leads to real, deep spiritual growth.

    God bless you friends!

    Larry & Jeanne Bendzinski


  • June 29, 2017 8:53 PM | Deleted user

    Last weekend, a number of us visited two different parishes, St. Austin’s and St. Bridget’s, both in north Minneapolis. These are the parishes Fr. Paul Jarvis serves. He is interested in bringing Cursillo to these communities so we attended and spoke to parishioners. Fr. Paul will be serving on the men’s team this month.

    During mass we were privileged to witness the baptism of baby Jack. Fr. Paul very clearly anointed Jack as priest, prophet, and king. During our own baptisms, we each were anointed priest, prophet, and king. What does that mean to us now as mature Catholic adults?

    John baptized Jesus with water, but God anointed him with the Holy Spirit as His chosen One established as priest, prophet, and king (CCC 783). In his role as priest, Jesus lived in his holiness and oneness with God. Jesus was a prophet sharing the wisdom and love of God with everyone. Jesus was a king, not the conventional definition of king in his culture, but a king who understands his role in caring for and guiding his people toward the right path—that of love, forgiveness, and truth.

    When we were baptized we became disciples, followers of Jesus. We are to live our life as priest, prophet, king just as Jesus did. As Cursillistas we have learned tools to help us align our lives to our anointing. Beginning with our 3-Day Encounter where we learned about ourselves, Jesus, and community, we were prepared to make changes in our lives to better live up to our baptismal call to discipleship.

    Our personal practices of piety, study, and action strengthen our role as priest. We see God at work on all areas of our lives. We are holy, as God is holy (Lev.19:2).

    Practicing the Cursillo method of grouping and Ultreya gives us communities to share the life journey of discipleship. Together we share our successes, failures, obstacles, learned wisdom, and understanding of truth. We keep returning to the central truth in our lives: God loves us and through the sacrifice of His son Jesus we have eternal salvation.

    These ongoing personal and community experiences lead us more easily into discipleship, the practice of our kingship. We are convicted and strengthened to support and journey with all who become friends. This level of action through time, patience, and prayer eventually becomes our apostolic action. Prophetically, we tell our friends they are fully loved by God and saved from their sins through the death of Jesus.

    It was delightful to welcome baby Jack into our Christian family. As Cursillistas, we know he will have a lifetime to love and be loved by our generous God, as we all live out our anointed roles of priest, prophet, king.

    God bless you friends!

    Larry & Jeanne Bendzinski


  • May 25, 2017 5:37 PM | Deleted user

    We recently experienced a wonderful, uplifting event where Cursillistas prepared and served dinner to about 100 young men, ages 18 to 21, at St. John Vianney minor seminary. We attended mass with the seminarians, served dinner, then gave a short talk about

    Cursillo with witnessing by Cursillistas including what Cursillo has meant in their lives and sharing an example of Piety, Study, and Action that they did in their small group. The seminarians asked many practical questions and Father Becker explained how important Cursillo can be to charge up and deepen the faith life of a parish.

    Afterwards, many seminarians spent time talking to several of us about people they know -- parents, grandparents, etc. that are Cursillistas and how important Cursillo was to them. Some expressed an interest in making a weekend in the near future. Father Becker requested an email invitation from us he would endorse and send to the seminarians. You may be asked to sponsor a wonderful young seminarian. What a holy and humbling experience!

    This Pre-Cursillo event is a great example of reaching out to make new friends. We were immediately blessed by the seminarians’ presence and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Cursillista witnessing. This is fertile ground. Most times, making new friends is a much longer process with less immediate feedback. But even here, we have been serving dinner as a group for a few years before this most receptive experience. We are called to make friends where we are planted, and it requires a conscious effort to engage someone in a welcoming way, usually several times to deepen the friendship, before you could effectively discuss Cursillo. A holy and humbling experience…..

    If you and your group are following the grouping card, you know the action section is about bringing people closer to Christ. The Cursillo method does this through friendship. A friend of ours recently told us about making a new friend and inviting her to small group reunion. The sharing of piety, study, and action became apostolic action in sharing Christ with this new friend, all before the new friend made a weekend. In other words, both “make” and “be”, before “bring”. Holy and humbling.

    Consider making time to come to School of Leaders in June where we will explore grouping and focus on the action part of grouping. Everyone has lots to share on piety and study. We are good at spotting close moments, listing our visits to chapel and extra masses, and sharing a bit about our bible study, or how a recent daily reading touched our lives. But how are we doing in reaching out to make and be friends as part of our action plan?

    God bless you friends!

    Larry & Jeanne Bendzinski


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