B U F F A L O    C U R S I L L O

 

E-  Newsletter

 

                                                 2008 03 March 

                                                                       See our full year calendar www.buffalocursillo.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE  FROM  OUR  DIRECTOR

 

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ:

 

It is customary within our local movement for the lay director to address the community at the 2nd touch weekend each year.  Personally, I refer to this as the “State of the Union Address”.  Last year during this address, I set three goals that I was praying for us to achieve.  This year I reviewed these goals and talked about some growth we would like to achieve this year.  Since the whole community is not at the 2nd touch weekend, I thought I would summarize the address for the newsletter.

 

The goals we set last year began with finding a home for our movement.  This has been done and everything that has been happening at O.M.G.C. has been positive.  We have had a successful set of weekends, section meeting are held there, welcome to your 4th day was held there and the School of Leaders meets there monthly.  We have out home.

 

Speaking of the School of Leaders, the 2nd goal was to have an up and running school for us to learn and share with one another.  This has been happening since last spring.  All of the gatherings have been well attended and I walk away from each one with a greater understanding of that evening’s topic. 

 

Lastly, we wanted our Cursillo functions to be fun.  We have two great illustrations of this during the past year.  First, the annual picnic and optional camp out.  This is a blast.  If you decide to camp, I guarantee you a good time.  If you would like to come only for the mass and picnic, please come early.  The more time you spend there, the better time you will have.  The second event was the Welcome to Your 4th Day Dinner we had in November.  Approximately 160 came together to share fellowship and a great meal.  It was wonderful to see so many people genuinely enjoying one another.

 

This leads us to goals for this year.  Although I spoke about many things, space limits what I can share here.  Therefore I will review the highlights.  First, I think it is important that we make a commitment to 2 sets of weekends each year.  By having only 1 set of weekends we lose momentum.  In addition, those that may want to make a weekend and can’t due to an inconvenient date, would have to wait a year.  We lose candidates because of this.

 

Second, we need folks within our community to step up into leadership positions.  These positions are becoming increasingly difficult to fill.  You can do this by being an Ultreya coordinator, serve on one of our three sections, and by saying yes if asked to join the secretariat.  We are all called to leadership of one form or another.  Please consider a position within our movement.

 

Lastly, we need more opportunities to share with one another.  We all have Ultreya and many are in permanent groups.  Grand Ultreyas and 2nd touch weekends are other events where we can share with those we don’t get the chance to share with.  At the 2nd touch I learned a great deal from those I didn’t know before or didn’t know well.  I’m not sure how to achieve this call but I am open to any suggestions. 

 

Last year’s goals were achieved because as a movement, we did it together.  This year’s goals can only be met if collectively, we decide they are important enough to go after.  Please join me.  Ultreya!

 

As I announced, the printed version of our monthly newsletter is ending with this last Issue ( March 2008).

The main reasons for this are twofold.  First, the monthly cost has become prohibitive.  Second, there are less expensive and more efficient methods of delivery.  Therefore the secretariat has unanimously agreed to proceed with the following steps.

1.               The next newsletter can be sent to you by email; just ask at buffalocursillo@att.net.

2.               Those that have sent in money to subscribe to the newsletter will have their subscriptions fulfilled by US mail.

3.               No new subscriptions will be accepted for US mailed copies of the newsletter.

4.               The newsletter will always be available at www.buffalocursillo.org.    

5.               You can subscribe to the newsletter at the website and it will be e-mailed to you each month.

6.               Copies of the printed newsletter will be available at Ultreyas.

7.               Copies of the printed newsletter will be available at reunion masses.

We pray that you will understand the reasons for this decision.  We understand that this method of delivery is not fool proof and that some who desire the newsletter may not have direct access to a copy.  If we hear of anyone who falls under this category, their information will be forwarded to the applicable Ultreya for a copy. If anyone has any questions, concerns or situations that have not been addressed here, please give me a call.  Thank you all for your consideration and understanding.                               Ultreya!             Paul Grande

   

 

 

 

UPCOMMING REUNION MASSES

 

March 14, 2008                                   April 11, 2008

7:30 PM                                                7:30 PM

St Barnabas                                        St. Michael's in Warsaw

DIRECTIONS – Re-Union St Barnabas : Take the airport exit off 90, which is Rt 33 East. Exit at Dick Road. Turn left onto Dick Road. About a mile, turn left onto George Urban Blvd.  St Barnabas is at 2049 George Urban Blvd.  

 

 

 

 

From our Spiritual Director

 

A time for action. . . .

 

Imagine yourself walking along the Buffalo River on a nice sunny winter day. The temperature is pleasant in the sun and you are out for a brisk walk on a Sunday afternoon. Half way into your trip, as you round a corner, you see an elderly gentleman up to his waist in the ice near the middle of the river, having tried to rescue a dog that had ventured onto the ice. You see a rope not far away and you run to get it. You throw it out to the man, and he grabs it. Just then, a lady who is walking her dog, rounds the corner just as you did, to come upon the scene. You ask her to grab the rope and to pull it with you, as you are struggling to get the elderly fellow off the ice. The woman looks at him, then looks at you; and with deep thought and great sincerely, tells you, “I will pray about it”.  She then moves on walking her dog. Sounds outrageous don’t it?

There is a time for prayer and there is a time for action. But many of us Catholics in New York State would prefer to pray than to put our beliefs on the line – especially when we may be the last hope in a life and death situation.

The tide in the national Abortion battle has been turning. We are possibly one Supreme Court Justice nomination from having an eventual turn around of Federal involvement – returning the issue back to the states. Here in New York State, we have a VERY Pro-Choice Governor who has seen this tide changing and has taken steps to prepare New York for this transition. He has proposed a law that would make Abortion a guaranteed civil right. In doing so, this would allow abortion, for any reason, to be performed throughout the full term of the pregnancy, at the discretion of the mother. Any Doctor refusing to perform the procedure has the threat of loosing their medical license facing them, with ALL Hospitals participating. The procedure would not require any parental notification, or waiting period, and could also be accomplished by a Nurse Practitioner, or even a Chiropractor.

Our Church teaches us that we are to support ALL human life from conception until natural death; that ALL given the gift of human life may live out their destiny to have the opportunity of choosing to live with God for eternity. We actively aid others in our environments to make that choice. Here, we do not have to act alone. We can pull together and join with thousands of others to work for justice in our society and to promote the values important to our faith. Through the Catholic Advocacy Network of New York State you can raise your voice against Governor Spitzer’s radical abortion bill, a bill that would promote, encourage and even compel abortion in our State.

Go to www.nyscatholic.org and click “Join the Network”. There is no cost. You will be able to easily give your opinion to your legislator and show your opposition to S.5829.

We are all called to make a difference in our environments. If we all pull together – we can, and must - make a difference here. We are trying to save a life, that one day could be a friend, which we could bring to Christ. Grab that rope.

Ultreya,   Deacon Rick Mackiewicz 


 

 

 

Witness

 

Reaching Above the Clouds” --   Slowly, the airplane taxied out of its parking spot in the airport, making its way to the runway.  It was a gray day in Buffalo, with predictions of rain to the south, but quiet here.  My daughter, Diana, and I were bound for a 25th wedding anniversary celebration in San Antonio, Texas, with festivities commencing the following afternoon.

  We taxied down the runway, then sat, and sat, and sat some more.  A few minutes turned into an hour, then an hour and a half.  Thunderstorms to the south delayed all departures, and finally our plane parked itself right back in its departure gate, since the airline was not allowed to keep passengers sitting on a grounded plane for more than two hours.  No sooner had we disembarked than we received clearance for take-off, and everyone was asked to re-board.  By this time, it was clear that we would likely miss our connecting flight to San Antonio, but what should we do?  Do we stay in Buffalo, or step out in faith that things would work out once we got to Washington?

  Stepping out in faith, when outcomes are uncertain, is like trying to see the sunlight on a cloudy day.  And, this brings me to what is one of my favorite things about flying, especially on a cloudy day.  You take off, and in moments you are in the clouds, your vision obscured.  But no matter how dark the clouds, the plane suddenly breaks through them, and you enter into glorious sunlight, a sunlight that is always there above the clouds.

  That image comes back to me so often in my prayer and travels. No matter what difficulties cloud my life, the Son is always there, silent but eloquent, unchanging, ever-present.  As I pray before God, I feel myself reaching, gliding, yearning for that place above the clouds.  And then I realize that God is there in the earthiness of my life, He is there in the clouds and confusion of daily difficulties, and He is there when all is glory.

  So, to resume my story, my daughter and I made a go of it.  Soon we were basking in late afternoon sun, staring down at the clouds dark below us, wondering what would happen when we got to Washington.  Upon our arrival, we found that our connecting flight to San Antonio had indeed already departed, and the airline only had a flight the next morning.  In desperation, we tried contacting another airline by cellphone, all the while walking toward a different terminal.  Finally we were informed that it would cost over $1,000 to get onto the evening flight on the other airline.  Discouragement waved over us, and my daughter flopped dejectedly into a random chair and wailed, “let’s just go home.”  At that moment, I looked over my daughter’s  head, and saw a sign for a flight boarding now for Austin, Texas.  Now, I just happened to know that Austin was only a one hour drive from San Antonio.  And, lo and behold, there was room for us!  Upon  receiving our boarding passes, I exclaimed rather loudly, “It’s a miracle!”, much to the chagrin of my budding almost teenaged daughter murmuring, “Mom, please`.

   We flew off into a westerly twilit sky that stayed aglow with sunset light.  And, so, we fly into graced moments every day, flying on a wing and a prayer, reaching for the One that we do not always see, but Who is always there.                                                         Vida Frysz  -     Bethany Ultreya

 

 

School of Leaders

 

On Feb17th we had a wonderful School of Leaders on Spiritual Direction given by Genii Schultz. Thank you Gini for sharing.

There will not be a School of Leaders in March because of Holy Week. Our next meeting will be April 17th the topic will be Piety. We have only three more sessions this year, why not come and share with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Someone is waiting to hear what you have to say. As always we meet at 7:00PM at Our Mother of Good Counsel School. Hope to see you there.

Ultreya                      Mary Ann

 

 

 

 

Pre Cursillo

 

As many of you already know, the 'tentative' Spring weekends were cancelled due to the lack of 'new' candidate applications.  As of our January 28th Secretariat meeting, we'd only received six new applications since the closing of Weekend #196 in November, and that's not nearly enough.  With the 'tentative' Men's weekend only ten weeks away, we felt it best to look ahead to the Fall. 

 

So that's exactly what we're going to do...look ahead!!!  Our plan?  We're asking EVERYONE to sponsor NOW!  We're asking EVERYONE to complete and send in the applications NOW!  That's very important because our decision to 'run', or not to 'run', a set of weekends is based on the number of new and qualified applications we have in our possesion.  When we have enough on hand, tentative turns into definite!!!  Teams can be selected and formed and all the 'other' preparations involved in running a weekend can begin!

 

As soon as 'tentative' dates become available for the Fall, we'll let all of you know.  But don't wait.  Sponsor and send in applications NOW!!!  That's the best way, the only way, to make our plan a reality!

In His Service........................John & Nancy

 

 

 

Cursillo Section

 

Our Building Coordinator and a couple of other Sections members will be taking a road trip to St. Michaels in Warsaw to check out a commercial dishwasher that has been offered to us.  Rich & Donna Foster and Louise O'Connor have donated banners to us to be used on the bi-fold doors that are used in the kitchen area.  They are beautiful and deliver a great message (you will have to see them) - Thank you Rich, Donna and Louise.   The bi-fold

doors have a new coat of paint, what a difference a coat of paint makes.

Thank you to Deacon Rick for all of his coordination in correcting the heating issues of our new home, also to Al Baker who is ensuring our electrical system is safe.   We will be planning a general "clean-up day" again, more to come on the exact date. As always, thank you for your continued prayer and support.           God's Blessings!

 

 

Post Cursillo

 

As most of you may know, Butch Ellis has a broken leg. Unfortunate, an infection has now occurred, and they need our prayers. We will report in the next newsletter on their recent Post Cursillo meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

New, the newsletter will now ONLY be  ONLINE,  no US mail newsletter - April 2008 & on

 

How do I get the newsletter after this march US mailing ? It is easy. Just send an email to buffalocursillo@att.net and ask to be put on the e-mailing. Then each month, you will automatically get the newsletter, online, which you can read, or print and read.  If you can also update your phone # and address for our more current list at the same time, great.

If you do not have access to a computer, please read the article on the 2nd page, where we give you the methods to keep getting the newsletter. If you have any questions, please email or call Chuck @ 839-4020

 

 

 

Eduardo Aguilo, Founder Cursillo Movement

 

          Eduardo Bonnin Aguilo was our founder, but above all our teacher, brother and friend. He has gone to the encounter with our Father on Feb 6th, knowing that God loves him, believing in the resurrection and as always; happy, although not satisfied.

          Faithful to the Gospel of Christ, and open to the reality of the world and attentive to the people in his path during all his life; he has left a legacy of friendship with God and with all mankind by means of the Cursillos of Christianity. Our Faith makes itself present in having the certainty that Eduardo is immensely happy together with our Father. And that, as he himself would say, is occasion of great happiness.

          We beg that as Eduardo has taught us, everything is done best by means of friendship. When Eduardo visited the prisoners, he called them fortunate and important people because they were to find themselves in the presence of our Father within hours. For us, Eduardo has always been someone important, but as of now, we can ask him to intercede for us to the Father in prayer, so that we may continue with his work of evangelization of the world and to make that the most possible with have the joy of knowing that God loves them. If he did all he did while on the earth, what won’t he do know from heaven.

         

 

 

Section Leaders & Ultreya Coordinators:

 

Ultreya & other dates / places in the newsletters; now comes from ONLY the 2008 calendar at www.buffalocursillo.org. Go to Members Resource page and click calendar.  So, please first check the calendar & then send any missing dates/locations to bufffalocursillo@att.net . Cursillo now has one main 2008 calendar. You can put in dates up to the end of Dec 2008.

 

 

 

www.buffalocursillo.org

 

Want to know where and when your next Ultreya is - need directions or time of the next Reunion Mass: Just go to “members resource” page; click Calendar. All Cursillo events are listed.

Our site’s is mainly to help interested people (your future/possible candidates) to get information about Cursillo. If you have a meeting, you can print our site pages on 11”X17” for a presentation. 

Also application forms are a click away on the Members Resource page, & open Cursillo Applications.

 

 

 

 

Cursillo National Encounter

 

The National Encounter is in Washington DC from 7/31 – 8/3 and the theme is “Christ Is Our Light”.  We are planning a bus from Buffalo and have 24 people as of Feb 21.  The National Cursillo Encounter is all cursillistas from around the United States from all the different language groups – a beautiful gathering of our Catholic Church.  Encounters have been held in Dallas, St. Louis, Louisville, Denver, etc. and this is within driving distance!

The cost is $325.00.  It includes 3 nights at Catholic University of America, all meals from Thursday night dinner to Sunday breakfast.  [Bus transportation is extra]  The daily Masses at the Basilica of the National Shrine, Immaculate Conception on the grounds.  The Keynote Address is given by Bishop Gonzalez and Mass Bishop Holley, the Archdiocese, Washington, DC.  The presentations (ex: Mentality of Cursillo) and  workshops from (Three Encounters, Total Security, etc.).  More information, see www.natl-cursillo.org  & the registration form.  Register by mail, fax or online.  The price increases after May 31.   Make your plans now as there are usually 700 – 800 cursillistas at these Encounters and they fill up quickly.

If you are interested in attending, call Josie Eckler 695-3886, Betty Levin 834-6341 to have your name on our bus list.

 

 

 

               

For the year of ALL Cursillo Events, including weekends:  see www.buffalocursillo.org , members page , click Calendar