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VOLUME 15 ISSUE 2
NUMBER 71
Fully Alive
THE NATIONAL RESOURCE OF THE CANADIAN CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC CURSILLOS
70th Anniversary of the First Cursillo in Christianity
Celebrated in Mallorca, October 18th, 2014
CONTENTS
Officers’ Corner
Book Report
70th Anniversary
3
5
6
Heart of the Charism P
You Asked Us
Around the Country
1
8
13
14
Matters Spiritual
Wittness
From Eduardo
23
25
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OFFICERS’ CORNER Bernie Reilander
initiative, He has loved us first (1 John 4: 19)
and therefore we can move forward, boldly take
the initiative, go out to others, seek those who
have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and
welcome the outcast.” So we are called to
receive Christ as well as give Christ to the
world, and we stay on this path of
missionary discipleship by using the
Method.
This summer has been for me a series of
'the best yets'! Let me explain. A wellloved priest friend of mine is known for his
familiar and expected response following
any Cursillo weekend when he has served
as spiritual advisor.
Asked for his
impression of the weekend he always says;
“It was the best yet!” The answer is true
enough, for who of us would answer any
other way just after the lived experience of
the 'three days'. He is always quick to add
that after five decades of weekends in our
diocese, we are sure to be getting better
and better at delivering an authentic
Cursillo message to the new Cursillistas.
Participants described the 2014 national
Cursillo conference at King's University
College in Edmonton (June 19-22) as 'the
best yet'. It had as its theme, From Vision to
Mission – The What and the What For, with
an emphasis on the 'action' part of the
Method. The content continued to focus on
the valuable work from the three
Conversations by dissecting Eduardo
Bonnín's definition of Cursillo and
showing that we have a mission which
flows from Eduardo's original vision; a
vision which must become our mission.
In November of last year, our new pope
released his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii
Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel) which has had
a great impact on every aspect of Church
life during this past year. It has given us
insights into the thinking of Pope Francis,
especially on the proclamation of the
Gospel in today's world and encouraging
the Christian faithful to embark on this
new chapter of evangelization marked by
joy. This is familiar territory for Cursillistas
who have been living this mission since the
early 1940s when Eduardo received the
charism that was to touch so many lives.
The Conversations have added so much to
our understanding of the Cursillo. They
have been the means that have allowed us
to travel from a superficial understanding
of the Cursillo to the heart of the Cursillo,
its Charism, so as to be able to become the
Good News. It seemed to me that the spirit
of Evangelii Gaudium was present in every
presentation and in every conversation, as
Pope Francis' clear and simple way of
communicating was being emulated with
'joyous' results. The CCCC officers had
prepared well and were inspired by the
group effort to provide a precise and
encouraging message. We always hope, as
we do with every conference, to achieve
what St. Paul, patron of Cursillo, said so
well in his first letter to the Corinthians: (1
Cor. 1: 10) “Now I appeal to you, brothers and
It is from the Cursillo Movement's unique
Charism, recognized by the Church, that
flows a mentality from which the Method
was born. This method helps each of us in
our mission to bring the realization of
God's love to our own life and then to
others. In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis
calls us 'missionary disciples' – we spread
the 'Good News' as believers in Christ. He
also says “An Evangelizing community knows
that the Lord has taken the
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sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you should be in agreement and that
there should be no divisions among you, but
that you should be united in the same mind and
the same purpose.” We also hope that the
knowledge of familiar things has been
strengthened and that everyone will be
encouraged in their study of new ideas
which will take people deeper into their
understanding of Eduardo's vision of
Cursillo and the mentality which led to a
very effective method. By looking closely at
each part of Eduardo's definition of
Cursillo, we hoped to increase the
enthusiastic zeal for the mission that every
Cursillista has, indeed every Christian has,
to bring Christ to everyone beginning with
ourselves. Our mission is to have all people
on the journey with us, living the method
in all its aspects, living it as the Holy Spirit,
through Eduardo, designed it to be lived.
Cursillo is not an event but an on-going
lifestyle – a way to live as disciples in
Christ's footsteps. This is the mission – to
be co-creators with Him in transforming
the world with the Gospel.
Associations of Canada. The list of almost
40 participants included all manner of
groups from across Canada represented by
their 'national' executives. The potential
value of such a forum in terms of our
opportunity to dialogue was obvious as all
had the common mission of evangelization
at the heart of their charisms and mission
statements. I was edified by how many
there were also Cursillistas who, grounded
by their Cursillo experience, had become
the leaders in the 'missionary' expressions
they represented. During two days, four
major
presentations
focused
on
evangelization and how this essential
mission of the Church, especially in light of
Evangelii Gaudium, impacts on the work
and charisms of their movements and
associations. Many insights into Pope
Francis' thinking were shared. Most
delegates agreed that the 2014 Forum had
been the 'best one yet' because of its
unifying focus on Pope Francis' Evangelii
Gaudium, a document that connected to the
core mission of everyone's movement or
association. We were also blessed by the
attendance of the apostolic (papal) nuncio,
Archbishop Bonazzi, who also spoke at the
conclusion of the Forum reminding us that
the Gospel is a treasure that we must share.
During the summer months, I took time to
study Evangelii Gaudium in more detail and
found many others on the same journey. It
seemed that the pope's apostolic
exhortation was being quoted everywhere
and it gave a new life to all my summer
reading, the best reading I've done in a
long time. It was often the focus of
discussion at my group reunion and a
source of encouragement at Cursillo events
and ultreyas.
So now you might appreciate my dilemma,
after a summer of 'best one yets', my
humility has taken a big hit! I expect that
some more time spent with Evangelii
Gaudium will help.
The 2014
Conference
booklet
containing
the rollos
and
meditations
is available
from the
Resource
Centre.
As the summer closed, the CCCC was
invited to send a delegate to the CCCB
2014 Forum, held at Sainte-Anne-deBeaupré, Quebec, in mid-September,
organized and hosted by the Canadian
Conference of Catholic Bishops, specifically
the Episcopal Standing Committee for
Relations with Catholic Movements and
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BOOK REPORT Frank Malick
If you are reading this, your life has
probably been changed in some way by the
encounter with self, God and others on a
Cursillo weekend. Have you ever
wondered how Cursillos in Christianity
came about, and what its original purpose
was and still is? The answer to that
question is deeply intertwined in the life
and thought of Eduardo Bonnín, upon
whom the Holy Spirit deposited the
charism of Cursillo, and his small band of
companions who, in Mallorca, Spain of the
1940s, developed a method and a
movement “that has been able to express
the Gospel in modern terms
and revitalize the lives of
nearly ten million people
throughout the world; in some
countries
up
to
two
1
generations.”
As you read this book, you will get to
know Eduardo on a personal basis, sharing
his
excitement
about
Christ,
his
commitment to Cursillo and the Church,
and the joy and frustration he has faced
shepherding the movement through six
decades.
In reading this book, I was most struck by a
definition of Cursillo that Eduardo first put
forth in 1997, that differs from the
definition contained in the Fundamental
Ideas of the Cursillo Movement (by which I
first studied the Movement).
We will see how his early life
led him to recognize the need
for a modern means of
evangelization in which laity
were the main participants, the
founding of Cursillos in
Christianity, its early growing
pains followed by worldwide
acceptance (and modification
from its original intent), and his
ongoing struggle to preserve
the foundational charism which
he received so many years ago.
The purpose of this book is to
help us better understand
Cursillo and its foundational
charism by better knowing its
founder, since there is close
relationship between Cursillo
and the life of its main
architect.2
In
this
work,
Eduardo Suárez del Real
Aguilera, a Mexican journalist now living
on Mallorca, uses the biographical
interview to convey Eduardo’s life story,
preserving his linguistic preferences so that
his very language reveals personality traits,
as well as his life history, which enriches his
story with points of view from Eduardo’s
band of brothers.
It is the story of a life dedicated
to communicating God’s love to every
person - of a humble man, who after years
of study and growth in his faith, still
considered
himself
An
Apprentice
Christian to the end!
Author: Eduardo Suárez del Real Aguilera
Title: Eduardo Bonnín: An Apprentice
Christian
Copyright: Palma de Mallorca, Spain:
Fundación Eduardo Bonnín Aguiló (FEBA),
2013, 210pp.
Ordering Info: http://www.cursillocanada.org,
ISBN: 978-84-936888-9-9
1 Eduardo Suárez del Real Aguilera, Eduardo Bonnín: An
Apprentice Christian, Palma de Mallorca, Spain: Fundación
Eduardo Bonnín Aguiló, 2013, p. 15
2 Ibid., P. 11
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SEVENTY YEARS OF CURSILLO 1944 – 2014
On October 18th in Mallorca, a day-long
celebration was held to mark the 70th
anniversary of the Cursillos in Christianity
Movement. The celebration took place at
the Monastery of Lluc, high in the
mountains behind Palma. The Cursillo
Movement was begun in 1944 through the
drive of Eduardo Bonnin, its founder, and
over the years has travelled to every
continent where there are now 45 million
people who have lived the Cursillo.
with the aim of disseminating and
publicizing the thinking of the Cursillo
Founder, in addition to preserving his
work. Eduardo Bonnin travelled to many
countries to promote the authentic
Purpose, Mentality and Cursillo Method.
Several Mallorcan Cursillistas shared their
different experiences of having been
involved in the Cursillo Movement since
the 1940s up to this day. This was followed
by the participants walking the Way of the
Cross up the steep paths behind the
Monastery.
Four hundred and fifty participants from
different countries of the world gathered at
the Monastery. While a large group
departed towards Lluc from Caimari at
8.00 am, some walked the steep 18 km
mountain pathway, while others opted to
reach the shrine in buses from Palma,
leaving an hour later. Once at the
Monastery, an apostolic hour was held.
This was followed by a talk by Lorenzo
Marian, the president of the Mallorcan
Cursillo Movement. He said: “The main
purpose of the Cursillo Movement, is to bring
the person of Christ to people through
friendship; how could it be otherwise, knowing
the person of Eduardo Bonnin who promoted
the Cursillos since the first one held in Cala
Figuera Santanyi, although it was not
formalized until 7 January 1949”.
Gathering once more at the conference site,
several Mallorcan Cursillistas entertained
the participants with songs and jokes.
Lunch was a smorgasbord of a great
variety of local foods provided by those in
attendance. Following lunch there were
more witnesses by those who had known
Eduardo and one young woman who had
never met him, having lived the Cursillo
weekend after his death. A Cursillista
from Mexico spoke on behalf of all those in
attendance who had come from other
countries. A slide show was presented of
Eduardo’s life showing pictures and scenes
from his first communion, his time in the
army, the first Cursillo in 1944, Cursillos
that
came
afterwards,
conferences,
Cursillos of Cursillos, the I, II and III
Today in Palma Feba exists (Fundacion
Eduardo Bonnin Aguilo) that was created
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Conversations,
world
Ultreyas
and
meetings with Cursillistas on his many
travels throughout the world. There were
also pictures of his particular friends, those
he made Group Reunion with and pictures
of him with three different popes, Pope
Paul VI, John Paul II and Pope Benedict.
A particularly beautiful part of the
celebration was the presence of many
young children, the children of the
Cursillistas, who were included in some of
the events and it was they who brought up
the gifts during the mass. It is these young
children who are the future of the Cursillo
of tomorrow; they will have grown up
knowing Cursillo as part of their lives.
The day ended with Mass celebrated in the
basilica of Llluc by Bishop Salinas, bishop
of Mallorca. The bishop received a
resounding greeting from the Cursillistas.
At the end of mass, as he gave the farewell
blessing, he publicly announced that he
was going to start the investigation for
having Eduard Bonnin declared a saint,
although cautioning that it was a long
process. This was greeted by much joy in
the congregation.
The day was greatly enriched by the
kindness and friendship shown by the
Mallorcan Cursillistas, who always live
Eduardo’s message of friendship with all.
Through Eduardo and them the rest of the
world learns what it is to live the Charism
of Cursillo.
Sheelagh Winston
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THE HEART OF THE CHARISM
Part three (final)
The following is the third and final part of a presentation from the VII World Encounter. It was given by
Alvaro Martinez Moreno of Cordoba, Spain. He is the president of the GECC (the European International
Group) and a member of the Fundamental Ideas Commission
The kerygma and the fundamentally
Christian are two closely related aspects
that are also a key feature of the method.
The whole process in its various stages
centres on the kerygma, on the joyful
proclamation of the Good News of
Salvation, in the announcement of a God
who loves us madly in Christ, who offers us
a new and fulfilling life in Him. The
kerygma is centred in Christ and we find
again in it the Christ-centred feature of the
CM. This is perhaps the clearest aspect in
the CM method, which has been repeated
so many times; however we have to keep
repeating it, understanding it and learning
ourselves, at least in some of its aspects. If it
is kerygma, it is the nucleus of the Christian
message, it is fundamentally Christian; that
is the reason why the essentially Christian is
also key in the CM. We proclaim and
propose the basics: firstly, what is
essentially evangelical, not everything is
doctrine, not all is theological reflection, and
all morality becomes critical.
three step method, of friendship, of the
proclamation of the kerygma. It is the triple
encounter with oneself, with Christ and with
others; it is a fact, an event that can be
expressed in various ways, which is also
referred to as experiencing the kerygma or as
living the Christian way. However, it is
explained in a clear and bright way when in
the conjunction of those closely related and
intertwined three encounters. A first meeting
that allows the person to actually find
himself, to meet intimately with reality and
what reality can come from there, a reality
which eventually prepares and enables the
other encounters. A central, a fundamental, a
vital encounter with Christ, is basically the
experience that makes it possible to be a
Christian3, an experience that illuminates our
very existence and provides a new way of
life; an experience in which we find the
other; it is the encounter with the other, who
will remain as part of one's life, one's own
way of life.
It is as a result of that encounter that
conversion is achieved; we find again the
countless possibilities to talk about the same
reality, which, as a Christian is a life of
conversion, to experience conversion is
essentially to live the Christian way in a
conscious, growing and shared fashion. The
conversion is what allows us to keep living
that triple encounter with oneself, with God
and with others for ever. However, that
point is not a single fact, but a new direction,
a new way of being in which God is the
If kerygma is first proclamation, is first
announcement it is therefore priority for
those to whom the message is new (first
heard), not known, little known or just
assumed; if it is kerygma, it is a joyful
message, made by witnesses. There is no
kerygma if there are no witnesses, no
testimony of life, no experiential reference
to the lived experience, if there is no joy in
sharing what one lives or intends to live.
Our next key point is closely related to this
one, which is the primary objective of the
method, the entire learning curve of the
3 Seminar. “The Ecclesial Movements in the Pastoral Concern of the
Bishops”, Pontifical Council for the Laity, Rome, 1999.
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centre, and therefore it is a process that goes
throughout life. The fact that the CM
provides, through the charism, an effective
channel to enable it, a way in which we can
actually join people in this process certainly
constitutes a gift of the Holy Spirit; a
precious gift which we cannot get used to, a
miracle that should not fail to amaze us.
have to create the dynamic that the people in
the group need.
The last point, the final one is the
environments,
the
action
in
the
environments. This, in a way, is also a
consequence of the above steps. The
conversion of the person leads to the
transformation of environments. Because the
process is to enable people to live more fully,
more Christian environments are required.
You cannot separate people and their
environments and the conversion of people
from the transformation (or fermentation) of
the environments. The method enables the
the aims of the CM, the evangelical
leavening of environments with the light of
the Gospel. The starting point is always the
witness of the conversion of each person in
their own environment, the action of the
person in their particular environment (their
own square metre). But from there you can
open other possibilities: to act jointly to
study and discern environments, to seek
channels of coordination and cooperation:
the more the fermentation of the
environments happens, the more society,
culture, the world will be transformed. That
is what it is to build the Kingdom of God as
the Lord explained: from within, from the
smallest thing, like a mustard seed, and
acting as yeast.
The next point is a basic human and
Christian
consequence
of
everything
mentioned above: The Christian groups,
promoting Christian living groups. It is the
logic of the charism, which unavoidably
leads to the community; if the whole of the
method is aimed to enable Christian life, it
must lead to Christian life. It is because
living the Christian way means communal
living, because a Christian on his own is no
Christian at all, because Christianity is
communal, a community that realizes in
small groups with Christ at the centre, to live
in Christ, to follow Christ, to communicate
Christ.
It is the groups (group reunions, Ultreyas,),
which enables and helps us to live what is
fundamental to being Christian, to walk in
the process of conversion, to grow in
holiness, Christian groups in which friends
share in faith and life and also encourage
others, motivating them, starting with those
closest to their own environment. I think it is
important to highlight two key aspects of
these groups in the CM which should be
promoted. That is to always be ecclesial
groups naturally: Christians must be Church
(being a Christian is to be Church), in which
a sense of the Church is alive, you know and
feel as Church, And they can never be an
end in themselves: they are a channel for the
life of the people. The important thing is to
enable life, Christian community, living
together what is fundamental to being
Christian, in friendship. What matters is the
lives of people and the groups have to serve
the specific individuals who form them and
A communal reality (The CM). A fourth
and last compartment in the heart of
charism:
communion,
a
communal
dimension, embodied and lived in this
special community that is the CM.
Acknowledging that the original charism
drives the movement and means that you
recognize that the charism is a compelling
force, cohesive communion, unity. The gift
of the Spirit is shared by many people, it
builds rapport, sharing life and faith and
friendship,.not by us, but by the grace of the
Spirit. The charism creates communion,
towards communion and so builds the
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Church, a concrete and particular way of
being Church. It builds the CM and acts as
the source and origin of communion.
action of the Holy Spirit and in the will of
the people, The Holy Spirit will not free us
from stress, but helps us and guides us to
overcome it and to walk on.
This means living communion in a very
special communal reality: we define
specifically as "movement", meaning that it
is very broad in terms of participation and
membership in it. Combining a universal
dimension plus a diocesan implementation.
Who then forms the CM? Whoever! It is free
and is open to anyone who has had the
experience of the weekend
and wants to keep
connected
to
others,
taking an active part in it.
Based on the personal
desire to stay in it. That is,
it is a very different
reality, in which there will
be different levels of
identification,
involvement and responsibility.
Those who always remain
the driving force and core
of leaders, the School of
leaders:
those
who
participate more consciously and feel the
charism of the CM.
It is in this way and despite everything else
that we feel at home, Benedict has beautiful
words to express this: “The movements are
the place that helps Christians to feel ‘at
home’ in the Church, the house where you
can breathe the family of God.” That's my
own experience, my house, where I can find
and experience the presence
of the Lord, where I grow
and build myself as a
Christian. Here is where I
feel and live the friendship
and closeness of my brothers,
Here is where I share a same
evangelizing project, from
where I am being sent, with
my friends, to proclaim the
beauty and richness of being
a Christian; here is where I
have
the
privilege
of
witnessing God action in the
lives of many people. It is
certainly my house, the
Lord’s gift for my own good,
for the good of my family
and all my people, so that I
can share with them that gift.
In
this
mobile
and
movable reality, the charism calls us and
unites us in a single CM. We are a
movement. We do not act separately, at any
level, neither between groups nor Ultreyas,
in Schools, in the Diocesan or National
Secretariats. We participate and are called to
live the same charism and therefore to live
unity in diversity. That is communion and
fellowship is always a gift and a task. And I
think we all have that experience, the gift
and task. It is at times an arduous task,
which means accepting the tension,
difficulty, conflict and even the way in
which we understand the charism!
However, it also means trusting in the
V. CONCLUSION
(1) Here is where the practice of dissection
ends and what leaves us with an exposed,
an open heart, open in those four basic
compartments: God, the going toward the
other, a particular procedure and
communal reality; in revising it all over I
find a wonderful disposition, a fascinating
arrangement of the four compartments that
allows the heart to function and bring life to
every corner of the body; That is, from my
personal perspective, the heart of the
charism. I can only complete this
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presentation with a reference to the Gospel,
around three New Testament passages that
were included in the last weeks’ liturgy and
that somehow also spoke of our charism.
relentlessly; those are our words! All
movements, but especially a movement like
ours is specially called to make our charism
a fruitful one, to give those fruits of
maturity that John Paul II called for as the
world’s mission and the communion of the
Church.
(2) Luke 12: 56 "Don’t you know how to
interpret the signs of the times?". I
understand that the signs of the times show
a special time for the CM. Firstly, by the
reality of the world we live in today, of the
society and of man. Today, more than
yesterday, much more than in the beginning
of the CM, we find many people living far
from God and at the same time, in great
need of God (although they might not know
it or might not want to recognize it), That is
the analysis that many sociologists and
other scholars make of our society, the
evolution of the last 50 years is that of a
society in crisis, secularized, fragmented,
and lost.
We need to be aware of this reality, not only
of the full validity of charism today, as
proposed in the draft of Fundamental Ideas,
but also of the importance, convenience,
necessity, urgency of a charism like ours, of
our charism, the charism of our Movement,
in today’s world.
(3) 2 Tim 1: 6: “That is why I am reminding
you now to fan into a flame the gift of God that
you possess”. A second text, a second
reflection. It is necessary to be aware; it is
advisable to continue studying the charism,
of course... Above all, however, it is urgent
to live it and fan it into a flame! Cardinal
Rylko’s words in “The New Evangelization:
a question of being and doing”4, an opening
speech addressed to the representatives of
new movements and ecclesial communities,
at the Pontifical Council for the Laity, in
2011, are once more clarifying in reference
to “the capacity of the ecclesial movements and
new communities in terms of offering a
significant
contribution
to
the
New
Evangelization. The real ‘newness’ that can
reinvigorate the missionary impulse of the
Church today”. For such purpose he stressed
the need to, “accept with a renewed spirit and a
renewed enthusiasm, the proper charism of the
community or movement to which one belongs”,
the “capacity of being renewed in welcoming
their charism”, the “rediscovering all the more
the beauty of each one’s charism while recalling
that no charism is given only for the institute
alone but for the good of the entire Church and
It is in this reality, or as a part of it, that we
find the Church which for years has been
acutely aware of the need to respond in a
new way, to a new world, We are calling for
a new way of being Church and finding a
mission in the world. We are calling to
propose the New Evangelization (and new
notice!).
It is with the teaching of John Paul II and
Benedict XVI, with the recent Special Synod
of Bishops and with the recent impetus
given by Pope Francis that we should move
forward; we should go to the outskirts to
meet mankind; and here we find a special
reference to the role of the laity and of the
new movements.
It is in this context that our charism fits
remarkably well; so we wonder “What do
we find in the call to the New
Evangelization?”
Words
like
first
announcement, kerygma, encounter with
Christ, conversion, testimony, friendship,
small communities of reference resonate
4 Encounter with Ecclesial Movements and New Communities about the New
Evangelization, Pontifica68sl Council for the Laity, Rome, 2011
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its mission”, and the living of the charism
fully and in joy.
Reviving the charism means therefore
reviving with joy and enthusiasm our own
being, our own identity, turning up to the
nucleus of the charism, in order to put such
charism to the service of others and even
more to the service of the Church.
Welcoming, rediscovering and living
require returning to the source (the heart),
and becoming closer to the charism, in
order to “be more”, not to do more. Above
all, firstly, the most important: God. Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. Return to the centrality
of God, to pursuing Christ, to being open to
the Spirit. Secondly, the willingness to serve
others, attention to others, listening,
availability to be close and act fraternally.
Then, and only then, comes everything else:
the questions concerning method, the route,
the three phases, etc... First being, and then
doing.
(4) Mark 16: 15 “Go out to the whole world and
proclaim the Gospel”. The third and final text
is our program. If we are aware of the need
of our charism today, if we get ready and
help one another to live it, then we will
really go out to the whole world and
proclaim the Gospel.
We are a movement; we should allow
ourselves to be lead by the Spirit. We
should let the Spirit be the one who makes
us go – as a community. As a Movement,
we shall have unity in what is essential;
freedom in what is accidental, and charity
in everything and with everyone. Let us
come out of ourselves towards others. Let
us go out to the whole world –
geographically, as in a World Encounter
like this, which reflects such plural reality.
Furthermore, however, let us go to the
realities of the world, the world that is in
such need to meet God. Let us go especially
to the immense world formed by the far
away, the ones who need God even more.
And let us proclaim the Gospel: the good
news we have once learnt and experienced,
and that we now enjoy. The good news of
the love of a God who encounters
men/women and gives sense to their lives.
We are the witnesses of this; we have the
privilege of having being witnesses of this
in our own lives and in the lives of so many
people. We are witnesses and we are aware
that our charism lies on this.
Revitalizing the charism also means doing it
within the Church, bearing in mind that all
charisms – ours too –, should be developed
for the building of the Church, mainly at
this time when we, the CM, are called for a
greater effort towards communion, cooperation and integration... On several
occasions John Paul II pointed out that the
Church expected from the movements the
"mature"
fruits
of
communion
and
commitment, such fruits made real through
communion and commitment to the local
Churches and parishes5 and in co-operation with
the various movements6. Specifically to the
CM he said: “Join your missionary forces with
those of the various ecclesial groups raised up by
the Spirit in the Church of our time.”7 Pope
Benedict XVI says: “Over and above the
affirmation of the right to life itself, the
edification of the Body of Christ among others
must always prevail with indisputable
priority”]. 8
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of Your
faithful!
5 Message by John Paul II during the I World Congress of Ecclesial Movements
and New Communities, Rome, 1988.
6 John Paul II homily at the Vigil of Pentecost, 1996.
7 John Paul II speech at the World Ultreya of the CM, Rome 2000.
8 Message by Benedict XVI during the II World Congress of Ecclesial Movements
and New Communities, Rome 2006
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VOLUME 15 ISSUE 2
NUMBER 71
intimacy that is not possible in a larger
group. This then becomes a part of what
each member of the Group lives. The group
in fact becomes Christianity in Action which
is explained in the weekend rollo of the
same name.
YOU ASKED
US……?
As stated above, the purpose of the
Movement is for those who have been
transformed by the realization that God
loves them, to then have the desire to bring
that ‘Good News’ to those in their
environments. In the Group Reunion they
share what they are living as Christians
using the Cursillo method and strategy, the
tripod of Piety, Study and Action.
Attendance at a prayer group does fulfill
the aspects of piety, the first leg of the
tripod. However, the method of Cursillo
calls us to live all three legs of the tripod
equally. There can be no authentic apostolic
action if it does not flow from our piety and
study. There is a very specific purpose to
the Group Reunion, to support, encourage
and witness to what each is living, their
successes and failures in their attempts to
bring the Gospel to their environments. It is
really a place where each one returns to the
source, to the well from which comes the
desire and determination to persevere. In
the Group Reunion we learn from each
other, we experience love and friendship,
respect and admiration from the friends
that we share the Reunion with.
In one of the annual reports received and
included in the CCCC Annual Report the
writer reported that after the Cursillo
weekend, many Cursillistas joined a local
prayer group rather than becoming
members of a Cursillo Group Reunion. The
rationale for this was that ‘they are fed more
in the prayer group’. The writer of the
report asked for feedback about this
phenomenon.
A prayer group is a wonderful and
enriching way for people to build their
personal relationship with God. A Cursillo
Group Reunion has a very different
purpose.
The mentality and method of Cursillo
focuses Cursillistas on transforming their
environments with the Gospel and it
prescribes a specific way to do this. The
Cursillo Group Reunion is at the very heart
of the Cursillo Movement, it is why the
Movement exists. As Eduardo said, the
Cursillo weekend is held so that there will
be more people in Group Reunion. The
reason for this is that the more people in an
authentic Group Reunion, the more people
there will be effectively transforming their
environments with the Gospel. This means
that as the members of the Group develop
their friendship, it moves from being a
group of friends who share human
friendship to one that transcends the human
and becomes divine, simply because the
dynamic of the group makes Jesus its centre
and reason for being. As the number of
people in a Group is relatively small, four to
five people, the members develop an
The Group Reunion is unique in that it
encourages each of its members to
persevere in the strategy spoken of in the
Study of the Environment rollo; to make a
friend, be a friend, and make your friend a
friend of Christ’s. The Group Reunion is not
just about being fed personally, it is more
about growing in ways to BE the Gospel in
the environments, it is about finding the
strength and fortitude to persevere in
answering the call of our baptism, and that
Continued on page 24
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VOLUME 15 ISSUE 2
NUMBER 71
NEWS FROM AROUND THE
COUNTRY


ATLANTIC,
Antigonish (Tri-Counties,
Cape Breton East,
Cape Breton West
Halifax,
St. John’s,
Charlottetown,
Yarmouth,
Yarmouth Valley.
Saint. John

CENTRAL
Montreal English,
Spanish, Hungarian,
Korean
London,
Kent County/Chatham,
Peterborough, Toronto,
Hamilton, Timmins,
Ottawa, Thunder Bay,
Essex, Latin American

WESTERN,
Vancouver,
Nelson,
Calgary,
Edmonton,
Grouard-McLennan,
Native Cursillo,
ATLANTIC
SAINT JOHN
Saint John has little to report. We are hosting the Grand
Ultreya on June 14, 2014 and following that we are going
into a suspended mode. The executive has agreed to stay on
in name only and if the community has people willing to
take over the positions - some members have been
volunteering their time for over 8 years in various positions then we are willing to help them transition into their new
positions. We hope to have 3-4 ultreyas per year but that is
open to the turnouts we get
Thank you for all the help and support you have given the
Saint John Cursillo Secretariat. It has been a pleasure
working with you and meeting so many wonderful and
supportive people
De Colores
Cheryl Maillet
CAPE BRETON WEST
My name is Eddie MacEachern and I am in the 4th year of 5 year
term
Secretariat:
Spiritual Director, Renewal Centre Representative, Lay Director,
Secretary, Treasurer, Post-Cursillo, Supplies
We meet once a month for ten months
Our movement covers the area from Port Hawkesbury, NS to Cheticamp, NS
Ultreyas. We have 50 – 75 Cursillistas attending Ultreya and we have 3 Group Reunions. Six
Ultreyas per year held at the St Joseph’s Renewal Centre in Mabou, NS
Our focus for this year is to keep the Cursillo movement active and alive
We have no involvement in the School of Leaders and are not aware if there is anything
available in the Diocese
Our Ultreya follows the Mallorcan model as demonstrated at the annual conferences by CCCC.
Our Ultreya consists of a witness rollo.We fulfill the element of prayer by a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.
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VOLUME 15 ISSUE 2
NUMBER 71
building bridges from coast to
coast
Group Reunions:
20 % of our active Cursillistas are in Group
Reunion.
40 at a regular Ultreya and as
many
as 130 at a special Ultreya (when the Bishop
attended) with not everyone there so I
would like to suggest that we have 150
active Cursillistas.
Weekends
We hold 1 Men’s and 1 Women’s weekend
a year (both at St. Joseph’s Renewal Centre,
Mabou, NS
We charge our candidates $100 to attend
the Cursillo weekend
Our focus for the movement this coming
year is to
develop our pre-cursillo,
promote small Group Reunions and to
rejuvenate enthusiasm for the movement
by communicating upcoming events such
as a Reunion Ultreya/BBQ in September a
Cursillo for Cursillistas (School of Leaders
workshop), and our monthly Ultreyas.
Following our Cursillo in the spring we
hold a special Ultreya to encourage
Cursillistas to form small Group Reunions.
We have two of these FIESTAS because we
are in a large rural community and this
way they get to meet people closer to
home. We have one in Digby and one in
Berwick. A newsletter is published by me
every month and sent by email to our
group of Cursillistas and copies are
provided at the Ultreya.
We have
discontinued our Valley Roosters Tale in
favour of a monthly Newsletter by the Lay
Director for the time being as it is more
current and up to date with the activities of
the movement. This is emailed to all and a
hard copy is available at Ultreyas. No
mailing is done at present. We are currently
working on a FaceBook page for the Valley
Cursillo to bring all members together who
wish to join the group. We hope this will
create enthusiasm and revive old members
of the community and perhaps create new
interest in our efforts to evangelize by
inviting prayers, showing group pictures of
past Cursillos etc.
Regional Conference
Depending on the location, 1 or 2 of our
Cursillistas attend the Regional conference.
Special Events:
We hold a Fall rally each year.
We let our bishop know when we hold
each Ultreya as well as both Cursillos.
Bishop Dunn made Cursillo a couple of
years ago.
YARMOUTH VALLEY
Lay Director: June Turcot, September was
the beginning of my term so two years will
be completed at the end of August of a 3
year term.
Secretariat: Lay Director, Spiritual Director,
Pre Cursillo Men, Pre Cursillo Women,
Post Cursillo, Secretary, Treasurer, Palanca
Director, Kitchen Director, Rooster Tale
Director,
Communications
Director,
Supplies Director, On Site Director and
School of Leaders Director.14 altogether.
All have a 3 year term.
Cursillo
Community:
The
Valley
Movement generally covers the area from
Weymouth to Wolfville. We usually have
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NUMBER 71
School of Leaders: We do not presently
have a School of Leaders organized but
when we do it will focus on 'make a friend,
be a friend and bring that friend to Christ'.
Communications with CCCC: Six of our
representatives attended the workshop
given by CCCC in Yarmouth in April of
this year. We also have the Manual of the
PEI Conference which each of our
secretariat have copies of and are
encouraged to read and we have
discussions from the topics covered by the
rollos.
Ultreyas: Our Ultreyas are now held every
month in two locations: the 2nd Thursday of
every month at St. Anthony's in Berwick
and the 3rd Friday of every month at St.
Patrick's in Digby. Because of the locations
more people are able to attend in our large
area of 108 km from Weymouth and
beyond to Wolfville. We generally have 30
to 40 attending each Ultreya whereas
formerly we had approx 40 attend in the
central location of Middleton. The format is
that of the Mallorcan model. We have
Group Reunion and a witness Rollo. We
pray together as a group for our
intercessions but we do not visit the
Blessed Sacrament.
Regional Conference:
We did not attend
the ACCC conference in April as the date
conflicted with the Workshop in Yarmouth.
Special Events: A workshop was held last
fall, our 2 Cursillo weekends in May. We
plan on 3 events this year to bring together
our two groups of people attending
Ultreyas. When these events happen we
will not be holding local (separate) Ultreyas
in those months. The first one will be an
Ultreya Reunion/BBQ
in September.
Others have not been planned as yet.
Group Reunions: Since we have not done
any study or polls as to how many are in
Group Reunions we can only guess based
on general conversation that about 60% are
involved in Group Reunion of the
Cursillistas who attend Ultreyas and are
actively involved.
Liaison with diocesan bishop: Our Deacon
Dave Hasler keeps the bishop informed
about our activities. Also bishop receives a
copy of our monthly newsletter. Dave
Hasler has retired as our Spiritual Director.
We miss him but he has been replaced by
Fred Hole who is doing a phenomenal job
as our new Spiritual Director.
Weekends: Our Cursillo Weekends are
have been held in the Spring after Easter
only once a year. This year we held a men’s
weekend in May with 5 men and a
women's weekend the following week with
12 women candidates attending. We follow
the Mallorcan method and use the Rainbow
Manual. We have been having them at St.
Patrick’s Church in Digby. The suggested
donation for both candidates and team is
$75.00 for the weekend. Our plan for future
Cursillos is to hold them in SeptemberOctober at St. Joseph's in Kentville. We
have dates set for 2015.
Respectfully submitted by:
June Turcot, Lay Director
Valley Cursillo Movement (Yarmouth)
CENTRAL REGION
HAMILTON
Lay Director: Frank Malick, 1st year of 3
year term.
Workshops: We do plan on having a
workshop this fall but no date has been set.
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Secretariat (meets Monthly): Lay Director,
Diocesan Spiritual Advisor, Co-ordinators
(4) of School of Leaders, Pre-Cursillo,
Weekend and Post-Cursillo, Secretary, and
Treasurer. Members are invited from
School of Leaders. Secretariat members
meet with Bishop Douglas Crosby each
year to give him an overview of what is
happening. Bishop Crosby, himself a
Cursillista, is very supportive of the work
of Cursillo in the diocese
100-120 people attend Ultreyas on a regular
basis (20% of the active Cursillistas).
School of Leaders: The School meets 6
times a year (Jan, Feb, May, Sep, Oct, Nov)
in Kitchener and Burlington. A break
occurs in March and April due to team
formation for the spring weekends.
Average attendance has been 25-30 for both
locations combined (the same topics are
covered in each location). We have just
completed a two-year review of the Rollos
of the Weekend, and have begun a renewed
discussion of the Topics of the 1st
Conversations of Cala Figuera.
The Hamilton Diocesan comprises 126
parishes, 50% of which have a Cursillo
Representative acting as a local contact for
Cursillo within the parish. Over 4,000
people have experienced Cursillo since
1968, and about 500 are still active in the
diocese.
Group Reunions:
25% are in Group
Reunions. We have been strongly stressing
the importance of Group Reunion the last
three years on the weekends and at the
School of Leaders.
Weekends are held each spring for Men
and Women at the St. Ignatius Oratory in
Deemerton. In 2014 we welcomed 10 men
and 15 women into the Cursillo
community. The weekends are followed by
a 4th Day Reunion sponsored by the School
of Leaders and attended by new
Cursillistas, their sponsors and team
members, where the Foundational Charism
is discussed, veterans witness on how they
live Group Reunion and Ultreya, and new
Cursillistas are invited to share the first
weeks of their 4th day. Team members are
selected first from the School and then the
larger community, with team having to be
in regular Group Reunion and/or
attending ultreya. Team comprised 10 lay
people and 2 spiritual directors for each
weekend this year. Candidates and team
are asked to give $200 to cover costs of the
weekend.
Special Events: We hold a Grand Ultreya
each September at which Bishop Crosby
celebrates mass and about 100 attend. This
July we are planning a family-focused
barbecue social at Deemerton, to celebrate
community, strengthen friendships among
Cursillistas and their families, and reengage Cursillistas who have faded away
from the movement.
Workshops: We are holding a workshop in
October 2014 for veteran Cursillistas, with a
special emphasis on re-igniting Cursillistas
who have drifted away from the Total
Security of the movement. We are currently
engaged in planning it with the CCCC.
Communication with the CCCC:
We
advertise the conferences through our
website, newsletter and at Ultreyas. On
average we have 5-10 who attend. All on
the Secretariat subscribe to the Fully Alive
Newsletter.
Ultreyas: There are 8 Ultreyas within the
Diocese meeting weekly, bi-weekly or
monthly. Ultreyas have been introduced to
the Mallorcan model but adherence varies.
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Regional Conference:
The Regional
Encounter is advertised through our
newsletter and website. Many attended the
Regional Encounter held in Toronto in
November 2012. No Regional encounter
was held in 2013.
Concerted efforts have been made in
making Cursillo known through pamphlets
being distributed in many parishes. The
plan was also to initiate Cursillo pulpit
presentations in selected parishes, ideally
2-3 months prior to weekends, to provide
all responders with good sponsorship, by
allowing sufficient time to “make a friend,
be a friend, and bring your friend into
friendship with Christ”.
De Colores ,
Frank Malick
TORONTO
Post-Cursillo
In the Archdiocese of Toronto, The English
Cursillo Movement plans for 2 sets of
Cursillo Weekends – Men and Women
Spring (May) and Men and Women Fall
(Nov). During this reporting period, two
sets of Spring Weekends and one set of Fall
Weekends were held, respectively at
Scarboro Foreign Missions and Consolata
Missionaries in Toronto.
The Movement continued to emphasize the
importance of the 4th Day. Follow-up
contacts by Weekend leaders and sponsors
served to encourage new Cursillistas
coming out of a Weekend to stay connected
with the community, through Group
Reunions,
or
Ultreya
and
School
attendances. Over this reporting period,
over 60% of new Cursillistas stayed
connected with the Movement in some
form, an upward trend. A few gradually
emerged to become active leaders, availing
themselves to serve in different capacities –
rollista’s at School or Ultreya, Weekend
team leaders. Overall, it was an
encouraging trend.
In total, 38 women and 30 men made their
Weekends this past 12 months. The
demographics continued to be broad, with
a clear trend towards an increasing number
of new Cursillistas in the age group of 20 to
mid-40’s joining the community. The
majority of the new Cursillistas expressed
renewal or deepening of their faith
experienced over their Weekends.
Group Reunions
Pre-Cursillo
All new Cursillistas were encouraged to
participate in Group Reunions. Weekend
leaders
increasingly
took
on
the
responsibility to help ‘start up’ groups,
either by bringing new Cursillistas into an
existing group, or starting up a new group
with them. This has proven successful in
the past year, with over 50% of new
Cursillistas
having
regular
Group
Reunions.
As in the past, the actual process of
sponsoring
candidates
–
soliciting
commitment, submitting application, began
about 2-3 months before an upcoming set
of Weekends. Often, actual attendance
could only be confirmed close to the start of
the Weekends, as late drop-outs and
occasional add-in’s trickled in. This
suggested perhaps the need for ongoing
education required in the community in
Pre-Cursillo preparation.
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Further Grooming of Lay Leaders
The Movement had been making a
conscious effort to groom new leaders from
new Cursillistas coming out of a Weekend.
Those with leadership potential were
identified, invited to the School of Leaders,
and given opportunities to give rollos.
They could then be invited to serve on an
upcoming Weekend. Through a team
formation/preparation period of 10 weeks,
these new prospects were further nurtured
as Weekend leaders.
Ultreyas
Three local Ultreyas - Mimico (weekly),
East End (monthly), Brampton (monthly),
continued to be self-sustaining. Attendance
in some had been low. Nevertheless,
maintaining the presence of these Ultreyas
had always been considered just as
important as encouraging attendance
numbers.
The Movement also maintained a monthly
GTA Ultreya to offer the opportunity for
the communities from the 3 local Ultreyas
to come together. Participation over the
past 12 months had been maintained at 1520 people on average in an evening, not
unreasonable considering the relatively
long commuting required on a weekday.
The most recent Ultreya registered 45
attending, many fresh out of the Spring
Weekends. The Spirit was abounding.
School of Leaders
Over this reporting period, the Weekend
team make-up’s had been trending towards
an increasingly higher percentage of new
Cursillistas serving alongside experienced
ones. The hope is to make available a larger
pool of leaders to draw from and in so
doing provide some long-deserved reliefs
to Weekend veterans.
Secretariat
The Toronto Secretariat is made up of 7
members – Spiritual Director, Lay Director,
Treasurer, Pre-Cursillo, Cursillo, PostCursillo, and School of Leaders. Each of the
lay positions carries a 2-year term. Two
transitions happened over this past 12
months – Manchiu Wong assumed the role
of Lay Director and Kevin O’Brien the role
of Leader’s School Rector. As we approach
the end of this reporting year, we expect
the transitioning of the Treasurer role.
The Movement continued to run two
School semesters – Fall and Winter, totally
about 12 evenings in a year. Over this
reporting period, the focus of the School
was on Pre-Cursillo, Cursillo, and PostCursillo. All were encouraged to attend the
School. However, prospective leaders
identified among new Cursillistas just
emerging from a Weekend were specially
invited by the Spiritual Director. This
personal invitation had shown to be
effective in bringing these prospective
leaders to the next step in their growth.
As the demographics of the Movement
changes, with the gradual infusion of new
blood, the need becomes paramount to
ensure that new leaders and the
community at large are properly formed in
the Foundational Charism of Cursillo. Thus
sets the direction of the School for the
coming year.
50th Anniversary Celebration
Toronto Movement
of
the
On November 23, 2013, the Toronto
Movement celebrated its 50th Anniversary
at St Roch’s Parish Church in Etobicoke,
ON. Cursillistas from long past reemerged. Veteran and new Cursillistas
immersed in an afternoon of fond
reminiscing, witnessing, fun, and food. The
fruit of the Spirit in the community was
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NUMBER 71
plainly in sight, germinated from the seed
planted by Fr Marshal Beriault when he
introduced the Movement to Toronto for
the first time 50 years ago.
winter.
The real focus for us over the past year has
been to continue to develop the School of
Leaders. We thank God for the blessings
that have been experienced as a result of
this effort. Previously, in February 2012, we
received a strong foundation and lived
example of how the School of Leaders is
intended to function through a weekend
workshop from Sheelagh Winston and John
Schlosser. This year we continued with the
monthly gatherings and focused our
discussions on the book about our founder
entitled “Eduardo Bonnin An Apprentice
Christian”. We invited all of the Cursillistas
in the Archdiocese to participate, but on
average we would have around twelve
Cursillistas in attendance. The sense of
community and the depth of discussion
that was evident at these gatherings was a
wonderful example of the charism of
Cursillo!
Report submitted by M. Wong, Lay Director,
Cursillo Movement of the Archdiocese of
Toronto
PETERBOROUGH DIOCESE
Unfortunately the Peterborough Cursillo
movement is currently experiencing a
period of inactivity and Cursillo weekend
and secretariat activities have been
suspended. There are a few Ultreyas still
being held in different parts of the diocese.
WESTERN
EDMONTON
My name is Dave Kornder and I am acting
as the Lay Director for the Edmonton
Archdiocese Cursillo Movement. We have
a Secretariat of seven members, which
includes the positions of Lay Director, Post
Cursillo Chair, Communications, Secretary,
Treasurer and members at large. The
Secretariat has been meeting monthly over
the past year for about two hours each
meeting.
Our time has been largely occupied by the
preparations to host the 2014 CCCC
National Conference at King’s University
College in Edmonton from June 19-22. This
has been a long-term dream and goal since
four of our community had attended the
2011 conference. The opportunity to
involve many of our local members and to
rejuvenate our spirits has been a side
benefit to the many graces experienced in
the organizational process.
We have a very large geographic area that
we serve in the Edmonton Archdiocese and
that is presenting us with a few challenges.
The
Cursillo
community
includes
Cursillistas in Edmonton, Beaumont,
Sherwood Park, Camrose, Wetaskiwin, St.
Albert, Stony Plain and as far away as
Edson. This means that some of our
members must drive for two to three hours
to gather for Ultreyas, School of Leaders or
for team meetings for weekend planning.
While not so bad in the summer months,
this is a real challenge in the depths of
The Ultreyas have been a regular monthly
gathering of the community in a meeting
room at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Church on the last Wednesday of the
month. We have been attempting to follow
the Mallorcan model more closely and do
begin with the Group Reunion opportunity
for all present. The witness talks that we
have been blessed to hear have been
wonderful testimony to the power of God
and the Holy Spirit in the lives of the
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NUMBER 71
speakers! There is always a time for
fellowship and socializing as well as raising
our voices in song together.
due to a number of factors. After much
praying, it was decided that it was perhaps
God advising us to reconsider and wait
until a future time. We continue to pray for
the power of the Holy Spirit and the graces
to be able to offer more weekends in the
upcoming year.
It has been a very busy year, with much
friendship and prayer! We thank God for
the blessings of a deeper understanding of
the charism through the study of
“Eduardo
Bonnin
An
Apprentice
Christian”. We thank God for the
opportunity to host our brothers and sisters
in Christ from across Canada at the June
conference!
There are seven or eight different Group
Reunions that meet on a regular basis
(weekly) throughout the Archdiocese. Each
of these is comprised of approximately 5 or
6 Cursillistas. The Group Reunion that I am
a member of has been meeting faithfully for
at least 20 years! The composition of the
group has changed over time, and I have
had the privilege of being involved for the
past 15 years. There are still many
Cursillistas in the Archdiocese who are not
active in a Group Reunion and there is a
challenge to invite them and involve them for
the future.
De Colores!
Dave Kornder
Lay Director
Our Spiritual Director is extremely busy
with his many duties at a parish and
diocesan level and has requested to the
Archbishop that another person be
considered for the position, who may have
more time to devote to the community.
This led to a very open and positive
meeting between myself, the Spiritual
Director and the Archbishop in November
2013. The Archbishop was very supportive
of the Cursillo movement, himself being a
Cursillista from many years ago in the
Halifax area. There was a decision to revisit
the position of Spiritual Director after the
2014 conference.
GROUARD-McLENNAN
Submitted by Rob Burris, outgoing
Director of Cursillo - 4th Year of a 4 year
term as Director
Secretariat:
Positions: Chairperson, Director, Secretary,
Palanca Chair, Ultreya Chair, Properties (2
positions), and Spiritual Director. The
Secretariat meets once a month from
September to May.
Term: terms are for 2 years, with one 2 year
extension possible, for a maximum total of
4 years.
Focus: In terms of focus, the Board has had
three: 1. the post-weekend (Group Reunion
and Ultreya) has been its prime focus. 2.
There is also the pre-weekend; i.e.
establishing friendships and inviting
candidates to a weekend. This has yet to be
addressed by the board as the
concentration has rightly been on the postweekend. 3. Finally, the Board is aware of
its need to strengthen our relationship with
the CCCC so it is not isolated from the
larger Cursillista community.
There have been a few social events as well
during the year for all of the Cursillo
community to come together and enjoy
each other’s company. These have included
a New Year’s Eve bonfire and potluck as
well as a summer picnic.
Due to the focus on the hosting of the
national conference, we have not planned
any Men’s or Women’s Weekends over this
past year. The one Women’s weekend that
was planned in May 2013 was postponed
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Cursillo
Community:
The
Cursillo
community is comprised of all of those
within the Archdiocese of Grouard
McLennan. There are Cursillistas outside of
this area but these are the exceptions. We
have had approximately 2500 Cursillistas
experience 125 Cursillo weekends since
1979. It is not known how many Group
Reunions there are but the Board is in the
process of getting that information with a
questionnaire circulated for each Cursillo.
May. We meet at St. Joseph Catholic
Church. Other communities formerly held
monthly Ultreyas, but have fallen away.
Our Board is committed to travelling to
those communities to hold Ultreyas and
help them get on their feet. Grande Cache
will be first. We typically have 20 – 60
participants at each Ultreya. We are
currently not following the Mallorcan
model exactly, but have incorporated
aspects after our Ultreya chair attended the
Annual conference last year. The Ultreya
typically has: 1) a group reunion, with
men’s and women’s groups meeting; 2) a
witness Rollo, which we have always had;
and, 3) we bring intentions forward. We
intend to bring intentions before the
Blessed Sacrament several times next year.
All changes to our format have been met
with approval from the community.
Historically, Grande Prairie, Peace River,
and Fairview, in Alberta, and Dawson
Creek and Ft. St. John, in British Columbia,
were towns involved in the Cursillo
weekends. In the last 15 – 20 years, Grande
Prairie has been the centre of Cursillo
activity. Cursillistas from the area travel to
Grande Prairie to participate in the
weekends and other related events.
Recently, the Board has attempted to move
the weekends to other towns because we
do not want the movement to become
isolated to Grande Prairie. We believe that
Cursillo is not a Grande Prairie event;
Cursillo is the Church in action. So far we
have had one weekend in another
community, and will have another next
spring.
Group reunions: We have no formal data
collected with respect to the percentage of
Cursillistas who are involved in a group.
However, informally the Board all feels
that percentage is low. The post-cursillo is a
focus and a concern for our board and has
been for some years. This focus has taken
priority since Sheelagh Winston’s visit last
year. This issue will continue to be a focus
for our community. In an attempt to
address some of issues around the postcursillo we made some changes to the
weekend. We shortened talks to provide
more corridor time to build relationships.
We have ensured that we model the group
reunion process at the weekend and form
groups during the weekend. We also
ensure that Rectors and Rectoras are
currently involved in group reunions. The
successful groups have been together for
up to 30 years.
School of Leaders: In our community we
have two levels of leadership: 1) the Board
and, 2) active Cursillistas, roughly 50 -70
people who continually work weekends in
a number of capacities. The active group is
continually renewed as time goes by. Both
groups are open to anyone who is
interested and wants to learn more about
God and the Church. In this area, the
Cursillo is a Catholic movement and so one
must be an active Catholic person in order
to sit on the Board.
Weekends: We have one men’s' and one
women’s weekends per year. Currently the
weekends are held in Grande Prairie.
Ultreya: – In Grande Prairie, the Ultreya
meets once a month from September to
Continued on page 31
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FROM VISION TO MISSION
The opening meditation given by John Schlosser at the 2014 annual
conference.
With this meditation we begin the theme of this conference:
from Vision to Mission.
The vision of Eduardo Bonin was and still is; that the realities
of Christianity become alive in the uniqueness, originality
and the creativity of everyone – of every Christian. Eduardo
experienced this insight from his experience with the other
soldiers with whom he shared his life for several years.
Eduardo saw the other soldiers not just with his eyes – he
saw them with God’s eyes. He saw the potential for good in
them which others could not see or refused to see. What
Eduardo saw was that the great possibilities of the soldiers
was, is and will always be “ the stone which the builders
rejected became the corner stone” (MARK 12 10-11
Was not Eduardo’s vision also the vision of Jesus: Who saw
in Matthew, Mary Magdalene, Peter and all the other
disciples their great possibilities in revealing the wonderful
hope that God never tires of offering in Christ’s never-ending
life. What Eduardo saw in his fellow soldiers is only a
shadow of what God saw in them. But, in Eduardo’s vision
what he could not see – nevertheless emerged in the
charism of Cursillo. How does God see what I look at in the
people with whom I am involved – especially in friendship.
How does God see the people with whom I live, work and
play with. What else does God see in them that I have not
yet seen. As I get to know them as God knows them – how
amazing can my vision of them become?
MATTERS
SPIRITUAL
Why is it that, at times, I tire of trying to see them as God sees
them? Did Eduardo ever tire of trying to see others as God
saw them? While I am not to compare myself to anyone else,
still I need to be reminded of the way in which Jesus looked
upon everyone – even the people who criticized Him. Even
though what they said to Him may have angered Him, His
anger was meant to bring out their giftedness. Even though
they may have refused to respond to His invitation to
develop their giftedness, their refusal did not stop Jesus from
always inviting them to realize their giftedness and to use it
for the food of others as He used His sacred giftedness
Jesus saw the glory of God in the giftedness and even in the
potential giftedness of all people.
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Eduardo also followed Jesus consciously in
this regard. – not only in the people with
whom he was involved but also situations
of his life requiring his un-divided
attention. How conscientious am I in trying
to see others as God sees them, to see God’s
vision in the situations that require my undivided attention? How much hope is there
for me if I do not try to face the challenging
circumstances of my life as God sees them?
service to the world. Eduardo realized that
the Church is to be a servant to the
world. The song that is based on Isaiah –
“those who serve the suffering world will
renew their strength – they will mount up
on wings like eagles – they will run and not
be weary – they will walk and not faint –
help us Lord in thy way.
Eduardo could see the vision of God in this
song – calling the church to be of service to
the world by seeing the world with God’s
eyes. What about me? Will I persevere in
trying to see the world with God’s eyes?
In persevering in the task of seeing others,
seeing the situations in our life as God sees
them there is great service to our world.
After all, the call of Christianity that God
emphasized in the life of Eduardo was
Continued from page 13
which we hear each Sunday at mass. “Go
and make disciples of all nations”. In the
Group Reunion the members share whether
or not they have fulfilled the commitment
that they made on their Service Sheet on the
weekend, they share what their moment
closest to Christ was, their piety. In the
Study section they share what they have
experienced to better understand the gift of
God in their life, what they have learned
that makes them a better person and
therefore a better Christian. The action
section is where the members of the Group
share what they have done to bring the
Gospel to their environments, what
successes they have had and where things
did not turn out as they hoped. They also
share how they propose to proceed, what
their plan is. The members of the Group
agree to pray for each other in their
attempts to bring the Gospel to their
environment in the following week or until
the Group meets again.
primary goal of bringing Christ alive, close
and personal to all they meet in their
environments, especially those who are far
from God and His Church. The members of
the Group Reunion are living out the
message of the of all the rollos of the
Cursillo weekend, especially the Study of
the Environment rollo, and are a living
witness of Christianity in Action.
From this we can see that the person who
actually gives the Group Reunion rollo on
the Cursillo weekend must actually be
living an experience of an authentic Group,
they must be walking the talk to
authentically witness to its effectiveness.
CCCC has explored the topic of Christianity
in Action which sets the stage for a proper
understanding of Group Reunion in several
different conferences. This material is
available for study from the CCCC
Resource Centre.
From this it is clear to see that the dynamic
of the Group is to assist its members in their
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Focus”. It was only when I attended the
2008 US National Conference as a Lay
Director, and the Episcopal Advisor
appealed to the Spiritual Directors for unity
in the Movement , that I suspected we
might be on the wrong track.
WitnesS
Daily we touch him
Moving back to Canada in 2010, I naturally
made contact with the Ultreya in
Burlington, and began to get involved with
the Hamilton Diocese Cursillo Movement. I
decided to keep an open mind, and worked
my first Canadian weekend with the
Mallorcan outlines. Many of
I lived my Cursillo weekend in Tampa,
Florida in Sept., 2001. It was the 94th Men’s
Cursillo of the Diocese of St. Petersburg,
and I sat at St. Matthew’s Table. The
weekend I attended was held three weeks
after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, at a time
when many Americans were finding refuge
in their faith, and hence it was a time of
intense searching for meaning of the events
of the day.
made contact with the Ultreya in
Burlington, and began to get involved with
the Hamilton Diocese Cursillo Movement. I
decided to keep an open mind, and worked
my first Canadian weekend with the
Mallorcan outlinesthe translation problems
I had encountered in the US had been
corrected, and I found them much simpler
and direct. I was also surprised to find that
one did not have to be in good standing
with the Catholic Church, nor, in fact, even
to be Catholic to attend a Cursillo weekend.
During the weekend, I developed a hunger
for study – study of Scripture, Church
Tradition and the Cursillo Movement. At
that time, we followed the Fundamental
Ideas of the Cursillo Movement and the US
Leaders’ Manual, so that was my basis for
formation in Cursillo.
The focus was on bringing leaders to the
weekend who could then go out and
evangelize their environments. Only those
who could receive the sacraments of the
Church were welcomed, with preference to
the “should go” versus “can go” candidates.
My Cursillo world was quite well-ordered,
until the US National Director came back
from visiting Eduardo Bonnin in 2003, and
told everyone that we had missed the key
message of Cursillo, that the focus should
be on the individual, not the environments,
and so a “Shift in Focus” was launched to
bring the US into line with the Foundational
Charism.
I am preparing to work my fifth weekend in
Canada and what I have learned through
experience is that Cursillo attempts to create
an environment where one can enjoy a
personal encounter with Christ. Everyone
experiences Cursillo in their own unique
way, but most come away with the
profound knowledge that Christ loves them
intimately, and that they can’t help but
share that love with others
And that realization makes all the
difference to me – rather than “fishing in
the fishbowl” of good Catholics we need to
find the “faraway” and invite them to that
encounter and the realization that God
loves them. Continued on page 31
The first impact in the “Shift in Focus” was
to adopt the Mallorcan outlines, which we
did not like and refused to use. In fact, our
diocese led a coalition to fight the “Shift in
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FROM EDUARDO
In 2000 Eduardo spent a weekend with the Mallorcan Cursillistas a presented a series of talks. The weekend was
called Days with Eduardo. The following is one of those talks.
MY IDEA AND MY FEELINGS CONCERNING CURSILLO AND ITS LEADERS, PAST,
PRESENT AND FUTURE
There are two matters I must speak about
which I have already spoken about because
they are both very important. They happen
to be the Group Reunion and the Ultreya.
Some intelligent people have asked me in
the past why group meetings are held in the
Ultreya. I have always replied that this is
done in order not to waste our time talking
about politics or the weather. We hold the
group meeting in order to get to know
people better and to become closer to one
another. Cursillo has continuity if we have
learnt what the group meeting is. It makes
the spirit of Cursillo constant in the life of
all and the Ultreya is like the Cinderella of
the Cursillo movement. It is like a pair of
bellows. If it doesn’t work, neither will the
Cursillos Movement. The behaviour of the
leaders at the Ultreya must be to bring us
closer to one another. They must be filled
with what we are living. There are people
who turn up late at the Ultreya so as not to
have to participate in the Group Reunion.
Cursillo is about a great number of people
knowing Christ and coming closer to Him.
People mustn’t be forced. They must wish
for this to happen. We must arouse in
people a desire to go to the Ultreya.
Everyone is unique. We can’t make
generalizations.
Everyone
is
untransferrable and has his/her own
personality. We must want to spread the
news; people must know that Christ died
for our sake and that He is inside those
Christians who live their Christianity
seriously and truthfully.
The world doesn’t know His words: “I will
be with you”, “We shall come to him and
make our dwelling inside him”, “Whatever
you ask the Father in my name, He will give
you”, When two or three gather in my
name, I shall be among them”. People don’t
know about this and the news must be
spread. If we do so, we’ll feel much better
and we must have a desire to meet and
know more people. Christ wants me. He
wants to be the axis of my whole being. My
attitude at the Ultreya ought to be: “I know
this person and I also know that other one
too; I’m going to find someone I don’t
know. At the Ultreya everything Christian
becomes appropriate and that is what
makes it so beautiful. It has to do with the
strength of discovering one another;
knowing that we are united like brothers
and sisters united by the same motivation.
Of course, there are so many things we are
discovering.
There is a book called “The Hidden
Fountain” and it reads “water can run
under a rock and not yet be a fountain and
there it is. The same happens with affection.
But then comes the time for it to emerge and
it becomes a spring. However, the rock
must be broken because God hid the purest
springs of water under the hardest rocks”.
There is a great pain in the rock holding
back the spring which is to cover its surface
with flowers. In every rock there is a spring
to be being forged. The world had to bring
forth more water. We must place our trust
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and never deny that which our eyes cannot
see because the water is below the surface.
If somebody lives a sullen and austere life,
in a corner without any love and you hear
others say that he is heartless, don’t listen to
their words. Turn your mind to the water
and say “how deep the fountain must be
and what great suffering the rock will
endure”; this is a fact. We go to the Ultreya
and we think that there are people who
know nothing at all. But they know a great
deal more than us. We must think that the
Lord hid the purest springs beneath the
hardest rocks to keep them safe and we
must go beneath the rock and enjoy the
spring of living water which Christ
promised to those who follow Him in Spirit
and Truth. He told the Samaritan woman
and He is telling each one of us the same. A
spring of living water will gush from the
inside of the one who believes in me. And
“Who believed that? What Christian
believes these words? Very few are the
Christians who believe this and that is why
there are so few springs of living water
around!
something great and wonderful. We have a
a spring of living water which was blocked
up.
When we go to “Mañanitas”, we must try
to understand how those people who still
need to go through the furnace of their last
day at Cursillo, are feeling. Waking them
up so early, it is more than enough for them
to hear “De Colores” and “las Mañanitas”.
If we say “praise to the Lord, praise to the
Lord” and “no pasará, no pasará” (It will
never happen) , they won’t understand us
and they’ll think we are crazy. We must
realize that these people are not ready yet.
They will be in the evening after hearing the
last rollos. All they need to know is that
we’ve come to wake them up, we’ve come
from different places, we’ve prayed for
them and when they come to the Ultreya,
we’ll ask them to stand up and we’ll give
them an ovation. When all this is true, it
moves people. However, when it’s a farce,
the Lord is very sad indeed.
There was a couple who came to Mallorca
and their business went bankrupt. The
woman used to say: “Our Lady must be
very glad when you call her Mystical Rose”.
I thought to myself that this woman had
discovered something Christians had not
learnt about. She would tell me on repeated
occasions: ”I’m going to visit the Blessed
Sacrament at Saint James’s Church and
nobody has taught me to love Our Lady as
you have. You have found the way and are
able to call her Mystical Rose”. That woman
became captivated and she captivated me.
If you don’t have what it takes and you
don’t have the aforementioned mentality
which a leader ought to have, don’t get
involved in Christ’s matters. Be brave and
take another road. We’ll send you to a TV
programme and you can spend the whole
day watching television and you’ll have a
better time than going to the Ultreya.
Christianity is possible, it is fantastic and it
is pleasant. But we must break the shell and
we haven’t got enough strength, it can be
hard on us because the shell is hard. But
once it’s broken, the water Christ promised
to the Samaritan woman comes forth. This
is true and He did not only make this
promise to the Samaritan woman but to all
of us. The spring can come out of each one
of us and when you experience it you feel
glad. It is a total pleasure. It is really
We must perceive these things and live
them out. We must bring them to life in our
lives. What do I expect from the leaders in
Mallorca? I don’t want to become sad
because going to Heaven is a beautiful
thing. It should cheer anybody up. I think
we ought to understand these things and
you shouldn’t wait until I die to understand
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them. I’m sure that you will have
understood this in two days’ time for the
next Ultreya and we’ll all be much happier.
In the name of the Lord, please don’t mess
about when you get to the Ultreya. Don’t be
late for the Group Reunion. We must get
involved for the sake of our brethren. There
are many interpretations to getting
involved, but I think that we must get really
close because the Lord deserves it. It is like
bullfighting in the ring. We shouldn’t worry
about being caught by the bull. The Lord
acts as guarantor to what He has said. We
can trust his words and step in the apostolic
bullring. We won’t be gored by the bull.
did. They simply put the trays down on the
tables. They didn’t do what we had done
during the Cursillo. I thought to myself
there was a huge difference between them
and us. We were at the lepers’ service and
they had gone there thinking how holy they
were after getting out of their flashy cars
every Sunday and serving the lepers. What
we learnt from those lepers was truly
wonderful indeed.
Another thing that you ought to know
concerns the Montuiri crime9, but that gave
a spectacle to the Cursillo of Mallorca.
Another issue was the friendship with
Tarrassa where we met Armengol. I
remember Maite and Damián, a school
teacher in La Puebla but who was later
posted to Tarrassa. He really did cause a stir
in Tarrassa. All of these things have an
importance in the history of Cursillo in
Mallorca and we must respond to them
acting as Christians. The reaction must be a
Christian one –not because we have a great
responsibility, but because we have a great
possibility and people look towards
Mallorca. Even if there is a decree saying
that the Cursillo Movement depends on the
fundamental ideas and it is these which
explain all, Mallorca –by the grace of Godis the birthplace of Cursillo. Many people
visit Mallorca to see the birthplace of
Cursillo. Those of us who are here rock the
cradle as we sing a lullaby. That isn’t it at
all, you know. We must be Christian and
our everyday life must be Christian. We
shouldn’t do odd things –just be ourselves,
but in Christian terms. Each one has his or
her own personality and way of being. This
isn’t what I think. It is what Christ expects
from each one of us. We must give
ourselves to Christ because He deserves it. I
don’t deserve anything. I am only the
loudspeaker. I think that this is what Christ
What does Christ expect and what do all
you here expect? The Lord wants us to take
him seriously; with the joy that Christ’s
matters have. These are profoundly serious
and their joy goes even deeper.
There was a Cursillo at a leper colony in
Fontilles and I wanted to know if leprosy
was contagious. I was told it wasn’t as long
as we didn’t mix saliva or an open wound
everything would fine. With that certainty
we went to give the Cursillo near Alicante.
We got a rousing reception. There were two
Cursillistas who had attended the Cursillo
and they had been scratching one day and
somebody told them that it was leprosy.
The priest who had told them about the
Cursillo went there. What a great time we
had there. We would eat our meals with
them and they would say: “nobody has ever
wanted to sit and eat with us at our own
table”. But something happened. On the last
day several expensive looking cars turned
up and several rich young men got out of
them. They had come to serve meals to the
lepers on the last day. That day we were
unable to do it because this privilege had
been handed down from father to son or
grandfather to grandson and they took
pride upon themselves as they placed the
trays of food on the tables. That’s all they
9 See the prison story in the Weekend rollo manual
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is asking us to do. I am not a prophet. Christ
doesn’t tell me things.
had the idea that he should prepare to give
the study rollo. The Bishop was very keen
and asked us to give two Cursillos. How
did this business of the Cursillo in Guinea
all start? It began in Montserrat because
there was a group of Catalans with Damián
Vidal –the school teacher from La Puebla
who had been posted to Tarrasa- who were
jumping up and down, singing and telling
jokes when the Bishop of Guinea
approached them and said: “Why are you
all so happy?” Damián Vidal replied: “We
are Cursillistas”. The bishop asked them
what that was all about and they explained
it to him. Then the bishop asked them to go
to Guinea and give a Cursillo there. They
phoned me that very same evening and
asked me if I was willing to go to Guinea
and give a Cursillo. “Of course”, I said. “But
we must get vaccinated against malaria
first”. This school teacher was called
Boniface Bian and had to give the Study
rollo and we all asked him if he was willing
to do so. He said that he wasn’t because his
black friends would not be willing to accept
lessons at a Cursillo from another black
man. He explained that when black people
had a child who was ill they didn’t fetch a
black doctor because they didn’t trust him
and went in search of a white doctor. This
was a great pity, but it is true.
I can remember that when Father Laburu
was in his heyday –during Pope John
XXIII’s pontificate- he would say: “Christ or
death”. He would say this in Italian at the
parish churches in Rome. He used to say
that God had told him this and that. During
the Bishop’s visit to the Pope held every
two years, when Don Francisco Suárez and
Dr. Hervás were there, Pope John XXIII
said: “Father Laburu says he has a
connection with God. I am God’s Vicar and
God has never spoken to me”. Wasn’t the
Pope a simple and humble man?
They showed the Pope a leaflet –which is
the best one that has ever been written
about
Cursillowritten
by
Father
Casaldáliga when we were giving Cursillo
in Africa. It is called “Africa de Colores”
and was another thing which had a great
influence. We went there with Damián
Vidal, a fellow whose surname was Casas
and Father Casaldáliga –who has been the
Bishop of Matogrosso and is now emeritus
and has stayed in Matogrosso. He is a
Catalonian man who was with us and wrote
this short leaflet. Doctor Hervás had the
leaflet on him when he was with the Pope
because it had just been printed and when
he was about to put it away it was time for
the audience with the Pope. It was in his
hand and he said to the Pope: “This leaflet
explains very well what the Cursillo
Movement is about”. The Pope took it and
said: “I’ll read it tonight”. He put it in his
cassock pocket and I guess he must have
read it.
When we reached the place where the
Cursillo was to be held, the black people
and the white people were having an
argument with each other and we learnt
what the whole matter was about. The
problem was that the black people and the
white people didn’t want to share the same
room. But thank God, the rooms were
individual ones and each one slept with his
guardian angel and the whole matter was
forgotten. This man stood up, invoked the
Holy Spirit and as he was doing so they
said to each other: “This black man is just
like us. What is he going to tell us?” He
said: “I’m going to tell you what Cursillo
There was a very intelligent black man. I
think he had a Master’s degree. Cybernetics
was just beginning, but he certainly knew a
lot. He was married and had two daughters
and a son. His eldest son had died. He was
a school teacher and more than just that. We
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has meant to me. I have many of your sons
and daughters in my class and they have all
witnessed my bad temper at one time or
another. In order to go to school, I had to
walk past the cemetery where my eldest son
is buried. Each time I went past, I wept. I’m
not ashamed to tell you this because I
thought that God had taken my son away
from me. That he had died in the prime of
life and he was my future because I loved
him very dearly. I went to Cursillo a week
ago and since then, when I walk past the
cemetery, I sing “De Colores” because I
know that my son is much better off in
Heaven than down here. I truly believe he is
in Heaven”. Everyone began to applaud
him. They sat down, listened to the rollo
and that was really incredible.
At the clausura a man gave me a walking
stick which I still keep at home. They had
made him the chief because he had fought a
gorilla and beaten the animal. He had
converted to Christianity and said that he
believed in the conversion of Africa. He
said, “If Christians behave as I have seen
they can during these three days of Cursillo,
I believe in the salvation of Africa”.
There is no airport there. Only a runway
and along the side we were able to see black
people and white people holding hands and
singing “De Colores” around the aircraft.
This is what Christ achieved at the first
Cursillo we held in Africa –in Guinea.
There is also a great deal to be said about
Portugal. They took it so seriously that they
even placed a commemorative plaque in
Cala Figuera. But we must remember that
they spread it to all their provinces abroad:
Mozambique, Madeira, Lorenzo Marques,
Funchal, Rwanda and Angola. Cursillo
reached all these corners. I remember the
school in Rwanda where there were some
very friendly little black children saying:
“Christ de Colores”. And about the Chinese
I could tell you many things.
We must be grateful to God for so many
things, but if you help me, the Lord will
spill His grace upon us because the Lord
likes –as we all do- people to be grateful. He
likes us to have thoughtful gestures in our
brotherly love. We must be thoughtful with
the Lord and when we pray to His Mother,
we must do so with all our strength and
from the bottom of our heart. Let us learn
how to pray. Let us learn to pray and that it
may all come true. Lord, that when we are
kneeling before You in the tabernacle, we
may say repeatedly that may it all become
true and may the truth make us free.
Because mankind was meant to be free and
take the path which then becomes a
highway to freedom which really makes us
happy.
I won’t say anything more. Thank you for
your attention and please forgive this poor
Christian for going on so long, but I would
go on talking until midnight when I see you
all so attentive.
IMPORTANT NEWS
NEW PHONE NUMBER FOR THE RESOURCE CENTRE
PLEASE CHANGE YOUR RECORDS TO ENSURE YOU CAN ALWAYS REACH
US WHEN NECESSARY
250 307
6585
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VOLUME 15 ISSUE 2
NUMBER 71
Continued from page 22
Regional Conferences: We are not aware
of the regional conferences.
Annual report to the Bishop: We have not
been submitting an annual report to the
Archbishop, at least not that I am aware of.
However, we will begin to do so, beginning
with this report.
Weekends are held in Catholic Schools. In
the past we have held the weekends in
other communities, but in the last few years
that has only happened once. We operate
on donations only.
Social Events: We have a held a camp out
last summer which was very successful.
The next one is planned for August. A
bowling night was planned but was
cancelled because of a time conflict with
pre-weekend meetings. The Board held a
Christmas pot-luck. A pot-luck dinner is
held at the Ultreya following each
weekend.
Blessings,
Rob Burris
****************************************
Continued from page 25
That revelation was reinforced in reading
Eduardo Bonnín: An Apprentice Christian.
I never had the pleasure of meeting
Eduardo in person, but I feel I know him
better after reading this book, and share his
eternal optimism and enthusiasm for the
human journey we all are on: ‘With the
exception of Spain, the movement in the world
is going well’. Eduardo Bonnin, Apprentice
Christian. May God grant us the
perseverance to carry on in his footsteps,
and may the Cursillo Method continue to
bring souls to Christ.
Workshops: We have had one workshop
with the CCCC when Sheelagh Winston
visited us in May, 2013.
Communication with the CCCC: We have
been attending the Annual Conference for
the last 2 years (2012 as represented by
Marg Popek and last year by Janine.) I have
no idea how many subscribe to Fully Alive
but would guess that it would be very few.
Cursillo of Cursillos
CONFERENCE 2015
CARLETON UNIVERSITY, OTTAWA,
JUNE 25TH TO 28TH
A CURSILLO OF CURSILLOS IS A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY TO DEEPEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE
ESSENCE, PURPOSE AND MENTALITY OF THE CURSILLO MOVEMENT.
ORGANIZED IN THE SAME MANNER AS A CURSILLO WEEKEND, THERE WILL BE
ROLLOS, WITNESS, PRAYER AND DIALOGUE WITH CURSILLISTAS FROM
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
WE ARE ALSO DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THAT
MIGUEL SUREDA, MEMBER OF THE MALLORCA SCHOOL OF LEADERS AND
LONG TIME FRIEND OF EDUARDO BONNIN W ILL ACT AS RECTOR FOR THE
CURSILLO OF CURSILLOS. WE ALSO HOPE TO
WELCOME TWO OR THREE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE MALLORCA SCHOOL TO
SHARE THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY WITH US.
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND, A “NOT TO BE MISSED” OPPORTUNITY.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE NEW YEAR.
31
VOLUME 15 ISSUE 2
NUMBER 71
CHAIRPERSON
SPIRITUAL
ADVISOR
Bernie Reilander
(613) 820 2228
501 – 1081
Ambleside Drive
Ottawa, ON
K2B 8C8
breilander@rogers.com
Diane Coates
76 Trudelle Crescent
Brampton, ON
L7A 2Z2
(905) 840 8377
Diane.coates@bell.net
Arlene vanDiepen
RR2
544 Settlement Road
Morell, PE
C0A 1S0
(902) 961 2271
abvandiepen@hotmail.com
John Schlosser
4539 Gordon Drive
Kelowna, BC
V1W 1T3
(250) 747 7007
jgschlos@telus.net
Fr Pat
O’Meara
34 King Street
Yarmouth, NS
B5A 2XS
(902) 881 2565
Paddyandpat@eastlink.ca
For address changes, subscriptions to Fully Alive, or to submit questions or articles, please
forward to:
S. Winston, Editor. CCCC, Resource Centre
PO Box 23066
Shoppers Westend PO
Vernon, BC V1T 9L8
Ph.(250)307 6585 Fax. (514) 227-5221 e-mail cccc@cursillocanada.org
www.cursillocanada.org
Fully Alive is published three times per year by the National Secretariat of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Cursillos
who is solely responsible for its contents. No article or any part of it may be reproduced without the written permission of
CCCC © CCCC 2014 all rights reserved
32