2024 Men's Weekend Rector
Hi, my name is Jeff Williams, I have the great honor of being this years Rector for the Cursillo Men's team, for the Weekend on September 12-15, 2024.
My Cursillo journey started in 2018, when I was at a Men's wake-up meeting at SS. Peter And Paul Church in Rocklin,Ca and Vince Johnson walked up to me after the meeting and asked if I wanted to come to a Cursillo Group Reunion Meeting on the following Saturday. I have been here ever since and I Lived my Cursillo Weekend in 2019 at JRC.
Since that weekend and my incounter with the Holy Spirit, I have strived to live my life as Edward Bonnin always called himself "An Apprentice Christian" I live my faith through my actions in Life. By treating everyone I meet the way the Bible tells us to "Love thy neighbor as you Love thy Self".
I have served on the last 3 Men's teams and have served them in various positions, I am also the Current School of Leaders Chair person as many of you attend the meetings. It is my firm belief that we as a Cursillo Community can not fully move forward and grow our community without a thriving School of Leaders as this is where we enhance what you recieve on the weekend. We all need to be effective leaders in our Families, work and parish enviornments. We also need to spread the good news of Christ, but more importanly Be the Goods News of Christ for others.
It has been through prayer and action that I have assembled, with the Holy Spirit a team for the weekend that has alot of newcomers to team formation and some veterens.
In the last year I have had many struggles in my personal and profession life, and In my prayers and descernment I have chosen a song that I have relied on in my time of struggle. The theme song for this weekend is " Lord I Need You by Matt Maher" and to go with this song the Theme for the weekend comes from 1Samual 3:10, where Samual heres the Lord and says "speak, for your servant is Listening"
As we approach the starting of team formation meetings, I ask the community for there prayers that we are guided by the Lord and the Holy Spirit in all that we do for the weekend. I also ask the community to go out and Make a Friend, Be a Friend and bring that friend to christ and the Cursillo.
Thank You,
De Colores, Jeff Williams
Upcoming Cursillo Weekends 2024
Men's - September 12-15, 2024
Women's - October 24-27, 2024
Rector - Jeffrey Williams
Rectora - Michelle Hayes
This powerful weekend doesn’t end on Sunday but continues throughout the life of the “Cursillista” as described by the simple term “4th day” or the “rest of your life”. We strongly encourage all Cursillistas to attend a group/friendship reunion held weekly or monthly where the concept of Cursillo is maintained and demonstrated. The key focus of the group reunions is on PRAYER, STUDY and ACTION.
Cursillo has touched the life of millions of Catholics worldwide (3 million today) and has also been duplicated by other faiths and organizations such as Catholic High Schools (Kairos), a prison ministry, Marriage Encounter, ACTS and many others. It is more than a movement; it is a personal lifestyle and it challenges each of us to a greater commitment to our common faith.
The Cursillo Movement consists of proclaiming the best news of the best reality: that God, in Christ, loves us. Communicated by the best means, which is friendship…make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ! In some ways, our purpose is to “evangelize” our own church…reignite the fire of those who need a jumpstart…
Cursillo first appeared in Spain in 1944 when the country, under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, became a quasi-theocracy. A layman named Eduardo Bonnín participated in the early years of the "short courses" in Majorca Spain and helped develop the it to the point that it became an active renewal movement in the Church. In 1957, the movement spread to North America, when the first American Cursillo was held in Waco, Texas. In 1960 weekends were held for the first time in the eastern half of the USA. By 1981, almost all of the 160 dioceses in the United States had implemented an active Cursillo Movement. In the United States it is organized through a national office located in Jarrell, Texas.
The movement/charism is recognized by Pope Francis as member of the International Catholic Organizations of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome. It is widely known throughout the church as one of the most transformational movements in the church today. The last 6 popes have stood behind it through worldwide gatherings and Vatican support. The international organizing group is still headquartered in Spain.
There is a tradition that goes along with it…A story from the early days of the movement in Spain tells of an occasion where a group of men were returning from a Cursillo weekend when their bus broke down. They began to sing De Colores, a traditional folk song. The use of the song in Cursillo took hold, and has held up as the movement has spread outside the Spanish-speaking world and to other denominations. The use of a multi-colored rooster as a symbol for the Cursillo movement is believed to have originated from one of the verses of that song. Aside from the historical traditions, Cursillo is a simple, effective way to improve your walk with Christ through Piety, Study and Action.
The Cursillo is supported by the Roman Catholic Church. It is joined to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Sacramento diocese. We have a healthy and growing community in northern California and have several small worship groups who meet each week to grow in faith and service to our Lord and our church. More than 800 people are known to have been active in the Cursillo Movement in Sacramento, although that does not account for others who have relocated here.
The Diocesan Secretariat is the final organizational structure to be established in building a Movement in a diocese. It must be emphasized that the Cursillo Movement is not an organization, but it uses some organizational elements. The Secretariat gives life to the organizational form and accelerates the total work of the Movement in three phases of its methodology: the precursillo, 3-day weekend and post cursillo.
The Diocesan Secretariat is composed of clergy and laity, men and women. The whole Secretariat is entrusted by the Bishop with the responsibility of promoting, developing and directing the Cursillo Movement in a diocese. The authority entrusted to the Secretariat is to embrace, study, and promote the Charism of the Movement. The Lay Director should always be a lay person responsible for the organization and methodology of the Movement. The Spiritual Advisor, always a priest, deacon or vowed religious, is responsible for matters concerning doctrine and conscience. Other Secretariat members include the Chairperson for the School of Leaders, Precursillo, Cursillo, and Postcursillo sections and a Treasurer and Secretary. All Secretariat members have voice and vote. The members of the Secretariat come from the School of Leaders. Their selection places them in a position to be of greater service to the Movement.
As committed leaders, dedicated to promoting and living the Foundational Charism ourselves, we have understood that Cursillo is not something that we do; it is something that we live simply because to live Cursillo is to live the Gospel.The membership of the Secretariat should be sufficiently small to serve in a climate of Group Reunion.
The Cursillistas who serve the Movement in the Secretariats and Schools of Leaders can best be described as keepers of the flame of the vision of the Founder, keeping it burning brightly as a beacon for all those whose paths are illuminated by its light.
SECRETARIAT MEMBERS
2023-2025 TERM OF OFFICE
Parishioner at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Elk Grove since 2003
Ministries/Community Service/Professional Background: Former Coordinator for the RCIA Program and Catholics Returning Home, Homebound Ministry, Parish Advocate for the Diocesan Tribunal, Past Chair of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, Former Board Member of Cristo Rey High School. Retired Litigation Paralegal and Nonprofit Development Consultant and Grant Writer.
Family Life: Married to Jerry Bowers with one son, daughter-in-law and 2 granddaughters.
Parishioner at SS Peter and Paul since 2014
Ministries/Community Service/Professional Background: Served on Last 3 Cursillo Teams, Bible study leader for 2 yrs; Cursillo Parish Rep. Have 2 culinary Degrees and Truck Driver for 19 yrs.
Family Life: Married to Jenny Williams for 18 yrs.
Parishioner at Divine Savior since 1996
Ministries/Community Service/Professional Background: Parish Pastoral Council member; Parish Welcoming Committee member; former CFF Catechist and Marriage Prep and Engage Encounter; Winter Sanctuary for the homeless. Works as a Call Center Representative
Family Life: Married to Ron Bauer for 28 years with 2 adult children.
Ministries/Community Service/Professional Background: Served as a music minister/cantor for 40 years; Catechist in the Catholics Returning Home ministry; Served in 2021 and 2022 women's weekend team; Asst. Rectora for the Women's 2023 weekend team; retired public school Math Teacher.
Family Life: Married to John for 35 years with three grown children.
What is Cursillo?
So, what is Cursillo? Many think the Cursillo weekend is a nice retreat. A spiritual treat shared with an exclusive group of people. It could be a mountain top experience away from ordinary life that renews a remembered sensation of community. A spirit-filled weekend filled with emotional highs. Maybe Cursillos is an opportunity to relive an important moment in our spiritual growth that feeds our soul and strengthens our sense of purpose. Kind of strange if it is only offered as a one-time experience, what is the point? More importantly, what part does it play in our journey to God?
The purpose of Cursillo is to enable lay Catholics to live their lives by Jesus’s two great commandments—to love God and love our neighbor. The Cursillo charism is friendship. To love your neighbor, it is essential to know the person, spend time, talk and share--to become friends and grow closer to God. This takes time and effort but it is an investment in our salvation.
Friendship is the key to the Cursillo. Friends are like meringue pie. Some are the golden brown highlights on the top. The people we wave to on the street as they walk their dogs or the grocery clerks we see weekly. We recognize them as part of our environment. Some are the white bubble filled meringue—Facebook posts and quick chats at coffee and donuts after Mass. Some are the tart sweet parts of our lives, filled with give and take, good and not so pleasant—neighbors, coworkers and distant family. Others are our crust—stable, supportive and always there. All of this is held together by the beautiful pie pan of our life in God.
It sounds incredible. How do we get started? We meet a cursillista and become friends with him or her. It could be someone in our parish, a relative or someone in our neighborhood. We talk with them about our life experiences, maybe a connection through our children or another organization. Somewhere along there is an invitation to “Come and see”. Whoever brings up the idea, we sign up for a Cursillo Weekend. This will be an introduction into the Cursillo life.
Just like boot camp, the weekend will be an intensive experience composed of three components. Part of the weekend is the prayers and liturgy familiar to our Catholic practices. Part is the lived experience of community with our brothers or sisters. Something I thought was a foretaste of heaven. The last part is the Rollos, 15 talks that developed the Cursillo plan of living our lives. These talks gradually draw the candidate into the Cursillo method of perseverance—Group reunion. The purpose of the Three Day Cursillo weekend is to build the friendships and skills that the cursillista will use. The weekend is the bridge to that Fourth Day, meaning the rest of your life.
Cursillo gives us the tool, our 4th day group reunions, to grow friendship on a deeper level, down to the crust. To learn to really know our group sisters or brothers takes time. To learn to love them, we share our lives prayer, study, action, closest moments to Christ, apostolic successes and failures. We also share our aspirations and plans. We ask them to hold us to our course. In success and failure, we come back to them for support, encouragement, consolation, and a reminder that human failure could be part of God’s plan. Weekly group reunion is the tool of the Cursillo. We do not go to God alone but with our arms around each other.
The second tool the Cursillo gives us is the Ultreya. This is a celebration of the Cursillo group reunion. It is the support of our wider Cursillo community. Its purpose is to challenge and inspire the groups. To inspire the vision, bring the stagnant to enthusiasm, support to the struggling and share successes and joys. Participating in Ultreya with your 4th day group reunion brings joy and a sense of connection with the whole Cursillo community.
Bringing friends who have not yet made a Cursillo to the Ultreya is a great way to inspire and encourage participation. Careful introduction of prospective candidates to a group reunion is ideal with the support of the group sisters or brothers. These are the ordinary environment of the cursillista.
Those who want to know more about the movement or consider making the Cursillo an apostolate should attend School of Leaders. A floating group reunion is established in the School. Friendships are formed and a purpose is established. The title is a carryover from the Spanish terminology but the School is the compass of the Cursillo movement in the diocese. This is where ideas and plans for the Cursillo movement are generated. In the School, those who see the importance of supporting the movement join in steering the Cursillo course. Palanca, study and action are essential on the schedule. To stop learning is to die. The Cursillo publications are available at the School. On the National website there are many videos and printed talks from National and Regional encounters. These allow us to share the experiences of cursillistas around the world. During the SOL meetings, our sisters and brothers share their vision of the Cursillo message.
What is the Cursillo? Come join us and see.
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