[Silent Auction bidders for the Dinner with Bishop Soto AND Polish Dinner with Two Polish Priests finally had their fill of a wonderful evening of Food, Fun and Fellowship! Below are short articles written by Mike and Laura Blakey as hosts of Dinner with Bishop Soto.and by Liz Ponce for the Polish Dinner. They both captured the ambiance of a wonderful celebration. You can view the photos from both events in the Gallery.]
Dinner with Bishop Soto
On October 13, 2023, we had the honor of hosting the Dinner with Bishop Jaime Soto of the Sacramento Diocese. The dinner guests were the bidders for this silent auction item at the Energize Fundraiser Luncheon held last May 27, 2023.
We were blessed with beautiful fall weather, allowing us to dine in our backyard patio. The event planning started weeks in advance. Members of the Secretariat who sponsored this event took the lead in staging and coordinating every detail of the event, all the way down to loaning chinaware from multiple families to make the evening incredibly special.
The day of the event began with volunteers from the Knights of Columbus arriving in the morning to help prepare our yard for this beautiful event. Other volunteers from our Cursillo Community arranged a beautiful table for 20 people, helped us arrange the flowers and placed a ton of pumpkins from the garden in just the right places creating a fun and festive atmosphere. The party really began when Executive Chef, Jeff Williams and Sous Chef Jenny Williams and the rest of the Secretariat members and their spouses arrived in the early afternoon to start preparing for a fine dining experience.
Each Secretariat member - and their spouses - attended to two dinner guests exclusively. The dinner menu included pumpkin soup, scallop salad, a choice of chicken cordon bleu or salmon with wild rice and a mix of sauteed vegetables. Sobon Family Winery donated a variety of premium wines. Wine pairing and training on different types of wines were poured by our fellow Cursillista, Elaine Sobon Stenoski while giving a brief description of each wine. Guests were served with a special cheese cake with brandied cherry sauce while sipping Zinfandel Port. To end the evening, Secretariat members serenaded the dinner guests with an impromptu singing of De Colores!
What a pleasure it was to be at such an elegant event with such a joyful group! The evening was so relaxed, and filled with people that were just happy to be there, not just the guests, but also the Team serving us. This experience was truly a gift to us. We were truly blessed with a wonderful evening of delicious food, lovely people and mostly feeling the JOY in taking care of each other.
By: Mike and Laura Blakey
[Laura lived her Cursillo in 2018 and Mike in 2023. Mike is an active member of the Knights of Columbus. They are both engaged in the Works of Mercy ministry at Good Shepherd feeding the homeless.]
Polish Dinner
With Fr. Sylvester Kwiatkowski and Fr. Leon Juchniewicz
On October 20, 2023 at 5:00p.m. we were greeted by Father Sylvester, at Saint Maria Goretti’s Rectory, dressed in his Polish attire, very colorful.
From the minute Fr. Sylvester opened the door, he made all of us feel so welcome! And once we were inside the hallway, the aroma coming from the kitchen, told us we were in for a real treat.
We were blessed with two wonderful hosts for the evening, Father Sylvester, and Father Leon. Each telling us stories of their homeland, showing us on a map the location of where they came from.
Father Sylvester, had turned on the blue tube, (TV) and we were entertained with Polish dancers with an orchestra. Even though we were watching them on the big screen, we felt like we were right there in the front row. This was one of the many entertainments of the evening.
Father Leon arrived with a platter of Polish appetizers, an assortment of cheese, pickles, bread, salami, olives, and Polish Sausage from Chicago. After some wine with appetizers, and good conversations, we took our seats at the beautiful table set before us.
After the blessing we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. While at the dinner table, we also noticed the beautiful paintings done by Father Sylvester, an acrylic artist.
The Polish dinner that was prepared by fellow Cursillista, Michelle Hayes, and her mother Ms. Becky Sliwa, began with a green salad, followed by meat perogies, golabki (cabbage rolls), seasoned boil potatoes, asparagus with two traditional sides, a cucumber salad, and an apple carrot salad made by Father Sylvester. Michelle was a little concerned about me since I am known as a picky eater. She had nothing to worry about. The food was DELICIOUS I had never tasted Polish food before, and the others around the table all agreed. YUMMY!
Our table group was like a fine bottle of wine, we all enjoyed ourselves. I know Father Sylvester and Father Leon had a wonderful time, too.
Our second entertainment of the evening, was from our two-host serenading us all evening with several Polish songs, while having our dessert Kolaczki (Polish cookies bought in from Chicago by Ms. Becky. Father Leon was playing his accordion, with Father Sylvester singing along. One of the best dinners I have been to.
Those who joined me for the evening, were Mike & Monica Small, Terry & Ruth Defrates, Diane Marcotte, Monica Goodale, and Sharon Dorricott.
Thank you, Michelle, and your kitchen crew, Ms. Becky, Margie Balch, and Grace Garcia, for a wonderful, home style Polish dinner. No complaints!
By Liz Ponce
[Liz lived her Cursillo in the Oakland Diocese in 1995. She is the current coordinator for the Lazarus Ministry at Good Shepherd. She guides bereaved families in planning for their loved ones' funeral services.]
The Sacramento Diocese English Cursillo Community
Apostolic Planning and Benefits of a Cursillo de Cursillos
Background Information: The Catholic Church, in its post-pandemic reality, has to find ways to have the faithful return to the pews and celebrate the Sunday Liturgy shoulder-to-shoulder with their own faith community. In the same way, the Cursillo Movement has to find effective ways to gather once again in person and share the beauty of our charism. The doors of the Catholic Church were closed for 15 months, resorting to online technology to reach the faithful. In the same way, our Ultreya gathering turned into a Zoom event.
Apostolic Planning: At the start of the new Secretariat's 3-year term in January 2023, the Most Reverend Jaime Soto presided over the Rite of Commissioning of its 8 members. These members accepted the responsibilities entrusted to them by their bishop and the community as servant leaders. They pledged to remain faithful stewards of the Catholic Church and the charism of the Cursillo Movement. At this juncture, they realized it was time for an in-person gathering of all Cursillistas - to guide those they serve to a loving friendship with Christ through a living witness, prayer, and sacrifice.
The newly commissioned Secretariat held their first meeting with a vision of inviting the "far away Cursillistas" in our diocese. The Sacramento Diocese comprises 20 counties covering 42,597 square miles of the north and eastern regions of California. It was in the first official Secretariat meeting that the (1st Year) Apostolic Plan was introduced.
The vision was to energize the Movement with key activities that would promote fellowship amongst FRIENDS, rebuilding the cornerstone of our Movement, FRIENDSHIP, and COMMUNITY. The Apostolic Plan was designed to itemize quarterly objectives to achieve the goal of gathering...for in these gatherings we encounter the God of all good things through His Son, Jesus Christ.
We created committees to handle key tasks in reinvigorating the Movement. Committees were identified for the planning and execution of the following activities: (1) Review and revise the 2003 Articles and ByLaws; (2) A Day of Recollection with Secretariat and Parish Representatives gathering in prayer. (3) A Fund Development group to raise money for a Cursillo de Cursillos (CDC) workshop and all other needs; (4) A CDC Logistical Planning Team from National, Regional, and Host Team; and (5) Grand Ultreya with the Filipino, Vietnamese, Spanish and English Cursillo Communities in the Sacramento Diocese.
Punctuated in between all these activities are the Secretariat's primary roles and responsibilities in performing its 3 facets of Cursillo methodologies. The Precursillo, Three-Day Cursillo, and Postcursillo are now in place for this year. Discernment for the next Rector/Rectora was completed at the beginning of the year, the Precursillo work promoting Men’s and Women's Cursillo Weekends continues, and the weekends are now scheduled for Fall. What's left to do is for Weekend Team Members to evaluate what worked and what didn't work for better future planning.
Upon review of our first-year Cursillo Apostolic Plan for the first 3 quarters of 2023, we've met all our goals: (1) The Secretariat ratified its Amended Articles and Bylaws in its July Secretariat meeting; (2) A Day of Recollection with the theme "Enkindled with the Fire of God's Love," was held last spring with 40 key leaders participating; (3) An "Energize Luncheon" fundraising event was held with 200 Cursillistas participating through attendance, volunteerism and auction item donations; (4) a CDC was held on August 31-September 3. Six members from National and Regional staff facilitated the CDC Weekend with 35 Cursillistas; and (5) The Grand Ultreya is now scheduled for the Spring of 2024, a show of unity in diversity.
Cursillos de Cursillos. We've achieved all our initial goals to jumpstart the Movement in Sacramento, but it's not the end of it. Our first year of apostolic planning has to include a CDC. The CDC must be lived...to inform the Cursillo leadership of its essence, purpose, mentality, method, and charism. The leadership has to know the Charism very well so as to inculcate in us what is fundamental to being a Christian, which is one and the same as being a Cursillista.
We learned about the qualities of an authentic Leader, the benefits of regular Ultreya and Group Reunion, and the economics of Weekend Team Formation. The School of Leader's efficacy depends on properly structuring its contents, considering the nature of participation, understanding the rationale and benefits from it.
With our gained knowledge from all the CDC Rollos, we can now look into our future Apostolic Planning, focused on saturating our environment with the Cursillo charism. The key to all this gained knowledge is to understand Eduardo Bonnín’s mentality and the origin of his ideas, values, and beliefs. Prompted and guided by the Holy Spirit, Servant of God Eduardo Bonnín passed on to the Laity and Mother Church the vision of building the Kingdom of God through genuine Friendship with God and Friendship with one another. De Colores!
Verne Bowers, Diocesan Cursillo Coordinator for the Diocese of Sacramento
This article is featured in the National Cursillo October 2023 Newsletter.
You can view and read the newsletter with the following link: CNN_1023_ENF.pdf (natl-cursillo.org)
THE RITE OF COMMISSIONING
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A New Spiritual Director for Sacramento Cursillo
As we head into 2023 we all look ahead to the many exciting possibilities before us. One such news item that will give us momentum appeared in this month's Catholic Herald (Jan/Feb), related to our future leadership.
Bishop Soto has appointed Fr. Dean Marshall as the permanent Spiritual Director of our charism, something we haven't formally had for some time. Fr. Dean is wonderfully spiritual, has the passion to keep up with us and is very familiar with Sacramento Cursillo. He made his weekend a few years ago and has supported weekends along the way.
It would not be fair to ignore all of those Deacons and Priests who have stuck by us, volunteering their time in support of all the weekends and items being managed by the Secretariat. You all have been critical in where the Holy Spirit has led us. In particular, thank you, Deacons Dave, Mike, and Rommell and Fr. Tom from St Ignatius, who blessed us with beautiful instruction on several weekends.
Congratulations Fr. Dean... we are truly blessed to have you journey with us...ULTREYA!
Cursillo de Cursillos - Opportunities & Benefits
Eduardo Bonnín, Founder of Cursillo, traveled the five continents to spread Cursillo world-wide. During
his travels, Eduardo was confirming that Cursillo was starting to show some misguided interpretations of
the original ideas. Eduardo thought he had to do something so that such interpretations would not become
irreversible deviations. He felt there was a need to design something for leaders and potential leaders of the
Cursillo Movement. Therefore, “In Eduardo’s ‘lab of ideas’, he and some friends prepared the initial
outlines for the Cursillo de Cursillos”. The first Cursillo de Cursillos was held in Spain in 1957.
Simply stated, Cursillo de Cursillos (CDC) is a workshop based on the Foundational Charism of Cursillo.
The CDC has provided Cursillistas with a treasure of knowledge and a living experience of what is essential
in the mentality, essence, purpose, and method of the Movement. The CDC is offered to those Cursillistas
who have the desire to be effective Christian leaders in the world. It has provided many Cursillistas with
an opportunity to discover the immense possibilities that Cursillo offers the person, the Church, and
the world.
Cursillo de Cursillos has helped many Cursillistas delve into the foundational elements of the Movement
in light of its Charism. This course follows a schedule and format like the Cursillo Weekend. The
course begins on Thursday evening and concludes on Sunday noon. A total of 13 rollos and 4
Meditations are presented by a team of laity and clergy. Each rollo presented is followed by a dialogue
within each table group. Sufficient time is allotted for questions and answers at the end of each rollo.
Each day creates a different environment through the interaction of the Cursillistas in friendship. The
weekend provides a relaxing atmosphere with plenty of time for breaks, reflection, personal contact, and
daily Eucharist.
Besides an increased knowledge of the Charism of Cursillo, the participants have enjoyed the opportunity
to strengthen friendships and make new friends while sharing their personal experiences in
discipleship and leadership. Cursillistas have enjoyed the opportunity to nurture and deepen the three
essential encounters with self, Christ, and others which were discovered during the Cursillo Weekend.
Like the Cursillo Weekend, the CDC must be lived and experienced to take advantage of its
opportunities and benefits.
Cursillistas have responded enthusiastically to the truth and simplicity of Cursillo and through God’s
grace, they are inspired to return to their School of Leaders, Ultreyas, and environments to live,
witness, and communicate the Good News that God in Christ loves us. This inspiration or response is
evident in the Cursillistas as they listen, reflect, share, and freely embrace the true Charism of Cursillo!
Cursillo de Cursillos is the most effective workshop/course available for Cursillistas wanting to learn
about the Foundational Charism. The Secretariats in the dioceses of the 12 regions in the United States
are encouraged to contact their respective Regional Coordinator to request a Cursillo de Cursillos for
their community. The goal of Cursillo is to communicate God’s love through friendship in the moveable
square meter (environment) where God has placed us at this exact moment. Make the decision today to
attend a Cursillo de Cursillos and allow the Charism of Cursillo to form you, inform you, and transform
you. Christ is still counting on you!
In Friendship!
National Secretariat
National Staff
March 2022