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"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps"
Proverbs:16:9
Cursillo Schedule 2009
2009 ORANGE COUNTY TRI-CULTURAL CURSILLO SCHEDULE
Leaders School Field Trip
Experience The Art, Architecture & Angelic Awe of The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
When: Friday, May 16,2008
Click Here for more informationRecognition
and
Benefit Dinner
for Bill Crawford
Sponsored jointly by
O.C. English Cursillo and
Knights of Columbus
Saturday, May 31, 2008
6:00 PM (following 5:00 PM Mass)
San Antonio de Padua Parish Hall
5800 East Santa Ana Canyon Road
Anaheim Hills, CA 92807-3237
- Bring a dish to share and your smiles
- Musicians bring your instruments
- Silent Auction & Live Auction
- Opportunity Drawing & 80/20 Raffle
- Cash; check; credit cards welcomed
Contact Laurie Bois (714) 600-0191 to deliver silent auction items
Any questions, contact Mike Blasi (714)974-5300 / mblasi@socal.rr.com
If you are unable to attend this event and wish to show your support for Bill & Billie. please send a card with your Palanca /Prayers, and if possible a donation for Bill payable “OC Cursillo”: Care of: Orange County Cursillo, Mike Blasi, 2510 N. San Miguel Dr., Orange, CA 92867
Click Here for Event Information Flyer
The Deacon’s Beacon
May 2008
We have accomplished much in the nearly 3 years I have been involved as your Spiritual Director. We have increased attendance at Cursillo with 716 people living their Cursillo during this time period. We have increased attendance at our Post Cursillo Diocesan Ultreya from less than 100 on a Wednesday night at Marywood to over 350 people that attended our last Grand Ultreya Saturday at St. Timothy’s. We have held a Cursillo Information Sunday in 27 parishes with 3 more currently scheduled. We have increased attendance at School of Leaders to a consistent number of 40 people each month. We have increased the number of Parish Representatives to 47. We have a world class web site and are compiling an outstanding database to track the history of Cursillo in the Diocese of Orange.
Why do I mention these facts? Well it’s certainly not to blow my own horn. With Pentecost this Sunday I feel it is important to look back and reflect upon the movement of the Holy Spirit in our Cursillo Community. We have been blessed with many gifts. What better day than Pentecost to pause and consider how we as a Cursillo community, one in Spirit, can utilize these gifts to reach out to our brothers and sisters who are struggling. I was so heartened to see the outpouring of love and support for Marsha at the loss of our brother Deacon Gaston. We have others in need in our parishes and in our Cursillo family as well. We need to always be open to those the Spirit directs us to assist. Our combined resources as a community of love can make a significant difference.
Remember the message of Cursillo. “All of us together are better than any one of us alone.”
De Colores, Deacon Doug
Calling All Cursillistas!
May 2008
Pray And Study – Then Act
Living Faith is one of my favorite Catholic publications (along with the Magnificat.) It is a quarterly booklet of daily reflections on one of the scripture readings from the day’s Mass. Check it out at www.livingfaith.com. You can check the Magnificat out at www.magnificat.com. Like so many Curstillistas, I strive to live a Life in Grace by keeping in mind always that special template for daily living…namely, our famous Cursillo tripod. We all learned - while living our personal 3-days - whenever that might have been – that it is the regular exercise of piety, study, and action that will make our Fourth Day…a DeColores Fourth Day! I find that Living Faith and the Magnificat are important daily aids in keeping the tripod at the forefront of my day.
Recently – on Thursday, April 10 to be exact – the above listed title “Pray And Study – Then Act” appeared in Living Faith and caused me to think of Cursillo and to thank God once again for having called me to Cursillo #251 in July 1993. I never tire of giving thanks to God for our beautiful Cursillo movement of Orange and for the introduction into my life of a very simple, yet truly profound, image of a tripod with three legs: piety, study and action. Indeed, this tripod has bought me, and I know you too, much comfort and joy in living my Fourth Day. Truly, it would be difficult to imagine life without it!
On this day, I was particularly inspired by the word “Act” and what it means to us Curstillistas.
“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” MK 16:15 This urging by Jesus to His Apostles, as is written in the Gospel of Mark, applies, we know, to ALL baptized Catholics. As Curstillistas, it is a very important part of our ACTION that we strive to spread His Gospel in what we say and do, everyday…as best we are able.
This brings me to the main point of my writing this month…and it is to give thanks…GREAT THANKS…to all Curstillistas for their ACTION in working so hard to spread the message of Cursillo to so many worthy Catholics in Orange County. It has not happened by accident that our recent Cursillo weekends are so very well attended. It only happens by virtue of the evangelizing efforts of so many Curstillistas in “making a friend, being a friend, and bringing that friend to Christ!” To live a DeColores Fourth Day means to evangelize at this time and in our present environments and in all ways possible. This, I believe, our Cursillo community of Orange is doing so very well!
A special thanks to all the sponsors of the candidates to Cursillos #482 and #481 and to the leadership of our team members and especially to Rectora Paula Lynn and Rector Oscar Valenzuela. It is difficult to image a more fulfilling realization of the joy of Christ then to see the radical transformation – the metanoia - of so many individuals from candidate to Curstillista in just 3 days.
Now please allow me to close with a special, personal sharing. It was the very special good fortune of my wife Sharon and me to have been in attendance at the Papal Mass celebrated in New York City on April 20 of last month. There is much to share about this very spiritual event, and I have already shared with many of you; and I hope to share more of my experience with more of you in coming weeks. Suffice it to say that when Pope Benedict XVI entered Yankee Stadium that afternoon, I could barely stop from crying with my love for Our Holy Father and all that he represents to me and to you. His every word and action, not only that afternoon, but during his extended visit and in every way, spoke of the joy of God’s Mercy and Love and Hope. I was never more proud – or shall I say humbled - to be a Catholic in America. We have much work ahead, but together and with the guidance of Our Holy Father; we can make this world a better place. The place and time to start, we all know, is right now and in our present environments – right here in Orange County – by just striving to be a better Curstillista!
DeColores!
Mike Blasi
Cursillo Goals
Status Report
For Year 2008
Establish Cursillo Presence in all Parishes in the Diocese of Orange
- To date we have had Cursillo Information Sundays in 18 Parishes.
- We have had our Grand Ultreya in 7 different parishes and our Multi-Cultural Ultreya in 3 different parishes.
- We now have approximately 47 Parish Reps.
- We are working to improve our Cursillo Web Site and establish an on-line database of all who have attended Cursillo. We are also building a database with the history of Cursillo in the Diocese of Orange.
Strengthen Cursillo Infra-Structure
- We have increased the attendance at our School of Leaders from an average of 15 people per month to an average of nearly 40 per month. This is half way towards our goal.
- We began Spiritual Formation for the Secretariat and have had 3 Secretariat Retreats.
- The Post Cursillo Ultreya was moved from Marywood to various parishes. To date we have held them at St. Timothy, St. Angela Merici, St. Norbert, St. Pius V, San Antonio de Padua, San Francisco Solano and St. Martin de Porres.
Conduct Cursillo Weekends at Marywood
- In September the Spanish Cursillo #473 & #474 was attended by 24 men and 27 women.
- In October the English Cursillo #475 & #476 was attended by 39 men and 38 women. This total of 77 candidates is a record number going back many years.
Improve the Communications with the other Cursillo Cultures
- Our last multi-cultural Ultreya was held on November 9th at St. Cecilia Parish in Tustin with approximately 160 in attendance from all cultures.
- On Sept. 15 & 16 the Vietnamese Cursillo celebrated the 25th anniversary of the first Cursillo in that language in the Diocese of Orange.
- We had a multi-cultural ultreya on November 9th at St. Cecilia's in Tustin.
- We have planned a quarterly Secretariat meeting on Dec. 7th.
Respectfully Submitted
Deacon Doug Cook
November 12, 2007
