Ultreya Reports

An ultreya was held on March 23 at the Church of the Resurrection in Sunnyvale . Mike Kurtz served as master of ceremonies, Margo Voisinet led the opening prayer, and the local Women's Fourth Day Group organized the food. The music – and there was lots of it – all great – was provided by Ann Gadd and Norma Hammons. Mimi Bini, the Fall '05 Rectora, introduced the testimonial speakers, two candidates from her weekend: Donna Winslow said the retreat energized her, connected her with a great spiritual community, and helped her meet many woman that she wants to share her faith with. Laura Carillo also had a great weekend. She said she prayed and ate, prayed and ate, and prayed and ate. She also shared her faith, felt accepted, and was left with a big smile and a warm glow.

Bob Malone spoke briefly about InnVision, reminding everyone that as Christians we are called to love those around us, and that Christ said "Feed my sheep." He drew a parallel between Matthew's gospel, where Christ feeds 5000, and the InnVision Breakfast Program, which provides a hot breakfast every Saturday morning to about 100 people, which is about 5000 people per year. If you would like to work or make a donation to this worthy cause, go to http://www.brothersnchrist.org .

The main speaker was Ed Wendler, whose talk was entitled "We Are Called." He reflected on the fact that it seemed easy for the apostles to follow Christ when he said "Come follow me" and asked "So why isn't it easy for us?" At least one answer is that sometimes we hear the call, but are afraid – we may have to change and that may be difficult – so we say "No" out of fear. Ed used his own calling to help at the Emergency Housing Consortium as an example. Jim Garrotto tried to get him involved on numerous occasions, but he always had an excuse until Jim fell ill and couldn't go himself. Ed has since found the work to be very rewarding and has continued to support EHC since Jim's death.

Ed also explained that Jesus knows exactly what we are like – he knows our gifts and fears – because he created us. He reminded us of one of Fr. Frank Cottrell's favorite sayings: "Grace is not something, it is someone." He spoke about the crisis in our local movement – the extreme shortage of people willing to serve as rector and rectora and left us with the question: "How can I be more open to Christ's call to "Come follow me"?

Jane Cosgrove then spoke briefly about the upcoming Cursillo Workshop "Remember the Mountain" at Santa Teresa Church in San Jose on June 2 and 3. It will offer prayer, meditation, good food, fellowship, and some educational talks on various aspects of the three-day weekend – a must for those who want to work on future weekends. She ended by reminding everyone that "God equips those he calls."

Left: Doug Arant, Rector Fall 2005

Right: Fr. Steve Donohue,
Guest Speaker

The February 22 Ultreya at St. Julie's was hosted by Doug and Becki Arant (Parish Reps) with Doug also serving as the master of ceremonies. The music for the evening was provided by Chad Silva and Kevin Flanigan. The witness talks were given by Zane Beebee and Mike Avery. Zane found his weekend to be very powerful. He said that God has always been in his life, but not the way He is now. Through the weekend, Zane has come to understand what Christ has done for us in a new way and says "it's easy to turn your life over to someone who loves you unconditionally." Mike says the weekend gave him a jump start, that it made him stronger, that it has helped him get through some difficult times. He began with "God bless the Cooks!" and ended with a big "Thank You" to the whole community.

The main speaker was Fr. Steve Donohue, who worked as a missionary in Nigeria and Kenya for many years in schools, on development projects, and as an administrator. Fr. Steve left Africa in 1995 and had the good fortune to go back for a visit in December, 2005. He spoke about the horrible conditions he encountered – the neglected widows, the impoverished orphans, the inhuman slums, and the government corruption. He also relayed stories of inspiration and hope: missionaries working hard to tend to the needs of the sick, the dying, and the disadvantaged. He told of meeting a pupil from 1954 who has been forced to change careers several times because he refuses to compromise his moral standards and give into the corruption he encounters in the work place. Fr. Steve also displayed some of the pictures he took with his new digital camera, demonstrating that he is an accomplished photographer, as well as an excellent speaker!

The December 7th Ultreya was held at St. Martin's in Sunnyvale and was hosted by the Fall, 2005 Men's Cursillo (Doug Arant, rector). Bill Wright served as the master of ceremonies. The music was provided courtesy of Chad Silva, Mike Miller, Kevin Flanigan, and Doug Arant. Kris Timo, a new Cursillista from the weekend, was the testimonial speaker. He said that for many years he had thought the Church was too exclusive and had drifted to other Christian churches. His image of the Church was drastically changed by his Cursillo experience and he now feels that he has come home. He is in training to become a Eucharistic Minister and is enthusiastic about his faith again.

Don Johnson, the main speaker, spoke on "Formation." This was a talk that Don gave last year at the Back to the Mountain Retreat and will give again on an upcoming Kairos weekend. He reminded us that formation is the second leg of the Cursillo tripod and that it means 'to develop' or 'to know God and to know what God wants of us.' Don said that much of his understanding of these profound questions has come from objective evidence in the physical world that he has gathered using his five senses. He said that he pursued this journey because he wanted peace of mind; that he wanted to be on God's autopilot. He searched for Jesus in order to acquire the mind of Christ. He reminded us that one's life can and does change, depending on the choices we make and admonished us to always 'choose Christ.'

Kevin Eck, lay director, reported on a wonderful meeting that resolved many issues and strengthened our relationship with Presentation Center . He asked everyone to please log on to our website at http://www.sanjosecursillo.org and update their contact information, weekends worked, and duties performed, so that this database can be a more useful tool for the movement.

The November 10 th ultreya was held at St. Catherine's in Morgan Hill . The music was provided by Jackie Elardo-Duarte, Cora Flemate, and Ed Wendler. Dennis Fiala served as master of ceremonies and master joke teller. Kevin Eck, lay director, welcomed everyone, described the new traffic pattern at Presentation Center , and introduced the voting members of the Secretariat that were present. Bill Wright read a mediation that said we should serve as lighthouses for others, so that they too can find Christ.

Renee Martinson (Spring, 2005) was the sole testimonial speaker. She had a fabulous weekend laughing, crying, dancing, and praying. She said her Cursillo helped her realize the importance of community and to refocus her life. Kevin Eck spoke again, describing Dick Guertin's wonderful work on our data base and reminded everyone to update their record at The Cursillo Database.  He also explained that the applications to make or work a Cursillo can now be found on-line at this same URL. Kevin concluded by modeling one of the new Cursillo T-shirts that are now on sale for $15 (or two for $25).

Mike Monroe, the main speaker, gave a talk entitled "Catholic Social Teaching through Fair Trade". Mike started with his own personal story. He explained that there are 1.2 billion people in the world who live on less than $1 per day, that the Bible calls us to do social justice, and that he tries to live this out in his daily life. This has led him to start a business called Integrity Express (see http://www.integrityexpress.us/aboutus.htm ), which deals in fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate, olive oil, wine, rice, and sports balls. He explained how fair trade, the idea to pay people a fair price for their goods, started in Germany after World War II. Mike showed a movie entitled "Coffee, Corn, and the Cost of Globalization". The movie described the 'corn problem' in Mexico – basically the US sells government-subsidized surplus corn in Mexico for less than the local cost of production, rendering the Mexican corn worthless and destroying their agricultural community.

Bill Wright thanked everyone for coming, thanked Catherine Ellis for acting as host, and pointed out the information table which is present at every ultreya. The closing prayer was led by Mike Kahala.

The October 13 th Ultreya at St. Thomas of Canterbury exuded energy, because both the men's and women's fall Cursillo teams were in attendance. Bill Wright served as Master of Ceremonies, Buzz Bickham (Spring, 2005 Rector) led the opening meditation, and Ann Gadd and Dan Winklebleck led the music. Kevin Eck, our lay director, explained the new parking procedures at Presentation Center and reminded everyone to update their contact information and work experience at: The Cursillo Database.  JoAnn McPeak announced that she has read the Bible from cover to cover for eight years in a row because of a wonderful little book called "Daily Bread" (see http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml ). Mimi Bini reported that she and Kevin Eck attended the Region XI Encounter in Fresno on September 30 to October 2; she said it was a wonderful event with over 200 people in attendance from five different cultures. The theme was 'friendship' – friendship with each other and friendship with God, who wants to be our best friend.

The first testimonial speaker was Jeff Jacobs, who spoke about his mother's recent medical struggles and his family's faith journey. He called the Cursillo community "amazing" and thanked everyone for their prayers and support. The second speaker was Robert Lungaro, who made the Spring, 2005 weekend with Jeff. He said that his Cursillo weekend was "like walking into an ocean of love" and that he feels he is a better Catholic Christian today because of the experience.

Dr. David Hammons was the main speaker. He addressed three main questions in his talk entitled "Who is Benedetto?" He started by discussing Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger , the man (Who is he?). He then spoke on the papacy (What is it?) and finished by speculating on Pope Benedict XVI (What kind of pope will he be?). Dave reviewed two of Cardinal Ratzinger's books: Introduction to Christianity and The Spirit of Liturgy . The first begins with a clown anecdote by Søren Kierkegaard, the renowned Danish philosopher, and sure enough, there really was a clown: Joey Gadd appeared out of no where dressed in full clown regalia and acted out the anecdote while Dave narrated.

While speaking on the papacy, Dave touched on the role of Sacred Tradition, the Bible, and the Magisterium in the Church. He pointed out that Pope Benedict is already seeking new ways to reconcile the Church with other religions. He reminded us that the Pope, in his first public remarks after being elected the 265 th pontiff, referred to himself as "a simple and humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord" and said he was comforted by "the fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with inadequate instruments." Dave also reminded us that, as Catholic Christians, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves. In addition to reading the secular press, he suggested we check out the Vatican website at: http://www.vatican.va . He explained that we should always be careful to check our sources, as over 90% of the national media is unchurched.

The Spring 2005 Woman's team, led by Jeanne Verrinder (rectora) and Joni Hildreth (assistant) organized the music group and provided the witness speakers. The first talk was given by Mary Lou Hinderliter, a first-time worker who reportedly delivered the best tasting rollo in the history of Cursillo. She primarily reflected on her mother's recent death and the meaning of life. The second talk was by Irene Manzo Jacobs, who attended the weekend and was reassured of God's love for her. She related how her perception of Eucharist has changed – instead of being a personal encounter with a God who stays on the altar, it has become a communal celebration with a God who leaves the altar and enters his people, the body of Christ. Jane Cosgrove, School of Leaders , followed with a meditation entitled "Who is the Person Sitting Next to You?" and then gave some tips on listening skills.

The main speaker was Fr. Bill Leininger, retired pastor of Transfiguration. He began by explaining how Cursillo changed his life and gave a little background on his role in establishing the Bay Area Cursillo Movement. Fr. Bill then reminded us that Christ spent his time with the poor, the weak, the sinners, and the prostitutes and that we, as Christians, must take His call to social justice seriously. He said "there is no difference between politics and religion – every political issue has a moral component." He said we must "stop fearing God" and learn to do his will as the serious lack of social justice in our World means that "the reign of God is not yet here." He ended with the idea that the World is a living thing and needs to be protected and treasured in its own right.

During his talk, Fr. Bill referred to a number of good books, most of which fall into two categories. The first gives a rationalization for God from a cosmological perspective (i.e., an indirect look at spirituality):
"The Universe Is a Green Dragon: Reading the Meaning in the Cosmic Story" by Brian Swimme
"The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos: Humanity and the New Story" by Brian Swimme
"The Great Work: Our Way into the Future" by Thomas Berry

and the second is a direct look at our own spirituality:

"Reclaiming Spirituality" by Diarmuid O'Murchu
"Quantum Theology" by Diarmuid O'Murchu
"Our World in Transition: Making Sense of a Changing World" by Diarmuid O'Murchu
"Praying in a Post - Einsteinian Universe" by David S. Toolan
"God after Darwin : A Theology of Evolution" by John F. Haught
"The Heart of Christianity : Rediscovering a Life of Faith" by Marcus J. Borg
"Circles of Hope by Bill Cane" (a good discussion book)
"Tomorrow's Catholic" by Michael Morwood (this book needs to be read with some theological help, as it can be very disturbing).

Fr. Bill says there are many other good books, but he has found these to be "a real challenge." As usual, the evening ended with more food, more visiting, more music, and a hearty rendition of "DeColores."

A well-attended ultreya was held at Santa Teresa's in San Jose on June 15, 2005 . Ed Wendler served as master of ceremonies. Some very enjoyable music was provided by Ed, Pat Coleman, Sheri Burns, and Danielle Peot. Lynda DeManti led the opening prayer and the intentions. Fr. Chris Bennett, the pastor, then welcomed us and shared a Gospel reading.

The ultreya was sponsored by the Spring, 2005, Men's Weekend with Buzz Bickham as rector, so many of the new Cursillistas were enthusiastically present. Eric Huerta was the first to share his thoughts about the weekend. He said he felt the love then and he felt it now. Eric went on to say he was fortunate to have been part of the weekend, that it has made him happier with himself, and that he wants to get more involved in his Church and his community. Next up was Bob Rucker, who said that the rollos helped him learn how to pray better. He was particularly touched by John Mote's powerful rollo and explained how it opened a painful door for him, for which he is most grateful. Bob finished by introducing Jeff Jacobs, who read a letter from Tom Madrid. Tom lives in San Diego, so he could not be present, but he just wanted to let everyone know how much the weekend meant to him. He said the experience made him feel like a child again; like a sponge in an ocean of God 's love.

Fr. Kevin Joyce, Ph.D., the Director of SpiritSite (link to http://www.spiritsite.org/ ), was the main speaker. He talked on "The Spiritual Journey according to St. Teresa of Avila ." He started out by explaining how St. Theresa could be a guide when we feel stuck in our relationship with Jesus Christ. He related how Theresa was born about the same time as Martin Luther and was a superficial young woman who developed a sexual relationship with her 16-year old cousin. After being banished to a convent, she became serious about her moral life and the welfare of others. Eventually she became the most influential woman in 16 th century Spain – all her power was based on her spirituality. Fr. Kevin explained that in her book, " Interior Castle ", St. Theresa describes the seven basic stages of the spiritual journey. He spoke about each one briefly and described how she likened these stages to the layers of an onion that must be peeled away one at a time. He reminded us that prayer is the most practical thing we can do to improve our human relationships because the more connected we are to God, the better we can deal with the troubles of the World. He ended by saying that one goal of our prayer should be to establish a relationship with the human Christ, who can then draw us into a relationship with God the Father.

The evening ended with a blessing for Danielle Peot, who is leaving the area for a new job closer to her family. Sheri Burns wrapped her in royal purple, placed a crown of ivy on her head, spoke briefly about her accomplishments on behalf of the San Jose Cursillo Movement, and then presented her with some gifts and a plaque. Danielle also received a small gift from Mimi Bini on behalf of the Secretariat. It was a wonderful evening – lots of food for thought, as well as lots of good fellowship and lots of plain old good food! This was the last ultreya until fall – see you in September – have a great summer!