Pastoral Plan For the English-Speaking Cursillo Community

Of the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J. (Final Draft November 2007)

 

Mission Statement:

 

The English-speaking Cursillo Community of the Diocese of Metuchen is dedicated to serving the people of God in the Diocese and in all environments we are in.

 

The Spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and guided by the Holy Spirit, our mission is to:

 

• Devote ourselves to loving Jesus Christ and others.
• Devote ourselves to creating Christ-centered environments wherever we are.
• Devote ourselves to evangelizing and bringing Christ’s gospels into new environments.

 

Vision Statement:

 

The Metuchen Cursillo Movement acts in unison with Region and National Cursillo, in acting as an agent of change, to bring Christ and His moral and ethical values into all environments we touch.

 

Overview of the Document:

 

This document is designed to outline a four-year plan for Metuchen Cursillo.  The following premises have been set in developing this plan.

 

1. Cursillo is a ministry of the Roman Catholic Church.
2. Cursillo is a year-round ministry, not a weekend movement.
3. Cursillistas, and the candidates we are seeking, are graced and empowered by the Grace of the Holy Spirit and strengthened b the sacraments of the Church.
4. Our mandate is to further build-up the Church of Jesus Christ – in individuals, families, communities and beyond.  We are to do this by imitating Jesus Christ.
5. We realize for many that Cursillo is a stop on their spiritual journey.  Cursillo may help prepare them for their next God-centered mission.
6. The Gospel is still very much alive today – always lifting up Christ.
7. As Cursillo Community, we are church and will embrace the church in all we do.

 

This document will outline the purpose, objectives and recommendations for each of the following aspects of Cursillo:

 

1. Spirituality
2. Precursillo
3. The Three-Day Cursillo Weekend
4. Postcursillo
5. School of Leaders

 

In implementing the recommendations of this plan, we hope to enhance and grow our:

 

• Two sets of weekends a year
• The School of Leaders
• Monthly Diocesan Mass
• Ultryas throughout the Diocese
• “Good News” Bulletin
• Shortcourse.org website

 

 

Spirituality

 

Spirituality – Purpose

 

`To foster growth in our capacity to live in, with and through Christ.

 

Spirituality – Objective

 

To nurture a desire for a person to seek his/her own form of spirituality among the many available in the Christian/Catholic tradition.

 

Spirituality – Recommendations:

 

1. Include a spiritual exercise or meditation, written by spiritual Directors, on website ( x Quarter, 200X)
2. Schedule a yearly retreat for Secretariat offered by community (Fourth Quarter 200X)
3. Work with Region to hold a state-wide Ultreya – in conjunction with Post Cursillo. (Fourth Quarter, 200X)
4. Offer special events:
   1. Weekends of prayer
   2. Mid-life spirituality
   3. Classes on prayer
   4. Other spirituality i.e. nature, etc. (Fourth Quarter 200x)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PreCursillo

 

Precursillo – Purpose:

 

1. To target environment
2. To select candidates
3. To sponsor
4. To prepare and inform candidates

 

Precursillo – Objectives:

 

1. To study environment

a: To study national environments in accordance with our current Leaders’ Manual, page

    19 – “All diocesan Movements, particularly those in big cities, are asked to pay

     particular attention to the following environment’s and to take concrete steps for their 

     Christianization:

The advertising field

The academic community

The communication field

The medical profession and

The political field

           b: To Study diocesan environments which have a dynamic influence on society.

 

2. To select candidates:

a: To identify natural leaders within each selected environments.

b: To insure that all candidates satisfy the basic requirements to participate in the 3-day

   Cursillo Weekend

 

3. To sponsor:

 

a:  To support each candidate following the process described in the National Cursillo Movement’s Sponsor’ Booklet.

 

4. To prepare candidates:

a: To prepare personal contact to each candidate from:

• Sponsors
• Cursillo Leaders

 

Precursillo – recommendations:

 

1. Ask community to do palanca for Bishop X.X. Bootkoski and diocesan priests. ( 1^st Quarter, 200x)
2. Further involve Ultreya Leaders in the application process (1^st Quarter, 200x)
3. Conduct education on the importance of small groups (4 th Quarter, 200x)
4. Design a program to target specific environments. (1^st Quarter 2006)
5. Distribute Sponsorship Booklets al cursillistas (1^st Quarter 2006)
6. Establish an “adopt a Parish” program where a cursillistas will adopt thee neighboring parishes and make them aware of Cursillo Events ( 3^rd Quarter, 2006)
7. Expand holy hours and palanca through our Diocese to support Cursillo-related ministries like Karios, Gennersaret, Spanish-speaking Cursillo, and weekends outside to Metuchen. (1^st Quarter, 2006)
8. Involve sponsors more through special meetings and re-commitment events. (with School of Leaders) (3^rd Quarter, 2006)
9. Study Bishops Pastoral Plan (2^nd Quarter 2006)
10.  Require co-sponsors or w written commitment from the Ultreya to keep new cursillistas involved. (2^nd Quarter, 2006)

 

 

The Three-Day Cursillo Weekend

 

The Three-Day Cursillo Weekend – Purpose:

 

1. To continue the education and training of the candidates in order for them to become evangelizers.
2. To change each person from within, or bring the renewal of mind and spirit ( Fundamental Ideas, paragraphs 108 and 109)
3. To help people to discover and fulfill their personal vocations
4. To provide a transition form the Pre-Cursillo and Post Cursillo

 

The Three-Day Cursillo Weekend - Purpose

 

1. To provide an atmosphere that is conducive to the metanoia” experience necessary to develop

Christian evangelizers, utilizing the new 3-Day Manual and other pertinent literature.

 

2. To provide each individual with the tools and the method to fulfill their baptismal responsibilities as well as an opportunity to fulfill their role as laity set forth by Vatican II and to share an awareness of a personal relationship with Christ.

 

3. To further enhance  the candidates understanding and application of Post-Cursillo tools of Group Reunion and Ultreya which will assist them in the Christian transformation of their environments.

 

The Three-Day Cursillo Weekend = Recommendations:

 

1.      Ask cursillistas to wear badges to all Cursillo events (1^st Quarter, 2006)

2.      Involve community in supporting weekend activities. (1^st Quarter 2006)

3.      Involve community in set-up and breakdown of weekend activities (1^st Quarter 2006)

4.      Review effectiveness of the last weekends by interviewing rector/rectoras of those weekends. (1^st Quarter 2006)

5.      Review weekend activites to insure they are authentic as possible (1^st Quarter 2006)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Postcursillo

 

Postcursillo – Purpose

 

1. To facilitate the penetration and transformation of environments through and for Christ.
2. To nurture the Cusillistas in preserving the living out of their Fourth Day.

 

Postcursillo – Purpose

 

1. To bring about the Christian transformation of each cusillista’s environments using the method of the Tripod (Holiness, Formation and Evangelization.)
2. To provide each cursillista with a means of ongoing support and perseverance.

 

Postcursillo- Recommendations:

 

1. Strengthen Ultreyas by:
   1. Visit each Ultreya Establish programs to increase membership. Consolidate and add new Ultreyas where needed.
   2. Create leadership teams for each Ultreya
   3. Secure a Spiritual Director for each Ultreya (Deacon, Priest, Sister or Certified Spiritual Director).
   4. Have a workshop for Ultreya leaders
   5. Encourage each Ultreya to have someone from their Ultreya attend the School of Leaders
   6. Explore possibilities of rotating Diocesan Mass to various Ultreyas
   7. Explore possibilities of a monthly Diocesan-wide Ultreya
   8. Insure each new cursillistas  has the opportunity to group.  Pre-Cursillo and Post-Cursillo should be able to give each candidate, at the completion of the weekend; the name and phone number of the person they can start grouping with, while the new cursillistas is searching for a permanent group.
   9. Have a group (comprised of Secretariat, team members and/or other members) to group with new cusillistas until they can find their own groups. (1^st Quarter 2006)

 

2. each out to inactive cussillistas by means of phone night, palanca, small notes on catholic bookstore bulletin boards or ads in church bulletin
3. Plan for 30^th Anniversary Ultreya – Fiesta 2006)
4. Conduct a Second Touch Weekend
5. Conduct a community-service project to unite community, for example, work in a a soup kitchen (2^nd Quarter 2006)
6. Sponsor fun outings such as a picnic, going to a college football or basketball game, or going to a baseball game
7. Explore a perpetual prayer tree supported by older cusillistas who might not able able to participate in other programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

School of Leaders

 

School of Leaders - Purpose

 

1. To maintain the effectiveness of the Cursillo Movement (Fundamental Ideas #527)
2. To provide ongoing education, training and spiritual growth for the leaders of the Cursillo Movement.
3. To intensify the living of what is fundamental to being a Christian – in each one of its members, in the Movement as a whole, and in the environments where the members live and work and have leadership influences ( Fundamental Ideas #563)

 

School of Leaders – Objectives:

 

1. To provide a gathering of Christians who have set out in a search of holiness and who are finding their way by following and imitating their one and only Teacher: Christ ( Fundamental Idea #534).
2. To provide a community of Christians who, united in the atmosphere of a Group Reunion, seek every day to become more centered, more committed, and more united (Fundamental Ideas #540).
3. To provide a response to :their call to growth and a continual process of maturation, of always bearing much fruit: (Christifidles Laici #57)

 

School of Leaders – Recommendations:

 

1. Assign a warden/ angel at each School of Leaders
2. Build a “bench” of leaders to act a future rectors, rectoras, section heads, ultreyas leaders and lay directors of tomorrow. (Conduct a special Advanced School of Leaders quarterly on a special topic/ (3^rd Quarter, 2006)
3. Educate community of the method of the weekend.
4. ensure each School of Leaders includes Leaders’ Group Reunion, a Doctrinal Talk and a Technique Talk. (1^st Quarter, 2006).
5. Involve sponsors more through special meetings and re-commitments events. (with Precursillo0 (2^nd Quarter, 2006)
6. Move towards a more frequent School of Leaders Plan a “Leaders’ Workshop” with Region