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The Rooster Review
February 2015
Welcome the Babe Chicks of the 470th Women’s Cursillo:
“Christ Strengthens Us”
Name
Tery Bickerstaff
Nenit Boyle
Carolyn Coleman-Hertless
Marie Costanza
Sue Grob
Ceclia Hammerschmidt
Pat Holtz
Therese Johnson
Abbey (Ortiz) Kenney
Robin Kresge
Suzanne Maerz
Riley Morgan
Janet Reiner
Marjie Schwind
Mary Worrell
Parish
St Michael
Epiphany
Epiphany
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Epiphany
St Mary of the Annunciation
Epiphany
St John
St Augustine
St John the Evangelist
St Mary's/ St Gabriel
St Mary of the Annunciation
St Paul
St Mary of the Annunciation
Good Samaritan
Spiritual Direction Team
Deacon Arthur and Kathy Mendez
Dennis and Janet Hasenfus
Team Members, Roles, & Talks:
Candy Parker
Robin Bandino
Faith Grubbs
Yvonne Pfluger
Janet Potter
Paula Flynn
Pam Harris
Eva Ortiz
Carolyn Clarke
Becky Scalone
Luana Lambert
Rectora
Assistant Rectora/Laity
Archangel/Study
Head-Liturgy/Ideal
TMAT/Christianity in Action
Angel/ Leaders
TMAT/Study of the Environ.
Angel/Action
Liturgy/Piety
TMAT/Ultreya
TMAT/Group Reunion
Babe Chicks Chirp at Closing:
How would you describe your Cursillo experience in one
word? powerful, inspirational, love, unpredictable,
awesome, soul-opening, amazing
It was an awesome experience! I went to Reconciliation for
the first time in 25 years. I have drunken the juice and my
life has been changed forever. I felt the Holy Spirit the
whole weekend! Cursillo is full of challenges and
surprises. I got a new family this weekend! Something had
been bothering me for years—after Reconciliation my soul
was totally new again. The theme of this weekend was
strength, so I found it! I have people that really love me. I
don’t need to carry those rocks on my heart anymore. I had
no idea I was truly loved. I learned that from these amazing
women and these deacons. There aren’t words to express
what these team members have meant. Such an expression
of Christ’s love
And our ever-present Host, the Holy Spirit!
Rectora Candy Parker: “They say it takes a village to raise a
child. Well, it takes a whole community to put on a
Cursillo weekend…This is a permanent thing y’all!
-1-
“Repent Renew Rejoice”
472nd Men’s Cursillo
February 19-22, 2014
Shalom House, Montpelier, VA
Spiritual Direction Team
Father Frank Wiggins
Jane & Mike Walsh
Team Roles and Talks:
Rick Fleming - Rector
Galen Potter – Assistant Rector – Christianity in Action
Jim Hayes – Head Squire
Bill Hayden – Shalom House Liaison; Liturgy – Study of the Environment
Johne Bandino – Squire - Leaders
Chris DiChristina – Head Liturgy – Group Reunion
Carlos Ortiz – Squire - Piety
Joe Strain – Tech Squire - Study
Paul Attanasio – TMAT – Layperson in the Church
Dave Biddulph – TMAT - Action
Mike Mercadante – TMAT - Ultreya
Glenn Pfluger III – TMAT - Ideal
and our Ever-Present Host – The Holy Spirit!
Weekend Details, Palanca Needs
& Other Opportunities
OPENING
Location: Shalom House
15340 Robert Terrell Road,
Montpelier, VA 23192
Date: Thursday, Feb. 19, 2014
Time: 7:45pm
Please bring: Snacks, drinks, and
palanca letters.
Snacks & Drinks
We will need snacks, nuts, fruit, granola bars,
trail mix, peanut butter pretzel snacks, bananas,
candy, and drinks including bottled water, soda,
and ice tea.
Palanca Letters
Keep Cursillo alive by writing Palanca and
doing the sacrifice. Letters may be given to any
team member or sponsor by Wednesday, Feb.
18. Letters can be mailed no later then Ash
Wednesday to Rick Fleming 10308 Ryecove
Lane, N Chesterfield VA 23235. There will be a
drop-off point at Shalom House Thurs., Feb. 19.
Note to Sponsors
Make sure to have candidates to Shalom House
between 7:15-7:30pm on Thurs. Feb. 19.
Bring a bottle of your candidate’s favorite nonalcoholic beverage and their favorite snack.
Help your candidate to the registration area, be
sure their balance for the Cursillo is paid in full,
follow Squires to gathering area, and report to
the sponsors’ room once dismissed by the
Rector.
Please call this number only
in case of EMERGENCY:
Jim Hayes 804-691-0416
Rick Fleming 804-356-6222
Meal Palanca
Meals are provided by Shalom House, but they
can use two kitchen helpers per meal. These
Cursillistas will help in the kitchen before the
meal and clean up after the meal. To volunteer,
please contact:
Mary Alexander, Director of Shalom House
Phone: (804) 883-6149
www.shalomhouseretreatcenter.com
Set-up/Clean-up for Closing
Potluck
Contact Person: Russ Wisler
cell 804-883-0171
home 804-564-1902
E-mail:
[email protected]
For closing and/or clean-up afterwards ,
set-up begins around 3 PM on Sunday,
Feb. 22
CLOSING
Location:St. Ann’s
105 S. Snead St., Ashland, VA 23005
Date: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2014
Gather by: 3:30pm
Start time: 4:00 pm
Please bring: a potluck dish to share.
Flowers are always welcome.
The Fishermen
By Rob Grubbs
If you had told me in
time that our group was going to have to grow slowly
2005 that I would be
and organically. Indeed, everyone liked the smallercoordinating Adult Men’s
sized group better, as we were more tight-knit that
Formation at St. Gabriel’s
way.
church, I would have said, “No,
That was seven or eight years ago (I’ve lost
not me. I’m just the saxophonist, count!). Our group now has 8-12 members on a good
and happy to be just that.”
night, with more than that on our ‘full roster’. It’s not
Funny how Cursillo changes
a pure Cursillo-fourth-day group reunion format, but
things, right?
it’s based on that. Not all of our members are
I made my weekend in
Cursillistas, but that’s great because the group can be a
February of 2006, and of course realized the
pipeline to bringing new people to Cursillo! We meet
importance of being in a regular formation group in
one day during the summer to decide what ground we
order to maintain my spirituality. I was fortunate to be want to cover during the upcoming year and chart out
invited to a group that met at St. John Neumann in
our calendar for the upcoming months. The calendar
Powhatan for breakfast on
is a living document that changes
Saturday mornings. Two of the
frequently, which has been a
“Jesus said to them, ‘Come
babe chicks from my weekend
running joke in the group. In
after me, and I will make you
were in that group, which made
Fishermen, we’ve done almost a
fishers
of
men.’”
Mark
1:17
it very comfortable for me. I
dozen book studies, watched a
enjoyed the drive to Powhatan,
handful of DVDs, and had a wide
and I was home before any of the family related
array of speakers, many of them ecumenical. We’ve
activities had started.
had retreat days, service projects, social getAs much as I enjoyed that group and learned
togethers, and good old-fashioned group
from them, I felt the need to bring this experience to
discussion (which often digresses – oh, do we
my home parish. I got my feet wet in formation work digress!)
by leading a short book study on Spirituality at Work.
We have evolved from a small,
One of the other members of that group, a fellow
plucky but faithful group into a closely
Cursillista, agreed that we needed a permanent
knit, supportive, highly spiritual and faithformation group at our church. We approached our
filled unit. And no one benefits more from the
pastor at the time, Fr. Pat Apuzzo, and told him about shared experiences, support, and wisdom
our desire to have basically a men’s version of
than I do! It just goes to show what
‘W.ING.S.’ (Women in God’s Spirit). He was very
blessings you can receive if you trust in
receptive to the idea, even telling us, “You’re both the the Lord, step out of your comfort zone,
answer to our prayers!” I told him, “I’m not the
and get in a formation group!
answer to anyone’s prayers, Father. Just ask my wife.”
If you’re a male without a
Our group began meeting weekly that fall,
formation group, just let me know!
Tuesday evenings in the commons of our church.
(My contact info is on the next page.) Or
There were only four or six of us there, but we were
just show up at 7:30pm on Tuesday in
full of enthusiasm for our new endeavor. I know that
the commons of St. Gabriel Church,
the church envisioned 40 to 60 members, just like the 8901 Winterpock Rd., Chesterfield, VA
women’s group, but we learned and accepted over
23832.
Please e-mail any spiritual reflections, Scripture meditations, articles, book, music, or movie reviews,
“God Moments,” prayer requests for the printed newsletter, or something brand new to Trisha
Potter at [email protected] or Rob Grubbs at [email protected]. The more
people send in, the greater the variety and the number of writers included in each issue will be.
De Colores, Dick & Jeannine Commander
Annual Cursillo Method Training:
Bring Your Evangelization to the Next Level
The training will be
conducted by a panel
of three seasoned
Cursillistas and will
mirror the events of
the weekend.
5 Quick Tips to Giving the Ultimate
Ultreya Witness Talk
1. Keep it short. The witness talk should last 1015 minutes tops. There’s no need or enough
time to give your life story or entire spiritual
autobiography.
2. Keep it relevant. The purpose of the witness
talk is to share about your 4th day. How has
God been working in and/or through you to
bring others closer to Christ?
When? Saturday,
March 21, 2015. We gather at 8:30AM and
begin the program at 9AM. CVCC will provide
coffee, drinks, and snacks.
3. Keep it real. The best ones are those that
people can relate to and identify with. Tell
how God’s been working in your life in
seemingly ordinary ways.
Where? Church of the Epiphany, 11000
Smoketree Drive, North Chesterfield, VA 23236
4. Keep on topic. Share how you have been
inspired to grow in holiness, formation, and
evangelization (piety, study, and apostolic
action).
Why? Cursillo is a method of evangelization
and training provides you with the best tools to
sponsor a candidate and/or to serve on a team.
Ever since Cursillo was introduced to Central
Virginia, it has been felt that in order to
understand the Cursillo method some type of
training was important.
Experienced team members offer valuable
insight during discussions, so even if you have
already been on a team, you are welcome and
encouraged to attend this session to become
more knowledgeable in areas in which you
want deeper understanding or additional
instruction.
Is this training a requirement to be on a team?
No. Will taking this training get you on a team?
Not necessarily, however, each rector(a)s is
given a list of who has been to the training, and
this has influenced their discernment of team
selection in the past.
5. Keep it personal. Include specific examples
from your life about how God’s drawing you
closer to Him.
Want to give a brief witness talk at an Ultreya?
Please contact: Judy Goodman or Tom Herod (info in
CVCC Members, page 7.)
Please keep the following Cursillistas
and families in your prayers: Kathy
Cook, Pete & Joanne Goergen, Brenda
Hartless, Pam Hunt, Larry and Arline
Keefe, Demmie Murray, Jeff and Laura
Stapleton, Katy Thompson, and those who are
unemployed or underemployed, as well as all who are
suffering in mind, body, and/or spirit.
We pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of our
loved ones: London Bailey, Agnes Conner (mother of
Kathy Mendez), Dawn Chase Desmond (wife of Bill
Desmond), Christeen DeBruyn (Mother of Teresa
DeBruyn-Janosik), Bill Ellsworth (husband of Lois
Ellsworth), Armand Gagne (husband of Maybelle
Gagne), MaryAnn Losteter (Nancy Losteter's motherin-law), Eugene Robert Slominski (father of Roberta
Martin), Marge Zawislak (mother of Deb Kotula),
Ralph Mason, and for all who are mourning the loss
of loved ones.
5
The Thirsting
By Trisha Niermeyer Potter
There was a free concert at St. Michael on January 19,
2015. I talked my husband Kevin into coming with me, and
we’re both really glad that we went. Lead singer of the
band The Thirsting Daniel Oberreuter was traveling
through Richmond on the way to meet up with his Catholic
band. The youth advocate at our parish, Mike Horvath,
found this out and invited him to come speak to the middle
Photo Credit: The Thirsting website
school and high school youth. He not only did that, but he
also played guitar and sang at all of the weekend Masses at St. Michael Church.
The music was fantastic! “The Thirsting is what you’d get if you smashed together R.E.M., U2, and Green
Day, and made them all Catholic,” Daniel Oberreuter said.
The songs are all very faith-filled, often thought-provoking. The versions we heard were mellower than they
would have been if the whole band had been there. Just he and his guitar made for a more intimate evening of
music. Professional lights, sound gear, and obvious charm added to musical talent kicked things up a notch.
I really enjoyed the concert. I like good music, thought-provoking lyrics, and people who are brave enough to
go around the country/world sharing their talents as well as their Catholic faith. Daniel spoke about his wife
and two young sons. Most of what he shared had to do with his personal relationship with Christ and the
Blessed Mother, which was jumpstarted when he was sixteen and began praying the Rosary daily.
Pretty soon, he found a quiet place to pray while his family was down watching Seinfeld on TV. It occurred
to him that he probably wasn’t going to grow any closer to God by watching TV, but he could see how his
relationship was already becoming more intimate as he meditated on the mysteries of the Rosary.
Between songs, he shared stories about his life, faith journey, and struggles. He emphasized the importance
of the Sacraments. One of my favorite songs that he wrote came to him when he was in front of the Blessed
Sacrament during Adoration. He felt that Mary was inviting him to come hold Jesus which inspired him to
write “Come Hold my Son,” a beautiful ballad from Our Mother Mary’s perspective as she was present with
and for Jesus throughout his life, from conception to his death on the cross. This was one of the songs Daniel
performed during Mass, so it already felt familiar.
When speaking about the Rosary, Daniel took his out and showed it to us. He gave a deeply moving
reflection on each of The Sorrowful Mysteries, each time ending with the question: “Is ten Hail Marys really
enough?” His story about beginning to pray the Rosary daily at 16 reminded me of when I used to wake up
extra early, before everyone else in the house to pray the Rosary each morning when I was in high school. It
was very fruitful, amazing prayer time. Many of the insights I received into the mysteries of Christ’s life as
well as the grace from those quiet moments of meditation at the start of the day are still with me.
For more info about The Thirsting, check out their website at http://www.thethirstingcatholic.com/
Serving at Shalom House Gives Cursillo Credit
The CVCC in conjunction with Shalom House has developed a plan to
help the Cursillo community earn financial credit toward the cost of our
weekends. Mary Alexander can use kitchen helpers whenever she has
retreats being held there. If anyone is able to volunteer as a kitchen helper
on non-Cursillo retreats, Cursillo will receive a financial credit of $10 per
hour per person. Volunteering takes 3-4 hours per meal. Please contact
Mary if you can help.
Mary Alexander, Director
(804) 883-6149
www.shalomhouseretreatcenter.com
MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL VA CURSILLO COORDINATING COMMITTEE…
Co-Chairpersons
Dick Commander
530-3546 (h)
Jeannine Commander
839-3596 (c)
Treasurer
Deacon Bob Straub
732-5350 (h)
PO Box 5560, Fort Lee, VA 23801
CVCC Spiritual Director Deacon Charles Williams
475-9743
Precursillo Coordinators Mike & Jane Walsh
932-4505 (h)
Secretary/Reporter
Brady Beveridge
674-1759 (h)
Spiritual Director Coordinator
Kathy Haut
4thDay-2nd Friday
Judy Goodman
4thDay –4th Fri/Communications
Tom Herod
Group Reunion coordinator
Cris Pond
General Palanca
Cathy Valle
Babe Chick Survey
Clay Beveridge
Member at Large
Mary Attanasio
Member at Large
Paul Attanasio
Sub-ministry Coordinators
Supplies/Shalom House Coordinator
Robin and Johne Bandino
Newsletter Co-Editor
Trisha Potter
Newsletter Co-Editor
Rob Grubbs
Newsletter Distributor
Dan & Mary Martin
Website Coordinator
Jack Bruno
4th Day packets
Kathy Cook
Sacred Heart Motel Coordinator
Scott Fisher
Emmaus Liaison
Janet Hasenfus
Weekend Closing Coordinator
Russ Wisler
For change of
address, to
receive online,
or to cancel,
please call
[email protected]
[email protected] 804-530-3546.
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
276-7687 (h) [email protected]
852-3220 (h) [email protected]
530-3008 (h) [email protected]
355-8310 (h) [email protected]
794-4558 (h) [email protected]
674-1759 (h) [email protected]
739-8095 (h) [email protected]
739-8095 (h) [email protected]
908-3033 (h)
[email protected]
814-7582 (c) [email protected]
370-8181 (h) [email protected]
739-8095 (h) [email protected]
757-869-6346(c) [email protected]
270-2517 (h) [email protected]
748-7083 (w) [email protected]
790-1131 (h) [email protected]
883-0171 (h) [email protected]
Upcoming Cursillo Weekends
2015
Women’s at Shalom House: May 28-31
Men’s at Sacred Heart: July 23-26
Women’s at Shalom House: October 8–11
2016
Men at Shalom House: February 18-21
Women at Shalom House: April 28-May 1
Men at Sacred Heart: July 29 – Aug 1
Women at Shalom House: October 27 – 30
Here’s the new Central Virginia Cursillo
website:
http://centralvirginiacursillo.org/cvc_dashboard.php
Please report any problems or suggestions to Dick
Commander, [email protected], when using
the website. It is still a work in progress.
We’d love your help with the following:



Auditing the books for the CVCC
Volunteers to give Ultreya witness talks
Donations to our scholarship fund
Catholic Diocese of Richmond
7800 Carousel Lane
Richmond, VA 23294-4201
NON PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Richmond, Virginia
Permit Number 321
UPCOMING ULTREYAS & EVENTS
In 2015, Ultreyas will be held the
2nd and 4th Friday evenings of the
month from 7:30-9:30pm.
Come with friends & bring a snack!
 Feb. 13 – St. Mary’s Richmond
 Feb. 27 – Sacred Heart, Prince
George
 March 13 – TBA
March 21 – Sat. annual training
 March 27 – St. James, Hopewell
 April 10 – Cathedral, Richmond
 April 24 – Our Lady of the
Blessed Sacrament, West Point
Will you bless the Central Virginia
Cursillo Center (CVCC) with your
prayers and a financial gift?
Yes, we’d like to make a contribution of:
__$100__$75 __$50__$25 Other____
_____________________________________
Your Name
______________________________________
Address
______________________________________
City
______________________________________
State
Zip Code
______________________________________
Your e-mail address
Many thanks! God bless you!
Please return this form with a check made
payable to “CVCC” then mail it to our treasurer:
Deacon Bob Straub
PO Box 5560, Fort Lee, VA 23801