From Carolina Maenza, School of Leaders Chair

“It was not you who chose me,
it was I who chose you to go forth and bear fruit.” John 15:16

This year in the School of Leaders we are continuing to use Father Frank Salmani’s book, Whom Shall I Send? Discerning the Will of God, as a guide for our doctrinal talks. At our April meeting, Sister Deborah Kennedy reviewed chapter 18, “Essentials and Incidentals.” She explained that the mentality of Cursillo deals with those elements that are essential to the Cursillo, those things that distinguish the Cursillo from other movements within the Church and give the Cursillo its unique identity. To keep focus, one must be able to distinguish between what is essential and what is only incidental, for what is essential never changes.

Essentials of the Cursillo Movement: God’s love for us and our faith in that love; Being an authentic Christian; Making friends with the world to transform it; Building Christian communities; Ongoing conversion; Fourth Day: Piety, Study, Action, Group reunion, Ultreya; Commitment to serving Christ and one another.

Incidentals that can distort and make us lose focus: “the weekend mentality”; concern for visible results/successes; concern over numbers; personalities of leaders/leader allegiance; “indispensable people”. Sister emphasized that Father Salmani cautions us to “keep it simple” as we have been told often in the past. The Gospel message and the Cursillo mentality can stand on its own, so we do not need to embellish it.

For the technique talk at this meeting, Scott and Peggy McDuffie did an excellent job of explaining the role of Set-Up Chief and the various tasks which this chief has to be sure are done.

Our next meeting of School of Leaders is on May 17 at St. John the Baptist in Madison. Father Kevin McGrath will discuss the final chapter(Stewardship) and the Epilogue of Whom Shall I Send? Mark Richards will discuss the role and responsibilities of Liturgist. A discussion will follow in Work of the Sections.

Each one of us is reminded that while we are all called to be leaders in our own environments, all are not called to be leaders in the environment of the Cursillo Movement. This emphasizes again the importance of prayer in discerning God’s will for our lives.

Thank you for your interest in the School of Leaders! The School is a gathering of Cursillistas who pray and study together to build a Christian community of service for the Cursillo Movement. All Cursillistas are called to be leaders in their own environments. Many are also called to be leaders in the environment of the Cursillo Movement itself by serving as members of weekend teams, as Ultreya Facilitators, and as Secretariat Members. However, the purpose of the school is not to train leaders as a driving school trains drivers. The School is a group of Cursillistas who meet together to form a community which nurtures the Movement as well as the individuals serving it.

Our main goal again this year will be for us, as leaders, to improve our knowledge of Cursillo’s purpose and method. Improvement involves being responsible for the development of our own individual formation. On the Cursillo weekend we present to the candidates a need to commit themselves to growth in Piety, Study, and Action. As leaders, we must make special efforts to deepen our own commitment to be truly formed and continue that formation. We must be more of everything that a Cursillista should be.

“We are a pilgrim people, always in process, always growing-- we must continue our formation scripturally, prayerfully, and apostolically.” *

This year’s agenda will continue to include time for “Work of the Sections:” Precursillo, Cursillo, and Postcursillo. The chairpersons of the sections will share information with you, which the Secretariat hopes Ultreya Facilitators will take back to their Ultreyas so that each Ultreya will become a vital means for communicating with all Cursillistas. Furthermore, the Secretariat hopes this will be a time for discussion so that we can obtain ideas and suggestions from those in attendance in order to involve more Cursillistas in the work of the Movement.

All Cursillistas may attend the School of Leaders. If you are an experienced Cursillista, the School of Leaders wants and needs your wisdom, knowledge, experience, time, talent, and treasure. If you wish to work weekends, be an Ultreya Facilitator, or serve on the Secretariat, the School of Leaders is the place for you. Join us on the third Saturday of each month at Sacred Heart Family Life Center from 9:15 to 11:45 a.m. as we progress on our faith journey and answer Christ’s call to serve His Church in a special way.

*How to Program a School of Leaders, p5 (A National Ultreya Publication) .