The
Leaders School of The Cursillo Movement
Of The Savannah Diocese
Savannah,
Georgia
a. (FI) Fundamental Ideas of The Cursillo Movement, 1992, Chap. VI, para 111-113, 120-121
b. (3-DM) Three Day Manual, 1999
Good morning. Let us pray;
Lord, grant that we may
understand the necessity for depth in our movement, rather than surface
glory. Convince us of the truth that
colorful programs do not constitute success.
My God, give us a spirit of
self sacrifice so that we may offer everything for Your cause: our time, our
abilities, our health and even our lives if necessary. Instill in us courage in our initiatives,
good judgment in our choice of the right means, and that determination which in
spite of failures assures victory
Move away from us the tiny
rivalries, sensitivities, discourtesies, pride, everything which distracts from
You, everything which divides or discourages.
Help us to maintain at a high
level a meaningful supernatural and mutual charity among ourselves, so that
each one will seek by preference the most humble tasks and will rejoice at the
good performed by others, so that all our spirits united in a common purpose
will have one single spirit, Yours Jesus, and that this spirit may let us see
Your attractive goodness marked in all our faces, Your warm accents in all our
words, and in our lives something superior to the world, something that
proclaims Your Living Presence among us.
Amen.
Our Lady of Guadelupe, Patron
of the Americas, Pray for us.
St. Paul, Patron of Cursillo, Pray for us.
The purpose of this
presentation is to give you a practical method to develop a Cursillo Talk.
But first a little
history. The National Cursillo movement
finalized the 3-Day Manual on the 2nd day of February, 1999 – “The
Presentation of Our Lord”. At that time,
many Diocesean Cursillo Movements were having much difficulty conveying the
basics of the movement on the Cursillo weekends. At that time the movement was experiencing
divergent ideas and ‘traditions’ that were never intended to be part of the
Cursillo message or movement. [b. –
Preface para 1] “In the past,
presenters have asked for copies of other Cursillo leaders’ presentations. Over a period of time, the essence of these
presentations became distorted – similar to the concept of passing a secret
from one person to another.” [b.– Preface
para 6] The 3-Day Manual was
developed to help re-instill consistency and continuity to the message
presented to candidates and to re-focus on the job at hand – “If our candidates
do nothing else, following their 3-Days, then the conversion process should
still be considered successful… [BUT] … Our primary purpose is to instill in
each candidate the willingness and ability to go back to their world (their
environments) and transform those environments for Christ.” [b.– Preface
para 4] The 3-Day Manual is our
primary (written) resource in developing the Cursillo presentations.
The National Cursillo
requested all weekend talks be presented using the Expanded Outline as presented
in the 3-Day Manual for a period of three years. The only deviation allowed was to be the
personal witness of the presenter where noted as applicable in the Expanded
Outline. The three year period has
ended. Now in the spring of 2005, we are
being asked to return to writing our own ‘talk’ using the overview and outline
as a basis and the expanded outline as an example.
a259 c) The word of the witness is not his or her own. It is enough for us simply to be transmitters of the word of Him who sent us. Evangelizers are not masters, but rather servants of the word which sets people free. "The preachers of the Gospel are, therefore, those who, forgetful of themselves, and even at the cost of great personal sacrifice, are always seeking out the truth to hand it on to others. They must never falsify it, never conceal it in the desire to please people, to astonish or shock, to show originality, or to attract attention. They must never reject the truth or allow it to be obscured by their lethargy in seeking it out, either for their own advantage or from motives of fear. They will not fail to devote themselves to its study. They will serve it generously but will never attempt to make it serve them. "
a260 All of this necessitates an ongoing formation of all
the leaders of a Cursillo."
a261 What should be said, and how should it be said?
The leaders of the Cursillo
have to be in touch with the times; they have to be attuned to people as they
are here and now. "Evangelization will lose much of its power and efficacy
if it does not take into consideration the people to whom it is addressed, if
it does not make use of their language, their signs, and their symbols; if it
does not offer an answer to the questions which are relevant to them; if, in a
word, it does not reach and influence their way of life" ‑
all of which failures will have their repercussions on people's sense of
morality, resulting in a lack of consciousness of social sin a general
anticlerical ism.
a262 The word of the evangelizers in a should be born of
life, of sincerity, of confidence values, of boldness, of splendor, and of joy.
a263 Finally, we believe that their word should be full of
hope. We return once more to Pope
Paul VI: “Let us preserve the sweet and
heartfelt joy of evangelizing.... And may the world of our time ... receive
the Gospel not from evangelizers who are dejected or dispirited nor from those
who are impatient or anxious; let them hear it from ministers of the Gospel
whose lives are aglow with fervor, who have first of all received within
themselves the joy of Christ.
a264 e) Until now we have made reference, either directly
or indirectly, to the witness of the word.
But is this enough? No. Any witness of the word that is not backed up
by a witness of life nurtured in charity is, as St. Paul says, nothing
but a "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (I Co 13: 1).
a265 It is, therefore, advisable for the leaders to
consider these words from Pope Paul VI as being addressed to them: "Do you
truly believe what you proclaim? Do you
live what you believe? Do you really
preach what you live? Today, more than
ever, the witness of one's life has become an essential condition of real
preaching effectiveness." This is
because "the people of our day are more impressed by witness than by
teachers, and if they listen to teachers it is because they are also witnesses.
a266 f) In his exhortation on "The Vocation of the
Laity in the Church and in the World," Pope John Paul II, in the chapter
devoted to "the Dignity of the Lay Faithful in the Church as
Mystery," highlights with luminous words the universality of the
vocation to holiness, insisting that this is not a call for the privileged few
but rather an invitation extended to every human being born into this world.
With this witness of life it
will be easy for the leaders to open to Christ the doors of the hearts of the
cursillistas.
Word of God, they whose
function it is to proclaim the Word must exercise every care to ensure that
their words are dignified, well‑chosen, and adapted to their audience....
If this preparation is undertaken seriously, it will not only develop their
self confidence but will also serve to increase their zeal to preach Jesus
Christ in our times.""
a290 b) Two kinds of preparation are needed: long term and
short‑term. Long‑term preparation is necessary not only so that the
evangelizers can come to know and assimilate the content and objectives of the
talks, but also so that‑they can grow in their vital union with Christ
and in the extent to which their lives meet the demands of the Word. It is only
in this way that those charged with making the various proclamations will know
what to say, how to say it, and to what purpose they are saying it.
Of particular importance in
the making of this long term preparation are the formation meetings, to be held
whenever the team members feel the need for them. Team members should attend with the intention
of uniting themselves in one technique, one atmosphere, one spirit that is to
be lived communally. Thus they will
justify St. Paul's confidence that "the One who began a good work in you
will go on completing it until the Day of Jesus Christ comes" (Ph 1:6).
a291 c) The results of the formation meetings will be: a
deepening of the commitment to spirituality and to witness of life; ‑ the
planning and advancement of the life of prayer and sacrifice of each one of the
members of the team, as such; the requesting of prayers and sacrifices – what
we call "palanca" ‑ from individuals and communities, who thus
support the Cursillo by obtaining from God its effectiveness; the uniting of
judgments and wills; familiarization with the talks, by whatever system works
best for the team members, and development of a panoramic vision of the entire
spectrum of the Cursillo weekend through the assembling and interconnecting of
all the partial visions; ‑ the distribution, in accordance with the
co-responsibility there should be in the practical carrying out of every
apostolic plan, of the services to be rendered by each one of the team members;
‑ and, by means of all the above, the creation of an atmosphere of real
teamwork, in the style of a Group Reunion, which will cause the cursillistas to
exclaim, as people did in the earliest days of the Church, "Look how they
love one another!"
a292 d) The short‑term preparation should not be
considered complete until some time within the Cursillo itself, when the
speaker, before beginning a talk, makes a visit to the Blessed Sacrament to ask
the Lord for the words that will be effective and to put in His hands all
concern as to the results of his or her efforts: "Ask and it shall be
given to you" (Mt 7:7).
The following steps are
suggested for a presenter developing a talk:
1.
Ask the Lord for guidance and wisdom -
frequently.
2.
Become familiar with Chapter 3 of the
3-Day Manual entitled “Dynamics of the Weekend and Talk Preparation.” This text helps the presenter to understand
the continuity of all the talks on the weekend, the necessity of the team
approach, the progression of the talks, the purpose of each day, how to
prepare and how to practice.
3.
Study the overview.
4.
Review the outline several times and
study other literature relating to the topic.
Many relevant scriptural references can be found in the outline. Consult others who have given the talk. Do not merely make a copy of someone else’s
talk and tweak or adapt it.
5.
Read the Expanded Outline. Pay close attention to how the talk ties in
with other weekend talks. Use it as an
example and to give you ideas for transitions.
6.
Consider what witnesses can be
given. Ensure the witness is appropriate
to the talk. The use of personal witness
in the talk is important – nearly as important as the ideas presented. The points in the outline present ideas but
the real and personal witnessing is the more convincing aspect of the
presentation. The personal witnessing
establishes a bond between the speaker and listener moving the presentation
from a theoretical or philosophical presentation to a real and credible
presentation of a person’s life story as a disciple of Christ. The personal witness makes the Word flesh for
them, shows unmistakably God’s love and power active in the lives of others.
7.
Request Palanca from your friendship
group as you prepare your talk.
8.
Practice your delivery and edit the
text. Allow the Holy Spirit to inspire
your presentation to serve Christ.
Revise as necessary to address any areas identified during the critique.
Plagerism may be the highest
form of flattery. There is always need
for research and study to provide solid foundations for our values and to
understand our ideal. But, plagerism in
the atmosphere of friendships, personal witness, and trust, conveys a
fraudulent view of Christ in our lives.
As we have all heard, we each
have three presentations; the one we prepare, the one we give, and the one we
wish we had given. Guard against last
minute changes. Once in the talk room,
deliver the message you have given for critique. Do not change your presentation on the
weekend or the last week before. If we
prepare adequately, the Holy Spirit will work through us. But, we must be on guard that we are not
influenced into confusion at the final hour of preparation to deliver an
alternate message by the adversary of the Holy One.
Let’s take fifteen minutes to
discuss in groups the following:
1.
Obstacles and difficulties to writing a
talk.
2.
Resources that are available to help.
3.
Discuss types of witnesses that will help
convey the message of the talks.
The talks are:
|
Presentation: |
Given by: |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Lay Person |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Lay Person |
a. (FI) Fundamental Ideas of The Cursillo Movement, 1992, Chap. VI, para 111-113, 120-121
b. (3-DM) Three Day Manual, 1999
The following steps are suggested for a presenter developing a talk:
1. Ask the Lord for guidance and wisdom - frequently.
2. Become familiar with Chapter 3 of the 3-Day Manual entitled “Dynamics of the Weekend and Talk Preparation.” This text helps the presenter to understand the continuity of all the talks on the weekend, the necessity of the team approach, the progression of the talks, the purpose of each day, how to prepare and how to practice.
3. Study the overview.
4. Review the outline several times and study other literature relating to the topic. Many relevant scriptural references can be found in the outline. Consult others who have given the talk. Do not merely make a copy of someone else’s talk and tweak or adapt it.
5. Read the Expanded Outline. Pay close attention to how the talk ties in with other weekend talks. Use it as an example and to give you ideas for transitions.
6. Consider what witnesses can be given. Ensure the witness is appropriate to the talk. The use of personal witness in the talk is important – nearly as important as the ideas presented. The points in the outline present ideas but the real and personal witnessing is the more convincing aspect of the presentation. The personal witnessing establishes a bond between the speaker and listener moving the presentation from a theoretical or philosophical presentation to a real and credible presentation of a person’s life story as a disciple of Christ. The personal witness makes the Word flesh for them, shows unmistakably God’s love and power active in the lives of others.
7. Request Palanca from your friendship group as you prepare your talk.
8. Practice your delivery and edit the text. Allow the Holy Spirit to inspire your presentation to serve Christ. Revise as necessary to address any areas identified during the critique.
Plagerism may be the highest form of flattery. There is always need for research and study to provide solid foundations for our values and to understand our ideal. But, plagerism in the atmosphere of friendships, personal witness, and trust, conveys a fraudulent view of Christ in our lives.
Let’s take fifteen minutes to discuss in groups the following:
1. Obstacles and difficulties to writing a talk.
2. Resources that are available to help.
3. Discuss types of witnesses that will help convey the message of the talks.
The talks are:
|
Presentation: |
Given by: |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Lay Person |
|
Lay Person |
|
Religious |
|
Lay Person |
|
Lay Person |