Secretariat

Spiritual Director for Sacramento Cursillo

As we move toward 2026, we’re filled with anticipation for the many graces and opportunities ahead. One encouraging sign of renewed momentum appeared in the April 5, 2026 issue of the Catholic Herald, highlighting the growing number of people entering the Catholic Church this Easter.

In 2023, Bishop Soto appointed Fr. Dean Marshall as the permanent Spiritual Director of our charism—something we had been without for quite some time. Fr. Dean brings a deep spirituality, an energetic heart for ministry, and a long-standing familiarity with the Diocese of Sacramento Cursillo. He made his own weekend years ago and has faithfully supported many weekends since.

We would be remiss not to acknowledge the many deacons and priests who have stood by us, generously offering their time and guidance in support of our weekends and the work of the Secretariat. Your dedication has been essential to the path the Holy Spirit has laid before us. A special thank‑you to Deacons Dave, Mike, and Rommell, and to Fr. Tom from St. Ignatius, whose beautiful instruction enriched several of our weekends.

Congratulations, Fr. Dean. We are truly blessed to have you walking this journey with us.

ULTREYA!

The Sacramento Diocese English Cursillo Community

Apostolic Planning and Benefits of a Cursillo de Cursillos

Background Information: The Catholic Church, in its post-pandemic reality, has to find ways to have the faithful return to the pews and celebrate the Sunday Liturgy shoulder-to-shoulder with their own faith community. In the same way, the Cursillo Movement has to find effective ways to gather once again in person and share the beauty of our charism. The doors of the Catholic Church were closed for 15 months, resorting to online technology to reach the faithful. In the same way, our Ultreya gathering turned into a Zoom event.

Apostolic Planning: At the start of the new Secretariat's 3-year term in January 2023, the Most Reverend Jaime Soto presided over the Rite of Commissioning of its 8 members. These members accepted the responsibilities entrusted to them by their bishop and the community as servant leaders. They pledged to remain faithful stewards of the Catholic Church and the charism of the Cursillo Movement. At this juncture, they realized it was time for an in-person gathering of all Cursillistas - to guide those they serve to a loving friendship with Christ through a living witness, prayer, and sacrifice.

The newly commissioned Secretariat held their first meeting with a vision of inviting the "far away Cursillistas" in our diocese. The Sacramento Diocese comprises 20 counties covering 42,597 square miles of the north and eastern regions of California. It was in the first official Secretariat meeting that the (1st Year) Apostolic Plan was introduced.

The vision was to energize the Movement with key activities that would promote fellowship amongst FRIENDS, rebuilding the cornerstone of our Movement, FRIENDSHIP, and COMMUNITY. The Apostolic Plan was designed to itemize quarterly objectives to achieve the goal of gathering...for in these gatherings we encounter the God of all good things through His Son, Jesus Christ.

We created committees to handle key tasks in reinvigorating the Movement. Committees were identified for the planning and execution of the following activities: (1) Review and revise the 2003 Articles and ByLaws; (2) A Day of Recollection with Secretariat and Parish Representatives gathering in prayer. (3) A Fund Development group to raise money for a Cursillo de Cursillos (CDC) workshop and all other needs; (4) A CDC Logistical Planning Team from National, Regional, and Host Team; and (5) Grand Ultreya with the Filipino, Vietnamese, Spanish and English Cursillo Communities in the Sacramento Diocese.

Punctuated in between all these activities are the Secretariat's primary roles and responsibilities in performing its 3 facets of Cursillo methodologies. The Precursillo, Three-Day Cursillo, and Postcursillo are now in place for this year. Discernment for the next Rector/Rectora was completed at the beginning of the year, the Precursillo work promoting Men’s and Women's Cursillo Weekends continues, and the weekends are now scheduled for Fall. What's left to do is for Weekend Team Members to evaluate what worked and what didn't work for better future planning.

Upon review of our first-year Cursillo Apostolic Plan for the first 3 quarters of 2023, we've met all our goals: (1) The Secretariat ratified its Amended Articles and Bylaws in its July Secretariat meeting; (2) A Day of Recollection with the theme "Enkindled with the Fire of God's Love," was held last spring with 40 key leaders participating; (3) An "Energize Luncheon" fundraising event was held with 200 Cursillistas participating through attendance, volunteerism and auction item donations; (4) a CDC was held on August 31-September 3. Six members from National and Regional staff facilitated the CDC Weekend with 35 Cursillistas; and (5) The Grand Ultreya is now scheduled for the Spring of 2024, a show of unity in diversity.

Cursillos de Cursillos. We've achieved all our initial goals to jumpstart the Movement in Sacramento, but it's not the end of it. Our first year of apostolic planning has to include a CDC. The CDC must be lived...to inform the Cursillo leadership of its essence, purpose, mentality, method, and charism. The leadership has to know the Charism very well so as to inculcate in us what is fundamental to being a Christian, which is one and the same as being a Cursillista.

We learned about the qualities of an authentic Leader, the benefits of regular Ultreya and Group Reunion, and the economics of Weekend Team Formation. The School of Leader's efficacy depends on properly structuring its contents, considering the nature of participation, understanding the rationale and benefits from it.

With our gained knowledge from all the CDC Rollos, we can now look into our future Apostolic Planning, focused on saturating our environment with the Cursillo charism. The key to all this gained knowledge is to understand Eduardo Bonnín’s mentality and the origin of his ideas, values, and beliefs. Prompted and guided by the Holy Spirit, Servant of God Eduardo Bonnín passed on to the Laity and Mother Church the vision of building the Kingdom of God through genuine Friendship with God and Friendship with one another. De Colores!

Verne Bowers, Diocesan Cursillo Coordinator for the Diocese of Sacramento

This article is featured in the National Cursillo October 2023 Newsletter.
You can view and read the newsletter with the following link: CNN_1023_ENF.pdf (natl-cursillo.org)

THE RITE OF COMMISSIONING

From left to right - Front Row: Rich Dorricott, Three-Day Chair, Michael Faber, Secretary, Monica Small, Post-Cursillo Chair, Most Rev. Jaime Soto and Verne Bowers, Lay Director.

Second Row: Kathy Bauer, Pre-Cursillo Chair, Mary Palmer, Treasurer and Jeff Williams, School of Leaders Chair. [Missing from the photo: Denny Shunta, Communications Chair]

Reflections on TRUE APOSTLESHIP-BEING SENT

By Michael Faber

As a member of the Sacramento Cursillo Secretariat, I had the pleasure and privilege of participating in the Rite of Commissioning Mass celebrated by Bishop Soto on Saturday, January 28, 2023. at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Elk Grove.

Bishop Soto presided over a regular Vigil Mass during which he conducted the Rite of Commissioning for 8 members of the Secretariat:

During this Rite, Bishop Soto prayed, “Let us join together in prayer so that God will bless these servant leaders of His, chosen for the ministry of service, so that they may proclaim the Good News that God in Christ loves us and give glory to our Father in heaven through their service in the Cursillo Movement...Will you pledge,through diligent prayer and preparation, proclaim the Gospel to others in your environments...?"

With one accord, the members pledged to remain faithful stewards of the teachings of the Catholic Church and the Charism of the Cursillo Movement.

The community in turn responded, “As members of this Christian community, we accept your commitment to serve as members of the Diocesan Secretariat and we pledge our support to you. May God, the Father of us all, bless you and give you strength, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.”

At the end of the Rite, Bishop Soto, laid hands on each of our heads and proclaimed, “The Spirit of the Lord has anointed you to serve His people.”

What was so special about this event, is that it made me hearken back to the times in the Book of Acts, when the community of Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas off on their first missionary journey. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” Acts. 13:2-3. Paul and Barnabas didn’t just take off to start a new mission on their own whim. They were chosen by the Holy Spirit, and sent off by the entire community who laid hands on them to commission them for their work.

There is something special, and something holy about “being sent.” The very word Apostle comes from the Greek work Apostolein, which means “to send.” Jesus sent the Apostles to bring the Good News to the ends of the world. The apostles and their successors, send not only ordained ministers but also lay ministers such as ourselves.

By virtue of our Trinitarian baptism, we "bear the responsibilities for mission and service as priest, prophets and kings." CCC#783. We are all called to carry out the work as faithful stewards of God's gifts.

The Cursillo movement is a jewel in the Catholic Church, and I am so honored to be part of this movement, and to have received the Bishops and the Church’s blessing to carry on this work for the next three years as a member of the Secretariat.

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