BRO. EDUARDO BONNIN, FOUNDER OF CURSILLO MOVEMENT DEAD

“The Holy Spirit did it. I don’t make nothing.” - Eduardo Bonnin


Eduardo Bonnin, founder of the Catholic lay Cursillo movement, died Wednesday at age 90.

A note on the movement's web site asked for prayers for the founder, who was born May 4, 1917. "Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I send this message with a heart full of Christ's mercy and joy, to inform you of the passing to eternal life of our beloved friend, Eduardo Bonnin, founder of the Cursillos of Christianity, Feb. 6, 2008, in Mallorca," Victor Lugo, national executive director, wrote on the site.
The Cursillos of Christianity began in Spain, on the island of Mallorca, between the years of 1940 and 1949. "Numerous laymen and some priests, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, discovered very clearly the fact that laymen too, in virtue of the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, perform an active role in evangelization," the national secretariat site explained.
“Cursillo is not for the comfort of good people. Cursillo is for people far away from the church."
"Newspapers, radio, television don't give the solution to life. Christ gives the solution."
"You can't say to someone, 'You must go to church.' You say, 'You must be friends of mine.' When the bridge is built, then you can speak of Christ."
These ideas and others are part of the three-day weekend retreats that are the heart of Cursillo, a Spanish word meaning "short course." The retreats are experiences designed to give Christian and non-Christian alike what Bonnin says is more important than the ideas: "An encounter with yourself, with Christ and with your neighbour" that touches the heart and the emotion as well as the mind.
What Cursillo provides for many is not only an initial conversion experience, but also deep ongoing relationships through small groups and other events that challenge men and women to keep up the Christian commitments they have made during the retreats.
From its original start in Spain, the movement and its courses, have now spread all over the world, including to Ireland.
The retreats still use the same 13 talks on the fundamentals of Christianity that Bonnin and six others worked out for the first Cursillo retreat on the Spanish island of Mallorca in 1944. And although Bonnin said he could never have anticipated the movement would spread so far, he said they had hopes. Even at the first retreat, "We said we would never stop until we gave a Cursillo on the moon."
According to the founder, he read talks of Yves Congar and psychologists such as Carl Rogers, and then synthesized the ideas into short talks. "The Holy Spirit did it. I don't make anything,” he said in an interview in Canada some years ago.
One of the key concepts of Cursillo is to "be Christian and form community where we are." That's how Bonnin has spent his whole life.
Except for nine years of military service, he always worked in the family almond business on Mallorca. But he never married, and spent his holidays giving Cursillo retreats, and his weeknights visiting prisoners and befriending others.
Bob Robinson, from Cursillos in Canada spoke of Bonnin’s concern for others: of the prisoner he visited for 20 years, but never tried to convert, of the two hardened murderers he visited the night before their executions, and who went to the gallows with a smile because they had believed Bonnin's conversation-starter: "You are very lucky. You will see Christ tomorrow."
A wake for the beloved founder has been taking place since he died until today (Sat 9th Feb 08). The funeral will be celebrated on Tuesday(today) by Bishop Jesús Murgui of Mallorca.

The Apparitions of Mary in Lourdes

150 years from February 11,1858

The mountain air was cold on February 11, 1858, in Lourdes. Food was scarce and the firewood was all gone in the "cachot" (the squalid room where Mr. Soubirous found refuge for his wife and 9 children). So that day young Bernadette went out with a few friends, to gather dead wood at the grotto of Massabielle near the Gave River. Suddenly, she heard a sound like a gust of wind, and she raised her head to look at the grotto. Bernadette saw a Lady dressed in white. Her body was not different from ours except for its ineffable beauty. She was medium height and seemed very young. The curve of her oval face had heavenly grace and her blue eyes were so sweet that they could melt anyone's heart. Her mouth breathed God's goodness and kindness. Entering a supernatural stupor but filled with joy, Bernadette dared to approach the Lady, reciting her rosary. The apparition ended. Bernadette came out of her ecstasy, and egged on by her companions, she shared with them what she should have kept to herself. On hearing the story, Mrs. Soubirous was wary and forbid her daughter to return to the grotto of Massabielle. But the following Sunday, she gave in to Bernadette's friends and gave them permission to go. Arriving at the grotto, the visionary announced: "There she is." Then she threw holy water in the Lady's direction, saying: "If you come from God, stay or else go away!" The Lady smiled and bowed her head. The more Bernadette threw holy water, the more she smiled.


Adapted from Dom Antoine Marie OSB, abbot of Clarval

On Entering Into Lent

"Live This Time of Grace With Interior Joy and Generous Commitment"
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 10, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before reciting the midday Angelus with several thousand people gathered in St. Peter's Square.* * *Dear Brothers and Sisters!Last Wednesday, with the fast and the rite of ashes, we entered into Lent. But what does it mean to "enter into Lent?" It means to enter into a time of particular commitment in the spiritual combat that opposes us to the evil present in the world, in each one of us and around us. It means to look evil in the face and dispose oneself to fight against its effects, above all against its causes, right up to its ultimate cause, Satan. It means not unloading the problem of evil onto others, onto society, onto God, but recognizing one's own responsibility and consciously taking it upon oneself.In this regard Jesus' invitation to everyone to take up his "cross" and follow him in humility and confidence (cf. Matthew 16:24) resounds more urgently than ever. The "cross," as heavy as it may be, is not synonymous with misadventure, with a disgrace that must be avoided as much as possible, but with the opportunity to follow Christ and in this way acquire strength in the battle against sin and evil. Entering into Lent therefore means renewing the personal and communal decision to face evil together with Christ. The way of the cross is in fact the only way that leads to the victory of love over hate, of sharing over egoism, of peace over violence. Seen in this way, Lent is truly an occasion for determined ascetic and spiritual commitment founded upon the grace of Christ.This year the beginning of Lent providentially coincides with the 150th anniversary of the apparitions at Lourdes. Four years after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Blessed Pius IX, Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in the grotto of Massabielle for the first time on Feb. 11, 1858. Other appearances followed, accompanied by extraordinary events, and at the end the Holy Virgin, bidding farewell to the young visionary, told her in the local dialect, "I am the Immaculate Conception." The message that the Madonna continues to spread at Lourdes recalls the words Jesus pronounced at the beginning of his public mission and that we hear again often during these days of Lent: "Convert and believe in the Gospel," pray and do penance. Let us accept Mary's invitation, which echoes Christ's, and let us ask her to help us to "enter" with faith into Lent, to live this time of grace with interior joy and generous commitment.We entrust to the Virgin as well the sick and those who care lovingly for them. Tomorrow, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, we celebrate, in fact, the World Day of the Sick. I greet with all my heart the pilgrims who are gathering in St. Peter's Basilica led by Cardinal Barragán, president of the Pontifical Council of Health. Unfortunately I cannot meet them because this evening I will begin spiritual exercises, but in silence and in recollection I will pray for them and for all the necessities of the Church and the world. To all those who will remember me to the Lord I offer my sincere thanks in advance.[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic][After the Angelus the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in six languages. In English, he said:]I warmly greet all the English speaking pilgrims present at today's Angelus. I particularly welcome members of the Hohenfels Catholic Military Faith Community from the United States of America, as well as young people from the Sant'Egidio community in Asia and Oceania who are attending a formation course in Rome. My dear friends, this past week we began our Lenten practice of prayer, fasting, and -- in a special way -- almsgiving. I invite all believers to enter this "spiritual battle" with hearts full of generosity towards those in need. In this way, we learn to make our lives a total gift to God and to our brothers and sisters. I wish all of you a fruitful preparation for the Paschal Feast!