Minutes from 1/11/10 Secretariat Meeting
Attendees: Mimi Fitzgerald, Lay Director
Mary Lou McGonigle, School of Leaders
John Rausch, Team Selection Committee
Freddie Wall, Fourth Day Committee
Melanie Rigney, Communications Committee (note taker)
Absent: Joan Sheppard, Precursillo
Marty Smart, Weekend Committee
Mike Green, Treasurer
Fr. Tuck Grinnell, Spiritual Director
The meeting at Mimi Fitzgerald’s house in Arlington, VA, began at 7 p.m. after prayer and sharing.
• Communications Survey and Outreach. Mel Rigney shared results of the survey offered earlier this year in His Banner and online. Twenty-two people responded, and 14 of them made their Weekend more than five years ago. Highlights included that more than 90 percent want to know about dates for Weekends and other events; about 76 percent are interested in prayer requests. More than two-thirds visit www.arlingtoncursillo.org at least once per week; 90 percent are online daily. As many find out about Weekends through His Banner as through “other” sources, mainly people they know within Cursillo.
Mel then circulated the planned Our Banner test that we will try for six months. It will be monthly rather than bimonthly and include a message from Mimi and upcoming important dates. It will not include articles other than brief mentions such as times of year that we get the most response from the "contribute to Cursillo" box. Information similar to the articles can appear on the Secretariat committees’ pages on our Web site. The one-page, two-sided printed version will be snail-mailed to those who have indicated a preference; otherwise, it will be e-mailed to our community. It was generally agreed that Lyn McGee, the new editor and publisher, did a nice job and that we will proceed with this plan for the next six months. Mel will reach out to Mike Green for the months in which we should run the contribution box. She also will be in contact with Secretariat members to get the end date of their terms to put under their names in the newsletter.
• School of Leaders. Mary Lou presented a proposal for lay evangelization to be the topic for the next School of Leaders series. After some discussion, she also suggested we look at a series called “Praying with,” which is about the prayer styles of saints such as Francis de Sales and Ignatius. Mimi gave Mary Lou the program “Created and Called” to consider. The Secretariat was asked to prayerfully think about topics, and we will discuss further at the next meeting. Mary Lou also shared that Fredericksburg SOL meetings now will take place on Fridays at the John Paul II House at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception as the previous meeting location, Ukrops, has closed.
• Retreat for Cursillistas. Freddie shared that at the time of the meeting, four people had registered for our retreat at Missionhurst on January 22-24, 2010. Discussion about meals ensued.
• Upcoming Events. Freddie shared that the Lenten Quiet Day is being planned for Precious Blood in Culpeper on February 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Other options include Warrenton or Holy Trinity. A diocesan Ultreya will be held on May 2, possibly at 2 p.m.
• Upcoming Weekends. Mimi shared that the new diocesan spirituality center in White Post, VA, will be the location for the August 5-8, 2010, Women’s Weekend. The center also is available for either October 7-10 or 8-11 (Friday through Monday; Monday is a federal holiday) for the fall Men’s Weekend. Discussion ensued about the advantages and disadvantages of testing a Friday through Monday Weekend. Mel will reach out on Mimi’s behalf to recent Weekend team members and babe chicks to get their thoughts and share with the Secretariat.
Discussion also ensued about possible team members for the fall Weekends. George Darnell will be the rector for the April 2011 Men’s Weekend.
• Other.
Mimi shared that we have a new area director for Region 2.
Mimi shared that Marlene Atkinson has agreed to handle inventorying of our Weekend boxes.
There was discussion of the need for someone to work on the team formation notebooks.
The meeting closed at 8:45 p.m. with prayer. The next meeting will be Tuesday, February 9.
