From Diocesan Spiritual Director, Stephen Niland – I am very humbled to be writing to you as the newly commissioned Diocesan Spiritual Director. This appointment certainly came out of “left field” as the saying goes.
The Cursillo Movement continues to play a significant role in the life of our Diocese. The Diocesan Ultreya was a wonderful celebration of the ecumenical nature of our movement where we were joined by our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. The sense of community came through very strongly in Nicole’s witness talk and the image of an archaeological dig – with its many layers – connected well with what we are all about. We are all members of multiple communities – and these will only work if we take time to build, grow and maintain our relationships with each other. Armed with some basic biblical knowledge about the town of Bethsaida, the location of the dig, Nicole joined a whole new community of people – drawn from all walks of life – on a journey that has become one of the important structural foundations of her faith and the way in which she relates to others. Notice how she began – respectfully and slowly – beginning to uncover things initially hidden from view. With patience – and time – and love – and care – and respect – she began to identify the structures being carefully excavated.Nicole began to discover walls – ultimately constructed during differenttime periods – and a door. That’s how it needs to be in our relationships as well – we need to be patient – take our time – and as our levels of trust and understanding begin to establish and grow between each other within
community, we will give each other the privilege of uncovering things – at all different levels – that between us become part of each other’s stories.
DOWNLOAD ENCOURAGER HERE – ENCOURAGER 90 February 2015