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What is the Cursillo Movement? |
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| Back to Main Page | From the National Cursillo Website... INTRODUCTION To explain Cursillo to someone who has never experienced Cursillo is at best, difficult. Often, for those who have experienced Cursillo it is still somewhat mystifying. This is not because the Cursillo Movement is a "secret" organization. The reason behind the mystery is God. No one can fully explain how God touches each person in His special/unique way throughout the various elements of the Cursillo Movement. This booklet cannot explain the mystery of God. The booklet will; however, attempt to explain the human aspect behind the Cursillo Movement. Throughout this booklet you will
find references to concepts that at one time seemed
foreign to Catholics. Evangelization is probably the one
that comes to mind first. For many years Catholics looked
upon evangelization as "something the Protestants
did." Today, in Church, we hear a great deal about
evangelization. Still for some of us, we automatically
think of going out two-by two (with Bible in hand) and
knocking on people's doors. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Sometimes this booklet will have
other statements that are basically the same as
evangelization. Statements such as: 1) proclaiming the
Gospel, 2) fulfilling our Baptismal responsibility (some
of us were not even aware that our Baptismal
responsibility required us to do something), 3) leavening
the environments, and 4) living what is fundamental for
being a Christian. We should not allow these statements
to scare us off. These are nothing more than by-products
of living our lives in a fully Christian manner. THE HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT The Cursillo Movement is a movement of the Catholic Church. The name Cursillo , is Spanish, meaning short course and is often associated with a 3-Day weekend - which is only one aspect of the Cursillo Movement. The proper name is Cursillo de Cristiandad (short course of Christianity). There is much more to the Cursillo Movement than just a 3-Day weekend. This Movement evolved from Spain, where it got its origin, in the 1940s. The Cursillo Movement did not develop by accident. it began when a group of men dedicated themselves to bringing the young men of their city of Mallorca, Spain, to know Christ better. It developed as they prayed and worked together; it developed as they talked together, sharing their thoughts about the state of the world and the effectiveness of their efforts to bring the light of Christ to it. On the natural level alone the story of the Cursillo Movement is exciting. It's a story filled with the adventure of new discoveries and works of outstanding dedication, tragic misunderstandings and setbacks, as well as impressive patience. These young men and the clergy who supported them endured many unpromising situations in the faith that God would work. But it is even more an exciting story on the spiritual level. It is the story of how God taught a group of men how to work for Him in an effective way, a way that bears fruit. In the late 1940s the first Cursillo was given and the Cursillo Movement began. Those who make Cursillo s today would find much of the first Cursillo familiar. The Cursillo has been refined and changed somewhat, but today's Cursillo weekend remains basically the same as those first Cursillo s. It was, however, no accident that the first Cursillo was so fully formed that a movement could begin from that date. The first Cursillo was neither a lucky accident nor a blueprint which came directly from heaven, but grew out of a process of development. Nor were the first leaders just a chance collection of men. They had been working together for some time trying to bring men to Christ so they could work together to Christianize the world. But the Cursillo , on the other
hand, was not just a well worked out human product. It
grew in the climate of spiritual renewal. It was
developed by men of prayer who were seeking to serve the
Lord. It was formed by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
working in men who had dedicated themselves to bringing
others to a knowledge of Christ. The Cursillo Movement came to birth in the movements of renewal that preceded the second Vatican Council. Vatican II was such a major event in the history of the modern Catholic Church that there is a certain tendency to date everything from the Council. But Vatican II was itself born out of an effort of spiritual and pastoral renewal that had begun years before. The liturgical movement, the scriptural renewal, Catholic Action and other movements of the lay apostolate had begun years before the Council. Everywhere in the Church, people were seeking to find ways of "bringing the Church to life in the hearts of men" (Romano Guardini). The Cursillo Movement came from the work of such individuals. The first stirrings of what later
was to become the Cursillo Movement began on the Island
of Mallorca during World War 11. The Spanish Civil War
had ended in 1939, and the years after the Civil War were
a time of ferment in the Spanish Church. Before the war,
a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James at Compostela had
been planned. This spiritual journey to the great Spanish
pilgrimage center of the Middle Ages would provide a time
for the young men and women of Spain to dedicate
themselves in a renewed way to the work of the apostolate.
After being postponed several times by the disruption of
war, it was finally rescheduled for 1948. They worked as a leaders' team
that prayed together, shared their Christian lives
together, studied together, planned together, acted
together and evaluated what they had done together.
Together they worked at the task of forming Christian
life among the young people in Majorca. Out of their
common efforts, something new in the life of the Church
was born. Church renewal, spiritual renewal, pastoral
renewal, the pilgrim style, a pastoral plan, teamwork
among leaders - the Cursillo Movement grew out of all
these things. It developed not by accident nor through a
clearly specified plan, but was an organic development of
the efforts of a group of men who had dedicated
themselves to the work of God. At first the Cursillo s were just
"little courses" (little course is the literal
meaning of the Spanish word - Cursillo ) which were given
by the diocesan council of the young men's branch of
Catholic Action. They were given to members of Catholic
Action groups as a way of forming them so they could
become effective apostles. The first Cursillo in the United
States was held in Waco, Texas, in 1957. The key figures
in the beginning were Father Gabriel Fernandez and two
airmen from Spain, Bernardo Vadell and Agustin Palomino,
who were training with the United States Air Force.
Father Gabriel had arrived in Waco in 1955 from Spain
where he had made his three days under two of the
founders of the movement, Father Juan Capo and Eduardo
Bonnin. The priest and the airmen were responsible for
putting on the first two weekends in Waco. Airmen Vadell and Palomino were
transferred to Mission, Texas, just after they had
completed the second weekend in Waco. By late 1957 the
traveling airmen had put on the first weekend in Mission.
In 1958 they started a center in Laredo, Texas, and soon
after, the movement was introduced in Corpus Christi. In 1959, the Cursillo spread
throughout Texas and to Phoenix, Arizona. In August of
that year the first national convention of spiritual
directors was held, and Ultreya magazine began
publication. In 1960, the growth of the Cursillo
quickened in the Southwest, and weekend's were held for
the first time in the East in New York City and Lorain,
Ohio. Until 1961, all weekends were
held in Spanish. That year the first English-speaking
weekend was held in San Angelo, Texas. Also in 1961,
first weekends were held in San Francisco, California;
Gary, Indiana; Lansing, Michigan; and Gallup, New Mexico.
By 1962, twenty-five more English-speaking weekends had
been held. In 1962 the Cursillo Movement
came to the Eastern United States. Weekends were held in
Cincinnati, Brooklyn, Saginaw, Miami, Chicago, Detroit,
Newark, Baltimore, Grand Rapids, Kansas City and Boston.
In the West, the first weekends were held in Monterey,
Sacramento, Los Angeles, Pueblo and Yakima. The movement spread rapidly with
the early centers carrying the Cursillo to nearby
dioceses. As of 1981, almost all of the 160 dioceses in
the United States had introduced the Cursillo Movement. The Cursillo Movement in the
United States was organized on a national basis in 1965.
At this meeting a National Secretariat was organized, and
a National Cursillo Office (currently in Dallas, Texas)
was established. The Cursillo Movement has the
support of the vast majority of the American hierarchy.
It is joined to the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops through an official liaison in the person of Most
Rev. James S. Sullivan, Bishop of Fargo, and through the
Bishops' Secretariat for the Laity in Washington, D.C. Today it is a worldwide movement
with centers in nearly all South and Central American
countries, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Portugal,
Puerto Rico, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany,
Austria, Italy, Yugoslavia, Australia, Japan, Korea,
Taiwan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and in several African
countries. The movement is a member of the International
Catholic Organizations of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity in Rome. In 1980 the Cursillo Movement established
an international office, the OMCC (Organismo Mundial de
Cursillo s de Cristiandad), in Santo Domingo to
coordinate the three existing international working
groups of Latin America, Europe and the International
English Language Group. The international leaders of the
movement meet periodically to further its work. At one of these meetings in Rome in 1966, Pope Paul VI had the opportunity to address the movement. Among his words of encouragement were the following:
In 1980 Pope John Paul II, addressing the first National Italian Ultreya in Rome said,
WHAT IS THE CURSILLO MOVEMENT? Cursillo literature cites several different definitions for the purpose of the Cursillo Movement. While the wording (definitions) may vary, the idea is the same. This is due, in part, to the fact that the purpose of Cursillo is multi faceted. No one definition can truly explain what Cursillo is. However, all the definitions can give a much richer meaning to the purpose of Cursillo .
As mentioned earlier, while the
wording of these definitions may differ, their ideas are
the same. The Cursillo Movement is focused to help each
of us fulfill our baptismal responsibility: to go forth,
as apostles, and proclaim the Gospel. We can no longer
afford to sit passively by and "hope" that the
world comes to know Christ. We must make a conscientious
effort to "tell" the world about Christ. The
Cursillo Movement provides us with the necessary tools
for fulfilling our baptismal responsibility along with
the training for using those tools. WE ARE COMMUNAL PEOPLE By our very makeup (which was
conceived by God), we need relationships (interaction of
two or more persons). A relationship of husband/wife was
required to bring about our conception. A relationship of
mother/child was required to bring about our birth. WE ARE A TEAMWORK PEOPLE Early in our youth many of us
came to understand the value of teamwork. Even if one was
not involved in a formalized sports program, most were
involved in some form of team competition during P.E. (Physical
Education class) at school. We also learned the value of
studying together in an attempt to improve our grades. For those that serve (or have served) in the military, they realize that the purpose of Basic Training is to de-emphasize the individual and emphasize the team. Besides all these examples of teamwork, Christ gave us the encouragement to work as a team: "Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18: 19-20).
The purpose of the Cursillo
Movement is to bring about a change in the environments.
The Cursillo Movement is a deliberate act to bring Jesus
Christ into the world. Cursillistas (those that have gone
through the 3-Days and are living the Cursillo method)
become agents for change in their families, work
situations, neighborhoods, social gatherings, etc.
Cursillistas are the part of the Christian community (communal)
that links together with others (teamwork) to bring Jesus
Christ to the world. DURING THE CURSILLO WEEKEND OVERALL
SUNDAY The focus for Sunday is the
understanding of ourselves, our relationship with God,
and how we can help Him in fulfilling His Will. We learn
what environments we belong to and how we can affect
those environments. Sunday night at the Clausura (Closing), the participants come face to face with the larger Cursillo Community that has been so supportive during the entire weekend. It is during this meeting that the participants enter this Cursillo Community. AFTER THE CURSILLO WEEKEND The Cursillo Movement realizes that it will not be an easy task for us to try to bring Christ to our environments. Therefore, the Cursillo Movement has two very important tools to assist each of us. These tools are the the Group Reunion and the Ultreya. GROUP REUNION The Group Reunion is a small group of Cursillo friends that meet on a regular basis. The purpose of this meeting is to share with one another the growth that has taken place within each of us. We share our spiritual growth as well as our growth in becoming a person who strives to bring a Christ-like attitude to our environments. This meeting is referred to as a Friendship Group. As we make attempts to bring Christ into our various environments, we will sometimes become frustrated. The group Reunion also provides the continual support we need in order to persevere as a part of God's plan. ULTREYA The Ultreya (Spanish word meaning Onward) is the larger Cursillo community. It is the time for the members of the Group Reunions to meet with members of other Group Reunions. The Ultreya is also beneficial in providing the support and encouragement that each of us needs. PENETRATING ENVIRONMENTS The Cursillo Movement helps each of us to understand what our various environments are. Furthermore, it helps us develop a plan to change those environments. CONCLUSION We, as laity in the Church, can no longer take our role lightly. The future of our society is in our hands. We must realize that we, as individuals, can have a great impact on our society. More importantly, we can have an even greater impact when we find other individuals that are ready and able to accept the challenge. Throughout history great things have happened because individuals decided to do more than was "expected." In the Catholic Church we refer to some of these individuals as saints. It has been said that Mr. Gorbachev was inspired by the leader of the Polish Solidarity Movement - Mr. Lech Walensa. Mr. Walensa was himself inspired by Mr. Martin Luther King, who credits his inspiration to a little old woman who refused to sit in the back of the bus. In the introduction, we referred
to the mystery of God. How else can we explain the events
that shape our world? In the past, the Cursillo Movement was primarily thought of as a source of individual spiritual growth. Today, we must realize that this individual spirituality is just not enough. Today, we must add to that spirituality. Our society needs us to be apostolic. Our Church needs us to be apostolic. Our world needs us to be apostolic. But most of all, our Lord wants us to be apostolic. Let us strive to be Christ-like. He chose individuals to become "fishers of men." Should we do any less? |
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