Welcome!
We hope your visit with us will be an uplifting
experience.
The Cursillo Movement is a movement of the Catholic Church, where the lay faithful working together with our priests and bishops, use the cursillo method to find, form, sustain and link Lay Leaders for Christ and His church. Cursillo is a means of supporting Christian Community.
"TAKE A CHRISTIAN or a handful of Christians
who, in the midst of their own com-
munity, show their capacity for understanding
and acceptance, their sharing of life and destiny with other people, their
solidarity with efforts of all for whatever is noble and good. Let
us suppose that, in addition, they radiate in an altogether simple and
unaffected way their faith in values that go beyond current values, and
their hope in something that is not seen and that one would not dare to
imagine. Through this wordless witness these Christians stir up irresistible
questions in the hearts of those who see how they live: Why are they like
this? Why do they live in this way? What or who is it that inspires
them? Why are they in our midst? Such a witness is already
a silent proclamation of the Good News and a very powerful and effective
one."
Pope Paul VI's Apostolic
Exhortation
on Evangelization in the Modern
World
CURSILLOS IN CHRISTIANITY
In today's world can Christianity penetrate the many areas of secular life? Can it live there? Can it grow there? Can it transform the world in a way that is more fruitful than the past and in keeping with the times? The Cursillo Movement thinks so. It proposes no new type of spirituality, but simply a method through which one's spirituality may be developed, lived and shared in any area of human life where there are Christians willing to dedicate their lives to God in an ongoing manner. The method is introduced by a little course.
FORMAT OF THE EXERCISES
Cursillo (pronounced kur-see-yo) is a Spanish
word meaning "little" or "short course." It begins on a Thursday evening
and ends the following Sunday night. During those three days those
attending live and work together listening to talks given by priests and
laity. They also share the Eucharist and pray together.
The titles of the talks indicate their
content:
Ideal, Habitual Grace, The Lay Person in the Curch, Actual Grace,
Piety, Study, The Sacraments, Action (Lay Evangelization),
Obstacles to a life of Grace, Leaders, Study
of the Environment, Life in Grace, Christianity in Action, The
Cursillista beyond the Cursillo, and Group Reunion. Each
talk is followed by a discussion
period.
THE FOURTH DAY
The "after" activity of the Cursillo is known as the "fourth day." During this time perseverance is important just as it is in any method of renewal. In the cursillo Movement the community spirit is continued after the three days through the "ultreya" or reunions of the community. These are available weekly as a means of growth in understanding and zeal within the Christian community. Reunions of smaller groups of friends are also available in order for them to encourage one another in friendship, spiritual improvement and the Christian apostolate.
ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST
A Cursillo is an encounter with Christ. That sounds too simple but it's not. Think about it. A real meeting with Christ. If that is understood then the power, beauty and joy of the Cursillo Movement will be understood. Interested? Attend one!
CHRISTIANIZING ENVIRONMENTS
The Cursillo is an encounter with
Christ. Correctly applied and overseen the Cursillo Movement can
have very positive results in the spiritual revitalization of the world.
The Christ-likeness in a few good people is contagious. The transference
of Christ's values to others in one's family, school, place of business,
etc., is the Christianizing of environments the Cursillo promotes.
The goal of the movement is that Christ be the prime influence in society.
So it is said that the PRIMARY OBJECTIVES of the Cursillo Movement are
to develop in adult Christians a consciousness of their power and mission
to become leaders in the work of Christian renewal, and to sustain them
as they provide a Christian leaven in civic, social and economic life.
This "Christianizing of environments" is what the Cursillo Movement is
all about.