About Cursillo

History and Growth of Cursillo

Cursillo started in the Roman Catholic Church in Spain in the late 1940s. Under the leadership of their bishop, several laymen began to develop a way to draw active laymen into the work of “Christianizing” everyday life settings.

Cursillo spread throughout the Spanish-speaking countries of the world. It came to the United States in 1957 when Spanish Air Cadets training in Texas held a Cursillo weekend for a group of Spanish-speaking men in Waco, Texas.

The first official Weekend in the Episcopal Church was conducted with help from Roman Catholic sponsors in the Diocese of Iowa in 1970. Soon, Weekends were being held in various parts of the country.

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One aspect of Cursillo’s history is the focus on Weekends. The Cursillo Method involves much more than just “putting on weekends.” Cursillo offers a sharper, clearer understanding of how to apply the Cursillo Method — philosophically and practically.

An expanded view is that Cursillo is a lifelong ministry. The Cursillo Ministry continues to emerge as a mature instrument in the hands of committed lay Christians and clergy to empower the “ministry of the laity” as part of the Jesus Movement.

The Episcopal Cursillo Weekend:

Key elements of the Episcopal Cursillo Ministry are relationship, evangelism, and reconciliation in the home, the parish, the community, and the world.

We bring together a diverse group of people to share the richness of many modes of worship and broaden our appreciation for our Church. Lay people conduct the Weekend with two or three clergy members as spiritual advisors. Cursillo presumes that those who attend a Weekend are already well grounded in the faith. It isn’t intended to be a conversion experience but an enriching and deepening of what is already there. Often, Cursillo provides new insights into our faith and fosters ministry among lay people.

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Dioceses can choose between two Weekend formats: the original three-day schedule and a newer two-day schedule. In both, the first evening is spent in meditations and discussions. Then, blessed silence is kept until after worship the next morning, when participants are assigned to table/family groups for the Weekend. The days are filled with talks and group discussions with emphasis on the doctrine of Grace, the Sacraments, and the Cursillo tripod: Piety, Study, and Action. All weekends include group meditations, fellowship, singing, good food, time for privacy, meditation, and prayer. The Eucharist is celebrated each day.

After the Weekend:

Each person returning from a Weekend is encouraged to actively participate in the Jesus Movement. Click here to learn more about the Jesus Movement in the Episcopal Church. This time after the Weekend is known as the “Fourth Day” and extends for the rest of our lives. Through the Cursillo community, there are ongoing means to support Christian Ministry and Living. Small groups called Reunions are formed and meet regularly to encourage spiritual growth, accountability for sharing the love of Christ in various environments, and a lifetime process of spiritual growth and renewal.

Cursillo in the Diocese of Georgia (4:20)

Various people talk about how Cursillo impacted their lives, with videos from a weekend and Fourth Day activities.

Moving from an strictly intellectual approach to faith to include a heart approach
Affecting people who are strong in their church lives and are looking to grow
Reawakening relationship with God and desire to live with Jesus
Emphasizing the importance of the Fourth Day, the rest of our lives
Being part of “something bigger” in a larger faith community

Cursillo Community in Eastern Oregon (16:48)

Beginning with a description of the Cove camp facility, the actual Cursillo section starts about 1:55 into the video. Team members talk about initial doubts, suspicions, anxieties, their weekend experiences and the impact it has had on their faith journeys.

A chance to experience a true Christian community
A chance to meet people from throughout the Diocese
An opportunity to bring gifts from the weekend into everyday life
A chance to relinquish control, relax, experience things as they come, allow others to serve, engage in discussion, experience deep love and compassion, be open to what God has to offer each individual, experience the Holy Spirit within
An impetus to become more involved in church at home

Tools for growing into the rest of our lives with God and our communities
A final statement: Cursillo strives to carry out the urging of the apostle Paul, to stir up one another, to love in good works, so that we together like more, ably proclaim Christ and his message of love and reconciliation to the world.

Alabama Cursillo (5:09)

Using videos from a Weekend, new Cursillistas talk about

hesitations before Cursillo
gradual acceptance of being served by others
absorbing the joy of being faithful and
immersion into a loving Christian community,
a weekend that unfolds and builds upon itself
surprises that unfold like gifts
changing the way we think about our walk with God
incredible prayer support from the larger community

Quotes

Cursillo is about the commitment of the Diocese to continue to nurture the relationship between the people of the Diocese and God.
Cursillo is a remarkable gift to me as a child of God.
I loved my home church that much more and wanted to give more to my church.
Cursillo is good for people who want to be connected, not just intellectually, but also emotionally and spiritually to a loving God.

Diocese of Olympia - Come and See – Cursillo 2.0 (2.17)

The Right Reverand Greg Rickel invites us to experience our faith, the love of Christ and the Church in a new way. He gives a succinct description of Cursillo’s role in helping us to be radically sent, connect head and heart and live into our baptismal vows.

Diocese of Georgia - How Cursillo Strengthens Your Faith (2.22)

This video begins by discussing the importance of Reunion Groups as a discipline for meeting with a spirit of charity, forgiveness and confidentiality, to refocus our lives on a regular basis. Reunion groups help us to be accountable to each other for our efforts towards piety, study and action, to further Christ’s kingdom in the world and share how God works in our lives.