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Calvert County UltreyaWhat is a Cursillo |
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Calvert County UltreyaWhat is a Cursillo |
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CURSILLO (Kur-See-Yo) |
Most of us are curious, if not mystified, the
first time we hear one of our fellow parishioners utter the word “Cursillo”. The
word is Spanish for “a short course”. It is used by a group of Catholics to
describe a method of renewal which helps them to know Christ better and to
participate more fully in the life of their Church. Thus “Cursillo in
Christianity” literally means “A short course in Christianity”. And that is
exactly what the 3 day weekend provides.
The Cursillo idea was initiated by Bishop Juan Herves of Majorca, Spain while he
was developing a short course in Christianity for parishioners who wanted to
make a pilgrimage to Campostella. His idea was to develop a course to
spiritualize the pilgrimage and have a lasting impact on the pilgrims prior to
their departure. From this targeted start, he expanded his original ideas into
what became the Cursillo Method in 1949. Today, the course is not directed at
pilgrims going to a place in Spain, but to all Christians in the world so that
they can share the work Christ has given us to share.
The Cursillo movement is world-wide and exists to strengthen the Church and to
renew its members. Members work within the structure of the Church to build up
and revitalize the body of Christ. Therefore, Cursillo does not sponsor other
specific programs or institutions. Cursillistas come in all shapes and colors.
Priests, laypersons and other Christian denominations have completed the “Short
Course”. Cursillo has the approval of Church leaders including the Archbishop of
Washington and other Bishops.
The Cursillo experience begins with a three-day weekend that some have compared
to a retreat. Unlike a retreat, when the Cursillo weekend ends, the, new members
are invited into “Reunions”. These are small friendly support groups which meet
periodically to share their Christian experiences based on what was learned
during the Cursillo weekend. The composition of these groups varies but they are
usually 6 to 8 persons. New members can also form new small groups if the
existing ones do not meet their needs. There is also a monthly gathering of the
small groups into a larger community called Ultreyas, where similar discussions
occur with all the small group members. The Calvert County Ultreya meets monthly
at St. John Vianney in Prince Frederick, MD.