Adult Faith Formation Cursillo
The Cursillo Movement has been a movement of the Catholic Church since the middle of the last century. The name Cursillo 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. Cursillo (pronounced cur-SEE-yo) is a Spanish word meaning "short course"; it might be best described as a seminar. Cursillo, in this context, means "a short course in Christianity". It begins with a weekend, starting on a Thursday evening and continuing until Sunday evening. The weekend consists of daily celebration of the Mass, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, talks, meditations, and good old-fashioned Christian fellowship. The goal of the weekend is to empower the attendee to become a Christian leader in each of his or her environments
Thursday night is a time to get to know each other and to have an overview of the Cursillo Weekend. This is also the retreat phase of the Cursillo Weekend, focusing on personal reflection and meditation.
Friday the participants will hear five talks. Three are given by members of the laity. The other two are given by the Spiritual Directors or Clergy. Each provide the participants with information and witnessed experiences, and are followed by discussions that draw each person's experience and insights into play.
Saturday helps the participants to understand their current relationship with God and spawn a desire for a still deeper and fuller relationship with God. Like Friday, talks are followed by small group discussions.
Sunday helps us better understand 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's format is like Friday and Saturday. 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.
The Cursillo Movement realizes that it will not be an easy task for us to bring Christ to our environments. Therefore, the Cursillo Movement has two very important tools to assist each of us. These tools are the Group Reunion and the Ultreya.
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 try 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.
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. Next week we will discuss how we can connect and link with others in the Cursillo Movement and how to find out if Cursillo has a place in your faith walk.
The Cursillo Movement helps each of us to understand what our various environments are and how to penetrate them, how to bring Christ to each of them. Furthermore, it helps us develop a plan to change those environments. We, as laity in the Church, cannot 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. And we can have an even greater impact when we link with other individuals who are ready and able to accept the challenge. 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. Our Joliet Diocese has a large and vibrant Cursillo community. We have several opportunities each year to begin to integrate the Cursillo method into our faith walk and our apostolic actions. We here at St. Raphael have many women and men who have integrated the Cursillo method into their formation and faith walk. If you would like to discuss Cursillo at greater length please call Bud Miller @ 630.416.9882.
If you have any questions, please contact Sr. Anne Hyzy (630-355-4545 X-138/ email Sr. Anne) or contact Bud Miller.