Cursillo
Cursillos in Christianity (Spanish: Cursillos de Cristiandad, "Short courses of Christianity") is an apostolic movement of the Catholic Church. It was conceived in Spain between 1940 and 1949 and began with the celebration of the so-called "first course" from January 7 to 10, 1949 at the Monastery of Sant Honorat, Mallorca.
Description
Cursillo is the original
The Cursillo focuses on showing Christian laypeople how to become effective Christian leaders over the course of a three-day weekend. The weekend includes fifteen talks, called rollos, which are given by priests and by laypeople. The major emphasis of the weekend is to ask participants to take what they have learned back into the world, on what is known as the "fourth day." The method stresses personal spiritual development, promoted by subsequent group reunions after the initial weekend.[2]
History
Cursillos first appeared in Spain in 1944. A layman named Eduard Bonnin and group of close collaborators started celebrating them on different places on
Until 1961, all weekends were held in Spanish. That year the first English-speaking weekend was held in
The Cursillo Movement in the United States was organized on a national basis in 1965. A National Secretariat was formed and the National Cursillo Office (currently in
In 1980, the Cursillo Movement established a worldwide international office, the OMCC (Organismo Mundial de Cursillos de Cristiandad). The international office is located in Portugal for the 2014–2017 term.[3]
Today, Cursillo is a worldwide movement with centers in nearly all South and Central American countries, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, Australia, New Zealand Aotearoa, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and in several African countries. The movement is recognized by the Holy See as member of the International Catholic Organizations of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome.
De Colores
In the Cursillo movement, being "in colors" is to be in God's grace. For that reason, Cursillo participants (cursillistas) greet each other with the phrase "De Colores" (in Colors).
A story from the early days of the movement in Spain tells of an occasion where a group of men were returning from a Cursillo weekend when their bus broke down. They began to sing De Colores, a traditional folk song. The use of the song in Cursillo took hold, and has held up as the movement has spread outside the Spanish-speaking world and to other denominations. The use of a multi-colored rooster as a symbol for the Cursillo movement is believed to have originated from one of the verses of that song.
Use by other Christian denominations
This retreat is also used by Episcopalian/Anglican Cursillo,[4] Presbyterian Cursillo/Pilgrimage,[5] Lutheran Via de Cristo,[6] Mennonite Way of Christ, The United Methodist Church's Walk to Emmaus,[7] and various interdenominational communities as Tres Días.[8]
Analogous retreats
The Cursillo method is used by ACTS,
A derivative retreat for Catholics is called "Welcome." It is a 2-day retreat, normally Saturday and Sunday, and therefore does not qualify for the term "cursillo" meant to apply to a 3-day retreat.[16]
Another derivative movement called 'An Emmaus Experience' was developed from the Cursillo at a Catholic parish in Miami, Florida, and has made some inroads. Its 3-day format borrows significantly from the Cursillo manual, but is primarily focused on the parish and not on the 'environments' of the world. Emmaus also has no formal method of '4th day' continuity such as the Cursillo 'friendship groups' and 'service sheets' to keep members accountable in their practice of the method.[17] This 'Emmaus Experience' derivative movement is centered on the Roman Catholic faith (from which the Cursillo movement originated) and differs from the 'Walk to Emmaus' version which emphasizes non-denominational practices for an ecumenical audience.[18]
See also
References
- ^ National Cursillo USA
- ^ a b "Cursillo Movement", Evangelisation retreats, Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln.
- ^ "World Body of Cursillos in Christianity". Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
- ^ Episcopalian/Anglican Cursillo, archived from the original on 2006-09-11, retrieved 2006-09-08
- ^ Presbyterian Cursillo/Pilgrimage
- ^ a b Lutheran Via de Cristo
- ^ "About", Emmaus, Uper room
- ^ Tres Dias, archived from the original on 2012-02-10
- ^ History of ACTS Movement (PDF), Stable rack, archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-04-17, retrieved 2019-06-25.
- ^ "The Great Banquet", Lamp stand
- ^ "The Journey", The new church
- ^ What Is Emmaus?, Upper room, archived from the original on 2001-03-03
- ^ The Walk with Christ
- ^ "Tres Arroyos". Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ Journey to Damascus - An Ecumenical Movement, archived from the original on 2018-07-13, retrieved 2018-07-13.
- ^ "Welcome Retreat", Dynamic Catholiic.
- ^ Emmaus retreats turn 35, Miami archdiocese.
- ^ "FAQ", Walk to Emmaus, Upper room.
Further reading
- Bonnin, Eduardo (1981), Cursillos in Christianity: The How and the Why, Dallas: National Cursillo Center.
- ——— (2007), Structure of Ideas (Vertebration), Dallas: National Cursillo Center.
- Hughes, Gerald P., ed. (1992), The Fundamental Ideas of the Cursillo Movement (2nd ed.), Dallas: National Ultreya Publications. Authorized English translation of the official Spanish work.
External links
- National Cursillo USA, Jarrell, TX: National Office.
- "What is it?", Cursillo, archived from the original on 2005-03-30, retrieved 2005-04-23.
- "Catholic Cursillo movements", Open Directory (category).