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The following article is an extract taken from CTS Publication: Cursillos in Christianity ISBN 1 86082 117 0, published in 2001. This CTS booklet is available from Resources

Since its early beginnings Cursillo has spread to become a world-wide movement. It has, for many years, been a member of the International Catholic Organisations of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome.

Pope Paul VI

On the occasion of the First World Gathering in Rome on 29 May 1966 Pope Paul VI had the opportunity to address the Cursillo Movement. Among his words of encouragement were the following, which highlight characteristics of Cursillo:

"Cursillos in Christianity, that is the word, purified through experience, affirmed by its fruits, that today travels with citizenship papers throughout the world...We know that in your plan of spiritually and apostolate in the Cursillo Movement the mind of the Church (Sensus Ecclesiae) is the guiding light that orients you...Beloved sons and daughters: Our soul is so oppressed by the vision of the evils which afflict the Church and mankind. But permit us to express our overwhelming joy that, at this moment, floods our soul should before the immense chorus of your manly faith in Christ, your fidelity to the Church, your fervent loyalty to this Chair of Peter and to the ministry of the episcopal hierarchy - Cursillos in Christianity! Christ, the Church, the Pope, are counting on you!".

In Motu Propio, December 14, 1969, Pope Paul VI approved St Paul becoming the patron saint of the Cursillo Movement.

Pope John Paul II

In July 1988 Pope John Paul II sent his cordial wishes to the Second World Gathering of Cursillo in Caracas. He trusted that under the action of the Holy Spirit...members of Cursillo would be facilitated to:

"live a personal and communitary experience of the permanent love of God for men", that they would "experience more intimately the transforming force of the Good News of Salvation and as a consequence form authentic nuclei of Christians capable of witnessing in a coherent way the action of Divine Grace by the intercession of St Paul the Apostle, special patron of the Cursillos in Christianity".

On Saturday 29th July 2000 Pope John Paul II sent his apostolic blessing to 20,000 members of the Cursillo movement who had come together in Rome for the Third World Gathering.

"You, have generously opened your hearts to Jesus, are being asked by Him to proclaim His name untiringly to those who do not yet know Him....You have experienced that true happiness is found in following the Lord. This personal and community experience must be passed on to others. Many men and women of our time, who unfortunately turn away from God, expect from you the light of faith that will help them rediscover the colours of life and the happiness of feeling loved by God."

Conclusion

Cursillo developed as a Movement to evangelise secular society through personal conversion and the formation of Christian community. While necessarily emphasising that it a lay Movement, it remains committed in loyalty to the Pope, open to spiritual guidance through papal decrees and encyclicals and alert to the signs of the times. It looks for a laity grounded in prayer, ready to grow in spiritual awareness and open to the Holy Spirit but this is only the preparation for the task. The goal of Cursillo is to make the church into a truly apostolic influence in the world.

As cursillo has developed in English there has been an increasing awareness that this is a movement which seeks to find, form and sustain those who will become those apostolic leaders, who will help others to be effective in transforming their environments for Christ. The Cursillo Movement is now active in over 60 countries worldwide with an estimated 5-million people participating in the Movement's goal. In the spirit of the Millennium the Cursillo movement recently undertook a 'Jubilee Review' as a result of which it formulated its mission statement which reads:

"Cursillo is a Catholic movement to form leaders, who grow through prayer, study and action to evangelise others for Christ".

The following article featured in 'The Catholic Herald', on 18 June 2004.

Rome recognises
new movement

The CURSILLO movement, a Christian renewal effort that started in 1949 in Spain, and spread worldwide, has been recognised officially by the Holy See.

This movement received the decree of recognition today during the course of a Liturgy of the Word, at the headquarters of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, presided over by Archbishop Stanislaw Ryfka.

Among those attending were leaders of the movement's four international groups, as well as bishops from several countries.

The Cursillo movement is present in 60 countries, with a following of some five million. The basic idea of the cursillo, or "little course," is a three day retreat for those seeking God to whom the fundamental truths of the Christian faith are proclaimed.

The first cursillo was held in 1949, on the island of Majorca, the furit of the commitment of Catholic Action youth who had made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella in the Marian year of 1948.

The cursillos spread so rapidly. Within five years cursillos were held in all the continents.

At a May 2000 meeting with Cursillo representatives, John Paul II encouraged the process of discernment that led to today's decree.

 

 

St Paul, Patron Saint of Cursillo - PRAY FOR US