During those three days those attending live and work together listening to talks given by priests, deacons and lay persons and participate in small group discussions. The talks include topics which deal with life, the Christian ideal, the Catholic Faith and the Christian approach to the world. The goal of the weekend is to empower the attendee to become a Christian leader in each of his or her environments.
At the end of the weekend, the attendee begins his or her Fourth Day. This Fourth Day consists of the rest of one's life. After encountering Jesus Christ in such a special way on the Cursillo weekend, the attendee returns home with the challenge of remaining focused on Him in all facets of life.
A Brief History
Cursillo came out of the pain and horror of the Spanish Civil War which ended in 1939. Spain was a Catholic country, and in that war Catholics were fighting Catholics, and when the terrible killing ended, the country was nearly dead spiritually.
When the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, the country was nearly dead spiritually. A young Spanish Catholic lay group responded to a plea from Pope Pius XII to restore Christian values to their country. After prayer and discernment, these remarkable young people, decided to gather 100,000 young men and women to go on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella (the burial place of St James the Apostle). It was an arduous trip and they encouraged each other by saying "Ultreya", which means "Onward".
The Cursillo was formed during that pilgrimage, and under the leadership of Eduard Bonnin and Juan Hervas, Bishop of Majorca the first Cursillo was held on the island of Majorca, Spain in 1949.
It was brought to the United States by two Spanish Military Exchange Pilots who were training with the US Air Force in Texas. The first US Cursillo was held in Waco, Texas on May 25, 1957, nearly 46 years ago.
Today, Other "retreats" based on Cursillo are the Marriage Encounter, Engagement Encounter, and a retreat for those whose marriages are troubled, called Retrovaille (pronounced Retro-Vie).
What is Cursillo?
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 may consist of daily celebration of the Mass, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, talks, meditations, etc.
