THE HISTORY OF CURSILLO

“To explain Cursillo to someone who hasn’t experienced it is, at best, difficult. It’s not because Cursillo is a secret, but because it is a living experience that you must encounter firsthand,” shares a pilgrim from the women's Lutheran Cursillo of Southern California weekend #178 in Pomona, CA.

Cursillo, a short course in Christianity, began in the Roman Catholic Church. It began when a group of men in the 1940s dedicated themselves to bringing the young men of Mallorca, Spain, to know Christ better. It developed as they prayed and worked together, sharing their thoughts about the state of the world and the effectiveness of their efforts to bring the light of Christ to it. Until 1961, all Cursillos were offered only in Spanish. Today’s Cursillos use much of that same imagery, terms and words like “palanca” and “ultreya” and welcome one another with “DeColores”, a reference to a traditional Spanish folk song.

Cursillo in the United States began when two Spanish pilots were in America in 1958. Cursillo is now in many states as well as Europe, Canada, Australia and South America. It is practiced by many denominations, sometimes under different names in separate groups for both men and women.

The Faith Walk movement is the Baptist version. There are many other protestant versions, such as Presbyterian Cursillo. Since 1978, a highly life-changing version of the movement called Kairos Inside has been held in prisons throughout California Kairos is Greek for "God’s special time." The program is offered to men and women in 13 CA state correctional institutions and California-based federal prisons.

Lutheran Cursillo of Southern California held its first set of weekends in June 1990. LCSC was developed from other three-day movements, such as Episcopal Cursillo and Walk to Emmaus (Methodist). LCSC uses Lutheran Theology and is led by Lutheran Clergy. You must be an active member at a Lutheran church to attend.

Via de Cristo, a Spanish phrase meaning "Way of Christ", is another version of the Cursillo Movement developed and practiced elsewhere in the US. Although it uses Lutheran theology, it is ecumenical and includes attendees from outside the Lutheran church.

Whether a Walk to Emmaus, Kairos, Cursillo or Via de Cristo, the basis for all weekends are fourteen or fifteen talks, some given by lay people and five by clergy. Following each talk, small round table discussions focus on the main points of the talk and a poster is done. There is music and singing, food and fellowship. There is time for laughter, and most importantly, time for prayer.

The purpose remains the same: to turn out authentic witnesses capable of influencing their environment. The method as well: (1) the stimulating three days experience which highlights what is fundamental to being a Christian, and (2) the fostering and support of "groupings" and "ultreyas" (less frequent meetings in larger groups).

“The church sponsored me to attend at a time in my life when after years of service to others, I was burned out and out of touch with the roots of my Christian Faith. I had no idea where I was even going. Just the thought of getting away for three days sounded so refreshing. It became a turning point in my life. The people and the strength I encountered have supplied me with the deep roots and love needed to run the good race until the end” concluded the pilgrim from weekend #178.

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(HUD 2022)

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