WCR logo
  

Tuesday - 06/18/2013

Click for Edmonton City Centre, Alberta Forecast

St. Paul - Mundare St. Paul
Jubilee
2008-2009
Catechism Logo Exploring the
Catholic Catechism
Compendium-Cover
Compendium
of the
Social Doctrine
of the Church

Last Updated: Friday - 09/24/2010

Week of September 20, 2004

Meet the Cursillo movement

Encounter Christ and then make him part of your everyday living.

By MARIA KRUSZEWSKI
Special to the WCR
Edmonton

Say the word "Cursillista" to Catholics in the Edmonton area and the common response will be "never heard of it." It's a word that doesn't roll easily off the tongues of most English speakers, but one that means much to Christians in many parts of the world, and to many people in Edmonton.

Cursillistas live in many of the parishes of our city, but if you gave the average parishioner a multiple choice quiz about the meaning of the word, would he or she choose the right answer? A Cursillista (pronounced cur-see-IS-ta) is

  1. the lace curtain that hangs behind the tabernacle door where the Blessed Sacrament resides;
  2. a person deemed fit to be a doorkeeper for a papal conclave and other papal functions; or
  3. a person who is committed to Christ and to works of prayer, Christian study and apostolic action with the assistance of Christian community.
If you know any Cursillistas, they will tell you that c) is the correct response. A Cursillista is someone who has participated in a Cursillo weekend and is part of the international Cursillo community, which celebrated its 60th anniversary on Aug. 20.

Cursillo (pronounced cur-SEE-yo) is a Spanish word meaning "a short course." The first Cursillo in Christianidad, or short course in Christianity, was developed 60 years ago on the tiny island of Mallorca, Spain. A group of young people perceived there were many around them who were unaware of God's love for them, and who were searching for the true happiness that a relationship with God can bring. In sharing their understanding of what it means to be loved by God, the first Cursillistas developed a method of living Christianity that has carried on to this day in the international Cursillo Movement.

Cursillo made its way to Canada in the early 1960s, and Cursillistas have been present in the Edmonton Archdiocese ever since.

A Cursillista's experience begins with a three-day weekend of presentations and sharing that helps individuals to encounter themselves, Christ, and each other. After Cursillo weekends, small groups of Cursillistas continue to meet regularly in friendship to help the individual make prayer, study and active Christianity a part of his or her daily life.

Cursillo communities exist from British Columbia to Newfoundland, and Cursillistas discover the joy of joining a new group when moving from one community to another.

Because of the Cursillo movement's low profile in the Edmonton area, it is likely that there are Cursillistas who have yet to connect with the local movement. Our next Cursillo weekends in October and the spring of 2005.

The next gathering of Cursillistas will be held Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the basement of Assumption Church, 9040-95 Ave. Call Belle at 467-8549, or Rod at 464-2746, or go to www.cursillo-canada.org.

Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 -- Western Catholic Reporter

Our mission: To serve our readers by bringing the Gospel to bear on current issues in the Church and in secular culture through accurate news coverage and reflective commentary.