PHOENIX - The Arizona Episcopal Cursillo movement has been quiet for a decade, but no more. A men's weekend was held April 24-27, and a women's weekend is scheduled for this weekend, May 1-4.

Cursillo is a movement within the Episcopal Church that is designed to make it possible for people to live what is fundamentally Christian, and to live it together. It helps people discover and fulfill their personal vocations. It promotes the creation of core groups of Christians who leaven their environments with the Gospel. It provides a method to work together to bring other men and women to know and love Christ and to help each of us remain focused on our journey.

The Cursillo retreat weekend begins with a three-day experience of living Christianity (in Spanish, "Cursillo" means “a little course”) in Christian community. Daily worship, Eucharist, and visits to the Blessed Sacrament are available.

Beginning Thursday and ending Sunday evening 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, Faith, and the Christian approach to the world.

The community spirit of the weekend is continued into the “Fourth Day” through reunions of small groups of Christians and through Ultreyas or the gathering of the larger community. Many Cursillistas have continued to live the method by sharing in small group reunions, studying their environments, and taking action when appropriate to show Christ to others.

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. Then the Holy Spirit took charge and 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 the first Cursillo was held on the island of Majorca, Spain in 1949.

Cursillo was brought to the United States by two Spanish Military Exchange Pilots who were training with the U.S. Air Force in Texas. The first U.S. Cursillo was held 50 years ago in Waco, Texas on May 25, 1957. It quickly spread throughout the United States, and the first English Cursillos were held in 1961.

The Catholic Cursillo was so successful in bringing people to Christ that it found expression in other faiths. With the help of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, the first Episcopal Cursillo was held at Mt. Claret Retreat Center in 1975. More than 2000 people in the Diocese have become Cursillistas since then. Many who have made their Cursillo retreat weekend have compared it to a personal encounter with Christ or being touched by the Holy Spirit.

Arizona Cursillo helped begin the Lutheran Cursillo and Walk to Emmaus movements. Worldwide, there are approximately six-million Cursillistas. There are Cursillos in nearly every major city in the U.S., and nearly every country worldwide.

Please contact azcursillo@yahoo.com, your parish priest, or any member of the Cursillo community for more information.

On the Net: Arizona Cursillo site: http://cursillo.azdiocese.org