The three days
A Cursillo weekend brings together a diverse group of Christians to share the richness of many modes of worship and to broaden each one's appreciation for the Church. Lay people conduct the weekend, with two or three members of the clergy functioning as spiritual advisors. Cursillo presumes that those who attend are already well-grounded in the faith.
It is not intended to be a conversion experience but an enriching and deepening of what is already there. It often provides new insights into our faith as well as fostering ministry among lay people.
The weekend begins Thursday evening with meditations and Compline. Then blessed silence is kept until after worship on Friday morning. Following breakfast, participants are assigned to table groups for the weekend.
The three days are filled with talks and group discussions with emphasis on the doctrine of grace, the sacraments, and the great Cursillo tripod: piety, study, and action. Plus there is fellowship, singing, good food, and time for privacy, meditation, prayer, and walks. Eucharist is celebrated each day.
There are no secrets!
You may have been told by some who have attended a Cursillo weekend that they cannot tell you what Cursillo is all about, or what goes on during the weekend. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everything that goes on during the weekend may be told to anyone.
The first Cursillos were developed in Spain in the late 1940s. Because of its Spanish heritage, you may hear or have heard the following Spanish terms associated with Cursillo:
Cursillo — [kur-SEE-yo] An intensive three-day short course in Christianity. Short for the original title, "Cursillos de Christiandad."
Cursillista — [kur-see-YEE-stah] A person who has attended a Cursillo weekend.
Rollo — [ROW-yo] A short talk. There are 15 rollos on the weekend, given by Lay and Clergy. The 15 talks form the message of the weekend.
Palanca — [puh-LAWN-cuh] A word which means to lean or to be a lever. We use a lever to make tasks easier or to overcome resistance. Palanca is the prayer and sacrifice made on behalf of the new cursillistas on the weekend.
Ultreya — [ul-TRAY-uh] A word of encouragement and greeting meaning “onward” or “keep going” on our Christian walk. It is also used to describe a larger meeting of prayer and worship for sharing and community support.
Cursillista — [kur-see-YEE-stah] A person who has attended a Cursillo weekend.
Rollo — [ROW-yo] A short talk. There are 15 rollos on the weekend, given by Lay and Clergy. The 15 talks form the message of the weekend.
Palanca — [puh-LAWN-cuh] A word which means to lean or to be a lever. We use a lever to make tasks easier or to overcome resistance. Palanca is the prayer and sacrifice made on behalf of the new cursillistas on the weekend.
Ultreya — [ul-TRAY-uh] A word of encouragement and greeting meaning “onward” or “keep going” on our Christian walk. It is also used to describe a larger meeting of prayer and worship for sharing and community support.
Weekend talks
The weekend includes 15 talks and five meditations. The focus and message of the talks are:
- Ideal — The need to have goals and objectives in life to be fully human.
- Grace — The call to be a full Christian person and to have a personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ.
- Laity — The call to Christians to be active members of the Church, the people of God.
- Faith — We must accept God’s call freely and make it fruitful.
- Piety — Living in union with Christ and to be in his presence.
- Study — We need to grow in the life of faith. In study, we hear God’s word speaking to us.
- Sacraments — Encounters with Christ in the Church makes possible the fullness of a relationship with Christ.
- Action — The ability to take apostolic action into the places we live our lives through the Cursillo method: “Make a friend; be a friend; bring a friend to Christ.”
- Obstacles to grace — We must be prepared for difficulties. This talk shows us how we can overcome sin.
- Leaders — A Christian leader is a servant leader who knows Christ, follows him and centers his/her life upon him.
- Environments — Our goal is the transformation of our part of the world for Christ.
- Christian life — a truly Christian life of piety, study and action fosters a love for Christ and our neighbors.
- Christian community in action — the plan for how to live your life of piety, study and action in the world.
- Group reunion — is a small group of friends that meet regularly to keep each other accountable for their spiritual journey of piety, study and apostolic action.
- Fourth day (Ultreya) — this talk is about maintaining the Christian community through honest sharing of the experiences of Christian leadership
All baptized Christians over age 18 are welcome to participate in our Cursillo weekends. However, they should be aware that the worship services held during the weekend are according to the Episcopal liturgy, and some of the talks pertain to sacramental belief and practice that is not necessarily shared by other denominations.
The core leadership of the Weekend team must be baptized members of the Episcopal Church. This is because Cursillo is a movement of the church, under the authority of our diocesan bishop. It is not an independent organization. It is important to us to maintain this identity and relationship.
In our diocese, each Cursillo weekend includes both men and women.
Want to attend a weekend?
You can find an application form on this website. You will need a sponsor (someone who has attended a Cursillo or similar weekend), and the approval of your Rector or pastor. If you need help finding a sponsor, please contact us (see below) and we will be happy to help.
Questions? Need more information?
For more information about Episcopal Cursillo in this diocese, contact our lay director:
Rich Basta.
Or write to us at the diocesan office:
Inland Northwest Episcopal Cursillo
Episcopal Diocese of Spokane
245 E. 13th Avenue
Spokane, WA 99202
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