Cursillo weekend retreats planned in diocese
Friday, Oct. 10, 2014
By Laura Vallejo
Intermountain Catholic
SALT LAKE CITY – This year two Cursillo weekend retreats, one for men and the other one for women, have been scheduled.
The men’s Cursillo weekend is scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 30 - Nov. 2; the women’s Cursillo is scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 6-9.
The Cursillo Movement within the Catholic Church takes its name from a Spanish word meaning short course, and is often associated with a three-day weekend, although this is only one aspect of the Cursillo Movement, which is meant to deepen participants’ faith.
Frank Lujan, the lay director of the Diocese of Salt Lake City Cursillo Movement, invited all the men and women to participate in the retreats.
“During a Cursillo we want individuals to have three essential encounters: with self, with Christ and with others. God’s grace is always experienced at a Cursillo,” said Lujan.
The men’s weekend retreat will take place in the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity Trappist monastery in Huntsville. The women’s weekend retreat will take place in Kanab. For each retreat, 10 lay people and five clergy will be in charge of the talks.
“When people come out of the retreats they come out changed; they have an encounter with Christ,” said Lujan.
“The message that the Cursillo gives you is to keep going … to keep doing the things that God, the Church and Christ ask you to do,” said Lujan. “The main message is that people be faithful to the real God.”
In 1966, Pope Paul VI addresses the Cursillo Movement. Among his words of encouragement were the following:
“Cursillo is de Cristiandad, that is the word, purified through experience, affirmed by its fruits, that today travels with citizenship papers throughout the world. ...”
The Cursillo Movement is divided into three basic steps: the pre-cursillo, the cursillo, and the post cursillo. The pre-cursillo is when a person is searching for Christ. This potential candidate has to have a sponsor to share the cursillo; the sponsor is called a cursillista.
“Everyone is invited to be a candidate at the retreat because during the Cursillo, he or she will encounter Christ through word, testimony, Scripture and doctrine, so we ask the participants to have an open heart and mind so God can enter,” said Lujan.
In 1980, Pope John Paul II, addressed the first National Italian Ultreya-Cursillo in Rome.
“Your movement, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, devotes itself to drawing forth from Christians a commitment to live lives consistent with their faith whether individually or as a community – and to bring this ferment to the environments where you live,” the pope said. “You have discovered anew the explosive truth of the evangelical message: God, Father of all, comes to us as we encounter him in Jesus Christ to reunite us through the grace of the Spirit in one family which is the Church.”
Those interested in participating in one of the weekend retreats should contact Frank Lujan, 801-664-3003; Art Romo, 801-834-5951 or Rita Stelmach, 801-647-0143.
The cost for the weekend is $100, “but if someone is interested in participating and cannot afford it, he or she should call me; the Cursillo is designed to be a friend, make a friend and bring that friend to Christ,” said Lujan.
Stay Connected With Us